Australian scientists are developing a vaccine-like solution to arm citrus growers with an effective way to combat citrus tristeza virus (CTV), a significant challenge for the Australian citrus industry. The $1.5 million initiative is being delivered through Hort Innovation and collaboratively led by the University of Queensland, the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) and Auscitrus. Researchers …
Australian Plant Protection Guides Available Online
The latest plant protection guides for citrus and deciduous fruit growers in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW), developed by NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), are now available online. The citrus plant protection guide 2023–24 is available here. The orchard plant protection guide for deciduous fruits can be found here. The plant protection guides are developed by NSW DPI …
Australian Citrus Season Sees Improvement
There have been signs of improvement for the Australian citrus industry in the 2023 season compared to 2022. Among other things, Citrus Australia Chief Executive Officer Nathan Hancock said fruit quality has improved this season. The tail end of the 2023 harvest has been particularly strong from a quality perspective, according to Hancock. “While the earlier fruit this season struggled …
Citrus Australia Monitoring Pomelo Risk Analysis
Citrus Australia is closely monitoring a biosecurity import risk analysis being conducted on fresh pomelo fruit from Vietnam. The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has commenced the risk analysis, in response to a market access request from Vietnam. Nathan Hancock, Citrus Australia chief executive officer, said his organization would hold DAFF to a high standard during the …
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 …
Native Lime Might Keep HLB Out of Australia
A comprehensive map of the genome of an Australian native lime species that is resistant to HLB could be the key to preventing the disease from entering Australia. Researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia have sequenced the genome of the Australian round lime, also known as the Gympie lime. They are now looking at five other native …
New Citrus Varieties to Be Assessed in Australia
Hort Innovation announced it will invest $987,000 to assess new citrus varieties that are suited to Australian growing conditions. Funded by Hort Innovation’s citrus levy, the project will provide independent assessment of the horticultural performance of new citrus varieties under Australian conditions, as well as testing citrus varieties for trueness-to-type. The assessments will take place in Dareton in New South …
Australia on Pace for Record Mandarin Exports
Australian tangerine and mandarin production in 2022–23 is forecast at 190,000 metric tons (MT), a 9% increase over the 2021–22 estimate of 175,000 MT. This growth is predominantly related to a young tree age profile, with an increasing area of plantings entering production. The forecast was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). From …
Australia Orange Juice Production and Trade
Orange juice (OJ) production in Australia in 2022–23 is forecast at 16,100 metric tons (MT), a decrease of 2% from the 2021–22 season’s 16,500 MT. In 2020–21, the country’s OJ production reached 17,400 MT. The 2022–23 forecast was made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). The planted area of juicing orange varieties, accounting for 36% …
Australia Fresh Orange Production to Dip
Australia fresh orange production of 505,000 metric tons (MT) is forecast for marketing year 2022–23. That’s a 6% decrease from 535,000 MT in 2021–22, when production was the highest since 2004–05. The forecast was reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). PRODUCTION AREASThe major orange production areas in Australia are in the southern temperate climate …
Record Lemon Crop Expected in Part of Australia
Record numbers of lemons are expected to be harvested in Far North Queensland (FNQ) this summer, helping the Australian industry achieve its goal of supplying Australian lemons year-round. Increased numbers of lemons are also expected from central and southern Queensland. The projected record summer crop is a result of expansion in the FNQ citrus industry and good weather. “We have …
Indian Tariff Reduction to Boost Australian Citrus
Tariffs on Australian citrus exported to India will be cut in half Dec. 29 following the finalization of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), Citrus Australia announced. Both the Australian and Indian governments have ratified the agreement. The agreement will allow Australian citrus exporters to export oranges and mandarins to India under a tariff-reduced quota system. The current …
Solution Sought for Lack of Australian Labor and Housing
Citrus Australia has asked Victorian Premier Dan Andrews to appoint a commissioner of horticultural labor and accommodation to manage solutions to a current horticulture crisis. Nathan Hancock, Citrus Australia’s chief executive officer, said extreme shortages in both labor and housing will get worse without direct intervention. “These issues (labor and housing shortages) are having a significant impact on the current and …
Australia Tests Psyllid Monitoring System
A new airborne insect monitoring system that has been tested in a field trial at Midura, Australia, should assist in monitoring for African and Asian citrus psyllids, which transmit HLB. The trial was conducted by Agriculture Victoria in conjunction with Citrus Australia and had two main purposes. One purpose was to test the sampling ability of the monitoring system against …
Chinese Rootstocks Show Promise in Australia
Preliminary data from an Australian research project suggest Chinese rootstocks No. 24 and 85-24 are having a dwarfing effect on citrus tree growth and will be candidates for future high-density cropping systems. Citrus Australia reported that those rootstocks have strong potential in heavy soils, and that results on deep sandy loam soil are also very encouraging. Tahir Khurshid from the …
Australia Evaluating Dwarfing Rootstocks
Tahir Khurshid of Australia’s New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) is leading a project evaluating several overseas rootstocks budded to a range of mandarin and sweet orange varieties. One of the components is evaluating the rootstocks for their dwarfing effect, which will potentially produce small trees for high-density planting systems for the citrus industry. Size-controlling rootstocks have …
Australia Aims to Expand Citrus Exports to India
Citrus Australia will use a $485,711 grant from the federal government to increase citrus export opportunities to India for Australian growers, through targeted development of the Indian market. The Australian citrus industry currently exports up to $540 million worth of citrus around the world. India and the subcontinent have been recognized as potential growth markets. India has a population of …
Tariffs to Decline on Australian Citrus Exports to India
India and Australia have reached an interim outcome in free trade agreement negotiations that will reduce tariffs on Australian citrus exports by 50%. When enacted, the interim agreement will allow the entry of 13,700 tons of Australian citrus into India at a reduced tariff of 15%. The agreement coincides with a renewed effort by Citrus Australia to increase exports to …
Focus on Australian Citrus Safety
Citrus Australia reported on a new project focused on food safety in citrus. The project aims to mitigate microbial food-safety risks associated with the production, postharvest handling and supply of citrus to consumers in domestic and export markets. S.P. Singh with the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries will lead the project. The Australian citrus industry exports oranges and …
Water, Labor Boost Australia Crop
Increased water availability and the expectation of more harvest labor, along with increased planting area, are reasons for the citrus crop forecast increase in Australia, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). FAS recently reported that the total planted area of navel and Valencia oranges in Australia has increased by 14% from 15,307 hectares (ha) in …





























