By Taylor O’Bannon, William Mitchell, Morgan Madison, Stephanie Brown, Keith Schneider and Michelle Danyluk The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Produce Safety Extension Team compiled a wish list of food-safety items for citrus growers to prepare for the new year. Some of these items are must-haves straight from the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety …
All In For Citrus Podcast, December 2025
As 2025 winds down, Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), took time to recognize Chris Oswalt during the December All In For Citrus podcast. Oswalt is retiring from his post as a citrus Extension agent, which he’s held for nearly 30 years. He served Polk …
Greenie Gains Attention at Citrus Fruit Display
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) hosted its last scheduled citrus fruit display of the year on Dec. 17 in Lake Alfred. The December display is considered the best of the season due to the number and diversity of varieties available. There were about 25 fresh fruit varieties on …
How To Reduce Spray Drift
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) provided the following tips for reducing spray drift in citrus groves: Source: UF/IFAS Sponsored ContentTake the Sting Out of Fire AntsMarch 6, 2026Grower Results With ReMedium TI® Mirror Researcher ResultsJanuary 21, 2026Take Advantage of Rising Temperatures to Treat for Fire AntsJuly 1, 2025
CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: New University of Florida Varieties Introduced
By Peter Chaires In July, the Florida Foundation Seed Producers Inc. (FFSP) advised the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) and the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) of eight newly released University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus varieties that may fall under F.S. 601.13 (4). This state statute provides the FCC with a first option to obtain …
AI Center Goal: Put Technology in Growers’ Hands
The vision of researchers at Florida’s new Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Agriculture is to manage farm issues in real time, putting AI directly into farmers’ hands. Construction on the 40,000-square-foot AI facility is underway and is expected to be completed in early 2027. “We’re not just studying problems. We’re equipping farmers with solutions,” said Nathan Boyd of …
What We’ve Learned From 20 Years of HLB Research in Florida
By Michael Rogers It has now been two decades since huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, was first detected in Florida. That announcement in August 2005 changed everything for the Florida citrus industry. At the time, Florida citrus was still a global powerhouse. Less than a year earlier, HLB had been confirmed in Brazil, and we were aware of its devastating …
Citrus Extension Agents Encourage Growers to Engage With Their Services
Florida citrus Extension agents are a conduit to growers, connecting them with the educational and support resources of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Recently, two of those agents held stakeholder meetings to seek input from growers on areas where they would like to see more education and assistance from UF/IFAS. Alissa Hevesh is the …
All In For Citrus Podcast, November 2025
The November All In For Citrus podcast takes a trip around the globe. Faculty from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) join the show to describe citrus production in regions outside of the United States. Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, gives an update on citrus in the Caribbean and …
Understanding Acclimation and Protecting Trees From Freeze
By Davie Kadyampakeni, Chris Oswalt and Muhammad A. Shahid With the onset of cooler temperatures, citrus trees cease active growth and become quiescent. This continued quiescence at lower temperatures results in a subsequent increase in cold hardiness, known as acclimation. Citrus trees proceed through many changes during acclimation, including: The above factors combine to increase the ability of citrus tissues …
CRDF Considers Research Management Committee Recommendations
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) convened its November board of directors meeting to take up recommendations from its Research Management Committee. According to Rick Dantzler, CRDF chief operating officer, one of those recommendations was funding a proposal from Swadesh Santra, who is a professor of chemistry with the University of Central Florida. “This funding would allow Dr. Santra …
Adequate Soil Moisture Is Key to Avoiding Fruit Drop
A lack of adequate soil moisture could make an already challenging situation for Florida citrus growers worse. It is imperative that producers keep applying irrigation amid any prolonged dry period, says Chris Oswalt, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus agent. Oswalt noted that many citrus-producing regions in Florida have had little, if any, rain in …
ReMedium TI®: Maximum Return on Investment
Sponsored Content Question: Are third-party research trials showing good improvement in HLB symptoms with the use of ReMedium TI®? Answer: There have been a number of research trials performed by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) over the past couple of years. ReMedium TI® results have been …
Preparing Citrus Groves for Cold Fronts
By Muhammad A. Shahid, Shahid Iqbal and Davie Kadyampakeni As temperatures begin to drop across citrus-growing regions, now is the time for growers to prepare their groves for potential freeze events. Citrus trees, especially young plantings, are susceptible to cold temperatures. Damage from a single freeze event can result in canopy dieback, fruit loss and even tree death. Proper planning …
Florida Citrus Disease Updates
Plant pathologist Megan Dewdney on Nov. 20 presented updates on greasy spot, greasy-green, citrus black spot (CBS) and phytophthora brown rot. Dewdney is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor and Extension specialist at the Citrus Research and Education Center. GREASY SPOT AND GREASY-GREEN Dewdney reported that control measures for greasy spot, caused by the …
Eagle Lake Field Day Highlights Conventional Breeding Potential
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) citrus breeding team hosted a field day on Nov. 19 at the UF/IFAS Eagle Lake Block. The Eagle Lake Block is a 30-acre property that was gifted to CREC as part of the Jim Hughes estate. The grove tour featured several selections being …
CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: NVDMC’s Research Initiatives for 2025–26
By Peter Chaires Last month’s Citrus Nursery Source article promised additional details on New Varieties Development & Management Corp.’s (NVDMC) 2025–26 sponsored projects. While there is only space for general summaries, it is important to highlight the areas of focus for each research team, and the emphasis on short-term benefits while continuing to build a foundation for the future. NVDMC …
What to Consider When Replanting a Grove
By Edwin Gutierrez-Rodriguez and Bosques Jonael Replanting a citrus grove can be an exciting prospect, but it’s not as simple as swapping trees. New cultivars, for example, may require a different setup. Here are some aspects to consider before jumping in: First steps: Newly released cultivars and rootstocks as wells as the Citrus Research and Field Trial programs are refreshing the …
Florida 500 Includes Citrus Leaders
Several men with strong ties to the citrus industry have been included in the 2025 edition of Florida Trend’s Florida 500. The Florida 500 highlights 500 influential executives from various economic sectors in the state. Florida Trend places a high premium on community service and philanthropy when selecting the Florida 500. “We look for individuals to whom others in their …
NuCitrus Shows Strong HLB Tolerance
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are putting genes from a non-citrus plant into Hamlin oranges to develop citrus plants that fight huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease. The newly developed plant is called NuCitrus. It’s based on a protein called Arabidopsis NPR1 (AtNPR1). The new citrus shows strong tolerance to HLB, but not …




























