Tangerine production in 2023–24 in Türkiye (previously known as Turkey) is forecast to increase 55% to 2.88 million metric tons (MMT), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). The huge increase is due to favorable spring rains and temperature conditions during blossoming in March 2023. The yield in Türkiye’s Aegean region is expected to increase …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Reflections on Fertilization
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In his book, “The Cultivation of Citrus Fruits,” first published in 1926 by The MacMillan Company, H. Harold Hume covers a variety of topics, including the use of fertilizers and the different needs of young trees versus bearing trees. Following are insightful excerpts: “Young adult trees differ in their fertilizer requirements. Young trees use their food …
Citrus BMP Manual Being Revised
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson has tasked his staff with reviewing and revising all of the best management practices (BMP) manuals that impact Florida agricultural operations in 2024. Revision work on the citrus BMP manual was undertaken by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Water Policy in 2020. However, that work was never …
Nutrition Remains a Critical Element as New Therapies Roll Out
Growers have largely adopted new trunk-injection therapies to fight the effects of HLB in citrus groves. In addition, plant growth regulators have helped improve tree health and fruit retention. One University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) scientist reminds growers to maintain their fertilizer programs as the new therapies are deployed. Davie Kadyampakeni, UF/IFAS associate professor of …
All In For Citrus Podcast, February 2024
Florida citrus growers are now well into their second application of oxytetracycline (OTC) via trunk injection to treat HLB. Per the label of both registered OTC products, after two applications, there is a one-year treatment pause. So, growers will be formulating plans on what to do during the off-season for OTC-treated trees. That was the subject of discussion during the …
Study Analyzes the Economics of Cover Crops
In the face of HLB in Florida, a recent study delved into the economic viability of incorporating cover crops in citrus groves to enhance soil health and overall tree well-being. Shourish Chakravarty and Tara Wade wrote an article, Cost Analysis of Using Cover Crops in Citrus Production, about the study. Both authors are with the University of Florida Institute of …
Scouting Tools and Tactics
By Matt Smith 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. This article is an updated version of a previous article, “Scouting: The Tip of the IPM Spear,” published in the …
Sneak Peek: February 2024 Citrus Industry
The February issue of Citrus Industry magazine takes a look at efforts to combat HLB. Some strategies are already available for growers to implement in their groves, while others offer hope for long-term solutions. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) recently launched a new Crop Transformation Center. The goal of the center is to use …
Legislators Seek H-2A Wage Freeze
Seventy-five U.S. House of Representatives members have asked House and Senate appropriations leaders for an H-2A visa guestworker wage freeze in an upcoming spending package. The text of the representatives’ letter to appropriations leaders follows: “We write with shared concerns regarding the annual adjustment to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR). Now in 2024, the H-2A labor rates paid by …
Sticking to a Solid Production Plan
Matthew Machata grew up in Polk County on the family’s citrus farm, Rolling Meadows Ranch Groves in Lake Wales, Florida. After he graduated high school, he joined the Marine Corps and served two tours in Iraq. He then attended Auburn University, where he earned a degree in aerospace engineering. At the time, his plans didn’t include farming, but that changed …
Australian Orange Production to Increase
Australian fresh orange production is forecast at 530,000 metric tons (MT) in 2023–24 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). This is a 5% increase over 2022–23 production of 505,000 MT. Producers expect to benefit from easing input costs and labor constraints in 2023–24. In particular, the costs of fertilizer and crop protection chemicals have reduced …
Sneak Peek: January 2024 Citrus Industry
The January issue of Citrus Industry magazine rings in the new year with positive news! Find out how one Florida grower is producing up to 500 boxes per acre. Matt Machata tells how he rehabilitated his family’s groves in Lake Wales. He shares the details of his dry fertilizer and foliar application schedules. Attention to nutrition, irrigation and soil health …
A Tool to Help Assess Tree Health
By Tripti Vashisth, Taylor Livingston and Jamie Burrow Canopy density is one of the most effective measurements to assess tree health of HLB-affected trees. Canopy density accurately distinguished between high and low fruit-producing trees in field trials, whereas CLas Ct value has been found to not be correlated with fruit yield. Many new tools such as nutrient management guidelines, plant …
Enhancing Smart Irrigation With Centralized Data
By Sandra M. Guzmán Efficient irrigation management is crucial in optimizing tree growth and promoting sustainable management practices in modern agriculture. This article introduces IrrigMonitor, an Internet of Things data visualization platform developed at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) Smart Irrigation and Hydrology Lab. IrrigMonitor is a …
Alico Citrus Production Declines 51%
Alico Citrus, a division of Alico, Inc., harvested less than half its citrus in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2023 as it did in the prior year. The decline was largely the result of impacts from Hurricane Ian in September 2022. Alico has approximately 49,000 citrus acres in seven Florida counties. The company reported on Dec. 6 that it …
Root Nutrient and Fertilization Guidelines for HLB-Affected Trees
By Davie Kadyampakeni, Lorenzo Rossi and Alan Wright Huanglongbing (HLB) disease lowers tree performance by reducing water and nutrient uptake as a result of root loss. HLB-affected trees have a fibrous root loss of about 30% to 80%, which increases as disease symptoms develop in the canopy. Investigating optimal nutrient concentrations in citrus roots thus improves the understanding of HLB …
Measuring California’s Citrus Environmental Benefits and Impacts
Major retailers have been asking questions about the citrus industry’s sustainability efforts. In response, a California citrus industry life cycle analysis project will quantify the net environmental benefits and impacts of citrus production in a typical year. The information will be gathered from a survey developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), with support from the …
Cold-Hardy Citrus Growers Gather for Field Day
Production in the cold-hardy citrus region was under the spotlight during a recent field day in Quincy, Florida. Growers and industry leaders visited the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) to learn about various facets of citrus production. Topics like controlled-release fertilizers, crop diversification and implementation of artificial intelligence …
Australian Citrus Season Sees Improvement
There have been signs of improvement for the Australian citrus industry in the 2023 season compared to 2022. Among other things, Citrus Australia Chief Executive Officer Nathan Hancock said fruit quality has improved this season. The tail end of the 2023 harvest has been particularly strong from a quality perspective, according to Hancock. “While the earlier fruit this season struggled …
Improve Fruit Yields and Juice Quality
By Davie Kadyampakeni and Megan Dewdney The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) conducted a six-year project to determine if plant nutritional fertilizer sources coupled with specific crop protection chemicals help mitigate citrus diseases. This project was conducted on a 5-acre commercial citrus grove block near the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. …





























