State of the Florida Citrus-Packing Segment

Tacy CalliesCitrus

By Peter Chaires Florida’s fresh-packing segment is in a significant period of transition. The freezes of the 1980s caused substantial southward movement of citrus production and the loss of supply to most packinghouses in the northern regions. During this time, urban expansion and construction booms were also depleting acreage that supplied fresh houses. The early battles against citrus canker eliminated …

citrus rootstock

Annual Meeting of the Florida State Horticultural Society

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

The Florida State Horticultural Society (FSHS) announces that it will hold its 131st annual meeting on June 10 through June 12, 2018, at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel located at 1617 SE 17th Street in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With over 100 technical presentations and special sessions with invited speakers, there will also be a welcome reception, Extension luncheon, …

HLB

Nurseryman Discusses HLB, Grapefruit and Lemons

Ernie NeffGrapefruit, HLB Management, lemons

The impact of HLB on total citrus tree propagations, including the decline in grapefruit and growth in lemons, is addressed by nurseryman Nate Jameson. Jameson, owner of Brite Leaf Citrus Nursery, discusses some points he made at the annual Florida Citrus Show in January. “A few years ago we were propagating about 4.7 million trees a year,” Jameson says. “We’re …

Jude Grosser: Giving Growers Better Options

Tacy CalliesBreeding

By Tacy Callies Some people start young adulthood by following in their parents’ footsteps. Jude Grosser began by following the path of his oldest brother, Tim, instead. Both went to Thomas More College and majored in biology. After that, their education and careers took different turns. Grosser thought he would work in wildlife or fisheries, but then had an opportunity …

Tools for Integrated Management of Citrus Psyllids and Leafminers

Tacy CalliesPests, Psyllids, Research

By Jawwad A. Qureshi, Philip A. Stansly and Lukasz L. Stelinski Pest management has always been important for citrus production in Florida. It has become even more critical following invasion of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and citrus leafminer (CLM), due to their association with huanglongbing (HLB or citrus greening) and canker diseases, respectively. ACP and CLM develop and reproduce …

Sneak Peek: February 2018 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

The cover of the February issue of Citrus Industry magazine features a familiar face at the Citrus Research and Education Center. Jude Grosser has been a part of the University of Florida facility for more than three decades. He tells about the citrus variety research he has accomplished so far, as well as the goals he is still striving to …

pests

Robots May Soon Detect Grove Pests and Diseases

Ernie NeffDiseases, Pests, Technology

It may not be long before a grower sips coffee and works on the computer while a robot roams the grove checking for HLB-spreading psyllids and other pests and diseases. That’s thanks to machine vision software. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences scientist Arnold Schumann tells about research he has been conducting. Schumann says researchers have developed …

disease

Managing Disease with Copper and IPM

Ernie NeffDiseases

Integrated pest management (IPM) strategies and copper are both good control measures for common citrus foliar fungal diseases, as well as for citrus canker. So says University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant pathologist Ozgur Batuman. Batuman summarizes information he presented at a fall field day and seminar attended by about 60 people at the Southwest Florida …

florida citrus

Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Inductees Chosen for 2018

Daniel CooperCitrus, Industry News Release

Two distinguished leaders will be inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame (FCHOF) during the 56th Citrus Celebration Luncheon on Friday, March 9, 2018, at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. L. Gene Albrigo, of Daytona Shores, and Marvin D. Kahn, of Sebring, will be honored at the luncheon, scheduled to take place at 11:30 a.m. Gene Albrigo has led …

HLB

Millennium Block Resurrected for HLB Research

Ernie NeffGrapefruit, HLB Management

An approximately 35-acre research plot that fell victim to citrus canker years ago will soon become a new research site helping growers pick trees that fare best with HLB. The plot at the Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) in Fort Pierce will keep its former name, the Millennium Block. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences …

What Lies Ahead for Florida Citrus?

