Emergency Declared for Florida Post-Freeze Harvest

Josh McGillFlorida, Weather

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Feb. 2 issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in many counties where citrus and other agricultural commodities were affected by a Jan. 28–30 freeze. It specifically gives state officials authority to relax restrictions on commercial vehicles to facilitate an emergency harvest. “The relaxation of the restrictions on commercial vehicles is necessary to …

Increasing Pesticide Effectiveness With Adjuvants

Josh McGillCEU

By Ajia Paolillo Editor’s note: THIS ARTICLE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR CEU CREDIT. Pesticides are widely used in commercial agriculture to manage insects and other arthropods, diseases and weeds. Each application needs to be as effective as possible in managing the target pest. Many factors, such as environmental conditions, tank-mix incompatibility and solution pH, can cause a pesticide application …

cold hardiness

Frigid Florida Weather Has Growers on Alert

Josh McGillFlorida, Weather

The coldest temperatures in years predicted for Florida this weekend have fruit and vegetable growers worried and preparing to protect their crops. Temperatures in the 20s and 30s are expected deep into the peninsula of Florida. And the freezing weather could persist for up to four hours or more. Gene McAvoy, associate director for stakeholder relations at the University of …

Paraquat Alternatives for Citrus Weed Control

Josh McGillHerbicides, Tip of the Week

By Ramdas Kanissery Paraquat is an herbicide labeled for various crops, including citrus, for post-emergent weed control. When applied during the early growth stage, paraquat controls many annual grasses and broadleaf weeds commonly found in Florida citrus. Additionally, paraquat typically offers relatively good crop safety in citrus due to its lack of translocation in the plant. This makes it the …

Developing a Management Plan for Lebbeck Mealybug

Josh McGillFlorida, IPM, Pests

By Lauren Diepenbrock Managing lebbeck mealybug has become an ongoing challenge in many citrus-growing areas of Florida. This pest expanded into 14 counties from 2019 to fall of 2021 and impacts both commercial and residential citrus. Damage includes distorted fruit and leaves, stem dieback and fruit drop. Loss of young trees can occur under extreme infestation scenarios. In addition to …

Orange Establishment and Production Costs

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, Economics

The costs of establishing and producing oranges in the San Joaquin Valley and the potential returns are the subjects of a new study by University of California (UC) specialists.  Conducted by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, the study includes information on the production of navel oranges using …

Making Sense of Biologicals: Seaweed for Citrus Stress Management

Tacy CalliesMSOB

Florida provides an environment conducive to producing a variety of crops 365 days a year. It has beautiful sunshine, an ideal climate and ample rainfall for most of the year. These conditions allow Florida growers to produce some of the best citrus in the world. But Florida citrus is not immune to the harsh realities that can come with growing …

Sneak Peek: October 2021 Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

Citrus growers need both quantity and quality for a successful crop. As HLB continues to negatively impact both these factors, growers are seeking strategies to safeguard their fruit. The October issue of Citrus Industry magazine presents ideas for enhancing fruit quality and quantity.   University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers Tripti Vashisth and Christopher Vincent …

Insurance Improvements for Citrus From USDA

Ernie Neffcrop insurance

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently announced improved and expanded insurance options for citrus growers and others. 2022 CHANGES FOR FLORIDANext year, Florida producers will be able to insure several citrus commodities under an Actual Production History Plan that offers advantages over the existing Florida Citrus Fruit Dollar Plan. This product provides individualized coverage based …

Xanthomonas Key Finding Made

Ernie NeffDiseases

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have identified a key mechanism by which the dangerous plant bacteria Xanthomonas can infect crops. The Xanthomonas bacteria, known as the “crop killer,” is a globally prevalent bacterium capable of infecting 400 different plant species. Citrus canker is caused by the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. The NTU researchers identified the exact …

Florida Citrus Packers

Grower: Last Season Had Ups, Downs

Ernie NeffGrapefruit, lemons

Vero Beach grower George Hamner reported having better production and size on his fresh market grapefruit and lemon crops in the 2020-21 season than in the prior year. He said grapefruit prices remained steady, similar to the prior year. “Lemons, however, were not as good as previous years because of the loss of food-service business … due to COVID-19,” he …

Cutrale Achieves Sustainability Gold Score

Ernie NeffAwards

Cutrale recently announced it has achieved a gold score in sustainability for all its orange farms in Brazil and the United States. The award is from the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) – Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA), a widely recognized sustainability standard. The FSA was developed by the SAI to enable food and beverage businesses from all crops and countries to …

Psyllid Exclusion and Screen Selection

Tacy CalliesCUPS, Tip of the Week

By Arnold Schumann and Timothy Ebert As the adage goes, “necessity is the mother of invention.” Since the presence of huanglongbing (citrus greening) in Florida, new methods of managing the Asian citrus psyllid that transmits the bacteria have resulted in the growing of citrus in screen houses (CUPS, citrus under protective screen) and the use of individual protective covers (IPCs), …

Preserving Beneficial Insects

Tacy CalliesBiologicals, HLB Management

Beneficial insects could be a citrus grower’s best friend. In a time when producers are applying insecticides to control the Asian citrus psyllid, the vector of citrus greening disease, it’s important to preserve the psyllids’ natural enemies, like lady beetles and lacewings. Jawwad Qureshi, University of Florida entomologist, implores growers to scout their groves periodically to see what insects are …

Principles and Risks of Trunk Injection for Delivery of Crop Protection Materials

Tacy CalliesPesticides, Research

By Ute Albrecht and Leigh Archer Trunk injection is a targeted delivery of materials into the stem or trunk of trees as an alternative to spraying or soil drenching. It is practical for disease and pest management in high-value forest trees and ornamental plants where aerial applications are problematic because of environmental and human health-related concerns. Interest in using the …

Estimating Crop Yield With UAVs

Ashley RobinsonTechnology

A researcher at the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) in Greece is using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to estimate crop yield. “Crop yield is the most important piece of information for crop management in precision agriculture. Early crop yield estimations allow farmers to optimize farm operation scheduling, field management and product marketing decisions,” said AUA associate professor Spyros Fountas. Fountas …

Managing Lebbeck Mealybug

Ashley RobinsonPests

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences entomologist Lauren Diepenbrock provided an update on lebbeck mealybug during the 2021 Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute. The pest, first found in Florida commercial citrus in 2019, feeds on and damages citrus, causing up to 70% fruit drop in heavily infested groves. According to Diepenbrock, damaged fruit will not be marketable for …

Florida Water Policies for Agriculture

Ashley RobinsonWater

Water is the lifeblood of any farming operation. Many involved in the agriculture sector are working to do all they can to help Florida conserve water and make the most of this essential natural resource. Tatiana Borisova, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) water resource economist, gave an overview of the water-quality policies and programs in …

Lemon Price Crisis in Spain

Tacy CalliesInternational, lemons

By Francisco Seva Rivadulla The Spanish lemon sector is going through one of the worst price crises in recent years. Currently, prices at origin for Fino lemons are 0.15 to 0.18 euro cents per kilo, while the production cost is 0.20 per kilo. Therefore, Spanish producers are losing money this harvest season, according to sources from the Agricultural Association of …

Sneak Peek: March 2021 Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

As growers strive for sustainability in the HLB era, biological controls are playing an increasingly important role in citrus production. The March issue of Citrus Industry magazine features some of the latest biological control research. An article by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomologist Jawwad Qureshi looks at three types of biological control agents used …