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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “UF/IFAS”
Chilli thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis) has been documented in Florida since 1991. This pest has a history of impacting ornamentals, some vegetables, grapes and berry crops. Most recently, chilli thrips has affected citrus, but only in nurseries and in citrus under protective screens (CUPS). Feeding damage includes death of young flush (Figure 1), leaf damage on expanded flush that results in …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center hosted a May OJ Break educational seminar. Ute Albrecht, UF/IFAS associate professor of plant physiology, spoke during the event and gave an update on oxytetracycline (OTC) therapies being applied in citrus groves over the past two seasons. She gave a summary of research she …
In 2022, the Florida Legislature allocated $8.7 million in funds to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) to update nutrient recommendations for several specialty crops, including citrus. In some cases, it had been decades since the recommendations were updated. The case was made that it was time for nutrient recommendations for citrus that consider new …
By Lukasz Stelinski, Eric Roldan and Kirsten Pelz-Stelinski Use of antibiotics in fruit production is not a new idea, but it has only recently been applied on a larger scale in Florida citrus. The initial labels for huanglongbing (HLB) treatment with antibiotics in Florida citrus were approved in March 2016 in response to significant economic losses caused by HLB. Antibiotics …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center hosted an OJ Break seminar in mid-May. Topics included management of nematodes, results of trunk-injection therapies and the use of cover crops in citrus. Larry Duncan, a UF/IFAS professor of nematology, presented research findings on the impact of sting nematodes in citrus. He provided …
Late spring and early summer are busy times for University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus scientists. They are out in the field preparing new research projects for the coming season and assessing data from ongoing projects. Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, discusses some of that work during the May …
Florida growers are well into their second application of oxytetracycline (OTC) trunk injection as the 2023–24 season winds down. The results of the first application made last year are becoming somewhat clearer, but there’s still more to observe and learn about trunk injection. Ute Albrecht, associate professor of plant physiology with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …
By Ute Albrecht and Larissa Nunes Citrus growers who injected oxytetracycline (OTC) last year most likely experienced sectoring, which is the appearance of some portions of the canopy looking considerably healthier than the rest of the tree. RECENT RESEARCH In a recent trial in a commercial citrus grove, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers injected …
Florida citrus growers are all too familiar with the fallout from hurricanes in recent history. In 2017, Hurricane Irma came up the spine of the state causing an estimated $760 million in damage to the citrus industry. Then in 2022, Hurricane Ian took an even more direct path over key citrus-production areas causing another $247 million in losses, according to …
At a recent finger lime field day, horticulturist Tripti Vashisth reported that most citrus rootstocks do well with finger limes. She said that Volkamer lemon and X-639 create the most vigorous trees, and that they and US-812 seem to be promising rootstocks for finger limes. Vashisth is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor …
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professors Ute Albrecht, Ozgur Batuman and Megan Dewdney recently wrote Suggested Use Pattern of Injectable Antimicrobials for Huanglongbing (HLB) Management (April 2024). They emphasized that the document is not an official UF/IFAS recommendation but is based on the labels for antimicrobial products ReMedium and Rectify. Some key suggestions in …
A pair of panel discussions during the citrus seminars at the Florida Citrus Show gave growers the opportunity to engage with experts on top-of-mind topics. BREEDER RECOMMENDATIONS The citrus seminar program started with a discussion among citrus breeders moderated by Flavia Zambon, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor at the Indian River Research and …
Finger limes are liked by consumers and might be marketed to high-end food outlets, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers reported recently. Speaking at a finger lime field day April 24 at the Citrus Research and Education Center, UF/IFAS data management analyst Fredy Ballen offered take-away messages from consumer/market research on the UF/IFAS-released SunLime finger …
By Maegan Beatty In mid-April, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted the 9th annual Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma. The conference examines critical policy issues facing agribusiness leaders and provides economic insights. Participants heard from policymakers, key stakeholders and expert researchers on the farm …
It was a dry April in most of Florida’s citrus-production areas. That means irrigation is vital to keep HLB-infected trees adequately watered. The drier months of the year from February through May are when flowering and fruit set are occurring. If trees are stressed due to water deficit during this time, they are more likely to suffer fruit drop and …
By Amir Rezazadeh 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. The primary pesticide handling tasks are mixing and loading. These are also the most harmful aspects of pesticide application. Because …
By Larry Duncan Prior to the introduction of citrus greening disease in Florida, certain conventions applied to the occurrence and impact of diaprepes root weevil in groves across the state. The abundance and damage potential of this major pest were greatest in some Flatwoods habitats, such as parts of the inland East Coast where newly planted trees sustained major damage. …
Muhmmad Shahid and Shahid Iqbal recently provided advice on planting cold-hardy citrus in Florida. Shahid is an assistant professor of horticulture/fruit physiologist, and Iqbal is a postdoctoral scholar in horticultural sciences, both at the University of Florida North Florida Research and Education Center. Edited excerpts from their article in the Cold Hardy Citrus Connection follow: BEFORE YOU PLANT Properly planting …
While the recent Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute presentations focused mainly on HLB, other topics were addressed, including phytophthora root rot. This disease has become more problematic in recent years. Megan Dewdney, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor of plant pathology, spoke on the topic. She noted that phytophthora already is a complex problem and that …
Only a few Florida commercial citrus growers were on hand for an April 24 finger lime field day at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Most of the more than 40 attendees did not own citrus groves, and about half were women — definitely not the standard crowd for a CREC event. Those in attendance had …
