Two short videos about HLB-related research were available at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) booth at Citrus Expo in August. The videos are available online for viewing. UF/IFAS researcher Tripti Vashisth narrated the video, HLB-Associated Preharvest Fruit Drop. She said up to 40% of fruit can drop from mildly HLB-symptomatic trees shortly before harvest, …
Panel Discusses OJ and Health Research
The Florida Citrus Commission’s (FCC) Scientific Research Advisory Council (SRAC) on Oct. 13 discussed recent studies and projects addressing the linkage between orange juice (OJ) and health. The FCC governs the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), which spends much effort promoting the health benefits of OJ. PUBLISHED STUDIESRosa Walsh, director of scientific research at the FDOC, shared three recently published …
Trellis Systems May Aid Robotic Harvesting
Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) government is growing citrus on trellis systems in an effort to reduce vigor, increase flowering and fruit production, and potentially open the way to robotic harvesting. The trial being conducted by NSW’s Department of Primary Industries (DPI) at the Dareton research center is part of the National Tree Crop Intensification in Horticulture project. The …
Pest Prompts Revised Import Requirements
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Aug. 20 revised the entry requirements for citrus fruit from the Districts of Riverina and Sunraysia in Australia. According to APHIS, the revision is necessary because both Riverina and Sunraysia no longer meet the requirements to be considered fruit fly-free areas for Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni). …
Interplanting Improves Wasp Control
Lucerne (also known as alfalfa) interplanting improved citrus gall wasp (CGW) control in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW). The interplanting is practiced by some citrus growers in NSW to suppress weeds, reduce soil compaction and improve soil fertility. Jianhua Mo of the NSW Department of Primary Industries addressed the matter; a summary of Mo’s comments follows. One possible explanation is …
New Anthracnose-Causing Fungus Identified
Researchers at the University of Melbourne have identified an Australian strain of fungus that causes citrus anthracnose. “Our research group at the University of Melbourne analyzed Colletotrichum collected from samples of anthracnose lesions on citrus leaves, twigs and fruit,” researchers Weixia Wang and Paul Taylor wrote. “The study identified six Colletotrichum species infecting Australian citrus. One of these is a …
Dual-Function Peptide Treats and Prevents HLB
New research affirms a unique stable antimicrobial peptide (SAMP) found in an Australian plant can destroy HLB and help prevent infection. Hailing Jin, University of California Riverisde geneticist who led the research, shared the exciting discovery during the 2021 Florida Citrus Show. The naturally occurring peptide is found in HLB-tolerant citrus relatives, such as the Australian finger lime. The peptide …
Tweaking the Sunshine for Better Citrus Health and Yield
By Christopher Vincent, Anirban Guha, Joon Hyuk Suh and Yu Wang It may surprise you to learn that citrus trees can get too much sunshine in the Sunshine State. Manipulating the light environment around a plant can have several surprising benefits. Shade can suppress the HLB cycle and enhance citrus health and yield. Overall, a mildly shaded citrus plant is …
Field Trials for Cultivar Evaluation; Soil and Root Health
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus researchers are collaborating on ground-breaking research projects to fight against HLB. They are working with researchers at the University of California-Riverside (UC-Riverside), Texas A&M and Washington State University on a project to field-test new citrus cultivars for tolerance or resistance to HLB. The research is funded by the U.S. …
Canopy Management to Improve Fresh Fruit
A new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) document, Management of Citrus Tree Canopies for Fresh-Fruit Production, addresses the principles of citrus pruning and canopy management. It tells how applying those principles can improve the quality and quantity of fresh fruit production in Florida. Here is an excerpt from the document: “Canopy management has three goals …
Could Finger Limes Be Florida’s Hero?
The Australian finger lime, a citrus relative, could be a new specialty crop for Florida citrus growers. Traditionally, finger limes have remained rare in the United States, grown few and far between. However, the fruit’s unique tolerance to HLB is becoming increasingly attractive to Florida growers. Manjul Dutt, research assistant scientist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and …
All In For Citrus Podcast, February 2021
February’s All In For Citrus podcast brings good news about a new faculty position, an upcoming in-person meeting and Australian finger limes projects to battle HLB and keep growers profitable. After more than a year in the making, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plans to add a new faculty member in citrus horticulture. Citrus …
Stem Pitting Disease Caused by Citrus Tristeza Virus
By Amit Levy, Peggy Sieburth and Ozgur Batuman When we hear or read about citrus tristeza virus (CTV), we usually think about the decline of sweet orange or grapefruit trees on sour orange rootstocks. However, there are other diseases caused by different isolates of the virus. One of these diseases is stem pitting, mostly caused by the VT isolate of …
Orange Production to See Global Increase
Global orange production for 2020–21 is forecast to rise 3.6 million metric tons from the previous year to 49.4 million metric tons. Favorable weather leading to larger crops in Brazil and Mexico will offset declines in Turkey and the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Consequently, consumption, processing fruit and fresh exports are also …
China: Grapefruit Gains, Pomelos Stable
Total grapefruit and pomelo production in China in 2020-21 is forecast at 4.95 million metric tons, a negligible increase from the previous year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reported. The slight increase is mainly driven by production of grapefruit hybrids in Guangxi and Yunnan. “Though limited, this change is worth reporting as it reflects the beginning …
Breeding Hybrids With HLB Resistance
UC Riverside scientists are working to breed new fruits that are naturally resistant to huanglongbing (HLB). The hybrid fruits will ideally share the best of their parents’ attributes: the tastiness of citrus and the HLB resistance displayed by some Australian relatives of citrus. HLB, also called citrus greening disease, has been detected in California, where 80 percent of the country’s …
Hesperidin to Be Tested Against COVID-19
The National Institutes of Health’s National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) recently announced plans to evaluate the clinical efficacy of hesperidin against COVID-19. Orange juice and sweet oranges contain hesperidin. NCBI referred to hesperidin as “an old herbal medicine … used to treat vascular diseases in Europe and Australia and distributed with vitamin C as a dietary supplement in the …
Boosting Citrus Tree Immunity to Combat HLB
By Manjul Dutt, Juliana Soares and Jude Grosser Land plants such as citrus are generally anchored to a specific location by their roots. Owing to their immobile nature and constant exposure to pathogenic microbes, plants are very vulnerable. However, you might be surprised by how much plants can protect themselves and survive against multiple adversities encountered during their lifetime. A …
Peptide Could Restore Florida Citrus
CghSAMPa, the peptide found in the fruit of greening-tolerant Australian finger limes, is believed to be the first substance capable of controlling huanglongbing (HLB, also known as citrus greening). University of California, Riverside and Invaio Sciences, Inc. have partnered to advance the peptide research with hopes of bringing an HLB solution to commercialization by 2023. During a recent seminar hosted …
HLB Solution Could Be Available in Three Years
University of California, Riverside (UCR) scientist Hailing Jin believes she has found a substance capable of controlling the deadly citrus greening disease known as huanglongbing (HLB). The potential cure Jin discovered is a peptide found in the fruit of greening-tolerant Australian finger limes, which have been consumed by humans for hundreds of years. Invaio Sciences, Inc., a multi-platform technology company …




























