alico

Alico on Harvesting, Hurricanes and OTC Treatments

Daniel CooperHarvesting, hurricane

Alico Citrus in Florida harvested 3.1 million boxes of oranges for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, an increase of 14.7% from the prior year. That’s slightly higher than the 13.5% increase for the Florida citrus industry as a whole. HARVEST AND PRICES Alico harvested 1.194 million boxes of early- and mid-season oranges for juice in the recent fiscal …

hall of fame

Adams, Graham and Richey to Join Hall of Fame

Daniel CooperAwards

The late Charles W. Adams, James H. “Jim” Graham and Daniel R. “Dan” Richey will be inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame March 28, 2025. ADAMS Adams (1879–1945) was a partner in Adams Packing Association and Growers Fertilizer Corporation. He impacted the citrus industry with his progressive ideas for growth. Adams moved from Michigan to Florida in 1911 …

open house

Indian River Open House Includes Varieties Display

Daniel CooperEvents, Indian River, Varieties

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Indian River Research and Education Center (UF/IFAS IRREC) will hold an open house Saturday, Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Numerous activities are planned for the facility at 2199 S. Rock Road in Fort Pierce.  UF/IFAS IRREC and its next-door neighbor, the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service …

hybrid

HLB-Tolerant Hybrid Varieties Highlighted

Daniel CooperEvents, Indian River, Varieties

Two varieties that tolerate HLB and produce ample fruit yield and juice were the highlights of the recent Millennium Block Field Day in Fort Pierce, Florida. The 20-acre Millennium Block at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) examines fresh fruit varieties and rootstocks. “The two varieties that give …

IMG

IMG Citrus Moving Forward With More CUPS

Daniel CooperCUPS

A Nov. 22 Lake County farm tour, hosted by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension, included a visit to the 13-acre citrus under protective screen (CUPS) site owned by IMG Citrus. Located in Groveland, the facility consists of Ruby Red grapefruit on Swingle rootstock planted in May 2022. Clint Updike, IMG citrus production manager, told farm …

outlook

Florida Citrus Outlook for the 2024–25 Season

Daniel CooperFlorida Department of Citrus

The expected utilization of Florida’s 2024–25 citrus crop was the focus of economist Marisa Zansler’s Florida Citrus Outlook presentation to the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) in October. Zansler is director of economic and market research for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). Before discussing expected utilization by varieties, Zansler pointed out that her outlook was based on the U.S. Department …

quality

Rain Brings Relief but Brazil Orange Quality Still Low

Daniel CooperBrazil, Orange Juice, Production

Regular rains and mild weather in Brazil’s Citrus Belt of São Paulo and Triângulo Mineiro in late October brought relief for trees affected by prior lack of rain and high temperatures. The better weather may improve the quality of fruit that is still on the trees. But even with the return of rainfall, the 2024–25 orange crop has presented low …

Lindy Savelle

Lindy Savelle: A Voice for Georgia Citrus Growers

Daniel CooperGeorgia

Lindy Savelle took an unconventional route to becoming a leader for Georgia citrus. Turns out, her path was paved with success. The former federal law enforcement investigator decided to pursue a second career as a Georgia citrus grower and became a voice for the state’s blossoming industry. Almost 10 years after planting her first trees, Savelle has emerged as a …

Hurricane Milton

Alico on Hurricane Milton Damage

Daniel Cooperhurricane

Initial assessments indicate that Alico, Inc. sustained minimal tree damage and some fruit drop from Hurricane Milton. The company stated that its approximately 48,000 acres of citrus groves in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands and Polk counties, Florida, sustained hurricane or tropical storm force winds for varying durations of time. Initial observations include measurable drop of fruit from trees …

campaign

Brazilian Citrus Researchers Discuss Pest Management

Daniel CooperBrazil, Pests

Fundecitrus researchers Marcelo Miranda and Wellington Ivo Eduardo participated in the recent XXIX Brazilian Congress of Entomology in Uberlândia in the state of Minas Gerais. In a round table discussion on fruit plant pests, Miranda addressed the challenges of implementing integrated pest management in citrus for insect vectors of pathogens. This includes the leafhopper that transmits citrus variegated chlorosis and …

marketing program

Florida OJ Marketing Program Outlined

Daniel CooperFlorida Department of Citrus, Marketing, Orange Juice

The Florida Department of Citrus’ (FDOC) 2024–25 orange juice (OJ) marketing program will be anchored by a refresh of the current Original Wellness Drink concept. The campaign — The True Original — will salute “originals” and encourage consumers to drink more Florida OJ. Learn here what the FDOC and its advertising agency mean by “originals.” The program will kick off …

HLB-tolerant

HLB-Tolerant Scion Breeding Update

Daniel CooperVarieties

U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) geneticist Matt Mattia with the U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida, recently provided a scion breeding update on HLB-tolerant citrus. A slightly edited version follows:  Significant strides are being made in the development and evaluation of new citrus varieties, with many now nearing commercial release. These varieties are not only promising …

injections

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Optimizing OTC Injections

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Research

By Ute Albrecht, Caroline Tardivo, Larissa Nunes, Gabriel Pugina, Gerardo Moreno and Jasmine de Freitas As growers are well into the second year of oxytetracycline (OTC) injections since approval for commercial use, more and more data are accumulating. The good news is that in all University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) trials, trees have been responding …

fdoc

Update on Efforts to Lower Required OJ Brix Level

Daniel CooperLegislative, Orange Juice

Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) and federal lawmakers from Florida are pushing legislation that would direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lower the required Brix level of not-from-concentrate pasteurized orange juice (OJ) from 10.5% to 10%. The change has been requested because many Florida oranges no longer produce juice that meets the 10.5% Brix requirement.     FCM Chief …

citric acid

Growers Cautioned To Be Wary of Fruit Quality Following Helene

Daniel CooperFresh, hurricane

Georgia’s citrus growers may have dodged catastrophic results from Hurricane Helene, but they might not know the full impact of the storm for at least a couple of more weeks. Lindy Savelle, executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association, warned that though fruit may still be in the trees, it may have suffered irreparable damage from high winds when the …

variety displays

CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: Get Out and About at Variety Displays and Field Days

Daniel CooperCitrus Nursery Source, Events, Varieties

By Peter Chaires Each year, citrus breeding and research teams go to great lengths to host variety displays, research reviews, tours and field days. These events not only showcase the collective pursuit of industry needs and priorities, but they afford stakeholders an opportunity to monitor the progress and interact directly with scientists and support staff. This is an investment of …

root recovery

Tree Age and Trunk-Injection Effectiveness

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. Question: It is known that ReMedium TI® is working to fight HLB in young trees. Are ReMedium TI® injections proving to be effective in older citrus trees? Answer: ReMedium TI® is indeed effective in older citrus trees. The caution …

quality

Nutrients for Improving Fruit Growth and Quality

Daniel CooperNutrition, Tip of the Week

By Tripti Vashisth, Jeff Brecht, Yu Wang and Faisal Shahzad In the last decade, fruit quality and size has become a major issue. Moreover, fruit peel color is another challenge to overcome for citrus growers who intend to sell for fresh fruit consumption. Many nutrients are known to improve fruit growth and quality in citrus trees. For example, potassium increases …

nutrient management

Citrus Nutrient Management Recommendations Continue to Evolve

Daniel CooperBMPs, Florida, Nutrition

When HLB arrived in Florida, it changed the world for citrus growers, and a lot of other things had to change with it. One of the biggest changes has been how growers manage their fertilizer programs. The nutrient recommendations that had been developed by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) before HLB became outdated because …