Interplanting Improves Wasp Control

Ernie NeffPests

Lucerne (also known as alfalfa) interplanting improved citrus gall wasp (CGW) control in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW). The interplanting is practiced by some citrus growers in NSW to suppress weeds, reduce soil compaction and improve soil fertility. Jianhua Mo of the NSW Department of Primary Industries addressed the matter; a summary of Mo’s comments follows. One possible explanation is …

Chilean

Mexican Lemon Sector Seeks Russian Market

Tacy Callieslemons, Mexico

By Francisco Seva Rivadulla The Mexican lemon sector has set its sights on an interesting commercial market — Russia. Despite COVID-19, Russia continues to offer very good commercial options for this citrus fruit from the Aztec country. “The Russian market is very important for the Mexican citrus sector, which currently has a business strategy to diversify its export markets, and …

Treating Pathogens Without Antibiotics

Ernie NeffDiseases, Pests

Federal researchers announced that they have found an innovative way to treat pathogens (harmful bacteria) and pests in citrus trees and potato and tomato plants without the use of antibiotics. The researchers are with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The research was done in collaboration with the University of Florida and AUM LifeTech Inc. The …

U.S. Grapefruit Exports to France Threatened

Tacy CalliesExport, Grapefruit

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service, a new French ban on the sale of fruits and vegetables with identifying stickers could threaten future exports of U.S. grapefruit. The ban is slated to be implemented on Jan. 1, 2022. The USDA report states that most U.S. grapefruit and some sweet potatoes shipped overseas have stickers that …

CUPS Tree Growth Surprises Growers

Ernie NeffCUPS

Brothers Jerry and Keith Mixon have been surprised by how well trees grow in their citrus under protective screen (CUPS) facilities in Alturas, Florida. “All of the varieties we are growing have responded amazingly,” they said recently about their CUPS experience. Though each brother has his own CUPS structures, they jointly discussed their results. The brothers have a combined 130 …

Maximizing Rootstock Seed Production

Tacy CalliesSeed

By Fernando Alferez, Deived Uilian de Carvalho, Daniel Boakye, Tim Gast and Manjul Dutt Endemic HLB in Florida has provoked increased pressure to replant and reset infected groves. This has resulted in concern from citrus growers and nursery operators about seed availability for the most popular rootstocks in the state. In the past, all rootstock fruit (both early and late …

Improved Orange Cultivars

Ernie NeffVarieties

Improved sweet orange cultivars for processing and fresh fruit were the topic of a virtual presentation July 14 by plant breeder Jude Grosser. Grosser works at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred.   HAMLIN SOMACLONE N13-32This new and distinct early-season clone of Hamlin has improved juice color and …

Turkey: Lemons Up, Grapefruit Down

Ernie NeffInternational

Lemon production in Turkey climbed in 2020-2021, but grapefruit production is expected to decline, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. LEMONSLemon production reached 1.1 million metric tons, which is 13% more than in the 2019-20 season. Lemons have a longer season compared to oranges and tangerines in Turkey because different lemon varieties ripen at different times …

Growers Discuss CRAFT Projects

Ernie NeffResearch

Four Florida growers recently discussed efforts they’ll take to cope with HLB in plantings subsidized by the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program. Their comments were part of a virtual educational session sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) and Florida Citrus Mutual. CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler said the projects discussed were among 103 funded …

Keeping Young Ag Workers Safe

Ernie NeffEducation, Safety

The National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) announced resources that can be used to help keep young agriculture workers safe. NCCRAHS pointed out that there are serious risks to children doing farm work, as well as positives. During the past decade, more youth have died working in agriculture than in all other industries combined, the …

California

HLB Control Has Been Costly for Growers

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, HLB Management

California’s efforts to keep huanglongbing (HLB) at bay have been largely successful. So far, the state’s huge citrus industry has avoided the devastating loss of trees that has occurred in Florida, South America and other commercial citrus-growing regions around the world. However, those efforts have come with a cost to citrus growers. Bruce Babcock, professor of public policy at University …

Mandarin Production Rises Sharply in EU

Ernie NeffInternational

Mandarin production in the European Union (EU) in 2020-21 is forecast to rise 21% from the previous year, to 3.4 million metric tons. The forecast, reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, is almost 10% higher than the union’s 9-year average of 3.1 million metric tons. The higher production this season is mainly the result of expected …

Cutrale Achieves Sustainability Gold Score

Ernie NeffAwards

Cutrale recently announced it has achieved a gold score in sustainability for all its orange farms in Brazil and the United States. The award is from the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) – Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA), a widely recognized sustainability standard. The FSA was developed by the SAI to enable food and beverage businesses from all crops and countries to …

greasy spot

Time for Brown Rot Management

Tacy CalliesDiseases, Tip of the Week

By Evan Johnson The Florida summer rainy season is in full swing, and there have been one or two root flushes by now. This is a good environment for increases in soil Phytophthora propagule counts. High counts have been seen this year, especially in Southwest Florida. While much of the focus may be on root rot, it is important to …

More Hurricanes Predicted

Ernie Neffhurricane

The Colorado State University (CSU) Department of Atmospheric Science on July 8 increased its predicted number of hurricanes in 2021 to nine, up from eight in its June forecast. It also increased the expected number of named storms to 20, up from 18 in the June forecast. This is expected to be an above-average Atlantic basin hurricane season. The average …

Indian River Millennium Block Shows Rootstock Effects

Tacy CalliesRootstocks

By Rhuanito S. Ferrarezi, J. Martin Zapien-Macias, Mac Hossain, Tom James, Ronald D. Cave, Peter Spyke, William S. Castle, Jude W. Grosser, Fred Gmitter and Ed Stover In the last decade, huanglongbing (HLB) has reduced production of Florida grapefruit by 75%, mandarin by 78% and sweet orange by 52%. This decrease is significant for the Indian River District, which produces …

California to Launch CRaFT Project

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner

The Citrus Research Board (CRB) has been awarded $3,438,059 in funding from the Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination Group (HLB MAC) to support its California-focused Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRaFT). The overarching goal of the CRaFT project is to demonstrate additional mitigations to improve psyllid control within commercial groves across the various citrus-growing regions in California. This information will inform areawide …

Turkey Orange Production Is Down

Ernie NeffInternational

Orange production in Turkey is estimated to decrease 1.3 million metric tons for 2020-21, a drop of 23% from the prior season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) blamed the decrease on excessive hot weather conditions during the bloom period in May 2020. High price increases continue for input costs such as electricity, fertilizer and chemicals. “Fertilizer …

Wilbur-Ellis Offers $25,000 Student Innovation Award

Ernie NeffAwards

In celebration of its 100th anniversary, Wilbur-Ellis is launching the Wilbur-Ellis Innovation Award. A $25,000 prize for the best idea presented is intended to encourage young people to find innovative ways to feed a growing world population. The Innovation Award invites student teams from U.S. colleges and universities to propose new and better approaches for providing food for more people. …

Avoiding Heat-Related Deaths

Ernie NeffResearch, Weather

A new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) report showed 215 people in Florida died from heat-related causes in the last 10 years. The fact that heat-related deaths happen throughout the year surprised the researchers who wrote the report. Serap Gorucu, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, helped write the report. She and …