From the Director 

Dear Friends,

Michael E. Rogers
Professor and Center Director
UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, Lake Alfred

Statewide Coordinator
UF/IFAS Citrus Research & Extension Programs

Finger Lime Symposium Planned for March 23     
                           

New context for understanding citrus greening renews commitment to finding a viable solution

Sometimes in science, a new perspective brings an “a ha!” moment.  That’s what one senior researcher at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences believes happened with his latest research on Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening....

UF/IFAS’ Nian Wang’s most recent research describes in detail how HLB causes damage to citrus trees and presents the case that HLB is a pathogen-triggered immune disease. A pathogen-triggered immune disease is a disease that results from the activation of an organism’s immune cells fighting a pathogen (a virus, bacteria, or parasite) that invades an organism, in this case, the citrus plant.

Citrus Seminar  

Wednesday March 23, 2022 in-person or Zoom citrus seminar

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Pre-registration is required.  No registration fee and lunch is free Thanks to Ricky Bass with Custom Ag Formulations, Inc.
 
Please do 1 or 2, not both

1. To reserve an in-person seat and have lunch, send an e-mail to Dr. Mongi Zekri at maz@ufl.edu
2. To attend via Zoom, click on this link: https://ufl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMud-mvrjIoH9WeOttUBGgr2wosYUVTJn76

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting on Zoom.
 
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM (Dr. Ute Albrecht)

Title: Citrus root structures and rootstock propagation methods

Summary: Recently, there has been some concern regarding the inferiority of roots in field-grown citrus trees and the possible association with the rootstock propagation method. This seminar will present an overview of the results from three years of field trials comparing seed-, cuttings-, and tissue culture propagated rootstocks grafted with Valencia. Detailed information on root structures from the nursery to the field will be provided and excavated root systems will be available for hands-on examination. The possible factors influencing root structures will be discussed.
 
10:45 AM – 10: 55 AM - Break
 
10:55 AM – 11:30 AM (Dr. Ute Albrecht and Leigh Archer)

Title: Trunk injection for delivery of HLB therapies
Summary: This presentation will provide information on the basic principles of trunk injection to deliver HLB therapies. Results from ongoing injection studies documenting the effects on tree health, pathogen reduction, fruit quality, and yield will be presented, and possible implications will be discussed.  
 
11:45 AM - Lunch
 
Location: UF/IFAS SWFREC Immokalee 
Speakers: Dr. Ute Albrecht, Assistant Professor, and Leigh Archer, PhD candidate, UF/IFAS SW Florida Research & Education Center, Immokalee
Coordinator: Dr. Mongi Zekri, Multi-County Citrus Extension Agent, UF/IFAS
 

The Florida legislative session is well underway in Tallahassee. The University of Florida hosted its annual Gator Day at the Capitol in February to remind lawmakers of all that the school does for its students and stakeholders. Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus Research and Education Center, and fellow citrus team members from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) made the trek to Tallahassee to showcase the importance of citrus in the state and the vital research being done on behalf of growers. Rogers discusses the trip in the February All In For Citrus podcast episode. He reports that free orange juice samples at the UF/IFAS booth were a big hit. 

UF/IFAS entomologist Kirsten Pelz-Stelinski also joins the podcast to share her research on the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and a new grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to further her study. The goal of the research is to use bacteria already present inside the ACP to manipulate the pest so it can no longer be a vector of the pathogen that causes HLB. The process is building on previous research Pelz-Stelinski and colleagues have conducted to manipulate the ACP. 

Growers will be interested to hear from Davie Kadyampakeni, a UF/IFAS assistant professor who details his new research on citrus nutrition. He has been studying the impact of macronutrients on yield, tree health and juice quality. Kadyampakeni also has been researching the importance of micronutrients like manganese, boron, zinc and iron. 

“We have seen tremendous success where we have increased the amounts of micronutrients,” Kadyampakeni says. “We are learning we need balanced and constant nutrition for these HLB-affected trees.”

Kadyampakeni says his research also is being applied to update recommendations for citrus nutrient applications that consider the impacts of HLB. 

To listen, click here.