By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Growing up in Polk County, Emily Worbington saw the groves disappearing. She passed more and more rooftops as she drove around Auburndale. In nearby Eagle Lake, Joe Volpe watched trees vanish, too. In fact, he tore out trees himself in his family’s century-old grove. “It broke my heart,” he says. PERSONAL PURSUITSWorbington and Volpe’s …
Water Use Under Individual Protective Covers
By Fernando Alferez and Osbaldo Vasquez During the last seven years, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) in Immokalee has been performing comprehensive studies on the use of individual protective covers (IPCs). This tool is now adopted by most growers planting new citrus trees in Florida both in …
The Potential of Trunk Injection for Fresh Market Citrus
By John M. Chater Citrus tree trunk injection of antibiotics has been recently and widely used in Florida. The success of oxytetracycline (OTC) in sweet orange to mitigate huanglongbing (HLB or citrus greening) disease has been documented by the laboratory of Ute Albrecht, associate professor at the University of Florida. Some results suggest that OTC injection can improve Brix, ratio, …
Two Genome-Edited Trees Are Approved
Two non-transgenic genome-edited orange plants — a Hamlin and a Valencia that may resist HLB — have been federally approved and are ready for Florida growers. Nian Wang, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences eminent scholar endowed chair in biotechnology, reported this news in a June 17 virtual presentation. The plants, which Wang termed “Eds1-edited,” have received …
CRAFT Continues to Push New Plantings and HLB Therapies
During the recent Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference, Steven Hall provided an update on the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) programs. Hall is executive director of the CRAFT Foundation. CRAFT programs have been very popular among growers to incentivize new plantings and build knowledge about HLB therapies like trunk injection, the use of individual protective covers, plant growth regulators …
Recommendations for Oxytetracycline Injections
Three University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers recently issued the document Suggested Use Pattern of Injectable Antimicrobials for Huanglongbing (HLB) Management. The authors are Ute Albrecht, associate professor of horticulture; Ozgur Batuman, associate professor of plant pathology; and Megan Dewdney, associate professor of plant pathology. The antimicrobials for Florida citrus are ReMedium TI and Rectify; …
Growers Look to the Future at Florida Citrus Industry Conference
Growers and industry stakeholders gathered in Bonita Springs last week for the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference hosted by Florida Citrus Mutual. Despite the challenges of HLB and recent hurricanes, the event drew strong attendance. The educational program provided updates on potential solutions for the disease that has plagued the industry for two decades. SEEKING A RESISTANT TREEOne of the …
Seven Lemon Selections Under Study
In a recent webinar, Tracy Kahn provided details about seven lemon selections undergoing Citrus Research Board trials at four California locations. Kahn is the Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection endowed chair at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). The information she presented included the selections’ compatibility with various rootstocks. All of the lemon selections are irradiated and described as seedless, except …
Grove-First Expands Search for HLB-Fighting Molecules
By Randall P. Niedz and Michelle Heck Grove-First is a collaborative research initiative developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS) scientists and partners to solve citrus greening (HLB) by evaluating potential treatments directly in the field. This direct-to-field strategy is based on the idea that only field testing can determine whether a treatment can rejuvenate HLB-infected trees …
Nearly $23 Million Awarded for HLB Research
The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA) announced May 28 it has invested nearly $23 million in 14 HLB projects in 2025. The projects seek to find solutions to combat and prevent HLB in citrus. The projects are part of the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program. The University of Florida is the only …
Millennium Block Research Update
Flavia Zambon, assistant professor with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, recently provided an update about Millennium Block research at the Indian River Research and Education Center. The block, established in 2019–20, is a large-scale, 5,500-tree trial seeking HLB-tolerant citrus varieties. Zambon says some varieties in the trial are showing strong fruit attributes without the need …
All In For Citrus Podcast, May 2025
The May All In For Citrus podcast features highlights from a recent OJ Break hosted by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Podcast host Frank Giles caught up with Michael Rogers, CREC director, during the event. Rogers summarized some of the information presented at the OJ …
Bridging the Gap to the Tree of the Future
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center hosted an OJ Break seminar on May 14. The speakers provided updates on developing a gene-edited citrus tree with resistance to HLB and how growers can use existing tools to mitigate the disease. Nian Wang, UF/IFAS professor, provided an update on the status of …
Alternate Bearing Affecting Cold-Hardy Citrus Production
Trees in the cold-hardy citrus region are expected to produce a low crop in 2025 following a massive crop in 2024. Mary Sutton, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist, believes the trees’ alternate bearing cycle will contribute to the decreased crop in 2025, especially for satsuma mandarins. “This alternate bearing pattern probably started in 2023. That …
Greening-Resistant Orange Tree Research Progresses
Researchers with the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) recently visited Brazil to discuss cooperative efforts with Fundecitrus to develop greening-resistant orange trees. The CIRAD researchers were Raphaël Morillon and Bárbara Hufnagel. CIRAD is an agronomic research and international cooperation organization for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions. CIRAD maintains a large citrus genomic database on …
Citrus Seminars Provide Research Updates
Researchers from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) delivered several presentations to a standing-room-only audience during the citrus seminars at the Florida Citrus Show in March. VARIETIES AND ROOTSTOCKS The citrus session began with a breeder panel discussing research on varieties and rootstocks. Participants were Manjul Dutt and Jude …
Alternate Bearing of Georgia Satsumas
Jake Price and Mary Sutton of University of Georgia Extension recently wrote an article about alternate bearing of satsumas in Georgia. Edited excerpts follow. Satsumas tend to alternate bear, which can be a problem in commercial production. The freeze at the end of 2022 contributed to the majority of satsuma trees in Georgia having a light crop in 2023. This …
All In For Citrus Podcast, April 2025
April is a busy month for citrus events. The Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute was held in Avon Park early in the month followed by a citrus field day at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SFWREC) in Immokalee. These events are the topic of the April episode of the …
HLB-Tolerant Varieties Available
Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc. (FFSP) has signed a licensing agreement with New Varieties Development and Management Corp. (NVDMC) to introduce new citrus varieties showing tolerance to HLB. The HLB-tolerant varieties covered by the agreement are: The collaboration also includes the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the Florida Department of Citrus. It aims to …
Funding Available for More CRAFT Plantings
The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation board of directors has approved the opening of a supplemental Program for Expedited Propagation (PEP) Solid Set Planting application window. The application link is live here. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on April 30. PEP projects must be solid-set plantings of scions released as part of the Florida Department of Citrus- …




























