By Tacy Callies Before they were married, Nate and Anna Jameson vowed they would one day farm for themselves. They met while attending the University of Florida. Nate graduated with a Bachelor of Science in ag operations management, while Anna earned her degree in animal science. After graduation, Anna worked for Lykes Meat Group and Nate for Ben Hill Griffin …
Season’s First Update to Brazil’s Orange Forecast
The first update of the 2023–24 orange crop forecast for the São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt confirmed the initial May forecast of 309.34 million boxes. Fundecitrus announced the update on Sept. 11. The forecast for Hamlin, Westin and Rubi varieties was increased 3.5% to 58.09 million boxes. Other early-season varieties climbed 1.6% to 18.51 million boxes. The …
Gene Confers Resistance to HLB and Citrus Canker
In August, Horticulture Research published a paper titled An endolysin gene from Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus confers dual resistance to huanglongbing and citrus canker. Researchers found that an endolysin encoded by the Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) prophage has dual resistance to huanglongbing (HLB) and citrus canker. A prophage is the genetic material of a bacteriophage, and a bacteriophage is a virus …
Why Argentine Orange and Tangerine Production Is Down
Argentine fresh orange and tangerine production will decline in 2022–23 compared to the prior season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) forecast recently. Fresh orange production is forecast at 623,000 metric tons (MT), down from 830,000 MT the prior season. Fresh tangerine production is projected to decrease to 285,000 MT, down from 380,000 MT the prior …
Historically Low Orange Juice Supply
Brazil’s São Paulo and Minas Gerais citrus belt has gone through four low orange production cycles in a row, the Brazilian Association of Citrus Exporters (CitrusBR) pointed out in a recent report on orange juice processing. The association noted that orange production in Brazil’s citrus belt totaled 269 million boxes in the 2020–21 season, 263 million boxes in 2021–22, 314 …
Replacing Psyllid Host Plants
The secretary of agriculture and supply of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in partnership with Fundecitrus, has launched a campaign to replace plants that are hosts for the HLB-spreading psyllid. HLB disease is also known as citrus greening. The campaign, called Plant This Idea, aims to replace citrus and myrtle plants with fruitful and ornamental plants in rural backyards …
Worldwide Citrus Production Down in All Categories
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently estimated that world citrus production is down for oranges, mandarins, orange juice (OJ), grapefruit and lemons/limes. For all categories, production will be lower in 2022–23 than in the prior year. OJGlobal OJ production for 2022–23 is estimated 9% lower to 1.5 million metric tons (MMT). Production is down due …
Agrobacteria Shows Promise Against HLB
U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) scientists have discovered a way to augment a citrus tree’s natural resistance to pathogens, including HLB. The scientists are in the Crop Improvement and Genetics Research (CIGR) unit in Albany, California. According to James Thomson, a geneticist at CIGR, by incorporating receptors that can recognize pathogens, scientists are able to activate …
Proposed Biosecurity Protection Levy Stuns Citrus Australia
Citrus Australia has urged the federal government to repeal its proposed Biosecurity Protection Levy. Announced under the government’s 2023–24 budget, the levy will apply to Australian producers of agricultural, forestry and fishery products starting July 1, 2024. The levy has been set at a rate equivalent to 10% of the 2020–21 industry-led agricultural levies. This is estimated to increase receipts …
Less Global Orange Production
Global orange production for 2022-23 is estimated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) at 47.8 million metric tons (MMT), 5% less than the prior year. Lower production in the European Union, Turkey and the United States is only partially offset by a larger crop in Egypt. U.S. production is estimated to drop by over a …
Connecting Research for Better HLB Management Results
By Megan Dewdney To make informed management decisions, growers need to know about and understand the findings from huanglongbing (HLB) research that are currently available. However, the delivery of research results to growers is often fragmented, and results can be difficult to find. Furthermore, what information and conclusions are available to growers from projects or scientific journals can be highly …
The Benefits of Growing Citrus on UV-Metalized Reflective Mulch
By Jawwad 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) or citrus greening disease. ACP, the vector of the pathogen responsible for causing HLB in citrus, needs young shoots to develop and reproduce. The frequent availability of viable shoots in young trees …
Orange Juice Shortages and Staggering Prices
By Marisa L. Zansler The orange juice (OJ) category has experienced turbulence over the past four years, characterized by volatility in prices, sales and distribution. Initially, the category declined in volume sales amid a saturated beverage market, with numerous options vying for consumers’ attention. However, the pandemic in early 2020 revitalized consumer interest, positioning OJ as a convenient and healthy …
Alico Discusses Trunk Injection and Next Season
Alico, Inc. began treating citrus trees in January 2023 with an oxytetracycline (OTC) product via trunk injection as a citrus greening therapy. “Through June 30, 2023, we have treated over 35% of our trees with OTC, which is expected to mitigate some of the impacts of citrus greening and is expected to decrease the rate of fruit drop, as well …
South Africa Mandarin Production to Grow
Tangerine/mandarin production in South Africa is forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) to grow by 6% in 2022–23 to 680,000 metric tons (MT). There is a growing trend to establish new orchards under netting, which has improved water efficiency, yields and the overall quality of mandarins in South Africa. INCREASED PLANTINGSThe South African tangerine/mandarin …
Return-on-Investment Potential of CUPS
By Ariel Singerman and Arnold W. Schumann To exclude the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri) vector of huanglongbing (HLB) and thereby produce disease-free healthy fruit, fresh citrus can be grown under protective screen structures. The expected economic benefit from adopting citrus under protective screen (CUPS) and excluding the ACP is increased yield and quality of fruit, which in turn, are …
Less EU Lemon and Grapefruit Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported that European Union (EU) production of lemons and grapefruit will decline in 2022–23 compared to the prior season. LEMONEU lemon production is forecast at almost 1.5 million metric tons (MMT), down 9.5% from 2021–22 due to estimated lower production in Spain, despite a rebound expected in Italy. EU lemon …
Outlook for Brazil’s 2023–24 Orange Crop
The total Brazilian orange crop for 2023–24 is forecast at 410.6 million 40.8-kilogram boxes, a decrease of 1.1% from last season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported recently. The commercial area of the state of São Paulo and the western part of Minas Gerais should produce 309 million boxes, a decrease of 1.55% from last …
Hairy Approach May Get to the Root of HLB
Developing disease-resistant, high-quality improved crop varieties may seem like a “hairy” task, but Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists may have gotten to the root of the issue. A new biological technology that develops and multiplies disease-resistant citrus plants is under development by an AgriLife Research team led by Kranthi Mandadi. Mandadi is an associate professor at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research …
Developing Management for a New Snail Pest
By Lauren Diepenbrock A recently established snail species, Bulimulus bonariensis (also known as Bulimulus sporadicus), has been growing in population throughout the Southeast for the past few years. Growers first reported concerns about this snail in 2020 when they found the pest covering microjets and interfering with irrigation in the late spring/early summer (Figure 1). At the time, it was …





























