Canker Resistance Progress May Help With HLB

Josh McGillBreeding, Diseases

A team of researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has successfully identified the CsDMR6 gene, which impacts a citrus tree’s reaction to the citrus canker pathogen. Zhanao Deng and Fred Gmitter, both professors and plant breeders, are members of that team.  By editing the CsDMR6 gene in the plant’s DNA to interfere with …

Fruit Displays Offer Growers Opportunities to Give Feedback

Josh McGillEvents, Tip of the Week, Varieties

By Peter Chaires Each season, variety displays and field days offer growers, packers, processors, nurseries, marketers, flavor companies and other interested parties an opportunity to experience the latest developments in Florida’s citrus breeding programs. Each team takes its own approach to these events. Some are more focused on fruit displays and sampling, some have field tours, and others include scientific …

hlb

HLB and Canker Incidence Increasing in Brazil

Josh McGillBrazil, Diseases

The average incidence of HLB rose from 22.37% in 2021 to 24.42% in 2022 in Brazil’s citrus belt, an annual survey by Fundecitrus shows. That’s an increase of 9.16%. In the regions of Brotas, Limeira and Porto Ferreira, where the incidence was already high in previous years, HLB increased to even more worrying levels of 49.41%, 70.72% and 74.05%, respectively. …

When Are Cover Crops Profitable?

Josh McGillCover Crops, Economics, Research

At 200 boxes per acre, cover crops can be profitable in Valencia orange production, according to a Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo presentation. Tara Wade and Shourish Chakravarty prepared the presentation. Wade is an assistant professor, and Chakravarty is a post-doctoral associate, both at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. …

Florida citrus

How Different Techniques Hold Up to Diseases

Josh McGillCitrus Expo, Diseases, IPCs

How well reflective mulch, kaolin clay and individual protective covers (IPCs) hold up to HLB, canker and greasy spot diseases was researcher Megan Dewdney’s topic at the 2022 Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo. Dewdney is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor of plant pathology at the Citrus Research and Education Center.  The research project …

Searching for Sweet Solutions

Josh McGillOrange Juice, Research

By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Just as HLB can affect fruit flavor, so can our numerous innovations to manage HLB. Yu Wang works to make sure our solutions are sweet. When the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hired her as a flavor chemist seven years ago, Wang worked primarily with breeders. Her objective was …

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Support for HLB Product Label Requests

Josh McGillPesticides

Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) has been working with product registrants to gather industry support for two 24(c) label requests being presented to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). REMEDIUM TIThe first request, from TJ BioTech, is related to the use of ReMedium TI via injection in citrus trees suffering from citrus greening. Research has proven oxytetracycline injection …

navel oranges

California Navel Orange Forecast Up

Josh McGillCalifornia Corner, Production

The initial 2022–23 California navel orange forecast is for 76 million cartons, up 19% from the previous year. Of the total navel orange forecast, 73 million cartons are estimated to be in the Central Valley. Cara Cara variety navel orange production in the Central Valley is forecast at 8 million cartons. The Sept. 12 forecast was issued by the California …

evaporative cooling

FAWN Expansion Underway

Josh McGillTip of the Week, Weather

By Rick Lusher The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN) is a great resource for citrus growers. Its mission is to leverage timely, reliable and accurate weather data in support of effective agricultural decision-making and stewardship of natural, human and fiscal resources. In addition to weather information accessible in multiple databases, there …

Pest Incidence and Management in CUPS

Josh McGillCUPS, Pests, Research

By Jawwad A. Qureshi and Salman Al-Shami The citrus under protective screen (CUPS, Figure 1) system is designed so citrus can grow inside screened enclosures to protect it from huanglongbing (HLB) and the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri). ACP is the primary vector of the pathogen responsible for causing HLB, known as citrus greening disease. This vector-pathogen combination is …

California Seeks Funding for CYVCV Disease

Josh McGillCalifornia Corner, Diseases

With citrus industry backing, California state legislators have requested $2.5 million in emergency state funds to help prevent the spread of citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV). The first finding of the new disease in the United Sates was recently made in Tulare, California. Casey Creamer, California Citrus Mutual (CCM) president and chief executive officer, said the statewide grower organization …

Brazil Issues Orange Forecast Update

Josh McGillBrazil, Crop Forecast

An orange forecast update for Brazil’s São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt is for 314.09 million boxes, a decrease of 2.86 million boxes or 0.9% from the original May forecast. The update was issued by Fundecitrus. All of the decrease is in the early-season orange varieties. The forecast for Hamlin, Westin and Rubi oranges is now 57.1 million …

Rucks Nursery Becomes Conservation Area

Josh McGillFlorida, Land, nursery

A partnership between Conservation Florida, the Polk County Parks and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Department of Defense secured funding to create a conservation easement for Phillip Rucks Citrus Nursery. The easement provides protection for rare upland wildlife and plant species. The 320-acre nursery is conserved in perpetuity and will never be developed, but will remain productive agricultural land, …

Alico

Alico Appoints Chief Financial Officer

Josh McGillIndustry News Release

Alico, Inc. announced the appointment of Perry G. Del Vecchio as chief financial officer effective Sept. 6. He is responsible for all corporate finance, treasury and accounting functions of the company and reports directly to President and Chief Executive Officer John Kiernan. “Perry’s background as a senior finance leader for a $6 billion division of a Fortune 500 company, combined …

Trying to Reason With Hurricane-Season Forecasts

Josh McGillWeather

By Matt Smith It’s September in Florida, which means two things: the start to the latest “rebuilding year” for Florida football and the traditional peak of hurricane season. It was in September of 2017 that Hurricane Irma cut just about the worst path imaginable for Florida’s citrus growers. Along with causing physical damage to groves, Irma also contributed to disease …

Scion Selections Highlighted at Expo

Josh McGillCitrus Expo, Varieties

At the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo, Jude Grosser and Fred Gmitter provided an update on the numerous scion selections produced at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC). Both are University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant breeders. Here are a few of the scion selections they highlighted in a presentation titled Working to Provide Sustainable …

Entomologist at Helm of Invasion Science Research Initiative

Josh McGillIndustry News Release, Pests

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has appointed internationally acclaimed entomologist and ecologist Matthew Thomas as director of the new Invasion Science Research Initiative (ISRI). Thomas will establish the framework for ISRI, which will bring together more than 120 UF/IFAS scientists from more than 20 departments currently dedicated to the detection, diversion, tracking and control …

Stay Current With Research on Rootstocks

Josh McGillRootstocks, Tip of the Week

By Jude Grosser The ultimate solution to the HLB problem is having good rootstocks that can mitigate or eliminate the disease’s impacts in any grafted commercial scion. With this, growers could profitably grow any scion, including grapefruit, Hamlin or even Murcott. Thus, rootstock breeding efforts focus on directly screening new rootstock hybrids for their ability to confer HLB tolerance or …

Reminders on Requirements for Fruit Movement

Josh McGillDiseases, Fresh, Regulation

Florida’s fresh citrus industry was recently reminded of federal requirements for movement of fruit from some disease quarantine areas to contiguous states and to the European Union (EU). The reminders came from Paul Mears with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) during Citrus Packinghouse Day. Mears is the Florida Citrus Health Response Program (CHRP) …