PGRs

PGRs Can Produce Remarkable Results

Daniel CooperAll In For Citrus Podcast, PGRs

Tripti Vashisth, associate professor of horticultural sciences with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), has been studying the use of plant growth regulators (PGRs) to improve citrus tree health and fruit retention for several years now. Her work has culminated into a systems approach of when to use a particular PGR at a certain time …

artificial intelligence

CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: How Artificial Intelligence Applications Could Enhance Nurseries

Daniel CooperCitrus Nursery Source, Technology

By Peter Chairs The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ (UF/IFAS) commitment to the use and development of artificial intelligence (AI) in production agriculture is fueling conversations throughout the citrus industry. For most of us, AI was not even on our radar a few years ago. Today, commercial and nursery growers are excited about the development of …

May

Sneak Peek: May 2025 Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperEvents, Pests, Sneak Peek

The May issue of Specialty Crop Grower magazine is where to find the latest Citrus Industry articles. If your grove is in Florida, there’s a good chance ghost snails have haunted your trees and irrigation equipment. An article from University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professors Lauren Diepenbrock and Nicole Quinn offers some advice on …

citrus seminars

Citrus Seminars Provide Research Updates

Daniel CooperEducation, Florida Citrus Show

Researchers from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) delivered several presentations to a standing-room-only audience during the citrus seminars at the Florida Citrus Show in March. VARIETIES AND ROOTSTOCKS The citrus session began with a breeder panel discussing research on varieties and rootstocks. Participants were Manjul Dutt and Jude …

Citrus Innovation Center

Citrus Innovation Center Opens in Florida

Daniel CooperEducation, Florida

International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. (IFF) on April 9 announced the opening of the Citrus Innovation Center in Lakeland, Florida, in partnership with Florida Polytechnic University. According to IFF, the 30,000-square-foot facility “encompasses state-of-the-art capabilities in botanical research leveraging … natural ingredients expertise, processing, analytics and product creation for scent and taste.” IFF stated that the center offers job opportunities …

encouraged

Florida Citrus Grower Feeling Encouraged

Daniel CooperEvents, Florida, HLB Management

In a time when hope can be hard to find for the Florida citrus industry, one grower left last week’s Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute feeling encouraged. Whether it was meeting with fellow growers or learning about ongoing research that has long-term ramifications, Paul Koukos felt optimistic following the April 8 meeting. “It’s always good to get together with other growers, …

IPCs

IPCs: To Tie or Not to Tie?

Daniel CooperIPCs, Tip of the Week

By Fernando Alferez and Osbaldo Vasquez As individual protective covers (IPCs) are being adopted as a standard management practice to protect newly planted citrus trees from psyllid infestation, it has become apparent that one of the main effects of this tool is improved tree growth. Trees under IPCs grow larger with thicker canopies. This is probably the result of healthier …

proven

Combine Proven Horticultural Practices to Combat HLB

Daniel CooperIrrigation, Nutrition, PGRs, Tip of the Week

By Tripti Vashisth and Prudhvi Vulchi To mitigate the effects of huanglongbing (HLB) on tree health and productivity, growers are encouraged to adopt proven horticultural practices. Based on recent field trials at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), one effective approach combines frequent irrigation (FI), plant growth regulators (PGRs) …

BMP

Citrus BMP Manual Updates Completed

Daniel CooperBMPs

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson on March 31 announced the completion of major updates to several existing agricultural best management practices (BMP) manuals, including the one for citrus. The manuals provide specific research-based practices to agricultural producers to improve water quality. The updates mark the first comprehensive revisions in nearly 20 years for some manuals, reflecting advancements in agricultural …

sting nematode

Integrated Pest Management Needed for Sting Nematode

Daniel CooperPests

By Maegan Beatty During the recent citrus insect management workshop at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center, Larry Duncan, a nematology professor, discussed the sting nematode. First recognized in the 1980s as a pest of young citrus trees, the sting nematode has adapted to coarse, sandy soils. The pest feeds at …

