In the last decade, Florida citrus has been devastated by the Asian citrus psyllid. Since 2005, this non-native insect has spread a bacterial disease (citrus greening) throughout the citrus industry in all Florida and now to Alabama, Texas, and California. The economic loss has been estimated by the University of Florida to be well over …
Researchers are Working Together to Remodel the Citrus Genome in Hopes of Fighting HLB by ERIKA ALDRICH If you’re a scientist associated with the citrus industry, your efforts are likely geared towards finding a workable solution to huánglóngbìng (HLB), otherwise known as citrus greening. If your research also happens to have applications in other areas …
Piecing Together the Puzzle of the Citrus Genome Read More »
Farmer Encourages Fellow Growers to Apply for Tree Assistance Program (TAP) and Replant Ask anyone in the business and they will tell you: making a living in the citrus industry is not for the faint of heart. Growers have battled Mother Nature throughout history, struggling to stay in business after experiencing damages left by …
Tree Assistance Program Taps into Industry Needs Read More »
FLORIDA’S CITRUS INDUSTRY has suffered significant losses due to citrus greening since the bacteria was detected in a South Florida grove in 2005. Annual harvest numbers have fallen year after year while the costs to maintain a grove in the face of HLB has doubled. The question has long been, “How long can the citrus …
Citrus industry’s clock is ticking; researchers working to find a solution in time Read More »
WHILE GREAT CHALLENGES continue to beset the Florida citrus industry, a greater sense of optimism could be found among the growers and state officials who attended the 2016 Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference in Bonita Springs last month.
FLORIDA CITRUS GROWERS are in dire need of new orange trees, and two new early UF/IFAS-created Valencia orange varieties have the interest of nurseries and growers. Citrus greening, or HLB, has infected an estimated 80 percent of citrus trees in Florida groves, according to a survey conducted by UF/IFAS in April, and replacing dead or …
Two CREC professors map out how certain varieties could hold the key to more HLB-tolerant citrus trees FOR THOSE IN THE FLORIDA citrus industry, some say it’s the 11th hour. Citrus harvests are down 70 percent and a survey revealed an 80 percent rate of tree infection throughout Florida. However, the quest to find a …
Is the quest for a remedy to citrus greening near completion? Read More »
IF YOU KNOW where to find it, if you know how to access it, and if you meet certain qualifications, government funds are available to help your citrus operation. For that matter, government funds, at both the federal and state levels, are available to help a wide variety of agriculture-related enterprises.
Article sponsored by Southern Citrus Nurseries, 5600 Lake Trask Road, Dundee, FL 33838 863-439-3694 • www.TreeDefender.com Southern Citrus Nurseries of Dundee develops tree cover for young citrus trees THOMAS “TOMMY” THAYER, JR., AND SCOTT “SCOTTY” THOMPSON, the creators of The Tree Defender, have an analogy they like to share when they talk about their innovative …
The best defense is a good offense — with The Tree Defender Read More »
TWO FLORIDA SCHOOLS are continuing their part in fighting against (and protecting Florida’s citrus industry from) HLB, or citrus greening — the University of Central Florida and the University of Florida.