Tacy CalliesDiseases, HLB Management, Pests, Varieties

Editor’s note: This article is part of the special coverage on the 100th Anniversary of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, found in the October 2017 issue of Citrus Industry magazine. By Tom Nordlie Although it’s difficult to predict future events, directors of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) …

Current Challenges to Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesCitrus Greening, Diseases

Editor’s Note: This article was written before Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida and damaged the state’s citrus industry. This article is part of the special 100th anniversary coverage of the Citrus Research and Education Center, found in the October 2017 issue of Citrus Industry magazine. By Tom Nordlie What are the current challenges to Florida’s citrus industry? To a …

forecast

Jonathan Brown Discusses Crop Forecast, Irma Damage

Ernie NeffForecast, hurricane

Citrus grower Jonathan Brown of Bethel Farms in Arcadia reacts to the Oct. 12 initial U.S. Department of Agriculture citrus crop forecast of 54 million boxes of Florida oranges. He also discusses damage from Hurricane Irma. “I was a little bit impressed that it (the forecast) came out where it did,” Brown says. “I was kind of expecting it to …

A Look Back at 100 Years of Citrus Innovation

Tacy CalliesHistory

By Beverly James, Alec Richman, Brad Buck, Samantha Grenrock and Tom Nordlie The year was 1917. In April, the United States entered World War I. Florida’s population was fast approaching 1 million, and agriculture was the state’s most important economic driver. Citrus cultivation, introduced to Florida 400 years earlier by Spanish explorers, had spawned an industry following the Civil War. …

Citrus Production in Argentina

Tacy Callieslemons

By Stephen H. Futch and Ariel Singerman In May of 2017, we visited the northwestern citrus production region of Argentina in the provinces of Jujuy, Salta and Tucumán. The purpose of the trip was to learn more about Argentina’s citrus industry and programs being developed to deal with both the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and huanglongbing (HLB). Argentina has a …

Hurricane Irma’s Effect on Indian River Citrus

Tacy CalliesWeather

The Indian River area on the East Coast apparently fared the best of all Florida citrus-growing regions hit by Hurricane Irma. “I’m hearing the vast majority of the crop made it through,” says Indian River Citrus League Executive Vice President Doug Bournique. He thinks a maximum of 20 percent of the region’s crop was lost. Bournique says many groves remain …

Citrus Leprosis: a Continuing Threat in Florida and North America

Tacy CalliesDiseases

By Richard F. Lee The old-timers called citrus leprosis “nailhead rust.” Prevalent in Florida in the early 1900s, the disease was first called leprosis in the 1920s by H.S. Fawcett. Although the disease was widespread in Florida at one time, it mysteriously disappeared in the mid-1960s. L.C. Knorr [University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education …

citrus greening

Justices Reject Challenge to Scott Citrus Veto

Daniel CooperCitrus, Citrus Greening, Industry News Release

by Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida Despite clear frustrations of some justices, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday declined to invalidate Gov. Rick Scott’s veto of $37.4 million that lawmakers approved to compensate homeowners whose healthy citrus trees were cut down by the state more than a decade ago. The ruling pointed to circuit court cases in Broward and …

citrus

UF/IFAS Microbiologist Works Toward Greening Treatment

Daniel CooperCitrus Greening, Industry News Release

by Brad Buck, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences In the same year the University of Florida’s (UF) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) celebrates its 100th anniversary, Nian Wang believes he may be close to finding the “off switch” for greening, the disease devastating Florida’s multi-billion-dollar-a-year citrus industry. Wang, an associate professor of microbiology and cell sciences …

Citrus Expo

Field Trials of Rootstocks and Scions: What Can They Tell Us?

Tacy CalliesNews from our Sponsor, Rootstocks, Scions

By Harold Browning Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation Plant breeding programs have been a mainstay of citrus production worldwide. They have served as a basis for gradual improvement in fruit quality, adaptability to varying growing environments, and most importantly, to disease management. For that reason, new germplasm has been a front line of pursuit in the …