By Peter Chaires When June rolls around, the last of the oranges are generally coming in and it’s time to reassess what worked and identify areas for improvement. Research-based entities are making every effort to steer dollars to where they will have the most immediate impact. The name of the game right now is capacity preservation. We must do what …
Moving Beyond Greening
By Tom Spreen When citrus greening was first discovered in Florida, it did not have a profound impact on production. The big news at that time was the multiple hurricanes that had crossed Florida in 2004 and 2005. The hurricanes served to spread citrus canker so sufficiently that the state of Florida was forced to abandon its efforts to eradicate …
Diseases Easier to Prevent Than to Control
Plant pathologist Ozgur Batuman recently warned that two citrus viral diseases not currently in Florida are highly suited to the state’s climate and would likely impact production if found there. They are citrus leprosis and citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV). Batuman, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor at the Southwest Florida Research and …
Citrus Greening Quarantine Expanded in Texas
Agriculture officials have expanded the areas quarantined for citrus greening (huanglongbing; HLB), caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, in Texas. All of Zapata County has been added to the quarantined areas. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). The action was taken …
Have a Hurricane Plan in Place
Florida citrus growers are all too familiar with the fallout from hurricanes in recent history. In 2017, Hurricane Irma came up the spine of the state causing an estimated $760 million in damage to the citrus industry. Then in 2022, Hurricane Ian took an even more direct path over key citrus-production areas causing another $247 million in losses, according to …
How Florida Orange Production Plummeted 92% in 20 Years
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA ERS) recently recounted how natural disasters and diseases have reduced Florida’s orange production by 92% since the 2003–04 season. USDA ERS noted that Florida’s citrus industry has long been susceptible to freezes, hurricanes and disease. It pointed out that a series of devastating freezes in the 1970s and 1980s caused production …
Panel Discussions Highlight Florida Citrus Show Seminars
A pair of panel discussions during the citrus seminars at the Florida Citrus Show gave growers the opportunity to engage with experts on top-of-mind topics. BREEDER RECOMMENDATIONS The citrus seminar program started with a discussion among citrus breeders moderated by Flavia Zambon, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor at the Indian River Research and …
BRAZILIAN RESEARCH RESULTS IN A UNIQUE PRODUCT FOR HLB MANAGEMENT
BRAZILIAN RESEARCH RESULTS IN A UNIQUE PRODUCT FOR HLB MANAGEMENT A groundbreaking study recently conducted by renowned Brazilian agro-science has resulted in a formula for the effective management of citrus greening, a disease that has severely affected citriculture in Brazil and worldwide for a long time. It was in the laboratories of the Citrus Center of the Agronomic Institute of …
PIECES OF THE PAST: An Impactful Citrus Sisterhood
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette It’s amazing to see how impactful the Florida Citrus Queens have been in marketing our crops! From swimming with dolphins to posing on top of the sign for the host hotel of the annual pageant, these women worked overtime to sell Florida citrus. Dick Pope, founder of Cypress Gardens, was a master at using the Florida …
CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: Implications of New Citrus-Producing States
After Alabama was recently designated a “citrus-producing state,” there were questions on how this might impact the movement of citrus plant material and fruit. Citrus Nursery Source reached out to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Division of Plant Industry and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA-APHIS-PPQ) …
Freeze Does Not Have the Same Effect on All Pests
The Christmas freeze event in 2022 affected some insect pests in the cold-hardy citrus region more so than others, according to Xavier Martini. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor spoke about his findings during the recent Citrus Health Forum held at the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Quincy. Martini addressed …
CRISPR Is Bringing Citrus Closer to HLB Resistance
You’ve probably heard the term CRISPR in recent years. It is a relatively new breakthrough in science that has applications in human health and even in the fight against HLB. Nian Wang, a professor of microbiology and cell science with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), has been on the forefront of CRISPR research. Here …
Gulf Citrus Grower Panel Discusses Trunk Injection
The Gulf Citrus Growers Association recently hosted a grower panel at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee to discuss experiences and results of trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC) to treat HLB. Participating in the panel were Ron English, Florida’s Natural Growers/Ranch 1; David Wheeler, Wheeler Farms; and …
Fall Tree Health After Initial Trunk-Injection Treatments
By Frank Giles and Maegan Beatty As growers deployed their first application of oxytetracycline (OTC) via trunk-injection this summer, expectations were high but tempered by the fact the therapy is not expected to turn the massive HLB ship around in just one season. By this fall, after the seasonal cooldown, growers were still reporting generally positive signs from the treatments. …
All In For Citrus Podcast, January 2024
If you grow citrus in Florida, you’ve probably heard the term CRISPR used in discussions about gene editing to find HLB resistance. CRISPR is complicated science but holds great promise in fighting both human and plant diseases. At the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), Nian Wang, a professor of microbiology and cell science, has been …
Brassinosteroid and Weed Management Research Updated
Brassinosteroids for HLB-infected trees and the latest on year-round weed management were discussed at a Jan. 17 OJ Break at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Florida. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) multi-county citrus Extension agent Chris Oswalt hosted the event. UF/IFAS assistant professors Fernando Alferez and Ramdas Kanissery made the presentations …
New Center to Accelerate HLB Solutions
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP My job is to help you make money. By changing the way the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) does business in pursuing citrus solutions, I hope to change your business for the better. We’ve just launched a UF/IFAS Crop Transformation Center (CTC). It has the potential to speed delivery …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Gratitude for Growing Florida Citrus
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette December is always a favorite month for me. It’s a time to reflect on the trials and tribulations from the past year and a time to be thankful for the blessings in our lives that have brought us through difficulties. December brings anticipation for the upcoming year and what lies ahead. For citrus growers, December also …
Alabama Designated as Commercial Citrus Producer
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) announced it has designated Alabama as a commercial citrus-producing area. This action provides Alabama with protections that are afforded under the citrus canker regulations applying to commercial citrus-producing states. USDA APHIS regulates the interstate movement of certain plants, plant parts and other articles from areas of the …
Florida Citrus: The Road Back
By Tom Spreen The Florida citrus industry has experienced a difficult stretch of years since the record crop year of 2003–04, when over 240 million 90-pound boxes of oranges were produced. INDUSTRY DECLINEIn 2004, multiple hurricanes crisscrossed the Florida peninsula. They were the first hurricanes to hit the citrus-producing area of Florida since Hurricane Dora in 1964. The hurricanes themselves …