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 …
Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisors Needed
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is requesting nominations to fill up to 25 upcoming vacancies on the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC). The committee was established to develop recommendations for submission to the U.S. secretary of agriculture on issues affecting the produce industry. Nomination packages must be postmarked on or before Sept. 3. The packages should include …
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 …
No Shortage of Australian Orange Juice
Citrus Australia has assured Australian consumers they will continue to have consistent access to orange juice made from locally grown fruit. Adverse growing conditions and the spread of the huanglongbing (HLB) disease have reduced orange production in Brazil, Florida and several other key citrus-growing regions around the world. This has created a global shortage of orange juice concentrate, prompting media …
All In For Citrus Podcast, July 2024
As citrus growers try to stabilize production in the midst of endemic HLB, maintaining the industry’s infrastructure is critically important. Two key sectors of that infrastructure are citrus nurseries and juice processors. In the July episode of the All In For Citrus podcast, Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research …
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 …
South Africa’s Orange and OJ Production
South Africa’s orange and orange juice (OJ) production are projected to increase in 2023–24 compared to the prior year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported recently. ORANGES Orange production for 2023–24 is forecast to increase to 1.69 million metric tons (MMT), from 1.63 MMT the prior year. The South African area planted in oranges is …
South Korea Grants Market Access to Texas Grapefruit
Texas grapefruit growers recently gained access to a new international market in South Korea worth $5 million annually. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) negotiated the technical details that will help ensure grapefruit exported from Texas are free from pests, such as the Mexican fruit fly. On June 27, 2024, South Korea’s national …
Ag Policy Leaders to Headline Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo
The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo is scheduled for Aug. 21–22 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. This year’s event will be the second at the fairgrounds — a venue which was well received by attendees of last year’s Expo. The event features an expansive trade show providing growers with an opportunity to learn about the products and services …
ReMedium TI Receives Exemption From Two-Year Restriction on Applications
ReMedium TI® has received a special local need label from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services (FDACS). The label will remove the requirement that applications to treat citrus greening (HLB) cannot be made beyond two years in a row. For Florida citrus growers, this means those who have applied ReMedium TI® over the past two seasons now will …
International HLB Conference Focused on Grower Solutions
This spring, the seventh International Research Conference on Huanglongbing (IRCHLB) was held in Riverside, California. The inaugural event was held in 2008 and funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture. USDA researcher Tim Gottwald and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor Jim Graham founded the …
CRAFT Foundation Has New Leader
Steven Hall on July 8 succeeded Tamara Wood as executive director/program manager of the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation. Wood will return to her former full-time employer Florida Citrus Mutual after a short period helping with the transition to Hall. Hall most recently served as assistant deputy commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), …
Reduce Fruit Drop From Phytophthora-Induced Brown Rot
By Chris Oswalt During this time of the year, Florida growers should be aware of the potential for the development of citrus brown rot disease. It can infect fruit at color break. If severe, the disease can cause a significant amount of infected fruit to drop. For this reason, groves with a history of brown rot in areas that recently …
KeyPlex Citrus Symposium to Address Fruit Drop
KeyPlex has scheduled a citrus symposium for July 25 at the SEVEN Sebring Raceway Hotel. The meeting will focus on research conducted by Vladimiro Guarnaccia, associate professor of plant pathology at the University of Torino in Italy. He will present evidence on the origins of fruit drop. Research sponsored by the European Union and KeyPlex at the University of Torino …
Study Looks at Interaction Between OTC and Soil Microbiome
A wealth of observations are being recorded by growers and scientists on the effects of trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC). Visually, trees have responded with better canopies. Hopefully, higher yields and quality will continue to follow the applications. But what about below ground? There have been recorded improvements in citrus root mass in treated trees. Sarah Strauss, associate professor of …
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 …
Seeking a Partner for OTC
Few would dispute that the approval of oxytetracycline (OTC) for use as a trunk-injection therapy to treat HLB is one of the biggest breakthroughs in the nearly two decades of fighting the disease. Most Florida citrus growers believe the therapy has been a net positive and they are committed to continuing the treatment. However, there’s a stipulation in the labels …
Millennium Block Research Shows Promising Results
A recent update of Millennium Block research at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce indicates the 5,500 trees in the project are yielding promising results. The four trials within the Millennium Block aim to unlock the genetic potential of new scion and rootstock hybrids never tested …
Researchers Discuss Rising HLB Incidence in Brazil
The incidence of citrus greening disease (HLB) in Brazil’s Citrus Belt of São Paulo and Triângulo/Southwest Mineiro rose from 24.42% in 2022 to 38.06% in 2023, according to Fundecitrus. The association’s annual survey indicates the disease increasingly demands more effective and collaborative measures. At a session of Brazil’s Expocitrus in June, Fundecitrus researcher Marcelo Miranda discussed the development of greening …





























