The initial 2023–24 California navel orange forecast is 74 million cartons. This is up 1% from the previous year, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) reported. The forecast is based on the results of the 2023–24 navel orange objective measurement survey, which was conducted from June 19 to Sept. 1, 2023. Estimated fruit set per tree, fruit diameter, …
Trunk Injection Wounding: What You Need to Know
By Ute Albrecht and Leigh Archer Trunk injection is an alternative technique for applying crop protection materials. This technology has now been approved to deliver oxytetracycline (OTC) for huanglongbing (HLB) management in Florida. Injections cause injury, and best practices need to be established to minimize injection-induced tree damage. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers (UF/IFAS) injected …
More Yellow-Legged Hornets Found in Georgia
On Sept. 20, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper announced, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the University of Georgia (UGA), the discovery and destruction of a second yellow-legged hornet’s nest on Wilmington Island near Savannah. The yellow-legged hornet is a non-native species that, if allowed to establish in the United States, could threaten honey production, native …
Three New Citrus Releases From UF/IFAS
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center breeding program has released three new scion cultivars in the last year. These cultivars provide opportunities for diverse segments of the Florida citrus industry, including nurseries catering to the home landscape marketplace. The new releases demonstrate the value of a broad-based breeding program to …
First HLB Detection in Ventura County
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has declared a quarantine in Ventura County following the detection of the citrus disease huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, in two citrus trees on one residential property in the city of Santa Paula. These detections are the first HLB-positive trees in Ventura County. CDFA is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture …
Forecast for California Mandarins
The 2023–24 California forecast for Tango and W. Murcott Afourer mandarins is 21 million 40-pound cartons, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) recently reported. This forecast is based on the results of the 2023–24 mandarin objective measurement survey, which was conducted from July 1 to Sept. 1, 2023. This is the first time the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s …
Egyptian Citrus Imports Would Be ‘Calamity’ for California Growers
Egyptian citrus could be on the way to the U.S. market after a request was made to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A pest risk assessment has been drafted by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Jim Cranney, president of the California Citrus Quality Council (CCQC), said the assessment is for fresh oranges and tangerines, which would …
A Grove-First Approach
In the nearly two decades that huanglongbing (HLB) has plagued Florida citrus groves, about $1 billion has been spent in the search for solutions. A lot of great scientists in Florida and around the world have worked on the problem, and a silver bullet, if there is one to be found, has been elusive. Researchers, along with growers, have developed …
Diseases Without Borders: Leprosis and Yellow Vein Clearing Viruses
By Ozgur Batuman Plant virus diseases are unusually difficult to manage if introduced into new production sites. Citrus-infecting viruses, particularly those spread by insect vectors, are no exception to this. Florida is regularly challenged by a barrage of invasive pests and pathogen species that could devastate the citrus industry. Viruses causing citrus leprosis and citrus yellow vein clearing diseases are …
Combine Plant Growth Regulators for Most Benefit
Using the plant growth regulators (PGRs) gibberellic acid (GA), 2,4-D and cytokinin in combination can maximize the benefit for HLB-affected trees, researcher Tripti Vashisth reported recently. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor of citrus horticulture and production works at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. She discussed the benefits of …
All In For Citrus Podcast, September 2023
One of the overlooked casualties of tropical storms and hurricanes is field research conducted by scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Research on new varieties, plant treatments and other practices can be upended in a day by a violent storm. That happened to some of Christopher Vincent’s research. The UF/IFAS assistant professor of …
HLB Tools for Today and Tomorrow
By Frank Giles and Tacy Callies The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo hosted two citrus educational sessions during the Aug. 16–17 event held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. The sessions included both long-term research aimed at delivering trees resistant to HLB as well as what growers can do today to help mitigate the effects of the disease in …
Sallins Receive John T. Lesley Award
Florida Citrus Packers recently presented IMG Citrus founders Michel and Veronique Sallin with the organization’s highest recognition, the John T. Lesley Award. The presentation was made at the fresh fruit industry’s annual Citrus Packinghouse Day. The award is for individuals making sustained and outstanding contributions to Florida’s fresh citrus industry. IMG Citrus operates more than 11,000 acres of citrus groves …
Wang Appointed to Graves Eminent Scholar Chair
Citrus researcher Nian Wang has been appointed to the Graves Eminent Scholar Chair in Biotechnology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Wang is a professor of microbiology and cell science at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC). He was appointed to the chair because of his work to develop a tree resistant to …
Brite Leaf Citrus Nursery: Innovation and Industry Involvement
By Tacy Callies Before they were married, Nate and Anna Jameson vowed they would one day farm for themselves. They met while attending the University of Florida. Nate graduated with a Bachelor of Science in ag operations management, while Anna earned her degree in animal science. After graduation, Anna worked for Lykes Meat Group and Nate for Ben Hill Griffin …
Season’s First Update to Brazil’s Orange Forecast
The first update of the 2023–24 orange crop forecast for the São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt confirmed the initial May forecast of 309.34 million boxes. Fundecitrus announced the update on Sept. 11. The forecast for Hamlin, Westin and Rubi varieties was increased 3.5% to 58.09 million boxes. Other early-season varieties climbed 1.6% to 18.51 million boxes. The …
Citrus Harvesting Trends in Florida
By Ariel Singerman Harvesting citrus is manual and labor intensive, making the cost of labor a key component of the cost of harvesting. The H-2A guest worker program allows companies to temporarily hire non-U.S. citizens to perform agricultural labor or services of seasonal nature. Given that domestic workers for harvesting are in short supply, harvesting companies in Florida (and other …
Brazil Breaks Psyllid Record Again
The Brazilian citrus belt of São Paulo and Triângulo/Sudoeste Mineiro has recorded yet another record high in the average number of greening-spreading Asian citrus psyllids captured by traps. In the second half of August, there was an average growth of 147% in the average catch compared to the previous two-week period. The average jumped from 3.4 to 8.4 insects per …
Transgenic Efforts Against HLB
Matthew Mattia recently provided an overview of work at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) transgenic test site in Fort Pierce. Transgenic refers to an organism that contains genetic material into which DNA from an unrelated organism has been artificially introduced. Scientists at the Picos Farm screen transgenics for suppression of citrus Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), …
Historically Low Orange Juice Supply
Brazil’s São Paulo and Minas Gerais citrus belt has gone through four low orange production cycles in a row, the Brazilian Association of Citrus Exporters (CitrusBR) pointed out in a recent report on orange juice processing. The association noted that orange production in Brazil’s citrus belt totaled 269 million boxes in the 2020–21 season, 263 million boxes in 2021–22, 314 …





























