By Len Wilcox The Citrus Research Board’s (CRB) annual California Citrus Conference took place in October in Visalia. This year’s event included a celebration of the organization’s 50th anniversary. The CRB is an important resource to California’s citrus industry. It awards more than $7 million each year to researchers throughout the state. Since 2008, CRB has focused much of its …
International Citrus Breeders Draw Attention
Approximately 70 growers, researchers and others listened to citrus breeders from other countries discuss their programs and objectives in Lake Alfred, Florida, earlier this month. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) hosted the event. Michael Rogers, CREC director, provided an overview of the gathering. “This international citrus breeders symposium is …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Like Florida Citrus, Beauty Comes from Inside
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In 1937, the Florida Citrus Commission released a booklet titled “How to Get the Most Out of Life,” by etiquette guru Emily Post. It included snippets of wisdom along with numerous plugs for the Florida citrus industry. The first page notes that “Brides Wear Orange Blossoms — because these fragrant, exquisite blossoms, in their flawless purity, symbolize …
New UF/IFAS Citrus Trial Data Available Soon
New research data are coming from trials of citrus rootstocks, scions and combinations of the two that University of Florida scientists hope will broaden the options of greening-tolerant citrus varieties available to commercial growers. Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), part of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), said scientists …
USDA Releases 3 New Citrus Rootstocks
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released three new citrus rootstocks that are available for unrestricted public use. The rootstocks are US SuperSour 1, US SuperSour 2 and US SuperSour 3. A new publication provides summary information about the new releases. Get the new publication here: Sponsored ContentMake a Plan to Eradicate Fire Ants This YearMay 1, 2026Take the Sting …
December Citrus Crop Forecast Unchanged
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2018-2019 Florida all-orange forecast for December is 77 million boxes, unchanged from the November forecast. If realized, this forecast will be 71 percent more than last season’s final production. The forecast consists of 32 million boxes of the non-Valencia oranges (early, midseason and Navel varieties) and 45 million boxes of Valencia oranges. Current fruit size …
Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Inductees Chosen for 2019
Three distinguished leaders will be inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame at the 57th Citrus Celebration Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on March 8 at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. Tim Hurner of Sebring, Richard J. Kinney (deceased), formerly of Lakeland, and Peter McClure of Port Saint Lucie will be honored at the luncheon. Hurner Tim Hurner is a fourth-generation Florida …
Crowd Assesses New Citrus Varieties
More than 100 growers and others sampled approximately 50 new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences citrus varieties at the Citrus Research and Education Center on Tuesday. “It’s a fantastic turnout,” said Peter Chaires, executive director of the New Varieties Development and Management Corp. He said in addition to Floridians, many international visitors on hand for an …
Citrus Nutrition Day to Include Field Tours
This year’s Citrus Nutrition Day — at which growers will learn the latest data about growing the fruit, from the soil up through the plants — is expanding to include tours of field trials. After a morning of updates from University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers, participants may tour field sites at the Peace River …
Kaolin Clay May Be Viable Option to Protect Citrus Trees from ACP
Florida citrus growers have begun taking notice of kaolin clay, a powdery white compound, because it can cause Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) to “not take notice” of their groves. Long used to protect other fruit and vegetable crops, kaolin can also conceal citrus trees from hungry psyllids by confusing their visual sensory system, said Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus …
High-Density Plantings Could Boost Profits for Florida Citrus Growers
Florida citrus growers who plan to establish new groves might want to consider high-density planting, according to experts with the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred, part of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Wider spacing between trees and rows was common decades ago but, with yields down and input costs up, …
UF/IFAS Event Combines Latest Citrus Varieties with New Breeding Research
On Dec. 4 at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), citrus growers can see if they want to grow the latest varieties from University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) breeders and then learn more about commercializing crops. In the morning, industry members can sample the latest citrus varieties from UF/IFAS breeders. “These are new varieties …
Sneak Peek: December 2018 Citrus Industry Magazine
Looking for the phone number of your local citrus association? Need to connect with a fertilizer vendor? Or perhaps you want to send an email to your Extension agent? Find all of the industry contact information you need in the 2019 Citrus Guide. Citrus Industry magazine’s annual guide is a directory of citrus organizations, agencies, researchers, Extension agents and vendors. …
Florida Citrus Mutual Welcomes Joyner
Florida Citrus Mutual is pleased to announce and welcome Matt Joyner as its new director of government relations. In this role, he will work on behalf of Mutual’s grower members and staff in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. Joyner previously served as deputy chief of staff for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services under Commissioner Adam Putnam, where he …
Soil Microbial Communities for Citrus
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences soil microbiologist Sarah Strauss discusses her research on ways to potentially use microbes to improve tree root health. She says microbial communities in the soil can be manipulated indirectly by changing the soil environment or directly by adding specific organisms to the soil. “We’ve seen impacts on the overall soil microbial …
Research Update: Citrus Under Protective Screen
By Arnold Schumann, Timothy Ebert, Laura Waldo, Danny Holmes, Napoleon Mariner, Gary Test, Chris Oswalt, Rhuanito Ferrarezi and Ricardo Lesmes Two studies with citrus under protective screen (CUPS) were established at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) and Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) in 2013–14. The goal …
Cold-Protection Practices for Citrus
Chris Oswalt, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences citrus Extension agent for Polk and Hillsborough counties, discusses passive and active cold-protection practices for citrus trees. “Passive practices are those things that growers would intentionally do before typically planting the grove,” Oswalt says. Site selection, including planting on higher elevations that are warmer than lower cold-pocket locations, is …
Grower Optimistic About Citrus Under Protective Screen
Jerry Mixon of KLM Farms hosted about 40 growers, researchers and others at his citrus under protective screen (CUPS) facility in Alturas on Nov. 15. Alturas is between Bartow and Lake Wales in Polk County, Florida. At the field day, Mixon discussed his experience with the growing system and his expectations for it. He has 30 acres under screen that …
Subirrigation Holds Promise for Citrus Nurseries
Savings in water and fertilizer, along with faster tree growth, can be achieved by using subirrigation in citrus nurseries. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Rhuanito (Johnny) Ferrarezi reported on the studies leading to those conclusions at a recent citrus nursery workshop. The event was held at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, …
Some Basics of Good Citrus Nutrition
Studies indicate that constant nutrition supplied by controlled-release fertilizer improves citrus yield and fruit quality, says University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) horticulturist Tripti Vashisth. According to Vashisth, studies also show that increased applications of manganese and boron improve fruit quality. “We are seeing improvement when we are increasing the rate of manganese and boron about …





























