A recent tour of Brazilian citrus provided Georgia growers with valuable information on how to capitalize on production amid huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Lindy Savelle, executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association and owner of JoNina Farm, was one of seven producers who attended the week-long tour this fall. One of the main observations was Brazil’s strong production despite the prevalence …
Texas Citrus: Heavy Crop but Smaller Fruit
Texas citrus is showing heavy crops, but limited summer irrigation has led to smaller fruit sizes so far, said Juan Anciso of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Anciso is an AgriLife Extension vegetable specialist and associate head of the Department of Horticultural Sciences at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Weslaco. According to Anciso, quality continues to remain good to …
Improved Citrus Gene Editing
A University of Connecticut researcher recently made advancements in citrus gene editing techniques to reduce the drawbacks of traditional methods. The researcher is Yi Li, professor of horticultural plant breeding biotechnology in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. BACKGROUND Scientists employ genome-editing technologies to precisely modify a plant’s own genes, either by inactivating or activating specific target genes …
Florida Farm Bureau Supports Amending OJ Standard
Florida Farm Bureau has submitted comments supporting the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposal to amend the standard of identity (SOI) for pasteurized orange juice (POJ) by lowering the minimum soluble solids content from 10.5° to 10° Brix. The FDA proposed an amendment earlier this year in response to a 2021 Florida citrus industry petition. Following are some comments from …
Golden Ridge Groves to Open CUPS U-Pick and Farm Market
Golden Ridge Groves will open Nov. 20 in Alturas, Florida. The new business includes u-pick in a citrus under protective screen (CUPS) structure and a farm market. The operation will be open for the season Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Husband and wife owners Shane and Katie Bevilacqua answered questions about the new business. Q: When will …
ReMedium TI® Approved for Fourth Year in Florida
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recently approved TJ BioTech’s request for a Section 24(c) registration related to a fourth year of use of the oxytetracycline (OTC) product ReMedium TI®. The product is a systemic injectable antimicrobial for the control or suppression of huanglongbing (HLB) disease in citrus. The Section 24(c) registration is a special local need registration. …
Positive Signs Being Seen in Florida Groves
In the November Highlands County Citrus Growers Association newsletter, President Riley McKenna and Executive Director Ray Royce reported mostly positive signs they’ve been seeing in groves. MCKENNA “As the month progresses, so have the cooler nighttime temperatures. This cold front marks an important shift moving forward into our early harvest season,” said McKenna. “It brings both anticipation for fruit ripening …
Packer Upbeat About California Citrus Season
Jesse Silva, vice president of Kings River Packing, recently gave an upbeat outlook on the California citrus season. Silva termed it “a high-quality, high-demand year.” Kings River and its affiliated companies, including Cobblestone Fruit and Jireh Packing, are operating at full capacity across their four facilities in Sanger, Reedley and Orosi, Silva said. “We’re running 24/7 right now,” he said. …
Cold-Hardy Citrus Harvest Begins Early
The anticipated disappointment has become a reality for cold-hardy citrus growers; satsuma mandarins are in short supply. The predominant citrus variety grown in the region will not have much of a crop this season as harvests have already begun across the cold-hardy region of North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama. As expected, citrus volume will be short, mostly due …
Agromillora Introduces New Citrus Rootstock
Agromillora, in collaboration with the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA), has introduced CIVAC-19, a new citrus rootstock. CIVAC-19 is the result of more than a decade of research between IVIA and Agromillora. It is a hybrid rootstock of Citrus reshni (Cleopatra mandarin) and Poncirus trifoliata (trifoliate orange). Its semi-dwarfing nature provides medium vigor, key for maintaining compact canopies and …
Taking a Closer Look at CRISPR in Citrus Breeding
By Manjul Dutt Editor’s Note: This is the second article in a series outlining how genetic technology can be using in citrus breeding. Traditional methods for improving citrus, such as crossbreeding different varieties, can be time-consuming due to the creation of a random mix of genes from both parents through a process called genetic introgression. In the article last month, …
Foreign Barriers to Florida Citrus
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) recently provided comments to the Office of the United States Trade Representative as part of the annual review of foreign barriers to U.S. exports and investment. The FFVA letter noted injury to Florida citrus caused by low-priced imports from Mexico and the European Union’s use of scientifically unjustified, non-tariff trade barriers. Letter excerpts …
Study Focuses on Women in Agriculture
A recently launched national Women in Agriculture Study is a comprehensive effort to capture women’s voices from across all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The study’s survey remains open through March 31 to gather insights from women working in production agriculture, agribusiness, education and advocacy. While focusing on women, the survey is also open to men and others in related …
Citrus Canker Detection in Alabama
Citrus canker, a federal and state regulated plant disease, has been detected in Mobile County, Alabama. As required by federal law, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) will establish a citrus canker quarantine for the county. The Auburn University Plant Pathology Lab confirmed the first detection from foliage and fruit samples collected during ADAI’s routine citrus survey. The …
Irrigation and Nutrient Management for Improved Tree Productivity
By Davie Kadyampakeni, Alisheikh Atta, Jonas Pereira de Souza Junior, Christopher Vincent and Tripti Vashisth Typically, citrus water requirements are low in the winter and spring due to cooler temperatures but peak in summer and early fall due to rising temperatures. Thus, improved irrigation management is critical in these times of the year for improved production. Because most citrus trees …
Podcast Takes a Deep Dive Into CUPS
Citrus under protective screen (CUPS) continues to grow in popularity with about 1,500 acres now planted in Florida. The October All In For Citrus podcast covers CUPS and some of the challenges growers can face with the system. Jerry Mixon, a CUPS grower, discusses why he wanted to try the system and some of the challenges he has faced with …
Fussell Succeeds Tighe in Florida Ag Roles
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) has named Bryn Fussell director of membership as well as executive director of the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation. She succeeds Sonia Tighe, who retired in September. Fussell will manage FFVA’s membership recruitment, retention and administration efforts. The Florida Specialty Crop Foundation, which she will direct, oversees several scholarship initiatives and the Emerging Leader …
Millennium Block Field Day Set for Nov. 6
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) will host its annual Millennium Block Field Day Nov. 6 from 9 a.m. to noon. The field day will showcase the center’s emphasis on research to find a solution to citrus greening disease. The IRREC is located at 2199 South Rock Road …
The Road to HLB Recovery
Sponsored Content Question: There has been discussion that HLB recovery will be seen in yield first and quality second. Is that happening? Answer: It is still too early to tell exactly what the numbers will look like for the 2025–26 harvest. However, early harvest reports are coming in, and they seem quite encouraging. There is a report on a grove …
Sneak Peek: November 2025 Citrus Industry
Coming soon in the November issue of Specialty Crop Grower magazine are several articles geared to citrus growers. The Citrus Industry section of the magazine addresses a range of topics, including irrigation and nutrient management, CRISPR breeding efforts, momentum and research projects for the Florida 2025–26 citrus season and more. One of the best ways to keep HLB-infected trees productive …





























