Cold-Hardy Citrus Exceeds Yield and Quality Forecast

Josh McGillCold Hardy

Cold Hardy Citrus Association (CHCA) growers predicted this year’s harvest would be favorable at the season’s start, and groves are producing beyond those early expectations. “We are seeing good quality, bigger size and lots of volume left to pick on trees, especially for satsumas,” said CHCA President Kim Jones. CHCA represents growers, handlers, shippers and allied businesses in North Florida, South …

Citrus Congress

Indian Tariff Reduction to Boost Australian Citrus

Josh McGillInternational, Trade

Tariffs on Australian citrus exported to India will be cut in half Dec. 29 following the finalization of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), Citrus Australia announced. Both the Australian and Indian governments have ratified the agreement. The agreement will allow Australian citrus exporters to export oranges and mandarins to India under a tariff-reduced quota system. The current …

Citrus Sampling of Varieties Grown in Gainesville

Josh McGillVarieties

Consumers have different tastebuds that make them prefer certain fruit more than others. What one may like, another may reject. This is especially true in the citrus industry where palate and consumer preference play a role in what varieties growers choose to produce. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) campus in Gainesville hosted a recent …

Updates for Citrus Nutrient Best Management Practices

Josh McGillBMPs, Nutrition

By Kelly T. Morgan, Davie Kadyampakeni and Tripti Vashisth This article reviews current University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus fertilizer recommendations and provides updated information about recently approved recommendations for secondary macronutrients and micronutrients. Citrus growers have been very concerned about fertilizer applications and nutrient management since citrus greening (huanglongbing or HLB) was found in …

Growers and Researcher Discuss Millennium Block Trials

Josh McGillResearch, Rootstocks, Varieties

Two citrus growers recently explained the benefits to be gained from research at the Indian River Research and Education Center’s (IRREC) Millennium Block in Fort Pierce, and a scientist discussed a grapefruit study there. The IRREC is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) facility. The 20-acre block was planted in 2019 to help growers find …

Citrus Breeder: Growers Need to Think More Out of the Box

Tacy CalliesCold Hardy

If cold-hardy citrus growers diversified their crops and not put all of their eggs in the satsuma basket, it would provide them a better chance at long-term sustainability. It would allow producers an opportunity to combat the negative national stigma concerning citrus juices, says Jude Grosser, a professor of plant cell genetics at the University of Florida Institute of Food …

Satsuma Overload: Citrus Growers Need to Diversify

Josh McGillCold Hardy, Varieties

Citrus harvest season is in full swing across the North Florida/South Georgia production region. One thing is certain this season: Growers need to diversify their farming operations with citrus varieties other than satsuma mandarins. Grower Kim Jones, who also owns a citrus packing facility in Monticello, Florida, and is part-owner of a similar facility in Tifton, Georgia, discussed the high …

Display Day Draws Good Crowd

Josh McGillFresh, Orange Juice, Varieties

Fruit display days are an integral part of the citrus breeding process. The evaluations provided by participants give important feedback on the taste, appearance, texture and overall desirability of the fruit sampled whether it be for juice or the fresh market. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted a display on Nov. 14 at the …

diversification

Cold-Hardy Citrus Research Initiatives

Josh McGillCold Hardy, Research

The Fruit Crop Physiology Lab at the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Quincy is focused on developing a sustainable and profitable cold-hardy citrus industry in the southern United States. To do that, it is conducting research-driven Extension projects. The NFREC is part of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). The lab collaborates …

Quality Aspects of Citrus Juices

Josh McGillOrange Juice

By Renée Goodrich and Charles Sims In this era of huanglongbing (HLB), almost every scientific and popular press article alludes to HLB’s impact on fruit and juice quality. The citrus industry uses the term “high-quality” to denote a fruit, product or byproduct that has an array of positive, expected and measurable attributes. Consumers also use terms referring to quality, but …

Best Bets for HLB-Tolerant Citrus

Josh McGillVarieties

B9-65 Valencia received much attention from horticulturist John Chater during a virtual meeting highlighting HLB-tolerant citrus varieties developed by the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) Plant Improvement Team. Chater is an assistant professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences CREC. ORANGESAccording to Chater, pound solids per acre and yield per acre are the most …

California Citrus Mutual Expects Increased Crops

Josh McGillCalifornia Corner, Crop Forecast, Mandarins

The California Citrus Mutual (CCM) Marketing Committee —comprised of growers, shippers and marketers — anticipates the state’s 2022–23 navel orange and mandarin crops will be larger than last season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also predicted larger California crops in its initial citrus forecast for the 2022–23 season. The navel orange crop will be approximately 10% over the previous season’s …

New Insurance Option for Florida Citrus Growers

Josh McGillFlorida, Insurance

By Ariel Singerman During the 2021–22 citrus season, the Risk Management Agency (RMA) started offering a new option to Florida citrus growers for insuring their crop. The policy is called Actual Production History (APH) and provides coverage for yield losses based on a farm’s historical records. While the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) policy also uses farm records as a …

HLB Tolerance Data Expected in Early 2023

Josh McGillRootstocks, Varieties

Conclusive data on trials in the Millennium Block, expected in early 2023, may reveal which of more than 5,500 trees can tolerate HLB, researchers say. The Millennium Block is at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) in Fort Pierce. IRREC Director Ronald Cave said the 20-acre grove, established …

New Sugar Substitutes Found in Citrus

Josh McGillFlavor, Research

Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have discovered new, natural sweeteners in citrus for the first time. This finding opens opportunities for the food industry to produce food and beverages with lower sugar content and lower calories while maintaining sweetness and taste using natural products. Yu Wang, associate professor of food science at …

pest risk

California Yields Most Citrus per Acre

Josh McGillProduction

California led the nation in boxes-per-acre yield for every citrus variety grown in 2021–22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) recently reported. The yields per acre, along with on-tree prices and other information, is in the agency’s Citrus Fruits 2022 Summary. ORANGES California’s 140,000 acres of bearing orange acres produced 289 boxes per acre in the …

Scion Selections Highlighted at Expo

Josh McGillCitrus Expo, Varieties

At the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo, Jude Grosser and Fred Gmitter provided an update on the numerous scion selections produced at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC). Both are University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant breeders. Here are a few of the scion selections they highlighted in a presentation titled Working to Provide Sustainable …

Decline in U.S. Citrus Production and Value

Josh McGillProduction

Citrus production and crop value in the Unites States both declined in 2021–22 compared to the prior season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) reported recently. PRODUCTIONCitrus utilized production in the United States for the 2021–22 season totaled 5.61 million tons, down 19% from the 2020–21 season. California accounted for 62% of total United States citrus …

Millennium Block

Citrus Growers Invited to Visit Variety Trial

Josh McGillEvents, Rootstocks, Varieties

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) will host a Millennium Block Variety Trial Field Day on Oct. 19. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. The Millennium Block is at 7850 Pruitt Research Road in Fort Pierce. Registration can be completed online here or by …

Deficit Irrigation Could Improve Fruit Quality in CUPS

Josh McGillCUPS, Irrigation, Research

By Fernando Alferez, Daniel Boakye, Susmita Gaire and Tim Gast Growing citrus under protective screen (CUPS) structures for fresh fruit production is effective in controlling HLB disease by completely excluding the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri). After several years of research on CUPS to grow HLB-free trees in Florida, and with commercial growers increasingly adopting this technology, there is …