giant swallowtail

Getting a Handle on the Giant Swallowtail

Daniel CooperPests, Tip of the Week

By Amir Rezazadeh The giant swallowtail butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) is a beautiful insect, admired for its large wingspan and vibrant yellow and black coloration. However, for citrus growers, this butterfly is often viewed with less enthusiasm. The larvae of the giant swallowtail, commonly referred to as “orange dogs,” can cause significant damage to citrus trees. Understanding the nature of this …

SAR

Psyllid Nanopesticide Developed in Brazil

Daniel CooperBrazil, Pesticides, Psyllids

In Brazil, a more effective and sustainable insecticide for HLB-spreading psyllids was developed by Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Company) in partnership with the Institute of Chemistry of the State University of Campinas (Unicamp). The work resulted in a controlled-release system of the insecticide thiamethoxam molecule. Encapsulation was performed in polymeric nanoparticles, structures more than 80,000 times smaller than the thickness …

Oriental fruit fly

Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine Removed

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, Pests, Regulation

Federal and state officials on Aug. 11 removed the Oriental fruit fly quarantine in California’s Riverside and San Bernardino counties. This action releases the remaining 365 square miles of the quarantine, which contained 1,800 acres of commercial agriculture. Release from quarantine occurred after three generations elapsed since the date of the last detection, based on a degree-day model. The U.S. …

pectin

Improved Pectin From Orange Peels

Daniel CooperResearch

U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) scientists have developed a high-quality and inexpensive pectin that can successfully gel in low-sugar products and still be scalable for commercial production. Pectin, a soluble fiber used mainly for gelling food products like jams and jellies, is naturally found in fruits and vegetables. Most commercial pectins are from citrus fruit peels …

Angle

Angle to Return as UF/IFAS Leader

Daniel CooperAgriculture, extension

J. Scott Angle, who recently served as University of Florida (UF) provost, will return as leader of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). He will become UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources in September, a position he originally assumed in 2020. He left as leader of UF/IFAS in July 2023 to become interim provost and …

soil

PIECES OF THE PAST: It All Starts With the Soil

Daniel CooperPieces of the Past, soil

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette During this year’s Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference in Bonita Springs, I interviewed a number of citrus growers as part of the Oral History Program. One of them was Brad Turner, who later sent me an article by E.F. DeBusk from the 1930 Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society. DeBusk was a Florida Citrus Hall …

PGRs

PGRs Promote Tree Health

Daniel CooperPGRs

The use of plant growth regulators (PGRs) has been a popular method to treat HLB-infected citrus trees. The materials have continued to be applied in conjunction with trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC) to improve tree health. Tripti Vashisth, an associate professor of horticultural sciences with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), has been studying PGRs …

demand

Nurturing Demand Amid a Global OJ Shortage

Daniel CooperEconomics

By Marisa L. Zansler In May 2024, news of Brazil’s 2024–25 orange crop forecast declining from 307 million boxes to 232 million boxes — a 24% drop — sent frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) futures prices to historic highs. The futures price reached $4.87 per pound solids on May 28 before settling at $4.22 per pound solids at the end …

soil pH

Insights on Soil Amendments, Soil pH and Nutrient Availability

Daniel Coopersoil, Tip of the Week

By Davie Kadyampakeni, Tripti Vashisth and Duplicate Sambani The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) conducted an experiment for four and a half years to determine effects of soil amendments on soil pH. The impacts of fulvic acid, humic acid and sulfuric acid with and without elemental sulfur were compared. Canopy size, fruit yield, fruit quality, …

acadian

Acadian Plant Health Researcher Discusses Biostimulant Research

Daniel CooperResearch

Acadian Plant Health (APH) is the largest independent marine plant harvesting, cultivation, and extraction company in the world, and an international leader in sustainable, science-based biological solutions for crops. A team of researchers with Acadian closely studied the effects of Ascophyllum nodosum-based bio-stimulants and how they increase resilience against environmental stresses. Holly Little, director of research and development, speaks with AgNet …

