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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “growers”
Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) Director Michael Rogers recently praised the Gator Bites mandarin variety that is being developed by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Gator Bites look like California clementines, branded as Cuties and Halos, but Rogers thinks Gator Bites is a better piece of fruit. “This makes the Cuties and Halos …
By Yiannis Ampatzidis and Ute Albrecht Optimizing nutrition is important for tree health and productivity and can improve tolerance to stresses and diseases. Good nutrient management requires regular field monitoring to identify problems and examine crop responses. Leaves need to be collected and sent to a specialized laboratory for detailed information on macronutrients and micronutrients, which is time-consuming and costly. …
By Yu Wang, Xixuan Tang, Charles Sims, Zhifeng Gao and Renee Goodrich Citrus fruit produced from HLB-affected trees are green and taste bitter. They are usually not suitable for either the fresh market or juice market because they have a lower Brix/acid ratio. Mitigation strategies can cause less fruit drop and help citrus trees survive. However, they triple production costs, …
Florida led the United States in grapefruit production in the 2020-21 season. Sunshine State growers produced a combined 174,000 tons for the fresh and processed markets. California came in second with 156,000 tons, while Texas was third at 96,000 tons. This production information was recently reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. Texas grapefruit production declined 46% …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus breeding team discusses development of new varieties and rootstocks in the October episode of the All In For Citrus podcast. But before that discussion begins, Michael Rogers, UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) director, has the details on two upcoming events, including one in which growers can …
The work that University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences faculty members have done on HLB will be featured Nov. 16 at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. The center will host growers and others that day at an open house and field day. The morning program will kick off with a panel discussion …
Ray Royce, executive director of Highlands County Citrus Growers Association, was surprised that the initial Florida orange forecast for the 2021-22 season was only 47 million boxes. “I had hoped we’d be a lot closer to what our final numbers were from last year,” he said. Actual production in 2020-21 was 52.8 million boxes. The crop forecast was issued by …
Florida growers, packers and shippers of fresh fruit are being asked to take a survey that will help guide programs addressing fresh fruit decay. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Mark Ritenour said he’d like as many survey responses as possible by mid-November. Ritenour said funding has been provided from a Florida Citrus Packers/U.S. Department of …
Two short videos about HLB-related research were available at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) booth at Citrus Expo in August. The videos are available online for viewing. UF/IFAS researcher Tripti Vashisth narrated the video, HLB-Associated Preharvest Fruit Drop. She said up to 40% of fruit can drop from mildly HLB-symptomatic trees shortly before harvest, …
Georgia’s citrus production could flood the market in less than three years. By 2024, there is projected to be more than 59 million pounds of citrus ready for harvest, says Jake Price, University of Georgia Extension coordinator for Lowndes County. That is compared to the 8.4 million pounds that is ready for harvest this year. Price explains there is an …
By J. Scott Angle The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is the world’s best university-based citrus science organization. We’re the largest, and we’re more than a century old. So, we’re constantly bringing in new talent. Extension Highlands County citrus agent Lourdes Pérez Cordero started on Sept. 7. She met with Highlands County Citrus Growers Association …
Agriculture Victoria is funding an innovative $770,000 traceability pilot project for high-value exports that will be led by Citrus Australia, which represents commercial citrus growers. The funding is part of the Victorian government’s Food to Market program. The Citrus Australia project will utilize leading tracing technology, isotope testing, cool-chain tracking and orchard mapping to enhance traceability. Citrus Australia CEO Nathan …
Members of the Florida citrus industry gathered for lunch on Oct. 12 at Putnam Ranch in Zolfo Springs to hear the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) initial 2021-22 citrus crop forecast. While many growers expected the Florida figures to be similar to the 2020-21 season, some thought the numbers would be even lower. On the other hand, a few growers …
By Ajia Paolillo Although October is toward the end of hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, it can still be a very active month for storms. These storms can range from tropical depressions to hurricanes. Major concerns for citrus growers during a storm include personnel safety, damage to trees, fruit loss and damage to equipment and …
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed three new members to the Florida Citrus Commission and reappointed four others on Oct. 8. The appointments of John Smoak and Daniel Sutton fill two vacant seats, and the appointment of Christopher Groom fills a seat held by a commissioner serving a previously expired term. Commissioners Carlos Martinez, Martin “Marty” McKenna, Steve Johnson and William “Bill” …
Rooting issues in citrus containers were a major problem this year for growers in Georgia. Kim Jones, who farms citrus in Georgia and Florida, implores producers to inspect their trees extensively before planting them. He said there were various reports of j-rooting and circle-rooting in container plants. Trees with these problems are more vulnerable to high-stress environmental conditions if left …
By Fernando Alferez, Fred Gmitter and Jude Grosser Citrus trees bloom profusely. It is estimated that a healthy adult tree can produce more than 200,000 flowers every year. This figure is much higher than the number of fruits the tree can maintain and develop. Normally, only 1% to 5% of flowers set fruit that develops, matures and can ultimately be …
A Florida citrus grower and a Florida citrus researcher were quoted extensively in a recent Australia Broadcasting Corporation TV show about HLB. Grower Kyle Story and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant pathologist Megan Dewdney appeared in an approximately 12-minute segment of the show Landline. The segment’s focus was Australia’s effort to keep HLB out of …
The federal Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program summarized its efforts to protect the U.S. citrus industry from pests and diseases in a recent report about its fiscal year (FY) 2020 activities. PPQ is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. A summary of its citrus efforts follows. PPQ works with citrus growers to …
The title of Megan Dewdney’s Citrus Expo presentation was, “Shorten the skirts? Whether skirting improves citrus black spot fungicidal management.” The answer was “no,” based on trials she conducted to make that determination. But while skirting doesn’t appear to improve citrus black spot (CBS) fungicide programs, she pointed out that “there are other good disease management reasons to skirt.” Dewdney …
