endophytes

Nutrition: Get the Rate Right

Ernie NeffNutrition

Davie Kadyampakeni emphasized the importance of the four Rs of good nutrition of HLB-affected orange trees, with a heavy focus on the “right rate” of nutrient use. The other three Rs are right time, right placement and right source of nutrient applications. Kadyampakeni, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher, discussed nutrition at this year’s virtual …

New Guidance on How to Handle Unsolicited Seeds

Ernie NeffIndustry News Release

People receiving unsolicited seeds or plant material through the mail should either report the seeds and submit them for testing or dispose of them using the method described below. This advice comes from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). The seed packets, which have recently arrived unexpectedly in Florida and throughout the United States in packages with …

orange juice

Keeping the OJ Momentum Going

Ernie NeffOrange Juice

Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) staff has been “hard at work ensuring the momentum experienced by the orange juice (OJ) category earlier this year doesn’t fade as we usher in the fall,” Ned Hancock stated recently. Hancock, chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission, provided that information and more in an update to the citrus industry on FDOC activities. Hancock said …

Harvest+

Brazil Releases Updated Orange Crop Forecast

Tacy CalliesBrazil, Crop Forecast

Fundecitrus and its cooperators announced an update to Brazil’s 2020-2021 orange crop forecast on Sept. 10. The new figure for the São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt is 286.72 million boxes. This is 0.36 percent less oranges than the initial forecast released in May, and 25.87 percent less oranges than the 2019-2020 crop. The forecast represents one of …

citrus greening

HLB Preparedness in Australia

Ernie NeffHLB Management, International

Learning how other countries manage huanglongbing (HLB) will help shape Australia’s response if the damaging citrus disease hits its shores, according to New South Wales (NSW) citrus pathologist Nerida Donovan. One of the biggest lessons so far has been the importance of treating the psyllid vector with the same respect as the disease. Donovan, with the NSW Department of Primary …

Gibberellic Acid: Increase Fruit Size and Yield, Reduce Drop

Tacy CalliesProduction

By Tripti Vashisth and Megan Dewdney This article discusses the use of gibberellic acid (GA), the naturally occurring plant hormone, on huanglongbing (HLB)-affected trees. The results were generated from a 3-year trial in which Valencia trees were treated with GA in the fall. The outcomes suggest that GA can be effectively used for synchronizing and suppressing profuse flowering without negatively …

California Introduces Housing for the Harvest

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, COVID-19, Labor

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that Housing for the Harvest is underway in Fresno and other Central Valley counties. This is a new program designed to provide temporary hotel housing options for farm and food-processing employees to self-isolate if they are COVID-19 positive and do not require hospitalization. The state is securing hotel rooms in participating counties like Fresno and …

stormwater

BMPs Impacted by New Florida Water Act

Ernie NeffBMPs

Florida’s new Clean Waterways Act impacts agricultural landowners and producers enrolled in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Best Management Practices (BMPs) program. The act went into effect July 1. FDACS is required to undertake implementation verification (IV) site visits on properties enrolled in the BMP program every two years. During these IV site visits, FDACS Office …

Pest Management Under Bags

Ernie NeffCitrus Expo, Pests

Many Florida citrus growers in recent years have used individual protective covers (IPCs), often referred to as “bags,” for pest management, especially to protect young trees from HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids. Lauren Diepenbrock addressed the benefits and challenges of IPCs at this year’s virtual Citrus Expo. Diepenbrock is an assistant professor of entomology at the University of Florida Institute of …

Mutual Reacts to Federal Plan for Imports

Ernie NeffTrade

A recently announced Trump administration plan (see the full 28-page document) to address the threat posed by increased foreign imports to American producers of seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetables does not specifically address citrus. But Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) Executive Vice President/CEO Mike Sparks noted that many of Florida’s other fruits and vegetables weren’t specifically addressed in the plan, …

Oak Leaf Extract and Mulch for HLB

Ernie NeffCitrus Expo

Researchers on the Indian River have proved “there is something in the oak leaf that can work” against HLB, said Lorenzo Rossi. “I’m not saying that I found the cure, and I’m not saying that oak extract will save the citrus industry.” He described oak extract, and possibly oak mulch, as another tool against HLB. Rossi, a University of Florida …

Florida’s Gift Fruit Industry Remains Resilient

Tacy CalliesFresh

Gift fruit shippers occupy just a small niche in Florida citrus, but the sector’s value to the industry is more than annual sales. For anyone seeking a taste of Florida citrus, regardless of where they are in the United States, gift fruit can be shipped with just a few clicks online or a simple telephone call to a Florida gift …

Kanissery Wins Extension Award

Ernie NeffAwards

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) weed scientist Ramdas Kanissery has earned a Dallas Townsend Extension Professional and Enhancement Award. Kanissery works at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) in Immokalee. “The award recognizes a state Extension specialist for demonstrating an outstanding ability to plan and implement Extension programs that address needs that have …

craft

CRAFT Cycle Two Deadline Is September 4

Tacy Calliesplanting, Research

Time is running out for commercial citrus growers in Florida to apply to participate in Cycle Two of the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program. The deadline to apply is Friday, Sept. 4. The application process is open to growers with a minimum of 20 acres of planned solid-set or reset plantings. Cycle Two of CRAFT covers up to …

How Has COVID-19 Impacted Your Operation?

Ernie NeffCOVID-19

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers have opened the second round of surveys on the impact of COVID-19 on the state’s agriculture and marine industries. The surveys are intended to capture changes in operations for the first half of the year.  The Assessment of COVID-19 Impacts on Florida surveys were first deployed in mid-April and …

Grapefruit Ingredient Has New Use

Tacy CalliesGrapefruit

A new active ingredient in grapefruit, discovered and developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in insecticides and insect repellents. The new ingredient, nootkatone, repels and kill ticks, mosquitoes and a wide variety of other biting pests. Nootkatone, a natural organic compound, is responsible for the characteristic …

immigration reform

COVID-19 and Farm Labor

Ernie NeffCOVID-19, Labor

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is encouraging growers to ensure that the farm labor contractors with whom they work pledge to implement COVID-19 workplace safety guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. FDACS issued an addendum to be signed by farm labor contractors (see here) and a training acknowledgment form to be signed …

update

Growers, NRCS Team Up on Conservation

Ernie NeffWater

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) works with Florida growers, other landowners and local soil and water districts to implement conservation practices. NRCS offers more than 170 individual practices and suites of practices that can be used to improve soil health, water quality, air quality and wildlife habitat. When planning these practices, NRCS staff helps producers …

Florida Hemp Program Setting the Bar High

Tacy CalliesAlternative Crops, Citrus Expo

Holly Bell, director of cannabis for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), gave an update on Florida’s hemp program as part of the Citrus Expo virtual general session. “Florida is becoming the leader in the country — if not the world — on how we’re getting our hemp program rolled out and the standards that we’re setting,” …

nutrition

CRDF Addresses Leaf Sampling and Breeding Research

Ernie NeffResearch

The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) board recently chose leaf sampling timing and frequency as its top priority for a new nutrition research project. The board also agreed to create a Select Committee on Plant Improvement to help plant breeders decide which new cultivars should go into final field trials. CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler discusses the board’s …