Summer Citrus from South Africa (SCSA) recently reported a 7% increase in shipment volume compared to the 2020 season. “Easy peelers are on-par with year-to-date estimates while navel oranges are slightly ahead,” SCSA stated in a media release. “Overall, quality and sizing are aligning well with the expectations of the U.S. market.” Boats from South Africa are scheduled to arrive …
Soft Citrus Climbs in South Africa
Production of tangerines/mandarins in South Africa is expected to continue its aggressive growth and is estimated to increase by 8% to 500,000 metric tons in 2020-21. Tangerines/mandarins are referred to as soft citrus. High levels of new plantings in recent years contributed to the production increase, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service reported in June. The area planted …
Time for Brown Rot Management
By Evan Johnson The Florida summer rainy season is in full swing, and there have been one or two root flushes by now. This is a good environment for increases in soil Phytophthora propagule counts. High counts have been seen this year, especially in Southwest Florida. While much of the focus may be on root rot, it is important to …
Indian River Millennium Block Shows Rootstock Effects
By Rhuanito S. Ferrarezi, J. Martin Zapien-Macias, Mac Hossain, Tom James, Ronald D. Cave, Peter Spyke, William S. Castle, Jude W. Grosser, Fred Gmitter and Ed Stover In the last decade, huanglongbing (HLB) has reduced production of Florida grapefruit by 75%, mandarin by 78% and sweet orange by 52%. This decrease is significant for the Indian River District, which produces …
California to Launch CRaFT Project
The Citrus Research Board (CRB) has been awarded $3,438,059 in funding from the Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination Group (HLB MAC) to support its California-focused Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRaFT). The overarching goal of the CRaFT project is to demonstrate additional mitigations to improve psyllid control within commercial groves across the various citrus-growing regions in California. This information will inform areawide …
Fresh Citrus Variety Options for Florida
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant breeder Fred Gmitter discussed potential fresh fruit variety options for Florida growers in a July 14 virtual presentation. Gmitter focused on releases made by breeders at UF/IFAS’ Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. SUGAR BELLEGmitter said the Sugar Belle mandarin hybrid has high tolerance for HLB. This …
CRAFT May Encourage Early-Mid Orange Plantings
Officials with the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program are considering giving future participating growers an incentive to plant more early- and mid-season oranges. The topic was discussed by CRAFT’s board of directors after board member Phillip Rucks pointed out there’s a trend for nurseries to propagate far more late-season oranges than early- and mid-season oranges. Tables that the …
What To Do About Algal Spot
By Megan Dewdney I did not need to visit my field trial to know that algal spot was in bloom on citrus in the last month. I have received many phone calls about it recently as growers notice the bright orange doughnuts on their tree limbs. For those unfamiliar with algal spot, it is a disease that occurs mostly on …
Supreme Court Rules on Ag Property Right
The U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled that a nearly 50-year-old California regulation requiring agricultural businesses to allow union organizers to enter their property for a minimum number of hours and days each year is an unconstitutional taking without compensation. A California nursery and a shipping company had challenged the regulation as essentially creating an easement across their private property …
Change in Grove Practices Leads to Award
Brad Turner has worked in Florida citrus more than 40 years as a grower, production manager, caretaker and nursery owner. For most of that time, he focused on using synthetic fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides and herbicides as the necessary inputs for citrus management. But a change in the way he thought citrus should be grown led to him being named a …
Argentina Citrus Production Estimates
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) in June reported changes in its 2020-21 estimates for citrus production in Argentina. The fresh lemon production estimate was increased 12% to 1.15 million metric tons. The fresh orange estimate was revised down by 30,000 metric tons, to 670,000 metric tons. The tangerine production estimate was unchanged at 360,000 metric tons. …
Improving Plant Improvement
Many in the Florida citrus industry have long believed that development of trees that are resistant to or tolerant of HLB is the key to coping with the devastating disease. In Florida, most of the work on developing such trees is conducted by researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the U.S. Department …
CRAFT Leadership to Change
There will soon be leadership changes at the Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRAFT) Foundation. Tamara Wood will succeed Kristen Carlson as executive director and program manager; she was previously assistant program manager. Tom Mitchell will succeed Glenn Beck as president. Wood will manage day-to-day operations. There are no plans to hire a new assistant program manager, but the board …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Orange Guards
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette We received a request for information several months ago from researcher/historian Jono Miller regarding an old production practice of leaving cabbage palms in citrus groves as “orange guards.” The trees helped protect groves from freezing due to the creation of a canopy to keep the heat from the land rising during cold weather. In his new …
Making Sense of Biologicals: Improve Fruit Size and Quality
Citrus growers need as many tools in their toolbox as possible. With the Florida citrus industry decimated in recent years, mainly due to citrus greening disease, growers are exploring all options to help them succeed. CYAN 365®, a biostimulant from C Green Ag Biotechnology, is one tool that has proven to help enhance the quality and size of citrus crops, …
Fruit Drop Is Biggest Grower Concern
Fruit drop “is probably the No. 1 concern” of the citrus growers he knows, says Ray Royce, executive director of Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA). “Fruit drop and profitability are going hand in hand,” he adds. “There’s a tremendous struggle now to be profitable, given the relatively low harvest numbers,” Royce says. “I think growers believe that if they …
CRDF Sets Tax; Seeks Researcher Diversity
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation’s (CRDF) board of directors on June 22 approved a 3-cents-per-box tax on Florida growers’ fruit to help fund operations for the coming year. This was the sixth year in a row the CRDF tax has been at that rate. “We feel like we have to earn it (the tax) every year,” said CRDF Chief …
Floridians Consider Farming Important
An overwhelming 98% of Floridians consider farming and ranching important, according to the findings of a survey recently conducted by the Tyson Group among registered voters statewide. “We’re humbled to see the overwhelming support from Florida voters for the hard work and commitment of our farmers,” said Gene Adams, chair of the Florida Ag Coalition. “These survey findings indicate that …
California Reports Two Citrus Pests
The Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program in California recently detected sweet orange scab (SOS) in new areas of the state. Additionally, an unofficial lime swallowtail butterfly (LSB) sample was identified from Los Angeles County, and several LSB sightings have been reported in Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo counties. SWEET ORANGE SCABSOS is a cosmetic fungal disease that impacts …
Sneak Peek: July 2021 Citrus Industry
Growers looking for advice on the subjects of rootstocks and varieties will find several pertinent articles in the July issue of Citrus Industry magazine. According to University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus breeder Jude Grosser, Orie and Louise Lee (OLL) oranges are giving Valencias a run for their money. He discusses the beneficial characteristics of …