Youth Citrus Project

Seeking Highlands Youth Citrus Project Participants

Daniel CooperEducation

Registration is now open for the 2025–26 Highlands Youth Citrus Project. This project is for local youth members ages 8 and up as of Sept. 1, 2025. The deadline to register is March 24. Participants can register here. This program is designed to teach youth about the citrus industry by providing all the materials necessary to grow and sell a …

Florida Citrus Show

See the Florida Citrus Show Seminar Schedule

Daniel CooperCitrus, Education, Events, FCS24, Florida Citrus Show

The Florida Citrus Show is a day full of learning, fellowship and fun. The educational seminars includes presentations for all specialty crop growers. The general session tackles some of the big issues facing growers today, including ag labor, what to expect from the new Trump administration and a grower panel discussing the challenge of citrus greening. After lunch, breakout sessions …

dry

New Citrus BMP Manual Near Adoption

Daniel CooperBMPs

In the past year, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) undertook a significant effort to update all the state’s agricultural best management practices (BMPs) manuals. Many of these manuals had not been updated for over a decade. FDACS updated the manuals to: For the citrus BMP manual, the notice of change was published in the Florida Administrative …

Vegetable Seminar Program Available

Daniel CooperEducation, Events, FCS24, Florida Citrus Show

With expanding vegetable acreage in parts of South Florida, the Florida Citrus Show now hosts a special vegetable breakout seminar to serve growers in the region. The researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and U.S. Department of Agriculture have put together an informative agenda covering a wide range of topics. Some of the subjects …

Moroccan

Moroccan Tangerine/Mandarin Crop to Climb

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently forecast Morocco’s tangerine/mandarin production for 2024–25 at 1.1 million metric tons (MMT). That’s an increase of 16% from the prior season due to increased irrigation practices and a high level of new plantings coming into full production for the Nadorcott and Afourer varieties. The Moroccan area planted with tangerines/mandarins is …

survey

Survey Shows Popular Scions and Rootstocks

Daniel CooperRootstocks, Survey, Varieties

The Florida Citrus State of the Industry Survey seeks input from growers on key issues affecting their groves. The survey has been conducted for many years, has tracked the trajectory of HLB and reported on production practices. While not a scientific survey, it has reflected general trends over the years. Last month, we published results on trunk-injection therapy and the …

Protect Trees Post-Freeze With Fungicide

Tacy CalliesCold Hardy, Diseases, freeze

Growers in the cold-hardy citrus region should consider fungicide application following snow last week and multiple days of running irrigation for freeze irrigation. That advice comes from Lindy Savelle, executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association, on the heels of historic snowfall recorded across the Southeast. “I’ve heard some people having up to 10 inches of snow where we grow …

Sweet Orange Scab

Sweet Orange Scab Quarantined Area Expanded

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, Diseases, Regulation

Effective immediately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), is expanding the sweet orange scab quarantine in the Santa Ana area of Orange County in California. APHIS is expanding this quarantined area by 32 square miles because of a sweet orange scab detection in …

mandarin/tangerine

Mandarin/Tangerine Production in Peru

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International, Mandarins

Peru’s mandarin/tangerine production in marketing year 2024–25 is forecast at 570,000 metric tons (MT), an increase of 2% from the previous year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) issued the forecast. The marketing year runs from April 2025 to March 2026. Cooler climatic conditions have extended into December 2024 due to the La Niña phenomenon, promoting …

week

Freeze Protection Needed Next Week for Cold-Hardy Citrus

Daniel Cooperfreeze, Weather

January temperatures have been low for cold-hardy citrus growers. They are about to get lower, however, beginning early next week. GEORGIAAccording to weather.com, low temperatures in Tifton, Georgia, are forecast to drop into the high 20s, Sunday through Wednesday, with high temperatures only reaching the mid-30s on Tuesday and Wednesday. Similar weather conditions are expected across the region, so growers …