fruit fly

Winning the Fruit Fly Fight

Daniel CooperPests, Regulation

Federal and state agriculture officials recently removed several fruit fly quarantines in Texas and California. TEXAS On July 16, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) removed the Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine in Sullivan City, Hidalgo County. This action releases 68 square miles from quarantine. There was …

leaf tissue

Now Is the Time for Soil and Leaf Sampling

Daniel CooperBMPs, Nutrition

July to September is the optimum time to collect citrus soil and leaf samples for analysis. Soil and leaf sampling are key components in the evaluation of a citrus nutrition program and required Citrus Best Management Practices recordkeeping documentation. Annual sampling and its analysis provide a good idea of the nutritional trends that have been occurring within specific grove blocks …

NOAA

NOAA Updates Above-Normal Hurricane Outlook

Daniel Cooperhurricane, Weather

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service forecasters issued an Atlantic hurricane outlook update on Aug. 8 very similar to its initial outlook issued in May. Both outlooks projected an above-normal hurricane season.   The forecasters updated the number of expected named storms to 17 to 24 (with winds of 39 mph or greater), of which eight to 13 …

root recovery

Purity Is a Two-Part Consideration in Trunk Injection

Daniel CooperHLB Management, OTC Expert

Sponsored Content In this special series, Tom Johnson, owner of TJ BioTech, tackles questions about optimizing trunk-injection applications to treat HLB. Q: Is there more to the purity of a trunk injection of ReMedium TI® than just the purity of the active ingredient? Tom Johnson: The purity of a trunk injection is important to the overall performance of the active …

ideal grove

What Will the Ideal Grove of the Future Look Like?

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management

Since no cure exists for citrus greening-diseased plants, Brazilian researchers are developing ways to modify orange trees and the environment around groves to make it harder for greening-spreading psyllids to thrive. LOCATION AND LAYOUT The ideal grove envisioned by Fundecitrus researchers, in collaboration with the Spanish National Research Council/Polytechnic University of Valencia and Durham University (England), starts with a careful …

projections

Inclement Weather Cuts South African Orange Export Projections

Daniel CooperExport, International

The Orange Focus Group of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA) on July 23 cut its projections for navel and Valencia orange exports in the 2024 season. NAVELS The projected number of 15-kilogram cartons of navel orange exports is now 21 million. That continues the downward trajectory that was started in May when the season-opening estimate of 25.7 …

hlb

Reasons to Believe HLB Is Beatable

Daniel CooperEvents, HLB Management

Growers gathered in Bonita Springs in mid-June for the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference. The event hosted by Florida Citrus Mutual drew a good crowd. The mood of growers was mixed. While there was hope that HLB trunk-injection therapies might have resulted in more dramatic improvements to this year’s crop, there also was recognition that these therapies represent one of …

symposium

Symposium Unites Growers and Ag Industry Professionals

Daniel CooperAgriculture, Events

The second annual Growing Together Symposium was hosted at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in early August. The event was a forum for growers and agricultural industry professionals to learn about various business-related topics. Center director Kirsten Pelz-Stelinski welcomed attendees and noted the Apopka, Florida, facility is continuing its …

hurricane season

Update to Hurricane Season Forecast

Daniel Cooperhurricane, Weather

Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane researchers on Aug. 6 continued to call for an extremely active 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. The August forecast is the same as the July forecast for all parameters except for named storms, which was reduced from 25 to 23. Twelve of the named storms are predicted to reach hurricane strength. Six of the 12 hurricanes …

survey

Survey Asks Growers About Oxytetracycline Trunk Injection

Daniel CooperSurvey

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are conducting a grower survey about the use of oxytetracycline (OTC) trunk injection in citrus production. The researchers want to learn about the adoption, efficacy and economic feasibility of OTC injections. The survey, which can be accessed here, will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. It should be completed …