canker

The Search for Canker-Resistant Satsumas

Dan Citrus, Huanglongbing (HLB)/Citrus Greening, Research

Citrus canker, a highly contagious bacterial disease of citrus, was first detected in Louisiana around 1914 and declared eradicated by 1940. However, the disease reappeared in the state in 2013. Right now, there are no effective treatments to eliminate the disease after the infection has occurred. Adding insult to injury, Louisiana’s hot and humid climate is especially conducive to the …

nutrition

Nutrition Management Program Yields Results

Dan Citrus, Research

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers have found that following nutrition and irrigation guidelines designed for a specific grove will help growers promote tree health and produce high-quality citrus. Last year, UF/IFAS scientists offered Florida growers a unique nutritional counseling program, commonly referred to as the nutrition box program. It provides free soil and leaf …

field

Field-Testing Natural Compounds to Fight HLB

Dan Citrus, Huanglongbing (HLB)/Citrus Greening, Research

Field tests of numerous antibacterial products and plant-derived compounds are underway with the goal of eliminating the HLB-causing bacteria in citrus and reversing plant damage to restore tree health. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant root biologist Lorenzo Rossi discusses a new research project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of …

crdf

CRDF Selects Rootstocks for Trials

Dan Citrus, Research

The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) directors recently ratified the rootstock selections for the planned rootstock field trials and discussed the organization’s involvement in future research, CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler reported. The board ratified 10 rootstock selections for the new field trials, overseen by CRDF’s Select Committee on Plant Improvement. According to Dantzler, the field trials will evaluate the newest …

research

Research Projects on OJ Recommended for Approval

Dan Citrus, Orange Juice, Research

The Scientific Research Advisory Committee met on Jan. 21 to review recent updates from the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) and to review and recommend to the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) for approval of two new research proposals. The FCC serves as the FDOC’s governing board. Rosa Walsh, director of the FDOC Scientific Research Department, gave an update on the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines …

groves

Weed-Control Strategies for Florida Groves

Dan Citrus, Education, Research

Weed management is a key component of Florida’s citrus production. A warm, humid climate and frequent rainfall provide a favorable environment for weed emergence and growth in citrus groves. Steve Futch, a former multi-county citrus Extension agent for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, delivered a presentation during the 2021 virtual Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable …

citrus research

New Louisiana Citrus Research Facility

Dan Citrus, Research

The Arlene and Joseph Meraux Charitable Foundation have constructed a citrus research facility at Docville Farm in partnership with the Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter. The new facility, called the Center for Louisiana Citrus Innovation and Research, is in Violet, Louisiana. “This facility will be utilized to support Louisiana citrus growers as well as promote citrus and other specialty crops …

hlb

Huanglongbing (HLB): The Microbiome’s Role

Dan Citrus, Huanglongbing (HLB)/Citrus Greening, Research

Researchers Caroline Roper and Nichole Ginnan at the University of California, Riverside led a large research collaboration that sought to explore the microbiome’s role in HLB disease progression. Their recent article in Phytobiomes Journal, “Disease-Induced Microbial Shifts in Citrus Indicate Microbiome-Derived Responses to Huanglongbing,” moves beyond the single-snapshot view of the microbial landscape typical of microbiome research. Their holistic approach to …

citrus production

High-Tech Scouting in Citrus Production

Dan Citrus, Research, Technology

Traditional sensing technologies in citrus production for pest and disease detection and field phenotyping rely on manual sampling, which is time consuming and labor intensive. Since availability of personnel trained for field scouting is a major problem, small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with various sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) can simplify the surveying procedure, decrease data collection time and …

new research

Recommendations for Managing Fruit Drop

Dan Citrus, Research

This fall, many Florida citrus growers are experiencing heavy fruit drop, some even up to 50 percent. Tripti Vashisth, assistant professor of horticulture at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center, recently spoke on this topic. She discussed fruit drop during the first presentation of the new UF/IFAS OJ Break meeting webinar …