A Guide to Safe, Effective Pesticide Use

Josh McGill CEU, Pesticides

By Danielle S. Williams Editor’s note: This article grants one continuing education unit (CEU) in the Core category toward the renewal of a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services restricted-use pesticide license when the accompanying test is submitted and approved. Pesticides are vital tools in agriculture that help protect crops from pests and diseases. Pesticide use must be managed …

UF/IFAS Educational Programs at Expo

Josh McGill Citrus Expo, Education

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus researchers and Extension staff will provide multiple educational programs at the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo Aug. 16–17. The event will be held at a new location this year — the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Attendance is free to growers, but registration is required. UF faculty and staff …

Controlling Clustered Pellitory Weeds in Groves

Josh McGill weeds

Ajia Paolillo and Ramdas Kanissery with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) wrote in an Extension newsletter about clustered pellitory, a recently established weed in citrus groves. Paolillo is a multi-county citrus Extension agent. Kanissery is an assistant professor specializing in weed science.    Clustered pellitory is native to Florida and other areas in the southeastern …

Land Grant Research Prioritization Act Introduced

Josh McGill Legislative, Research

U.S. senators from Florida and Georgia have introduced legislation authorizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make priority research grants available for land-grant universities. The grants would fund research and development of agricultural applications of artificial intelligence (AI), advanced mechanized harvester technologies, invasive species control and aquaculture. The senators who introduced the Land Grant Research Prioritization Act are Marco …

Silicon Recommendations for Citrus

Josh McGill Cold Hardy, Nutrition

A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher recently wrote an article about silicon that included recommendations for its use. The article by Muhmmad Shahid, assistant professor of horticulture, appeared in the UF/IFAS Cold Hardy Citrus Connection newsletter. Silicon’s benefits may include improved yield, a strengthened root system and tolerance to abiotic stress, including cold. Excerpts …

Grower-Friendly HLB Research Summaries

Josh McGill HLB Management, Research

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) provides research directed at overcoming the devastating HLB disease and protecting the nation’s citrus industry. Since 2014, NIFA has funded approximately $200 million for HLB research projects.  Many HLB-related NIFA project one-page summaries are now easily accessible and written in a grower-friendly language and format on the …

Accelerating Citrus Breeding Efforts

Josh McGill Breeding

By John M. Chater Professors Jude Grosser and Fred Gmitter have been breeding improved citrus varieties at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) for decades. Over time, they have released several of their advanced selections. Many of these selections are sweet oranges. There is a subset of these creations …

Nutrition and Irrigation Role Reinforced for HLB Trees

Josh McGill Irrigation, Nutrition

In a virtual seminar for growers on July 19, Davie Kadyampakeni reinforced that optimal, balanced nutrition and frequent irrigation can improve HLB-affected citrus trees, yield and fruit. Kadyampakeni is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. NUTRITION“Citrus fruit yields, juice quality and canopy size …

march

All In For Citrus Podcast, July 2023

Josh McGill All In For Citrus Podcast, Citrus Expo

The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo is fast approaching, scheduled for Aug. 16–17 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. The event is the subject of the July All In For Citrus podcast. Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center, previews the presentation he will be giving …

Rossi Selected for Leadership Training

Josh McGill Education

Lorenzo Rossi, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor, has been selected to train in the American Society for Horticultural Science’s Leadership Academy. Rossi leads a team of 15 associates who perform research to support high-value crops, including citrus, at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce. He was selected for …

Capitalize on Cooperative Research

Josh McGill Research, Tip of the Week

By Larry Duncan The growers advising the Citrus Research and Development Foundation understand very well the importance of cooperative research projects between growers and scientists. Several years ago, they earmarked a portion of research funding, not for carefully managed laboratory experiments or small plot trials at state, federal or private research centers, but rather for grower-run trials testing potential HLB …

Stress Factors and Hurricane-Damaged Trees

Josh McGill hurricane

By Syed Bilal Hussain, Rachel Gearhart, G. Zeng Michalzcyk and Christopher Vincent Hurricane Ian in 2022 caused significant damage to Florida citrus groves. Even groves that experienced only Category 1 winds have begun to decline as the weather has warmed. Signs of canopy decline include branch dieback and leaf drop. Branches with new growth are also experiencing leaf drop. These …

Grapefruit Rootstock/Scion Research Update

Josh McGill Grapefruit, Indian River, Research

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers Mark Ritenour and Flavia Zambon recently provided an update on a large field trial. The project is called Evaluation of Potential HLB Tolerant Grapefruit Rootstock/Scion Combinations in the Indian River District of Florida. A summary of their update follows:  The project started as a collaborative effort between the UF/IFAS …

Hurricane Preparedness for Citrus Groves: Part Two

Josh McGill hurricane, Tip of the Week

By Mongi Zekri, Robert E. Rouse and Jonathan H. Crane Growers can prepare for the damaging winds from a hurricane or tropical storm by ensuring that their equipment is working and ready to go. SECURE SUPPLIESTanks containing fuel, fertilizer and other materials should be kept full, so they do not move in the wind and rain and to ensure that …

Greasy-Green Research Update

Josh McGill Diseases, Research

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers Megan Dewdney, Mark Ritenour, Liliana Cano, Eva Mulandesa and Monty Myers recently provided an update of their greasy-green disorder research. Excerpts follow from the Indian River Citrus League’s River Ramblings publication: “Greasy green” is a term applied to fruit that develop what appears to be greasy spot rind blotch symptoms …

Recovery Will Require a Multipronged Management Program

Josh McGill HLB Management, hurricane, Production

By Michael Rogers The 2022–23 Florida harvest season is now behind us. Yield losses magnified by the weather events this past season position the next couple of years as “make or break” for many growers. The lingering effects of hurricane Ian will impact next season’s crop as trees continue to recover and balance out canopy regrowth with fruit production. Despite …

Hurricane Preparedness for Citrus Groves: Part 1

Josh McGill hurricane, Tip of the Week

By Mongi Zekri, Robert E. Rouse and Jonathan H. Crane Growers look forward to the rainy season because it helps their young trees grow fast and their mature trees produce good crops. However, along with the anticipation of the rainy season, there is also the reality that tropical storms or hurricanes may bring too much rain and wind, causing devastations …

HLB Lessons Learned From Nepal

Josh McGill All In For Citrus Podcast, HLB Management, International

Citrus is grown in many different regions across the globe. Some of those places look very different than the Florida landscape. But that doesn’t mean growers in different regions can’t benefit from learning about how others grow their fruit. That was the message from Christoper Vincent, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor of environmental …