A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) report — Citrus: World Markets and Trade — included global fresh grapefruit and fresh lemon/lime projections for 2025–26. GRAPEFRUIT UP Global fresh grapefruit production is forecast up 2% to 7 million tons on larger crops in China, the United States and the European Union (EU). China production is forecast …
Growers Hear Updates at Highlands Annual Meeting
About 200 grower members and other attendees gathered in Sebring for the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA) annual meeting in early March. According to Ray Royce, HCCGA executive director, the event went well and is always a highlight of the year to allow growers to catch up with one another and get industry updates. Matt Joyner, Florida Citrus Mutual …
Improve Water and Nutrient Retention With Compost and Biochar
By Tripti Vashisth, Abhishek Neupane and Taylor Livingston Florida citrus trees are under pressure from huanglongbing (HLB). The disease weakens root systems, reducing the tree’s ability to take up water and nutrients. Compounding this issue, most Florida groves sit on sandy soils with very little organic matter. These soils drain quickly, struggle to hold nutrients and allow both water and …
Sweet Orange Scab Quarantines Expand in California
Agriculture officials have expanded the areas quarantined for sweet orange scab (SOS) in the Los Angeles and Villa Park areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties in California. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) expanded the quarantine. SOS is a disease caused by …
Match the PGR to the Purpose at the Proper Time
By Tripti Vashisth and Prudhvi Vulchi Plant growth regulators (PGRs) have become an important management tool for Florida citrus growers facing the challenges of huanglongbing (HLB). HLB disrupts the tree’s hormonal balance by reducing growth-promoting hormones like cytokinin and gibberellins and increasing stress-related hormones. This imbalance weakens carbohydrate transport, reduces sink strength and accelerates canopy decline. PGRs can help restore …
Black Spot Fungus Partially Resistant to Strobilurins
For the first time in Brazil, Fundecitrus has identified evidence of partial resistance of the fungus Phyllosticta citricarpa, which causes citrus black spot, to fungicides of the strobilurin group. This finding corroborates warnings issued by growers and technicians during the 2024–25 season regarding failures in controlling the disease in areas of the São Paulo Citrus Belt. SAMPLE STUDY A study …
CUPS Trees Survive Freeze Nearly Unscathed
During a Feb. 26 Highlands County ag tour hosted by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension, participants had the opportunity to go inside a citrus under protective screen (CUPS) pod. Bill Bohde, director of agronomy for Dundee Citrus Growers Association, led the tour group through a 10-acre CUPS pod at Fort Meade in neighboring Polk County. …
Take the Sting Out of Fire Ants
Effective fire ant control calls for long-term, proactive treatment. It isn’t enough to fight the fire ants on the surface. Fire ant tunnels can extend deep underground, up to 25 feet away from visible mounds. The fire ants you can see are only a fraction of the problem – and are easily replaceable. Central Life Sciences has the product solutions …
Costa Rican Orange Production Forecast
After an 11% fall in Costa Rican orange production in 2024–25, production is forecast to increase 10% in 2025–26 to 220,000 metric tons (MT). This projection is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). PRODUCERS AND PROCESSORS Two companies, TicoFrut and Del Oro, control most of the production and practically all processing of oranges in Costa …
A Pure Product Pays Dividends
Sponsored Content Question: Does the purity level of ReMedium TI® help aid the therapeutic response to citrus greening with trees that are under environmental stress? Answer: During the research and development phase of ReMedium TI®, several things were observed that pertain to this question. First, trees that have been under relatively severe stress do have slower uptake of ReMedium TI®. …
Global Tangerine/Mandarin Projections
A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) report — Citrus: World Markets and Trade — included global tangerine/mandarin projections for 2025–26. Global fresh tangerine/mandarin production is forecast up less than 1% to 38.4 million tons. Larger crops in China, Turkey, Morocco, South Africa and Japan more than offset smaller European Union (EU) and U.S. harvests. Processing …
Pest Control in Protected Production Systems
In a recent virtual presentation, entomologist Jawwad Qureshi discussed monitoring and control measures for citrus pests in trees under individual protective covers (IPCs) and in citrus under protective screen (CUPS). Qureshi is an associate professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee. MONITORING METHODS Qureshi’s noted that …
A New Step Before You Spray
By Matt Smith The pesticide label is going online — kind of. I’ll explain, but the main takeaway is that a new step before spraying is required from now on. It’s not particularly difficult, but it is going to add to your pre-spray paperwork and planning. Why is this happening? After multiple lawsuits, judges reaffirmed that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, …
After Freeze, Ambrosia Beetles Are Potential Threat
Florida citrus growers should be on the lookout for an uncommon citrus pest following the recent freeze events that devastated crops throughout the state. During a recent postfreeze webinar hosted by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Team, Lauren Diepenbrock, associate professor and entomologist, warned growers about the ambrosia beetle. This pest can prey on …
European Union Detects Banned Substances in Egyptian Oranges
The European Union (EU) has detected the first batches of oranges from Egypt containing pesticide residues exceeding the maximum residue limit and other plant protection products prohibited for citrus fruits in Europe. The detections were made by the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). The Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-ASAJA) reported that Egyptian oranges were intercepted in …
Lemon Essential Oil Market Projected to Expand
The global lemon essential oil market is projected to expand from U.S. $3.77 billion in 2025 to $5.32 billion by 2031, according to Research and Markets. That would be a compound annual growth rate of 5.91%. This concentrated, volatile liquid is primarily derived via mechanical extraction from lemon rinds. Its market foundation is built upon the beverage industry’s growing preference …
World Orange and Orange Juice Projections
A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) report — Citrus: World Markets and Trade — included global fresh orange and orange juice projections for 2025–26. FRESH ORANGE Global fresh orange production is projected up slightly to 45.9 million tons on larger crops in Brazil and Egypt, more than offsetting decreased production in Turkey, the European Union and …
Act Seeks Affordable Crop Insurance After Freeze
U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody and Congressman Scott Franklin, both of Florida, have introduced legislation directing research and development of affordable crop insurance to cover losses caused by cold exposure and freezes. The Temperature Event Mitigation Policy (TEMP) Act introduction comes in the wake of the late January/early February freeze that caused an estimated $3.1 billion in losses to Florida’s crops. …
Estimate Puts Florida Freeze Damage at More Than $3 Billion
As growers surveyed fields and groves after the freeze in late January and early February, it was clear the damage has been catastrophic in many cases. That was confirmed by Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson with the first estimate of damage released on Feb 20. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) preliminary estimates of losses to Florida …
PIECES OF THE PAST: The Hills Are Alive in Florida
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette William John Howey (1876–1938) was born in Odin, Illinois, and spent his early adulthood in insurance, real estate development and automobile manufacturing before turning to agriculture. After ventures in Oklahoma and Mexico, he arrived in Florida in the early 1910s and began selling citrus groves near what are now Dundee, Lake Hamilton and Star Lake. By …





























