Preparing for Summer Cover Crops

Josh McGillCover Crops, Tip of the Week

By Sarah Strauss The recent rains are a good reminder that it’s time to start thinking about planting summer cover crops. Despite the name, cover crops are not plants that are harvested for profit. Instead, they are planted as an investment in soil health. Annual or perennial plants can be used as cover crops in citrus groves. But, if you …

What To Do When You’ve Been Exposed to a Pesticide

Josh McGillCEU

By Matt Smith Editor’s note: This article grants one continuing education unit (CEU) in the Core category toward the renewal of a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services restricted-use pesticide license when the accompanying test is submitted and approved. “In retrospect, I would rather have been a poet. Or a farmer.” Instead, British Special Air Services Agent John Patrick …

Application Tips to Protect Your Operation from Fire Ants

Josh McGillSponsored Content

If there’s one thing we know about fire ants, it’s that they spread. If left untreated, fire ant colonies will multiply and exponentially damage your operation. Eliminating fire ants takes resilience, persistence, and proper application of fire ant baits. Extinguish® Professional Fire Ant Bait from Central Life Sciences is a product that comes with a plan, meeting USDA fire ant quarantine …

Drought and Freeze Don’t Deter Grower

Josh McGillOrganic, Production, Weather

Apopka citrus grower Chip Henry reports that McGuire Groves received 9.5 inches of rain in March 2022. In March 2023, it received less than half an inch. Portions of Lee, Hendy and Collier counties were in an extreme drought as of April 6, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Many other areas of Florida, including where McGuire Groves is located, …

Don’t Rush Freeze Recovery

Josh McGillfreeze

Do not apply recovery techniques immediately after a freeze, cold-hardy citrus growers were advised after freezes hit their groves in December 2022 and January 2023. The best strategy is to wait to observe new growth until at least late spring, researcher Muhammad Shahid told the Georgia Citrus Association at its recent annual meeting. Shahid is a University of Florida Institute …

Final Herbicide Strategy

How to Squelch Summer Weeds

Josh McGillweeds

Summer is “a field day for weeds,” Ramdas Kanissery said in a March 29 presentation about weed control for citrus. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences assistant professor provided a progressive step-by-step approach to suppressing weeds during the summer. CONTROL EXISTING WEEDSGrowers can get off to a good start by controlling existing weeds with post-emergent herbicides. …

Lessons Learned From HLB as an Immune-Mediated Plant Disease

Josh McGillHLB Management, Research

By Nian Wang How the huanglongbing (HLB) pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) causes damage to infected citrus trees has been widely debated. A recent study demonstrates that HLB is an immune-mediated plant disease (Ma et al., 2022). It was discovered that CLas infection of citrus stimulates systemic and chronic immune response in phloem tissues, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, …

New Plantings a Focus of Phytophthora Management

Josh McGillDiseases

Plant pathologist Megan Dewdney put emphasis on new plantings during a mid-March discussion of phytophthora management for citrus trees infected with HLB. Dewdney is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor at the Citrus Research and Education Center, where she spoke. Dewdney’s presentation was part of an OJ break hosted by UF/IFAS Extension multi-county …

learning process

Exciting Time for Georgia Citrus Industry

Josh McGillGeorgia

The young, burgeoning Georgia citrus industry has its sights set on a bright future. Even in the midst of a challenging winter season with two major freeze events, the industry continues its upward trend, believes Lindy Savelle, president of the Georgia Citrus Association. She discussed the state of the Georgia citrus industry during the association’s annual meeting on Feb. 28 …

Lessons From Hurricane Ian Will Help Growers

Josh McGillhurricane, Survey

Researchers will assess 20 to 30 Florida citrus groves impacted by 2022’s Hurricane Ian to learn lessons that will help growers in the future. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers Christopher Vincent and Tripti Vashisth and their teams will conduct the assessment. The research will be funded by a $280,000, one-year grant from the U.S. …

Sneak Peek: March 2023 Citrus Industry

Josh McGillCRDF, HLB Management, Sneak Peek

The March cover of Citrus Industry magazine features a fresh face in a key industry leadership role for Florida. Morgan McKenna Porter is bringing youthful energy to her new title as president of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) board of directors. In the cover story, learn about her background as well as her CRDF goals for helping growers …

Freeze Recovery Advice

Josh McGillfreeze

Winter Storm Elliott brought freezing temperatures to the cold-hardy region Dec. 24–28, 2022, resulting in significant injury to citrus. Danielle Williams, Muhammad Adnan Shahid and Mujahid Hussain, all with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), provided storm recovery advice in a recent edition of the Cold Hardy Citrus Connection newsletter. Following is a summary of …

There Is No Crystal Ball

Josh McGillextension, hurricane

By Ajia Paolillo There is no crystal ball when it comes to anything in life, including agriculture. Growers are at the mercy of Mother Nature’s glory and fury. Over time, the citrus industry has developed production techniques and practices to help during the hard times. Microsprinkler irrigation is used both to provide targeted, much needed water during bloom, fruit set …

Florida

All About Peru’s Mandarin/Tangerine Industry

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International, Mandarins

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) has forecast Peruvian mandarin/tangerine production at 550,000 metric tons (MT) in 2022–23, decreasing 4% from the previous year. Peruvian mandarin/tangerine production area is estimated at 23,000 hectares. Harvest season runs from March to November. The major mandarin/tangerine production areas are in the central semi-tropical coastal regions with good availability of …

Investing in Artificial Intelligence

Josh McGillBreeding, Technology

By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) breeders produce new citrus plants more quickly than they can figure out if consumers like how the new fruit varieties taste. In the race to create versus evaluate, creators lead evaluators by hundreds of individual plants at a time. It takes a post-doc a …

diagnostic

Updates on Florida Citrus Diseases

Josh McGillDiseases

Researcher Megan Dewdney recently provided updates on citrus canker, postbloom fruit drop (PFD) and algal spot. Dewdney is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor of plant pathology at the Citrus Research and Education Center. CANKERFruit is most susceptible to canker when it is from 3/8 to 1.5 inches in diameter, Dewdney said. The fruit’s …

Costa Rica Orange Crop to Rise

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International

Orange production in Costa Rica is forecast to increase almost 2% in 2022–2023, to 305,000 metric tons (MT), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). Denser plantings on larger farms have driven up yields, and HLB management programs mitigate the worst impacts of the virus. HLB was first identified in Costa Rica in 2011. Harvest …

Trunk Injection Not a Silver Bullet for HLB

Josh McGillDiseases, HLB Management

Although trunk injection of oxytetracycline hydrochloride  (OTC-HCl) has received much recent press for its promise in managing HLB, there is still no silver bullet for the devastating disease. That was part of plant pathologist Ozgur Batuman’s message at a Dec. 10 seminar addressing HLB and other citrus diseases that may exacerbate HLB’s effects on trees. “There is no single effective …

Taking Fertilizer Knowledge to the Next Level

Josh McGillEducation, Nutrition

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has launched a new online graduate certificate program for agricultural professionals. “The certificate program is called Fertilizer Science and Technology, offered completely online at the student’s pace and oriented to growers, consultants, suppliers and regulators,” says Kelly Morgan, UF/IFAS professor of soil fertility and water management. The certificate is …

Japan’s mandarin

Morocco Mandarin Production to Tumble

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International, Mandarins

Morocco’s tangerine and mandarin production for marketing year 2022–23 is expected to fall to 900,000 metric tons (MT), a 34% decline from the previous season’s 1.36 million metric tons. The forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) blames the decline on heat stress, water scarcity and increased input costs. Many orchards in the Berkane region …