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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “HLB”
In the latest episode of the All In For Citrus podcast, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomologist Kirsten Pelz-Stelinski discussed her research on the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and a new grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to further her work. The goal of the research is to use bacteria already present …
By Brad Turner As I started my regenerative journey five years ago, it conjured up memories of walking the family groves in the 1970s with my freshly sharpened eye hoe. I would follow the tractor as it pulled the offset chopper, crisscrossing between the widely spaced trees in all directions. The native grasses and broadleaf plants — including legumes like …
Growers and industry stakeholders recently gathered in Sebring, Florida, to celebrate the 32nd annual meeting of the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA). LEADERS ELECTEDNew HCCGA officers and directors were elected. Officers for the 2022 board of directors include: Emma Ezell, president Hank Crutchfield, vice president Charlie Wilson, treasurer Aaron Nelson, secretary New board members are Joe Collins, Billy Barben, …
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP It’s not unusual for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) to have a dozen contacts with Peter Chaires in a day, between the emails, calls and visits. Chaires serves as executive director of the New Varieties Development & Management Corp. (NVDMC), executive vice president of Florida Citrus Packers and …
By Ernie Neff In every Florida citrus community, there are many growers who have been close friends most of their lives. They grew up in the country or small cities not far from each other, went to the same high schools and know the same people. They share the struggles — and before HLB, the joys — of growing citrus. …
A significant portion of the $3 million the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating to Texas for pest detection, surveillance, identification and threat mitigation is targeted to the state’s citrus industry. Among other citrus-related projects, the USDA is including money to aid Texas in the control of Asian citrus psyllids and the HLB disease they spread. “Texas has more …
There has been quite a bit of interest in the Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRAFT) program. During the Florida Citrus Show held in Fort Pierce in late January, a panel of citrus growers discussed projects they have been approved to conduct under CRAFT. Tamara Wood, executive director of the CRAFT Foundation, moderated the panel and provided an update on …
The horticultural characteristics of new citrus varieties are important, especially in the era of HLB when disease tolerance is critical. But how the fruit tastes and other consumer attributes are equally important. That’s why citrus variety display days are vital in citrus breeding. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center in …
A La Niña weather pattern is most likely this spring, with higher-than-average temperatures and below-average rain predicted in Florida, researcher Megan Dewdney reported in a Feb. 24 presentation about postbloom fruit drop (PFD). That could have some influence on the severity of PFD, since its preferred climate is humid and subtropical, and the fungus moves with rain splash and wind-borne …
Fruit drop has plagued Florida citrus groves in recent years. The problem has been a major factor in tumbling yields. The February 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture’s citrus crop forecast put Florida’s orange estimate at 43.5 million boxes. If realized, it would represent an 18% decline in the crop from last season. Growers are turning over every stone to seek …
The Florida legislative session is well underway in Tallahassee. The University of Florida hosted its annual Gator Day at the Capitol in February to remind lawmakers of all that the school does for its students and stakeholders. Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus Research and Education Center, and fellow citrus team members from the University of Florida Institute of Food …
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers emphasized the importance of efficient irrigation and nutrient management at a workshop earlier this month at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. In Florida, the citrus industry accounts for about 30% of irrigated cropland acreage, reported UF/IFAS researcher Alisheikh Atta. Worldwide, the agriculture industry consumes about …
Citrus acreage continues to increase across the North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama regions. Interest has expanded to large row crop farmers, who see citrus as a viable alternative crop, said Kim Jones at the Feb. 17 Citrus Health Forum meeting at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences North Florida Research and Education Center. Jones …
By Megan Dewdney Mid-summer to fall has become algal spot season in my office. The disease is re-emerging in Florida for unknown reasons. While much of the year algal spot is low key and hard to spot, between June and September it is very obvious. So, what is algal spot, should you be concerned, and what can you do about …
With more than two weeks past since the late January freeze in Florida, citrus growers are still assessing the fallout. Some key production regions saw the coldest temperatures in years. With HLB endemic, there’s a lot of unknowns how trees will react to the stress the cold temperatures induced. However, some growers didn’t have to wait to see damage to …
All indications are that the recent widespread use of individual protective covers (IPCs) on young citrus trees in Florida is beneficial, especially for excluding Asian citrus psyllids and the HLB they spread. If there is any downside, it may be that some other pests and diseases are more prevalent under IPCs. In a recent American Society for Horticultural Science webinar, …
The Florida citrus industry has been focused on finding solutions to the fruit drop problem that has hit groves hard in recent years. During the 2022 Florida Citrus Show in Fort Pierce, Fernando Alferez, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, assistant professor of citrus horticulture, presented findings from a research trial aimed at reducing fruit drop. The …
By Megan Dewdney The 2021 foliar fungal season was an easier than average year. The La Niña weather pattern predicted last fall came to pass, and the spring was relatively dry from January to the end of May with some rain in February and April. While citrus trees in Florida were likely drought-stressed, the dry weather slowed the usual decomposition …
Individual protective covers (IPCs) on citrus trees have become a more common sight in Florida groves in recent years. The bags that cover young trees exclude the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) from feeding on the plants, thus protecting them from HLB. Some estimates suggest that more than 1 million IPCs are now deployed in the state’s citrus groves. During the …
Citrus leprosis has not been reported in Florida since 1968, but researcher Ozgur Batuman called it “an approaching threat to Florida citrus” in a recent virtual seminar. Batuman, a citrus pathologist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, urged growers to be on the lookout for the disease. According …
