hlb

Ted Yoho: Citrus Greening Research Funding Is Imperative

Abbey TaylorCitrus, Citrus Greening, Farm Bill

The House and the Senate have passed their versions of the farm bill. Now it is time for appointed legislators to hammer out the details for the final version of the bill. Ted Yoho, U.S. Congressman and member of the House Committee on Agriculture, believes that including funding for citrus greening is vital for the Florida citrus industry. Yoho recently …

Artificial Intelligence for Detecting Citrus Pests, Diseases and Disorders

Tacy CalliesTechnology

By Arnold Schumann, Laura Waldo, William Holmes, Gary Test and Tim Ebert Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly common in electronic devices at home or work, in social media, video streaming services, electronic commerce, and in internet search engines. Now, AI is rapidly entering the farming scene. Growers using modern precision agriculture tools and techniques often face a barrage of high …

Sneak Peek: July 2018 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

The most successful citrus growers are often the ones who are able to adapt to new techniques and technologies. The July issue of Citrus Industry magazine offers a look at tools designed to help growers increase efficiency and productivity. Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in electronic devices, social media and internet search engines. But did you know this technology is …

Cold-Hardy Citrus for North Florida

Tacy CalliesVarieties

By Xavier Martini and Peter Andersen Cold-hardy citrus has a long history in North Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Georgia. Records show that sweet orange, citron, lemon, lime and pummelo were brought to Saint Augustine, Florida, from Spain in 1565. However, it was not until the late 1700s that the Jesuits introduced satsuma (Citrus unshiu) to what is now Louisiana. SATSUMA …

California Industry Updates Presented at Spring Citrus Meeting

Daniel CooperCitrus Greening, Diseases

By Brian German The Spring Citrus Meeting held last week in Tulare County touched on several major issues growers are concerned with, and included presentations on best practices for managing citrus trees. The day began with important information related to Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and the disease it causes, huanglongbing (HLB), which has been growing at an alarming rate in …

Field Testing of New HLB-Tolerant Scions and Rootstocks

Tacy CalliesResearch, Rootstocks, Scions

By Rhuanito S. Ferrarezi, Jude W. Grosser, Fred G. Gmitter, Ed Stover and Kim Bowman Citrus is Florida’s most important agricultural commodity. The state produces citrus for different markets: round oranges for juice; navels, mandarins, grapefruit and lemons for the fresh-fruit industry; and lemons for extracting peel oil for processing. Huanglongbing (HLB) disease affects all citrus varieties. Since the discovery …

HLB

A Grower’s Plan to Survive HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management

An Indian River-area grapefruit grower told the crowd at Florida Citrus Mutual’s recent annual conference about his company’s plans for coping with HLB. The plans include replanting with some diverse citrus varieties at higher densities, said Daniel Scott, vice president of Scott Citrus Management. Grapefruit has for the most part proven extremely difficult to grow profitably in the face of …

hlb

Certis for Citrus Program Helps Fund Fight Against HLB

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

The biopesticide company, Certis USA, presented the non-profit Citrus Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (CRDF) with a check for $20,000 to help fund research projects in an effort to find a cure for huanglongbing (HLB; citrus greening). The presentation was made during the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference that took place at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa. …

Strong Finish for 2017–18 Brazilian Citrus Season

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves The last Fundecitrus announcement (April 10) of the season for the Brazilian citrus crop was 398.35 million boxes. This includes: 77.48 million boxes of Hamlin, Westin and Rubi 18.02 million boxes of Valencia Americana and Valencia Argentina 118.47 million boxes of Pera Rio 139.62 million boxes of Valencia 44.76 million boxes of Natal (Navel) SEASON SUMMARY …

citrus research

CRDF 2018 Funding Cycle Is in Full Swing

Tacy CalliesCitrus

Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) On April 24, the CRDF board of directors approved research priorities for two separate research funding programs. One is for projects that will lead directly to the development of commercial products, tools or recommendations (Commercial Product Development Committee, CPDC-18). The other is for projects with broader, fundamental researchable questions (Research …

New HLB Research Facility in Riverside

Tacy CalliesCalifornia Corner

By Len Wilcox There’s a new research facility funded by California citrus growers to help combat huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease. The facility, located in Riverside, California, is the result of a 3-year cooperative effort of the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside) and California citrus growers. Using funds provided by members of California Citrus Mutual (CCM), …

Study Shows Economic Impact of Citrus in California

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner

The total economic impact of California’s citrus industry is $7.117 billion according to a new study commissioned by the Citrus Research Board (CRB). “In updating our economic analysis, we selected a well-known expert, Bruce Babcock, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside, to conduct the research. His findings quantified the significant impact …

consumer

Tools for Temporary Gene Expression in the HLB Battle

Tacy CalliesCitrus

By Amit Levy and Choaa El-Mohtar When thinking about genetic engineering, the first thing that comes to mind is usually GMOs (genetically modified organisms) In a GMO, a plant genome is engineered to include additional genetic sequences, usually genes with some useful activity that give the plant an advantage. This method is called a stable method because genes will be …

psyllids

Researchers Find How HLB Bypasses Citrus Immune System

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, HLB Management

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) claim they have made an important step in understanding the molecular mechanism of huanglongbing (HLB). They believe they have found the mechanism by which the disease evades detection and destruction by the natural immune system of citrus trees. HLB, or citrus greening disease, has devastated groves in Asia, South America and the …

HLB

Grower Discusses HLB Management Strategies

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Psyllids

Jim Snively, vice president of grove operations at Southern Gardens Citrus, discusses his company’s management of HLB and the psyllids that spread it. He summarizes a presentation he made at the International Citrus Business Conference in March. “By reducing stress, the trees can deal with disease much better,” Snively says. “We’re doing this through continuous-type feeding or frequent feeding with …

Managing Mites in Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesPests

By Lukasz L. Stelinski, Jawwad A. Qureshi and Philip A. Stansly Florida citrus is host to four main groups of mites categorized by differences in lineage and morphology. However, only rust mites, spider mites and broad mites historically cause economic damage to commercially grown citrus in the state. The fourth group, referred to as false spider mites, are vectors elsewhere …

citrus greening

Single Breakthrough Discovery for HLB in Florida Unlikely

Daniel CooperCitrus Greening, Industry News Release

A single breakthrough discovery for managing citrus greening in Florida in the future is unlikely, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.  The committee that wrote the report called for a systems approach to prioritize research on the disease and strategically distribute resources for research to effectively manage the disease, which is the most …

Sneak Peek: April 2018 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

Water is a key ingredient in achieving a healthy citrus crop, but too little or too much can be detrimental. Two articles in the April issue of Citrus Industry magazine address irrigation management. In the first article, growers will learn about irrigation scheduling methods and get production pointers for trees impacted by HLB and Hurricane Irma. The second article looks …

psyllids

Research Reveals a New Direction for Halting HLB

Daniel CooperCitrus, Citrus Greening, Industry News Release, Research

New clues to how the bacteria associated with citrus greening infects the only insect that carries it could lead to a way to block the microbes’ spread from tree to tree, according to a study in Infection and Immunity by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) scientists. Citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing (HLB), is a serious disease dramatically …

psyllids

ACP Pheromone to Improve Trapping

Tacy CalliesResearch

By Len Wilcox University of California Davis (UC Davis) researchers have identified the sex pheromone of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), a discovery which will lead to better methods of controlling the pest. The ACP is a major threat to citrus around the world. The psyllid is a tiny insect with the potential to wreak havoc as it spreads the …