craft

CRAFT Program Update

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release, Research

The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation Board held its initial meeting on July 31 at Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) headquarters in Bartow. FCM President Tom Mitchell as well as FCM board members Glenn Beck and Mark Wheeler serve on the CRAFT board along with Harold Browning, Premier Citrus; John Updike Jr., Florida citrus grower; Phillip Rucks, Phillip Rucks …

What to Do if ICE Comes Knocking

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, Immigration

California Citrus Mutual (CCM) wants citrus growers and packers to be aware that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ramped up immigration enforcement around the country. It is important to understand what to do if ICE comes to your place of business. The ICE ramp-up began in mid-July with raids in the street and compliance actions in businesses. In …

pruning

Optimize Fresh Fruit Results With Selective Pruning

Tacy CalliesProduction, Pruning

By Christopher Vincent and Mark Ritenour Planting fresh citrus varieties has increased in popularity. With these potentially high-value crops come questions about management practices, including pruning. This article discusses pruning practices that can improve the health and productivity of citrus trees. The principles of pruning are the same for any citrus plant. However, quality affects value of fresh fruit even …

UF/IFAS Personnel Honored

Ernie NeffAwards

Two University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus researchers and one citrus Extension agent were honored this summer, two by the Florida Entomological Society and one by UF/IFAS. JAWWAD QURESHIEntomologist Jawwad Qureshi received the Entomologist of the Year award at the Florida Entomological Society annual meeting. He was also named president of the society for 2018–19. …

Florida orange

Oxytetracycline Sprays vs. Trunk Injections

Daniel CooperCitrus Greening, HLB Management, Industry News Release, Research

Since 2016, federal authorities have allowed Florida citrus growers to spray oxytetracycline solutions on their trees to combat citrus greening disease. A newly published University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) study suggests that the bactericide would be more effective if it were injected into citrus tree trunks, a practice not currently approved under U.S. law. Citrus …

Harvest+

More Predictable Market Ahead

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves With the announcement of the 2019–20 crop in Brazil and Florida’s season over, more information is now available to see where the global orange juice market is headed. HIGHER FLORIDA INVENTORIESAs of July, Florida had 71.6 million boxes of oranges, 200,000 boxes more than the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s June estimate. Inventories in Florida are high. …

The Real Cost of HLB in Florida

Tacy CalliesEconomics, Production, Research

By Ariel Singerman This article summarizes the major changes in the cost of production for processed oranges in Florida since the outbreak of huanglongbing (HLB). To deal with the disease, growers have significantly changed their cultural practices. Those changes have had a considerable impact on the cost of production per acre. NOMINAL COSTS VS. REAL COSTSHowever, given that inflation also …

Lebbeck Mealybug Update

Ernie NeffPests

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomologist Lauren Diepenbrock provides an update on the lebbeck mealybug, a new pest of Florida citrus detected in Highlands County in June. Diepenbrock reports that the mealybug was found June 14 by a Highlands County grower. It came from groves in Avon Park and Sebring. “It is definitely beyond one …

hlb

Zinkicide Has Potential for HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management

Research and trials into zinkicide “look very promising” for use against HLB, University of Central Florida researcher Swadeshmukul Santra says. He summarizes a presentation he made at the Florida Citrus Mutual annual conference in Bonita Springs this summer. “It (zinkicide) can improve yield, fruit and juice quality on HLB-affected trees,” stated a slide that Santra presented at the conference. The …

florida

HLB Voluntary Controls for California Growers

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, HLB Management

The Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Committee of the Citrus Research Board (CRB) has endorsed a list of voluntary actions growers can undertake if HLB-infected trees are found in their vicinity. The voluntary actions go beyond the required regulatory response. Beth Grafton-Cardwell, entomologist with University of California Riverside, explained the recommendations during a recent interview with AgNet West multimedia journalist …

Growers Happy With Lebbeck Mealybug Response

Ernie NeffPests

Growers who attended a recent meeting in Sebring about the lebbeck mealybug left with good feelings about the official response to the pest, said Laurie Hurner, Highlands County Extension director and citrus agent. “Growers were very pleased with the information that was presented and how quickly we were able to get it out to the industry,” Hurner said. She reported …

CAPS

FMC Citrus Ag Production Scholarships AboutFMC is collaborating with AgNet Media, publisher of Citrus Industry magazine, the number one publication in the industry, to create the FMC Citrus Ag Production Scholarships (FMC CAPS) program to support Florida citrus production and to encourage interested youth to pursue careers in citrus. Crop pests and diseases have done serious damage to Florida’s citrus …

citrus

Individual Protective Covers Are ‘Promising’ for HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management

Individual protective covers (IPCs) have thus far kept citrus trees free of HLB in research plots, according to Susmita Gaire, a presenter at the recent Florida State Horticultural Society annual meeting. Gaire is a graduate student working with University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher Fernando Alferez at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in …

fresh

FDOC Response to Cancer Study

Daniel CooperCitrus, Diseases, Industry News Release, Research

A new study suggesting a link between sugary drink consumption, including 100% fruit juice, and increased cancer risk was recently published in a medical journal. The study has spurred a series of news media stories. Researchers of the study, who are based in France, assessed the associations between the consumption of sugary drinks (sugar sweetened beverages and 100% fruit juices), …

planting

CUPS Research in Indian River Area

Ernie NeffCUPS

Research into citrus under protective screen (CUPS) in the Indian River area was discussed by students of Rhuanito (Johnny) Ferrarezi at the Florida State Horticultural Society meeting in June. The project at the Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) grows grapefruit, the citrus of most economic importance in the Indian River region. Ferrarezi, a University of Florida Institute of …

florida

Orange Production Up Slightly From June Forecast

Daniel CooperCitrus, Crop Forecast, Grapefruit

ORANGESThe 2018–2019 Florida all-orange forecast released by Mark Hudson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now 71.6 million boxes. The total is comprised of 30.4 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, mid-season and Navel varieties), unchanged from the June forecast, and 41.2 million boxes of Valencia oranges, up 200,000 boxes from last month. California non-Valencia oranges remained at …

podcast

Visit by USDA Officials Beneficial

Ernie NeffAll In For Citrus Podcast

Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers discusses a recent Florida visit by some U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administrators who make the decisions on how millions of dollars in farm bill citrus research money are allocated. He explains that the visit was very valuable for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) officials because they got to …

Alico

Peace River Growers Talk Production and Marketing

Ernie NeffMarket, Production

Production levels and techniques as well as citrus marketing were topics at a recent Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association roundtable meeting in Wauchula. Executive Director Kait Shaw summarizes the discussion. “I think a lot of the growers felt that it had been a pretty good year,” Shaw says. “Things are starting to look up from greening.” She says growers …

Update on Grapefruit Nutrition

Ernie NeffGrapefruit, Nutrition

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Rhuanito “Johnny” Ferrarezi reports on research leading to fertilizer recommendations for grapefruit, especially in the Indian River area. Grapefruit has been especially hard hit by HLB, the devastating citrus disease discovered in Florida in 2005. “We are entering the second season (of the research project) and we hope to have …

The Facts on Preharvest Fruit Drop

Tacy CalliesProduction, Research

By Tripti Vashisth, Lisa Tang and Sukhdeep Singh In citrus, huanglongbing (HLB) causes an increase in the mature fruit drop rate up to three months prior to commercial harvest. This preharvest fruit drop results in a great reduction in yield and overall grove productivity. Since the plant growth regulators that improve fruit retention on healthy trees do not have consistent …