Rossi Selected for Leadership Training

Josh McGillEducation

Lorenzo Rossi, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor, has been selected to train in the American Society for Horticultural Science’s Leadership Academy. Rossi leads a team of 15 associates who perform research to support high-value crops, including citrus, at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce. He was selected for …

grapefruit

Grapefruit Rootstock/Scion Research Update

Josh McGillGrapefruit, Indian River, Research

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers Mark Ritenour and Flavia Zambon recently provided an update on a large field trial. The project is called Evaluation of Potential HLB Tolerant Grapefruit Rootstock/Scion Combinations in the Indian River District of Florida. A summary of their update follows:  The project started as a collaborative effort between the UF/IFAS …

Greasy-Green Research Update

Josh McGillDiseases, Research

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers Megan Dewdney, Mark Ritenour, Liliana Cano, Eva Mulandesa and Monty Myers recently provided an update of their greasy-green disorder research. Excerpts follow from the Indian River Citrus League’s River Ramblings publication: “Greasy green” is a term applied to fruit that develop what appears to be greasy spot rind blotch symptoms …

Grower Achieves High Brix and Stops Drop

Josh McGillFruit Drop, Organic, Production

Low Brix has been a major problem plaguing the Florida citrus industry in recent years. While many growers are struggling to achieve the minimum required Brix level, this has not been an issue for citrus grower Chip Henry. He recently shared how he believes his organic production techniques contribute to high Brix as well as stopping premature fruit drop in …

HLB Researcher Honored

Josh McGillAwards, Brazil

Fundecitrus researcher Marcelo Pedreira de Miranda has received the Outstanding Citriculture Engineer-Agronomist Award from the 48th Expocitrus and 44th Citriculture Week. The Brazilian entomologist, whose main studies are related to HLB, has worked at Fundecitrus since 2008. The award ceremony where Miranda was honored was part of the opening afternoon of the exhibition week and was attended by authorities and …

Awareness Campaign Battles HLB in Brazil

Josh McGillBrazil, HLB Management

Brazil’s Fundecitrus in 2022 and 2023 conducted an awareness campaign to replace citrus and myrtle plants to combat HLB in the municipality of Itobi, São Paulo. The citrus and myrtle plants were replaced with other fruit and ornamental species that do not host the Asian citrus psyllid that transmits HLB, also known as greening disease. These citrus and myrtle plants …

Growers Share First Impressions of Trunk Injection

Josh McGillEvents, HLB Management

The Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association (PRVCGA) hosted growers and industry members on National Orange Juice Day to discuss early experiences with trunk injection of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl). Two new OTC-HCl products, ReMedium TI and Rectify, were registered this season for use as an HLB treatment in Florida citrus. While some growers are taking a wait-and-see approach to trunk …

Drought and Freeze Don’t Deter Grower

Josh McGillOrganic, Production, Weather

Apopka citrus grower Chip Henry reports that McGuire Groves received 9.5 inches of rain in March 2022. In March 2023, it received less than half an inch. Portions of Lee, Hendy and Collier counties were in an extreme drought as of April 6, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Many other areas of Florida, including where McGuire Groves is located, …

tree of the future

The Advantage of Youth

Josh McGillCRDF

Morgan McKenna Porter brings new energy to the Citrus Research and Development Foundation. By Ernie Neff New Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) board President Morgan McKenna Porter was born Feb. 29, 1992. There’s only a Feb. 29 every fourth year, a leap year. “So,” she quipped, “CRDF has a seven-year-old president if we go by my leap year age.” …

changes

Why There Is a Lack of HLB in Georgia

Josh McGillGeorgia, HLB Management

HLB has yet to become a major problem for Georgia’s citrus producers. Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia assistant professor and small fruits pathologist, attributes the disease’s lack of presence in Georgia’s commercial groves to multiple factors. “It still comes down to the fact that, number one, you don’t see symptoms for a while. A lot of our trees are young,” …

