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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “citrus groves”
As they battle HLB, growers must control costs wherever possible, including by applying pesticides and fertilizer more efficiently. With that in mind, Yiannis Ampatzidis is engaging artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a low-cost, smart tree-crop sprayer that can automatically detect citrus trees, calculate their height and leaf density, and count fruit. That way, growers target their spray more efficiently, so …
One instance of fruit drop is expected and needed every growing season for Florida citrus producers. A second instance, however, is unexpected, unwanted and just what growers do not need right before harvest time. HLB WORSENS DROPBut that is a scenario Florida citrus growers encounter every year. This problem has only worsened in the era of citrus greening disease, also …
What is believed to be the most northern HLB find in Florida was made the first week of November in a backyard Satsuma tree in Tallahassee. A homeowner sent photos of the tree’s symptoms to Leon County Extension horticulture agent Mark Tancig, who collected samples that were confirmed as HLB. “I’ve told the homeowner he should remove it (the tree), …
Information to help growers find and control citrus black spot (CBS), as well as CBS regulatory procedures, were provided in an Oct. 26 training workshop in Arcadia. The workshop was hosted by multi-county citrus Extension agent Ajia Paolillo. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant pathologist Megan Dewdney discussed the pest’s lifecycle, potential spread due to …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In 1917, A.B. Michael consolidated his citrus groves in Wabasso, Florida, with the Deerfield Groves Company of Cocoa, becoming vice president and general manager. This eventually led to his involvement in the American Fruit Growers, Inc., becoming one of the original stockholders and directors, and handling all Florida operations. Noted for his commitment to quality, he …
By Ajia Paolillo If you use herbicides containing paraquat dichloride in your citrus groves, you must be aware of the use certification requirements for this product. In 2016, certifications and training for using this herbicide were put into place following the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) risk mitigation requirements. Any person that uses paraquat must meet these requirements. The first requirement …
A Florida citrus grower and a Florida citrus researcher were quoted extensively in a recent Australia Broadcasting Corporation TV show about HLB. Grower Kyle Story and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant pathologist Megan Dewdney appeared in an approximately 12-minute segment of the show Landline. The segment’s focus was Australia’s effort to keep HLB out of …
By Gary K. England and Manjul Dutt The Parson Brown is an early-season sweet orange that was identified in 1875 by J.L. Carney and named the Carney Parson Brown (CPB). In a 1923 article titled ‘History of the Parson Brown Orange,’ E.L. Carney described how his brother Capt. J.L. Carney sought a sweet orange of acceptable quality for budding onto …
The economic trends of Florida’s citrus industry and how the impacts of a natural disaster are determined were discussed recently by a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) economist. Christa Court, assistant professor of regional economics and director of the UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program, said Florida citrus production and yield are trending downward. “But we …
The glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) is a pest that made California headlines from the late 1980s until its suppression at the turn of the new century. Unfortunately, it made a fast comeback in 2020, probably due to unusually warm winter weather. A warm winter and spring caused populations in the southern San Joaquin Valley to surge. Kern County traps showed a …
By Fernando Alferez, Ozgur Batuman, Susmita Gaire, Ute Albrecht and Jawwad Qureshi In previous and ongoing research performed at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC), we have demonstrated that individual protective covers (IPCs) are effective in keeping psyllids off newly planted citrus trees. Trees have been HLB-free for more than two years after planting, and the IPCs provide …
Florida citrus production can be significantly impacted during the summertime heat. High temperatures with little to no rainfall can affect trees’ vegetative growth, fruit set and fruit quality, says Amir Rezazadeh, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) multi-county fruit and field crops agent. Heat is a factor that can cause citrus trees to become significantly dehydrated. …
California’s efforts to keep huanglongbing (HLB) at bay have been largely successful. So far, the state’s huge citrus industry has avoided the devastating loss of trees that has occurred in Florida, South America and other commercial citrus-growing regions around the world. However, those efforts have come with a cost to citrus growers. Bruce Babcock, professor of public policy at University …
By Rhuanito S. Ferrarezi, J. Martin Zapien-Macias, Mac Hossain, Tom James, Ronald D. Cave, Peter Spyke, William S. Castle, Jude W. Grosser, Fred Gmitter and Ed Stover In the last decade, huanglongbing (HLB) has reduced production of Florida grapefruit by 75%, mandarin by 78% and sweet orange by 52%. This decrease is significant for the Indian River District, which produces …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette We received a request for information several months ago from researcher/historian Jono Miller regarding an old production practice of leaving cabbage palms in citrus groves as “orange guards.” The trees helped protect groves from freezing due to the creation of a canopy to keep the heat from the land rising during cold weather. In his new …
By Fernando Alferez and Mongi Zekri The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted another above-normal Atlantic hurricane season. While hurricanes have always been a risk or danger to Florida, their threat is growing. Although experts do not anticipate the historic level of storm activity seen in 2020, it only takes one storm to severely impact and devastate citrus groves. It …
“If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” That same mindset can also be applied to agriculture. If the roots of a plant are not happy, the top of the plant won’t be happy either. Anything else will prove to be futile, believes Mark Egan. Egan, an agronomist at Douglas Plant Health, says biofertilizers are a management tactic that growers can …
By Davie Kadyampakeni and Sandra Guzmán Young citrus trees require optimal irrigation management for vigorous vegetative growth, leaf flushing and the establishment of a dense canopy. Poor practices such as infrequent irrigation or not using irrigation scheduling tools could be costly. Young tree growth also could be impacted by excessive water and nutrient losses. Crop water stress in young trees …
By Lauren Diepenbrock Lebbeck mealybugs (Nipaecoccus viridis) have quickly made an impact on citrus groves in Central and South Florida since the pest was first found in 2019. While management techniques are still being studied, this article describes actions growers can take to find this pest before it becomes a problem. SOOTY MOLDLebbeck mealybugs excrete sugary honeydew, much like many …
For those interested in cover crops for citrus groves, the end of harvest and the upcoming start of the rainy season is a great time to start planning. Cover crops can have a variety of benefits to soil health. These include increasing soil organic matter and microbial diversity and activity as well as reducing weed growth. While research is still …
