Kaolin Helps With ACP and HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management

According to researchers in Florida and California, kaolin clay, especially red kaolin, aids in the management of Asian citrus pysllids (ACP) and the HLB they spread, among other attributes. Christopher Vincent of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and Monique Rivera of the University of California at Riverside recently presented a webinar about kaolin. The University …

Xanthomonas Key Finding Made

Ernie NeffDiseases

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have identified a key mechanism by which the dangerous plant bacteria Xanthomonas can infect crops. The Xanthomonas bacteria, known as the “crop killer,” is a globally prevalent bacterium capable of infecting 400 different plant species. Citrus canker is caused by the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. The NTU researchers identified the exact …

Protect Against the COVID-19 Delta Variant

Tacy CalliesCOVID-19, Tip of the Week

By Ben Chapman, Taylor O’Bannon, Matt Krug and Michelle Danyluk If you would have asked us last September if there would still be a need to write a tip about COVID-19 a year later, our answer would have been, “We sure hope not.” So, what’s changed? The simplest explanation is the emergence of the Delta variant. When you hear us …

CUPS Yielding Positive Results for Grapefruit

Tacy CalliesCUPS

An innovative way to manage huanglongbing (HLB) disease is producing impressive results in University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research. According to Arnold Schumann, UF/IFAS professor at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), citrus under protective screen (CUPS) production systems have increased yields with zero effect from HLB. He shared research results during a recent …

Canker Quarantine Revised in Texas

Ernie NeffDiseases

In late August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) removed a portion of Harris County within the Braeswood area of Houston, Texas, from citrus canker regulations. APHIS reported that the successful partnership between itself and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has resulted in a citrus canker-free status in the area since 2016. On …

Landscape Fabric Blocks Diaprepes Larvae

Ernie NeffPests

Fabric mulch landscape covers, typically used to block weeds in nurseries, can aid in diaprepes root weevil control, Larry Duncan reported at the recent Citrus Expo. “Some of these products, not all of them, are extremely effective at blocking the diaprepes weevil larvae from getting into the soil” after falling from a citrus tree, Duncan said. Duncan is a University …

citrus

Hurricane Preparation and Recovery: Key Points

Ernie NeffAll In For Citrus Podcast, hurricane

Multi-county citrus Extension agent Ajia Paolillo recently suggested ways to prepare for and recover from a hurricane. Hurricane season began June 1 and ends Nov. 30. Paolillo said hurricane activity is usually most prevalent from August to October. She cited an August update from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration predicting 15 to 21 tropical storms this summer, with 7 …

Incentive for Early-Orange Plantings

Ernie NeffCRAFT

Growers who participate in the upcoming Cycle III of the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program will be offered an additional $1,000-per-acre incentive to plant early-season oranges. Tamara Wood, CRAFT executive director and program manager, announced the incentive during an Aug. 31 CRAFT Cycle III workshop. CRAFT pays Florida growers to plant trees on which they will conduct commercial …

Irrigation Aided by Thermal Imaging

Ernie NeffIrrigation

Scientists in Brazil and Florida found that the direct examination of plant canopy temperature can assist in optimizing citrus irrigation management in greenhouses. The researchers were Gustavo Haddad Souza Vieira with the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo in Brazil and Rhuanito “Johnny” Ferrarezi with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Their study aimed to develop a …

strategy

Pest Prompts Revised Import Requirements

Ernie NeffPests, Trade

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Aug. 20 revised the entry requirements for citrus fruit from the Districts of Riverina and Sunraysia in Australia. According to APHIS, the revision is necessary because both Riverina and Sunraysia no longer meet the requirements to be considered fruit fly-free areas for Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni). …

Mutual Petitions FDA Regarding OJ Brix

Ernie NeffOrange Juice

Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) is making efforts to protect growers in the event Florida oranges don’t meet the minimum Brix requirement for not-from-concentrate (NFC) orange juice (OJ). FCM recently sent a formal request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking enforcement discretion to protect growers from the likely contingency that Florida’s 2021-22 orange crop may not meet FDA’s …

How to Work With UF/IFAS for a Rootstock Trial

Tacy CalliesRootstocks, Tip of the Week

By Bill Castle The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) plant improvement team has long been engaged in field research to evaluate new scions and rootstocks. That effort continues and has involved trials on public and private property. While public sites are valuable, they are limited in number. Thus, most …

Gladstone Buys Florida Groves

Ernie NeffIndustry News Release

Gladstone Land Corporation announced that it acquired two lemon and orange groves, totaling 617 acres, in South Florida for approximately $5.2 million. In connection with the acquisition, it entered into a 12-year leaseback agreement with the seller. The organization did not respond to a request for information about the seller or the location of the groves. “We are excited to …

Will Georgia Fruit Have a Home?

Tacy CalliesGeorgia

Citrus acreage in Georgia continues to increase. While it didn’t double like it did in 2020, it still increased by 50%, says Jake Price, University of Georgia Lowndes County Extension coordinator. During a citrus growers’ summer update meeting on Aug. 25 in Lowndes County, Price said that Georgia’s citrus acreage has ballooned to 2,700 acres in 46 counties. The state …

PIECES OF THE PAST: Advice From 1887

Tacy CalliesPieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In researching the biographies for an upcoming book on the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame members, I came across a digitized book by Google online that was written in 1887. It’s titled “Florida Facts Both Bright and Blue: A Guide Book to Intending Settlers, Tourists, and Investors From a Northerner’s Standpoint; Plain Unvarnished Truth, Without ‘Taffy’; …

Missed Expo? You Can Catch Up!

Ernie NeffAll In For Citrus Podcast, Citrus Expo

If you missed Citrus Expo Aug. 18-19 and the great production information available at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) booth, you can now access it online. Posters and videos that were available at the booth are now on the UF/IFAS Citrus Research website. Click on “Presentations,” then “Citrus Expo Presentations,” then “2021 Citrus Expo.” …

texas

Canker Eradication Efforts Underway in Texas

Ernie NeffDiseases

The Asiatic A strain of citrus canker was recently found in the Upper Gulf Coast area of Texas, posing a significant threat to the state’s commercial citrus production. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Citrus Center are collaborating on surveys to detect the disease. They are also removing and properly …

IPCs Help With Diaprepes and Nematodes

Ernie NeffPests

Florida citrus growers have known for several years that individual protective covers (IPCs) do a good job of excluding HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids from young trees. “But those protective covers also protect from things like Diaprepes abbreviatus,” researcher Larry Duncan told the recent Citrus Expo audience. Duncan is a nematologist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …

Safety Tips for Flying Drones

Ernie NeffSafety

Some people view drones as toys, but they can be dangerous. In fact, about 1,000 people per year are injured from using drones incorrectly. To address the potential peril, two University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are offering ways to keep people from getting hurt while using drones. Yiannis Ampatzidis of UF/IFAS uses unmanned aerial …

Australian Tree Map Tool Honored

Ernie NeffAwards, International

The Australian Tree Crop Map Dashboard won first place at the 2021 Esri User Conference. The conference is the world’s largest event dedicated to geographic information system technology. The tool is freely available and interactively summarizes the extent of avocado, citrus, macadamia and mango orchards, banana plantations and olive groves. It helps those industries make informed and timely decisions for biosecurity …