The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently projected the European Union (EU) tangerine and mandarin crop will decline in 2023–24. The EU grapefruit crop is expected to rise compared to the prior season. TANGERINES AND MANDARINS EU tangerine and mandarin production in 2023–24 is forecast at 2.7 million metric tons (MMT), down from 2.8 MMT in …
Legislators Seek H-2A Wage Freeze
Seventy-five U.S. House of Representatives members have asked House and Senate appropriations leaders for an H-2A visa guestworker wage freeze in an upcoming spending package. The text of the representatives’ letter to appropriations leaders follows: “We write with shared concerns regarding the annual adjustment to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR). Now in 2024, the H-2A labor rates paid by …
Brassinosteroid and Weed Management Research Updated
Brassinosteroids for HLB-infected trees and the latest on year-round weed management were discussed at a Jan. 17 OJ Break at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Florida. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) multi-county citrus Extension agent Chris Oswalt hosted the event. UF/IFAS assistant professors Fernando Alferez and Ramdas Kanissery made the presentations …
Korea’s Mandarin Production
Korea’s production of tangerines and mandarins — virtually the country’s only commercial citrus — is forecast at 570,000 metric tons by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). That’s a 2.1% decline from the previous year’s 582,000 MT. The decline is driven by lower yield for open-field tangerines, decreased fruit set per tree and a slight reduction …
Aging Farmers Contribute to Japan’s Citrus Downtrend
Japan’s citrus planted area and production are on a long-term downward trend. Reasons cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) are aging farmers, labor shortages and a lack of successors for running farms. In a December annual report, USDA FAS summarized production, planted area and trade for each of Japan’s citrus varieties. TANGERINES/MANDARINS After a …
Irrigation Strategy to Enhance Fruit Growth and Retention
By Tripti Vashisth Huanglongbing (HLB) severity is associated with small fruit sizes and lower fruit numbers at harvest. Moreover, small fruit are more likely to drop and drop earlier during preharvest fruit drop. Unfortunately, management practices suggested to increase fruit size or reduce drop have had mixed results. So, before looking for ways to increase fruit size and number, it …
Record Lemon Production in Spain
European Union (EU) lemon production is forecast at just over 1.6 million metric tons (MT) in 2023–24, up from the 1.5 million MT in 2022–23, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently reported. The increase can be entirely attributed to an all-time-record production level in Spain, following the historically low lemon production there in 2022–23. Conversely, …
Florida Citrus Marketing Order Amended
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending the Florida Citrus Marketing Order for fresh citrus to reduce membership of the Florida Citrus Administrative Committee (CAC) and to update quorum requirements. Other amendments to the marketing order include: CAC recommended these changes to help fulfill membership and quorum requirements and ensure a more efficient and orderly flow of business. Authority …
Starting in the Grove to Find New HLB Therapies
By Randall P. Niedz, Guilherme Locatelli, Nick Larson, Lorenzo Rossi, Ellen Cochrane and Michelle Heck Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) developed an idea to bypass lab assays and test molecules directly in the field for their ability to solve HLB. As part of a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant (number 2020-70029-33176), …
HLB-Affected Trees Use Less Water
By Davie Kadyampakeni Huanglongbing (HLB) is a citrus disease that affects the growth of the fibrous roots of citrus trees. This means that HLB-affected trees may have reduced root volume, which impacts water uptake. A greenhouse study was conducted from October 2019 to July 2021 at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and …
Chilean Lemon Production to Climb
Lemon production in Chile is projected to grow 6.7% in 2023–24 compared to the previous season and reach 175,000 metric tons (MT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. The expected production increase is due to high profits and an increase in planted area. The lemon planted area in Chile is estimated at 1,150 hectares, a …
Studying the Mechanisms for HLB Tolerance
John Chater has been on the job now for two years, working with growers to evaluate variety performance in field trials. In the latest All In For Citrus podcast episode, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor discusses his work, including grower collaboration to study new varieties in real-world environments. Chater also talks about …
The Egyptian Orange Industry
Egyptian orange production in 2023–24 is projected to increase 2.7% from the prior season to 3.7 million metric tons (MMT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. The increase in production is attributed to optimal weather conditions and temperatures during flowering of the trees, which increased fruit set and production. Oranges are the major citrus crop …
Sticking to a Solid Production Plan
Matthew Machata grew up in Polk County on the family’s citrus farm, Rolling Meadows Ranch Groves in Lake Wales, Florida. After he graduated high school, he joined the Marine Corps and served two tours in Iraq. He then attended Auburn University, where he earned a degree in aerospace engineering. At the time, his plans didn’t include farming, but that changed …
California Researchers Seek HLB Tolerance
University of California, Riverside (UCR) has received three federal grants totaling more than $11 million for research focused on instilling HLB-tolerance in citrus trees. The grants are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The funding was enabled by the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act, which authorized the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Development …
Mulch Suppresses Psyllids in Young Trees
By Jawwad A. Qureshi, Lauren Diepenbrock and Davie Kadyampakeni Protecting citrus trees from the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is critical to reducing the spread and severity of huanglongbing (HLB) disease. The frequent availability of viable shoots in young trees is attractive to psyllid colonization, feeding and oviposition events. UV-metalized reflective mulches reflect ultraviolet light, which is disturbing for some insects …
Mexico Expects Citrus Crop Increases
Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently reported that Mexico produced more than 8 million tons of lemons, oranges and grapefruit in 2022. It stated that Mexico was in second, third and fourth place in world production of lemons, grapefruit and oranges, respectively. The ministry also pointed out many of the health benefits of consuming citrus. LEMONSFigures from the …
All In For Citrus Podcast, December 2023
In the December episode of the All In For Citrus podcast, Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), gave a tip of the hat and congratulations to Ruth Borger who retired this fall. Borger was the CREC communications specialist. She transitioned to this position after eight …
Finger Lime Interest Expands in Florida
Florida is not a major producer of finger limes — yet. Australia has the most finger lime acreage in the world, and most U.S. finger limes are grown in California and Hawaii. But Florida’s acreage is expanding, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) horticulturist Manjul Dutt reported during a Dec. 20 presentation at the Citrus Research …
Bud Advisories Help Growers Time Psyllid Sprays
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is reminding citrus growers that flower bud advisories are now being issued. The UF/IFAS advisories can help growers determine when to spray for HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids and when to stop spraying in an effort to protect pollinating bees. Tripti Vashisth, a UF/IFAS associate professor of horticultural sciences, will …





