HLB

First HLB Confirmation in City of San Diego

Josh McGillCalifornia Corner, HLB Management, Regulation

The citrus disease HLB has been confirmed for the first time in the city of San Diego, California, making it the second city in San Diego County with a positive detection. (Read about the first San Diego County detection here.) The new detection was made in a residential citrus tree located in the Rancho Bernardo area of the city. The …

Industry Leaders React to Low Forecast

Josh McGillCrop Forecast

Immediately following the lowest federal crop forecast for Florida citrus in many decades, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Florida Department of Citrus Executive Director Shannon Shepp expressed optimism that the industry will strive to recover. Their statements referred to Hurricane Ian, which destroyed much fruit and damaged trees in major portions of the state’s citrus belt. The U.S. Department …

Optimism

Meet Matt Joyner

Josh McGillFlorida Citrus Mutual

Editor’s note: This Q&A was conducted prior to Hurricane Ian striking Florida. After the storm, Matt Joyner said that Florida Citrus Mutual is working with growers in the recovery process and collecting information to aid in any potential requests for assistance. Matt Joyner started with Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) in December of 2018 as director of government relations. In April …

hlb

HLB and Canker Incidence Increasing in Brazil

Josh McGillBrazil, Diseases

The average incidence of HLB rose from 22.37% in 2021 to 24.42% in 2022 in Brazil’s citrus belt, an annual survey by Fundecitrus shows. That’s an increase of 9.16%. In the regions of Brotas, Limeira and Porto Ferreira, where the incidence was already high in previous years, HLB increased to even more worrying levels of 49.41%, 70.72% and 74.05%, respectively. …

Searching for Sweet Solutions

Josh McGillOrange Juice, Research

By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Just as HLB can affect fruit flavor, so can our numerous innovations to manage HLB. Yu Wang works to make sure our solutions are sweet. When the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hired her as a flavor chemist seven years ago, Wang worked primarily with breeders. Her objective was …

greening

Microregion Maps in Brazil Help With HLB

Josh McGillBrazil, HLB Management, Research

Microregion maps developed by Fundecitrus should help Brazilian citrus growers make the necessary decisions to combat HLB disease, also known as greening. Fundecitrus explained that the incidence of HLB differs in the various regions of Brazil’s extensive citrus belt. To allow citrus growers to better understand the places where the disease is located, a study by Fundecitrus divided the belt …

Florida State Budget and OJ Action Reported

Josh McGillFlorida, Legislative, Orange Juice

In a recent Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) newsletter, the grower association told how the Florida state budget addresses citrus issues and reported FCM’s position on an orange juice petition.  STRONG SUPPORTThe 2022–23 Florida state budget signed June 2 by Gov. Ron DeSantis totaled $109.9 billion and included more than $37 million in support for the state’s citrus industry. Citrus support …

Use Physical Barriers for Root Health

Josh McGillIPCs, Root health, Tip of the Week

By Larry Duncan Citrus trees in Florida soils infested with diaprepes root weevil (Diaprepes abbreviatus) or sting nematode (Belonolaimus longicaudatus) frequently contend with devastating damage to their root systems. This is made even worse by root loss due to huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Where soil conditions are conducive to the insect or nematode, it is very difficult to prevent major economic …

CRDF Focused on HLB Therapeutics

Josh McGillCRDF, HLB Management

The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) held its April board of directors meeting to hear reports on projects involving 2,4-D, gibberellic acid, brassinosteroids and zinc. According to Rick Dantzler, chief operating officer of CRDF, the foundation is conducting a full-court press to study how these materials can combat fruit drop and improve quality. CRDF staff also presented a proposal …

California

Consortium Research Aims at HLB

Josh McGillHLB Management, Research

Scientists from the New Mexico Consortium (NMC) say research they have conducted may lead to development of strategies for the control of HLB disease. The research is a collaborative effort between the Gupta laboratory, the NMC and the Stover laboratory at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS). The study focuses on the two putative virulence proteins of …