By Tripti Vashisth, Megan Dewdney and Lauren Diepenbrock This article summarizes what is known about summer fruit drop in healthy citrus trees and those with huanglongbing (HLB). Also discussed is how HLB can affect early fruit development and exacerbate fruit drop. Additionally, strategies to reduce summer fruit drop are included. Citrus flowers profusely, but less than 2 percent of the …
Reduce Fruit Drop, Increase Yield
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus scientists Tripti Vashisth and Fernando Alferez are trying to reduce the amount of fruit drop from Hamlin and Valencia trees prior to harvest. If fruit drops, growers can’t harvest it, and that leads to losses for farmers and less fruit at the market for consumers. Normally, about 10 to …
Manipulating Flowering for Better Grove Management
By Tripti Vashisth, Garima Singh and Megan Dewdney Citrus trees grown in the field undergo various types and levels of stress continuously. The stressors can be several things, including heat, cold, drought, soil pH, chemicals, pests and diseases. The constant presence of huanglongbing (HLB) and psyllid infestation adds stress to the trees, which compromises the plant response and makes the …
Sneak Peek: August 2019 Citrus Industry Magazine
The August issue of Citrus Industry magazine has everything you need to make the most of your time at Citrus Expo. The complete guide to the event includes a seminar schedule, exhibitor directory, details about the new hands-on citrus session and more. The Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo is once again being held jointly with Citrus Expo. The general session …
Sneak Peek: August 2024 Citrus Industry
Despite low production levels this season in Florida, grower success stories can still be seen in citrus. Wm. G. Roe & Sons is a prime example. The August issue of Citrus Industry magazine tells how the century-old citrus business is still flourishing. As the next generation of leadership steps up in the Roe family, the business is also implementing a …
CRAFT Program Promotes New Planting and Knowledge
Since its founding in 2019, the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program has been responsible for the planting of just under 10,000 acres of new trees. This includes about 6,000 acres of solid-set groves and just shy of 4,000 acres of resets. CRAFT is a first-of-its-kind program and considered an innovation among funding agencies needed to support such efforts. …
Follow Flower Bud Induction Advisories
By Tripti Vashisth Florida flower bud induction advisories for the upcoming season start on Nov. 15. These advisories will be published biweekly until March 30, 2024. The goals of flower bud advisories are to inform growers about the status of the tree in respect to floral bud induction and to predict bloom. This is critical information since the horticultural practices …
Trekking Toward HLB-Resistant Trees
By Michael Rogers Much has been discussed recently about the promise and potential of utilizing CRISPR technology to create HLB-resistant trees for Florida’s citrus growers. The primary objective in citrus gene editing is to develop new varieties that are resistant to HLB disease while remaining non-transgenic. To achieve this goal, researchers make alterations to or eliminate specific genes within the …
HLB Tools for Today and Tomorrow
By Frank Giles and Tacy Callies The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo hosted two citrus educational sessions during the Aug. 16–17 event held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. The sessions included both long-term research aimed at delivering trees resistant to HLB as well as what growers can do today to help mitigate the effects of the disease in …
Trunk Injection Research Projects Summarized
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) recently issued a report describing some of its projects testing the injection of oxytetracycline (OTC) into trees as an HLB treatment. 1. Lukasz Stelinski and Kirsten Pelz-Stelinski, both of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), are measuring the impact of OTC injection on the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) …
Citrus Production Guide Available at Expo
The 2023–2024 Citrus Production Guide will be available to growers at the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo in Tampa on Aug. 16–17. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) publication includes the latest technical advice on HLB management, tree nutrition, grove management and other aspects of Florida citrus cultivation. The guide is a comprehensive reference meant …
CRAFT Reopens Existing Tree Therapies Program
The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation has reopened the application window for its Existing Tree Therapies Program. Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Aug. 31. Participants will be selected through a random lottery, administered by a third-party entity. The program is designed to provide the industry with a better understanding of the best use patterns, combinations …
CRAFT Update Provided at Citrus Industry Conference
During the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference earlier this month, Tamara Wood, executive director of the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation, gave an update on a new phase of the CRAFT program. Started in 2019, CRAFT was initially focused on new plantings. The program helps growers cover the cost of new plantings if they agree to an experimental …
Projects Selected for Existing Tree Therapies Program
The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation received nearly 700 eligible applications — representing more than 42,000 acres — for its new Existing Tree Therapies Program. A random lottery drawing was recently conducted by a third party, and 159 projects have been selected for inclusion in the program. The remaining applications have been placed on a waitlist. CRAFT staff …
Canopy Assist: A New Way to Measure Tree Health
Tripti Vashisth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor, joined the March episode of the All In For Citrus podcast to discuss a new smartphone application growers will be able to use soon to measure tree health. Plant growth regulators like gibberellic acid, 2,4-D and brassinosteroids have demonstrated the ability to improve tree health and …
CRAFT Introduces Existing Tree Therapies Program
The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation has announced a new Existing Tree Therapies Program for Florida citrus growers. The program is designed to provide the citrus industry with a better understanding of the best use patterns, combinations and timing of newly developed therapies. Therapies eligible for the program show promise in restoring health and improving juice quality and quantity, …
All In For Citrus Podcast, March 2023
Growers have been deploying several new therapies aimed at improving the health of HLB-infected citrus in recent years. Plant growth regulators like gibberellic acid, 2,4-D and brassinosteroids have demonstrated the ability to improve tree health and help in fruit retention. More recently, direct delivery of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl) via trunk injection has been approved for use in groves. There is …
CRAFT Application Deadline Extended
The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation has extended the deadline for CRAFT Cycle Four to Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. It made the extension in response to multiple requests. The foundation recognized that many Florida citrus growers have had to shift their focus and time for the past couple of months to deal with hurricane recovery. GROWER INCENTIVESCRAFT …
Flower Bud Advisories Promote Better Planning
By Tripti Vashisth In Florida, it is the time of year to start following citrus flower bud induction conditions for next year’s bloom. Citrus flower bud induction starts in the fall and usually is complete by early January. Low temperatures first stop growth and then promote induction of flower buds as more hours of low temperatures accumulate (below 68 degrees). …
Florida Grower Hopeful for Better Citrus Season
As the 2022–2023 harvest season kicks off, Glenn Beck of Beck Bros. Citrus is hopeful for a better season than last year. He has witnessed the groves he owns and manages suffer the effects of HLB over the years. When it comes to managing the disease, Beck has a simple philosophy: Stick with a solid production plan. He acknowledges that …