After being postponed this fall due to Hurricane Milton, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted its annual Citrus Nutrition Day on Jan. 22 at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. The event was well attended and featured several presentations aimed at optimizing citrus nutrition programs in the HLB era. UF/IFAS …
Adams, Graham and Richey to Join Hall of Fame
The late Charles W. Adams, James H. “Jim” Graham and Daniel R. “Dan” Richey will be inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame March 28, 2025. ADAMS Adams (1879–1945) was a partner in Adams Packing Association and Growers Fertilizer Corporation. He impacted the citrus industry with his progressive ideas for growth. Adams moved from Michigan to Florida in 1911 …
PIECES OF THE PAST: He Called It a Day
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette University of Florida Professor P.H. Rolfs gave a speech during the 1935 Florida State Horticultural Society (FSHS) meeting about the “Founders and Foundations of Florida Agriculture.” (FSHS Proceedings, 1935). An interesting read, it touched on many of the major industry members of the time, but I truly loved the following excerpt I found under the heading …
How to Handle Extended Flowering in HLB Trees
By Tripti Vashisth University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) flower bud induction advisories for 2024–25 started on Nov. 25. The advisories will be posted bi-weekly until March 2025. The goal of the advisories is to provide growers and production managers with a complete overview of flowering prediction. Every advisory will aim to deliver recommendations for that …
Large Grant to Aid Nursery Automation
Imagine a future where nurseries can effortlessly manage their plants with cutting-edge automation technologies, using potting or weed-spraying robots instead of having to dig each hole or spray each pot by hand. With the help of a $9.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, this vision is becoming a reality. The University …
CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: Georgia’s Citrus Team Is Shaping Up Nicely
By Peter Chaires Many have been following the development of the Georgia citrus industry with great interest and curiosity. Though satsuma remains the dominant fresh citrus crop, other varieties are in varying stages of trial and adoption. The University of Georgia (UGA) has been supporting citrus growers in this process for more than a decade. Wayne Hanna, though his appointment …
Pesticides and the Environment
By Mongi Zekri Editor’s note: This article grants one continuing education unit (CEU) in the Core category toward the renewal of a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services restricted-use pesticide license when the accompanying test is submitted and approved. The fate processes for pesticides fall into three major types: adsorption, transfer and degradation. PESTICIDE ADSORPTION The adsorption process binds …
The Real Reason Behind Citrus Decline
Sponsored Content In this special series, Tom Johnson, owner of TJ BioTech, answers questions related to trunk-injection applications to treat HLB. Q: What is the biggest problem for Florida’s citrus growers to overcome? Tom Johnson: In the general news media, you can read all manner of uninformed reasons as to why citrus production has declined so dramatically in the past …
The Florida Citrus Perfect Storm: Disease, Weather and Market Swings
By Ariel Singerman Orange yield in Florida has decreased by more than 80% since HLB was first found in the state in 2005. It is hard to find another example in recent history of an industry as iconic as Florida citrus that has declined so significantly as a consequence of a plant disease. As a comparison, at the global level, …
Citrus Nutrient Management Recommendations Continue to Evolve
When HLB arrived in Florida, it changed the world for citrus growers, and a lot of other things had to change with it. One of the biggest changes has been how growers manage their fertilizer programs. The nutrient recommendations that had been developed by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) before HLB became outdated because …
Sneak Peek: September 2024 Citrus Industry
HLB has drastically changed how citrus is grown in Florida. The September issue of Citrus Industry magazine offers insight on some of the newer production practices growers are using to manage the disease. In a feature story, Citrus Industry Editor-in-Chief Frank Giles looks at how citrus nutrient management recommendations are continuing to evolve in the HLB era. In the article, …
Enhancing Citrus Nutrient Programs
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension agent Mongi Zekri recently discussed numerous ways growers can enhance their nutrient programs for better tree and fruit performance. TIPS FOR MAKING ADJUSTMENTS Zekri offered the following tips for adjusting a fertilizer program. SOIL TESTING Soil testing is most effective when done annually, Zekri suggested. “Choose a lab you trust …
PIECES OF THE PAST: It All Starts With the Soil
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette During this year’s Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference in Bonita Springs, I interviewed a number of citrus growers as part of the Oral History Program. One of them was Brad Turner, who later sent me an article by E.F. DeBusk from the 1930 Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society. DeBusk was a Florida Citrus Hall …
Sustaining Citrus Production in the HLB Era
The virtues of daily irrigation and increased micronutrient applications were among key points researcher Davie Kadyampakeni made in an Aug. 13 discussion of citrus production in the HLB era. Kadyampakeni is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor of soil, water and ecosystem sciences at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. …
CUPS Allows Profitable HLB-Free Citrus Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA) has invested more than $250 million to find a solution for HLB. One example of USDA NIFA-funded research is citrus under protective screen (CUPS). University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) scientist Arnold Schumann and colleagues began testing CUPS at the Citrus Research and Education Center …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Davie – South Florida’s Historic Citrus Center
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In the early 1900s, Florida Governor Napoleon Broward (1905–09) persuaded the Legislature to drain the Everglades and finance a canal system by selling off large blocks of land for $2 per acre. Once drained, the area housed rich fertile soil and, in 1906, millionaire R.P. Davie bought almost 28,000 acres. By 1909, settlers arrived in response …
CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: Strong Support for Cold-Hardy Citrus Growers
By Peter Chaires The citrus research program at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) includes several projects aimed at assisting growers in the cold-hardy citrus region. Let’s take a look at what researchers are working on. EVALUATING SCIONS AND ROOTSTOCKS Presently, the citrus industry in North Florida faces …
Citrus Nutrient Research Update
By Davie Kadyampakeni, Muhammad Shahid and Alisheikh Atta Current citrus nutrient guidelines are based on studies of healthy citrus trees conducted in the pre-huanglongbing (HLB) era. These guidelines may no longer be valid for the present situation where 100% of mature citrus trees in Florida are HLB-affected. Scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) …
Foliar Feed Your Trees
By Mongi Zekri Foliar fertilizer application is certainly not a new concept to the citrus industry. For over six decades, foliar fertilization has been recommended to correct zinc, manganese, boron, copper and magnesium deficiencies in citrus. It is now common knowledge in agriculture that properly nourished crops may tolerate insect pests and diseases. Traditionally, citrus growers try to achieve optimum …
Task Force and Credit Line to Assist Brazil with Greening
Fundecitrus recently announced two efforts aimed at assisting Brazilian growers with citrus greening. A São Paulo task force will include a focus on the disease, and a credit line will be available for growers with greening in their orchards. In addition to greening, the public/private task force will address development of biofertilizer and biological research, studies to increase productivity in …





























