Citrus Leprosis Poses a Threat to Florida

Tacy CalliesDiseases

By Amit Levy, Ozgur Batuman, Peggy Sieburth and Lauren Diepenbrock Citrus leprosis is an exotic viral disease not currently present in Florida. This disease is of interest since it was reported in citrus in Florida and Brazil in the early 1900s, where it caused great crop and tree losses, but it was eliminated from Florida in the early 1960s. Currently, …

Planning for Foliar Disease Management in 2020

Tacy CalliesDiseases

By Megan Dewdney and Evan Johnson In 2019, the trend of fewer problems with foliar fungal diseases for Florida citrus continued, which was good news for the industry. Despite the El Niño conditions during the spring, little postbloom fruit drop (PFD) was observed because the temperatures were low (< 75 F) when it rained during bloom. The southern parts of …

budget

Budget Proposals Brought Into Citrus Legal Fight

Daniel CooperCitrus, Industry News Release

(NSF) — Attorneys for Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Wednesday alerted the Florida Supreme Court that new legislative budget proposals include more than $19 million to address a legal battle over the state cutting down Lee County homeowners’ healthy citrus trees. Fried’s office took the battle to the Supreme Court after the 2nd District Court of Appeal ordered the …

Sneak Peek: February 2020 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

The February issue of Citrus Industry magazine lets growers know what diseases to be on the lookout for this season and how best to spot them in the grove. University of Florida (UF) researchers Megan Dewdney and Evan Johnson give citrus growers tips on planning for disease management in 2020 in their article. Citrus canker, greasy spot, melanose, black spot …

citrus

Fried Points to Lawmakers on Citrus Tree Payments

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

(NSF) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried’s department says it wants to pay millions of dollars to Lee County homeowners whose healthy citrus trees were cut down as the state tried to thwart citrus-canker disease. But first, the Legislature has to fork over the money. That was a key argument Friday by attorneys for the Florida Department of Agriculture and …

Niche Market and Dooryard Citrus for the HLB World

Tacy CalliesVarieties

By Jude Grosser, Manjul Dutt and Fred Gmitter The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus improvement team at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) has developed a broad citrus germplasm base. This provides opportunities to generate diverse, interesting and possibly lucrative selections with niche market and dooryard potential. Several such selections are showing reasonable …

budget

Homeowners Oppose Stay in Citrus Tree Battle

Daniel CooperDiseases, Legislative

(NSF) — Attorneys for Lee County homeowners urged the Florida Supreme Court on Monday to reject the state’s request for a stay in a long-running legal battle about compensating residents for healthy citrus trees cut down amid an effort to halt the spread of citrus canker disease. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services last week asked the Supreme Court to put the …

Inside Brazil’s Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesBrazil

By Stephen H. Futch and Rhuanito S. Ferrarezi Many changes have taken place in the Brazilian citrus industry over the past 20 years as growers battle pests, diseases and market challenges. Throughout this process, the industry has encountered difficulties but has continued to maintain production through innovative practices that are founded in science, economics and sustainability. This article provides an …

citrus

Stay Sought in Citrus Tree Appeal

Daniel CooperCitrus, Citrus Greening, financial, Industry News Release

(NSF) — The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services wants the Florida Supreme Court to put on hold a legal battle about payments to Lee County homeowners whose healthy citrus trees were cut down amid an effort to halt the spread of citrus-canker disease. The department on Wednesday filed a motion for a stay, after taking the long-running case to the Supreme Court last …

citrus

State Appeals Ruling on Citrus Tree Payments

Daniel CooperCitrus, financial, Industry News Release

(NSF) — The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has gone to the state Supreme Court after lower courts ordered payment of more than $13.6 million to Lee County homeowners whose healthy citrus trees were cut down amid an effort to halt the spread of citrus-canker disease. The department has filed a notice of appeal that is a first step in asking the …

court

Court Says State Should Pay in Citrus Fight

Daniel CooperCitrus, Industry News Release

(NSF) — In a legal battle that started in 2003, an appeals court Wednesday upheld a ruling that directed the state to pay more than $13.6 million to Lee County homeowners whose healthy citrus trees were cut down amid an effort to halt the spread of citrus-canker disease. A panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected arguments that …

citrus

Sample the Latest Citrus From UF/IFAS

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

(UF/IFAS) — As citrus growers, packers, processors, gift-fruit shippers and others taste, feel and smell the latest varieties from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), they hope their taste buds explode with flavor and that a fresh aroma fills the room at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC). These participants will get two more …

CRAFT program

Citrus Rootstock Guide Updates Available Online

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release, Rootstocks

(UF/IFAS) — Florida’s citrus growers may now access the updated Florida Citrus Rootstock Selection Guide, which is more user- and mobile-friendly. Revisions include current University of Florida rootstock horticultural traits, three new rootstocks that tolerate citrus greening and an updated bibliography. “The fourth edition of the Florida Citrus Rootstock Selection Guide has a new look and information for a comprehensive description …

IPCs for HLB Prevention in Young Trees

Tacy CalliesHLB Management

By Fernando Alferez, Susmita Gaire, Ute Albrecht, Ozgur Batuman, Jawwad Qureshi and Mongi Zekri Controlling the Asian citrus psyllid vector of huanglongbing (HLB) is critical, especially in young trees. Reducing HLB incidence is essential for tree survival and productivity under current endemic conditions. Individual protective covers (IPCs) are a novel strategy based on psyllid exclusion by means of a protective …

grapefruit

Grapefruit and Marathon Discussed

Ernie NeffAll In For Citrus Podcast, Grapefruit

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant breeder Fred Gmitter discusses efforts to create a replacement for grapefruit. He also talks about the recently released mandarin variety, Marathon. Gmitter points out that grapefruit is “one of the most sensitive of all the citrus varieties” to HLB dusease and has “taken the greatest hit” in terms of …

guide

Production Guide: What’s New

Ernie NeffProduction

The three editors of the new Florida Citrus Production Guide recently told growers at a meeting in Sebring what’s new in the guide this year. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) produced the guide. Megan Dewdney, a UF/IFAS plant pathologist, addresses new information provided about diseases. New items include the addition of a chemical for …

citrus production

Dumping of Brazilian and Mexican Juice Causes Southern Gardens to Cease Processing Citrus

Tacy CalliesProcessing

A flood of foreign imported orange juice was the deciding factor. Southern Gardens Citrus Processing Corporation announced today that it will no longer process fruit at its facility in Hendry County, Florida.  Beginning with the 2019-20 season, Southern Gardens will have its fruit processed at another facility and bring that juice back to its facility in Hendry County for storage …

citrus forecast

Trade Issues Update for Fresh Citrus

Ernie NeffTrade

Dan Richey, president of Riverfront Packing Company, gave an update on trade issues impacting fresh Florida citrus at the Aug. 19 Citrus Packinghouse Day in Lake Alfred. Foreign sales are extremely important for fresh Florida citrus, says Richey, a member for five years of the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee, appointed jointly by the U.S. secretary of agriculture and the U.S. …