Carlene Thissen, project coordinator for farm labor supervisor training at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee, discusses the training scheduled for this fall. “We have for the last five years offered training to farm labor supervisors,” Thissen says. “So basically the way we say it, regarding farm workers, we make their bosses better. And we make sure …
UF Researcher Working on HLB Solutions
By Jaci Schreckengost All research at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) at the University of Florida (UF) currently deals with huanglongbing (HLB) to help protect the citrus industry. “Even if we’re interested in looking into other things, this needs to be solved in order to be able to have an industry to work with in the future,” says …
Monitoring Tree Health Using Water-Uptake Rate
By Reza Ehsani, Azadeh Alizadeh and Davie Kadyampakeni Many scientists in Florida and other parts of the world are working hard to find a treatment for citrus greening and frequently conducting field trials to evaluate the effectiveness of their treatments. Monitoring plant physiological factors, yield and fruit quality are usually among the factors that they need to assess tree health. …
High-Density Planting Increases Yields
Larry Black, general manager of Peace River Packing Company in Fort Meade, told growers at the recent Florida Citrus Mutual conference about his company’s success with high-density plantings. Black reported some four-year-old Valencia blocks are producing more than 300 boxes per acre. That’s double the current average Florida citrus yield of about 150 boxes per acre in the face of …
UF/IFAS Microbiologist Works Toward Greening Treatment
by Brad Buck, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences In the same year the University of Florida’s (UF) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) celebrates its 100th anniversary, Nian Wang believes he may be close to finding the “off switch” for greening, the disease devastating Florida’s multi-billion-dollar-a-year citrus industry. Wang, an associate professor of microbiology and cell sciences …
Korea Requirements for Fuller Rose Beetle
As in previous years, orange shipments to Korea must be free of Fuller rose beetle (FRB) and California red scale (CRS). Growers desiring to qualify oranges for export to South Korea must comply with the FRB protocol during the 2017-2018 shipping season. Growers are required to implement the following measures for FRB control on oranges: 1. Skirt-prune trees to prevent …
Understanding Soil-Moisture Sensor Data
By Arnold Schumann and Laura Waldo Florida citrus trees may require irrigation throughout the year due to the extremely sandy soils with low water-holding capacities and the warm subtropical climate with distinct drought periods in spring. Citrus trees are evergreen and may be actively growing at any time, with no true dormant phase. HLB-affected trees are particularly prone to multiple …
Fred Gmitter: Slow Road to Fast Genetics
By Ernie Neff Even Nostradamus would have struggled to predict a career path for a 25-year-old Fred Gmitter. Gmitter had quit college after three years at Rutgers University, where he studied English literature with plans to teach. He said he “became completely disillusioned” with that plan. He married, worked as a delivery truck driver and warehouse laborer, and traveled out …
Tree Defender Stops Psyllids
Sponsored Content A Florida company may hold the key to protecting the world’s young citrus plantings until a permanent solution for the devastating citrus greening disease (HLB) can be found. Widespread devastation from citrus greening has caused billions of dollars in lost revenue and killed over 100 million citrus trees worldwide. Although there appears to be no end in sight, …
Field Trials of Rootstocks and Scions: What Can They Tell Us?
By Harold Browning Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation Plant breeding programs have been a mainstay of citrus production worldwide. They have served as a basis for gradual improvement in fruit quality, adaptability to varying growing environments, and most importantly, to disease management. For that reason, new germplasm has been a front line of pursuit in the …
California Budget Adds Funds to Fight HLB
California is adding funds to help the fight against HLB. Governor Brown signed the 2017 Budget Act this week, which authorizes $10 million to fight the spread of the invasive Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) insect and the deadly and incurable plant disease it can carry, huanglongbing (HLB). “California Citrus Mutual applauds Governor Brown and members of the California Legislature for …
More Funding Needed to Address HLB Crisis
During the farm bill listening session hosted by the House Agriculture Committee on June 24 in Gainesville, funding to help fight HLB was a topic of discussion. Larry Black, a fifth-generation citrus grower and general manager of Peace River Packing Company in Polk County, had these comments for the committee. Sponsored ContentTake Advantage of Rising Temperatures to Treat for …
Homeowners Want Quick Ruling on Canker Payment Veto
from News Service of Florida Florida’s top court needs to decide this week on Gov. Rick Scott’s veto of $37.4 million in compensation to homeowners that had healthy citrus trees cut down by the state, attorneys challenging the veto argued in documents filed Tuesday. The class-action lawsuit, filed last week, involves homeowners in Broward and Lee counties who won judgments …
California’s Pesticide Worker Laws Updated
By Len Wilcox Effective January 1, California updated its pesticide worker safety standards to comply with the new federal Worker Protection Standard. The update addressed re-entry to application exclusion zones, fieldworker training, new posting requirements, eyewash equipment and hazard communication. It also made other refinements to the state’s existing standards. Bill Griffin, pesticide supervisor for the Fresno County Agriculture Commissioner, …
Ag Industry Gives Input on Farm Bill
A House Agriculture Committee listening session, “The Next Farm Bill, Conversations in the Field,” took place on June 24 in Gainesville, Florida. Those who attended the informal farm bill hearing spoke about how they are affected by policies in their daily lives. Farmers, ranchers and stakeholders were encouraged to tell how the bill affects them so that the representatives could …
HLB Funding Discussed During Farm Bill Listening Session
Various topics were discussed during the House Agriculture Committee’s first farm bill listening session held last Saturday in Gainesville. One of those was the citrus industry, and more specifically funding to help fight HLB. Hear more from Harold Browning, chief operations officer of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation. Sponsored ContentTake Advantage of Rising Temperatures to Treat for …
Farm Bill Listening Session in Gainesville
“The Next Farm Bill, Conversations in the Field,” a House Agriculture Committee listening session, is taking place tomorrow, June 24, in Gainesville, Florida. The session is a great opportunity for farmers to speak about policies and how they are directly impacted by them in the field. House Committee members and Chairman Michael Conway highly encourage people within the industry to …
Hunt on FDOC Budget and Grove Conditions
The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) on June 21 set a preliminary 2017-18 Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) operating budget of $17.5 million. That’s a 22 percent reduction from last season and the lowest FDOC budget in decades. The final budget will be set after the U.S. Department of Agriculture issues the first Florida citrus crop forecast of the new season …
Risk Management Education Funding
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced up to $8.85 million available for cooperative agreements for risk management education and training programs. The funding provides resources for organizations such as universities, county cooperative Extension offices and nonprofit organizations to develop training and education tools to help growers learn how to effectively manage long-term risks and challenges. …
Grower Has Tepid Report on Bactericides for HLB
Three years ago at the annual Florida Citrus Mutual Conference in Bonita Springs, Tom Jerkins, who was and still is president of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation, enthusiastically led the crowd in chanting, “We need bactericides now!” At the same conference this year (June 15), Jerkins gave a less than enthusiastic report on his company’s yield results following one …




























