Orange Juice

No Shortage of Australian Orange Juice

Daniel CooperInternational, 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 …

cold-hardy citrus

CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: Strong Support for Cold-Hardy Citrus Growers

Daniel CooperCitrus Nursery Source, Cold Hardy

By Peter Chaires The citrus research program at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) includes several projects aimed at assisting growers in the cold-hardy citrus region. Let’s take a look at what researchers are working on. EVALUATING SCIONS AND ROOTSTOCKS Presently, the citrus industry in North Florida faces …

june

All In For Citrus Podcast, July 2024

Daniel CooperAll In For Citrus Podcast

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 …

nutrient

Citrus Nutrient Research Update

Daniel CooperNutrition, Tip of the Week

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

Foliar Feed Your Trees

Daniel CooperNutrition

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 …

root recovery

Label Change Is Great News for Growers

Daniel CooperHLB Management, OTC Expert

Sponsored Content In this special series, Tom Johnson, owner of TJ BioTech, tackles questions about optimizing trunk-injection applications to treat HLB. Q: What does the special local need label for ReMedium TI® mean for citrus growers heading into next season?  Tom Johnson: TJ BioTech recently requested a ReMedium TI® label change from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. …

crop insurance

A Crop Insurance Policy That Has Paid Off for Citrus Growers

Daniel CooperEconomics, Insurance

By Ariel Singerman Federal crop insurance is a key component of the farm safety net because it allows growers to obtain coverage against losses and, therefore, manage risk at a subsidized premium rate. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency (RMA) started offering Florida citrus growers the option to insure their crop under a policy called Actual …

Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo

Ag Policy Leaders to Headline Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo

Daniel CooperCitrus 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®

ReMedium TI Receives Exemption From Two-Year Restriction on Applications

Daniel CooperHLB Management

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 …

root recovery

Not All OTC Products Are Created Equally

Daniel CooperHLB Management, OTC Expert

Sponsored Content In this special series, Tom Johnson, owner of TJ BioTech, tackles questions about optimizing trunk-injection applications to treat HLB. Q: The claim has been made that all oxytetracycline (OTC) products are the same. What have you found in your research and development work? Tom Johnson: During the development of ReMedium TI®, we had to determine the formulation, rates …

symposium

KeyPlex Citrus Symposium to Address Fruit Drop

Daniel CooperEvents, 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 …

microbiome

Study Looks at Interaction Between OTC and Soil Microbiome

Daniel CooperHLB Management, soil

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 …

Microbiome

How Does OTC Impact the Soil Microbiome?

Daniel CooperAll In For Citrus Podcast, soil

Sarah Strauss, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) soil microbiologist, joined the June All In For Citrus podcast episode to discuss her research on the interaction of oxytetracycline (OTC) currently being injected into citrus trees and the soil microbiome. She noted that OTC does change the soil microbial community. The good news is that the changes …

high-density plantings

ACP Management in High-Density Plantings

Daniel CooperPsyllids, Tip of the Week

By Jawwad Qureshi The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Figure 1) is the vector of huanglongbing (HLB) disease associated with the phloem-limited bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. Infected trees start to decline and produce poor-quality fruit, which drops prematurely. Consequently, citrus production has decreased dramatically since the advent of HLB in Florida in 2005. There is no cure for the disease yet. …

OTC

Seeking a Partner for OTC

Daniel CooperHLB Management

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

Millennium Block Research Shows Promising Results

Daniel CooperGrapefruit, Indian River, Research

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 …

treatment

Teenager Awarded for Investigation of Alternative Trunk-Injection Treatment

Daniel CooperAwards, HLB Management, Research

Tanishka Balaji Aglave of Valrico, Florida, received the $10,000 H. Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental Research for her investigation into a natural alternative treatment against citrus greening disease (known as huanglongbing, or HLB). Aglave, a 15-year-old who attends Strawberry Crest High School and grew up on a citrus farm, injected the trunks of infected citrus trees with an extract from …

July

Sneak Peek: July 2024 Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Sneak Peek

The conversation in Florida citrus continues to center around trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC). The July issue of Citrus Industry magazine presents the latest information on the OTC topic. OTC product labels require a one-year pause in application after two years of use. This requirement was put in place to prevent pathogen resistance to the product. Florida growers who have …

Citrus Achievement Award

Brenda Eubanks Burnette Takes Home Citrus Achievement Award

Daniel CooperAwards, Events

One of the highlights of the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference is the presentation of the Citrus Achievement Award trophy. This year’s winner, Brenda Eubanks Burnette, was presented with the trophy during the event’s industry luncheon. Burnette received several standing ovations as she was presented with the award. Frank Giles, editor-in-chief of AgNet Media, said it was refreshing to step …