Need the latest nutrient recommendations for growing citrus in Florida? Find updates for nutrient best management practices in the December issue of Citrus Industry magazine. The article, by Kelly Morgan, Davie Kadyampakeni and Tripti Vashisth, details recently approved recommendations for secondary macronutrients and micronutrients. The new advice is based on University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) …
New Advancements in Herbicide Spraying
By Ramdas Kanissery, Yiannis Ampatzidis, Mahesh Bashyal and Shea Teems Weed control is vital for profitable citrus production since weeds compete for nutrients and water, can harbor diseases and pests, and get in the way of equipment and workers. Without proper management, weeds lead to reduced crop yield and economic losses. Chemical weed control using herbicides is the most common …
Peel Protection Key for Citrus Growers
Citrus growers producing for the fresh market should always ensure their fruit’s peel remains unblemished and without defect. This will protect the fruit against infection and consumers choosing not to purchase the fruit. Mark Ritenour, professor of postharvest technology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, spoke during the recent Cold-Hardy Citrus Field Day at the …
Display Day Draws Good Crowd
Fruit display days are an integral part of the citrus breeding process. The evaluations provided by participants give important feedback on the taste, appearance, texture and overall desirability of the fruit sampled whether it be for juice or the fresh market. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted a display on Nov. 14 at the …
Pruning Recommendations and Benefits
By Mongi Zekri Pruning is an important grove practice that increases sunlight penetration within the tree canopy. Sunlight enhances flowering, fruit quality and color development. Sunlight also allows foliage to dry quickly after a rain shower, which reduces problems of fungal diseases. Pruning trees can improve fruit quality and increase fruit size. However, tree response to pruning depends on scion …
Gibberellic Acid May Help Citrus Trees After a Hurricane
In the latest episode of the All In For Citrus podcast, ways to mitigate damage from Hurricane Ian are discussed by researchers from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). While extensively damaged trees are likely lost, those that experienced less damage can be helped in the recovery process. Tripti Vashisth, UF/IFAS associate professor of horticultural …
Groundcovers Promote Water-Use Efficiency and Pest Management
By Sandra M. Guzmán, Larry Duncan, John Santiago and Lorenzo Rossi The implementation of pest management technologies might have an impact on other management areas in the grove. Landscape fabric groundcovers, for example, have been used for pest management in citrus production. Groundcovers also recently have been used to promote the homogeneous availability of water for uptake by roots, better …
Post-Hurricane Weed Management
By Ramdas Kanissery Hurricanes and the associated flooding will impact weed management in the affected season and the following years. Weeds should be effectively managed after these severe weather events as weeds may take advantage of the reduced competitiveness of recovering trees. INTENSIFY SCOUTINGA critical step in weed management after hurricanes is to scout groves and note the emergence of …
Oswalt Earns Extension Mentor of the Year Award
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Of all the things Chris Oswalt has delivered for the citrus industry — weather data, freeze-protection advice, Extension programming — his most valuable contribution might be his mentorship of a new generation of citrus agents. GUIDING CAREERSYou likely wouldn’t have Danielle Sprague assisting a cold-hardy citrus association in North Florida were it not for …
Citrus Breeding Discussed During Field Day
The focus of citrus breeding at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) differs for fruit produced for the juice market vs. fruit for the fresh market. Citrus breeder Jude Grosser, a UF/IFAS professor of plant cell genetics, spoke during the Cold-Hardy Citrus Field Day at the North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy on …
$21.7 Million for HLB Research
Seven entities recently received $21.7 million to conduct research into combating and preventing HLB at the farm level. The funding is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension program. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) received the majority of the funding, more …
Two Types of EQIP Assistance Available
Florida agricultural landowners and growers with damages caused by Hurricane Ian can apply for emergency and general assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). NRCS can provide payments, through conservation program contracts, for EQIP conservation practices that address disaster-related resource concerns on agricultural land. NRCS is issuing EQIP early start …
Citrus Canker and Black Spot Management After Hurricane Ian
By Megan Dewdney The story of citrus canker in Florida is unfortunately linked to hurricanes. Canker spreads far and wide with the aid of the storms. Not only can the heavy rains and high winds move the bacterium among locations, but the winds cause wounds in the canopy. Ragged leaves, scoring of leaf surfaces, thorn scratches on branches and more …
Silicon Being Evaluated for North Florida Citrus
The element silicon, known to be beneficial to many plants, is being evaluated for advantageous effects on North Florida citrus and blackberries. Horticulturist Muhammad Shahid discussed the benefits of Earth’s second-most-abundant element (after oxygen) during a recent Cold-Tolerant Citrus Production Workshop in Perry, Florida. Shahid is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences assistant professor at the …
Changing Psyllids to Make Them Incapable of Spreading HLB
By Kirsten S. Pelz-Stelinski and Lukasz L. Stelinski Managing Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) remains a consideration for growers because psyllids transmit the citrus greening disease pathogen, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), to newly planted trees. There are several tools that can reduce psyllid populations or mitigate the symptoms of HLB and improve the health of infected trees. However, additional methods that …
Cold-Hardy Citrus Research Initiatives
The Fruit Crop Physiology Lab at the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Quincy is focused on developing a sustainable and profitable cold-hardy citrus industry in the southern United States. To do that, it is conducting research-driven Extension projects. The NFREC is part of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). The lab collaborates …
Growers Needed for UF/IFAS Tree Recovery Assessment
By Christopher Vincent Growers affected by flooding and high winds from Hurricane Ian have seen the immediate effects, but the stress to the trees will have longer lasting effects as well. It is not known how big these effects will be or how long trees take to recover. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers want …
Making Sense of Pesticide Formulations
By Brandon White 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. Have you ever wondered what the numbers or letters following the trade name of your pesticide stand for or why …
Post-Hurricane Disease Management Advice
Megan Dewdney, associate professor of plant pathology with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), joined the October All In For Citrus podcast to discuss Hurricane Ian and tips on disease management after the storm. Hurricanes weaken citrus trees and spread disease. “If a tree has a full canopy, the wind will put a lot of …
Fungi Controlling Whiteflies in North Florida
Entomopathogenic fungi have recently been seen attacking citrus whitefly and cloudywinged whitefly nymphs in North Florida citrus groves. Muhammad Shahid, Mujahid Hussain and Danielle Sprague, all with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), wrote about the “friendly” fungi in the October UF/IFAS Cold Hardy Citrus Connection newsletter. Shahid is a horticulturalist and Hussain is a …