In November, academia from around the world gathered in Jeju, Korea, for the 2024 International Citrus Congress. A contingent of researchers from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) attended the event.

Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, was among the attendees. He discusses the trip in the November episode of the All In For Citrus podcast. Rogers describes citrus growing on the island of Jeju. There’s about 54,000 acres of citrus grown there with annual production of about 15 million boxes. There is no confirmed presence of HLB on the island.

HLB was a major topic of discussion during the event. Water availability was also a focus of the presentations. Many citrus production regions are facing water shortfalls. This is expected to get worse as the climate changes and more demand is put on water supplies.

Brazil is one of those regions dealing with water availability. The country’s last crop was reduced by about 20% due to drought stress. Brazil also has seen a spike in HLB infection rates, which is forcing growers to plant new groves north of the current main growing regions.

Mohammad Shahid, UF/IFAS assistant professor of horticulture, also joined the podcast to provide an update on the cold-hardy citrus region. Production continues to expand in the area with some 7,000 to 8,000 acres of citrus.

Also in the November episode, Flavia Zambon discusses a field day hosted at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce, Florida. The field day featured a tour of the experimental Millennium Block, which is evaluating HLB tolerance of various rootstock/scion combinations. The block is one of the largest trials for HLB tolerance in grapefruit.

On Oct. 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Some key citrus-growing regions felt impacts from the storm. While damage was spotty, fruit loss was significant for some. Now, the waiting game is on to see how much more fruit drops from the stress to trees caused by the storm.

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) quickly organized a webinar after the storm to provide growers with information about resources available to rehab trees and seek financial assistance. The webinar is the topic of the October All In For Citrus podcast.

Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), shares highlights of the webinar and gives updates on what he was hearing and seeing in groves after the storm. He also discusses how CREC facilities and groves made it through the storm.

Chris Oswalt, UF/IFAS citrus Extension agent for Polk and Hillsborough counties, talks about the path of the storm and how it impacted various citrus-growing regions. He says the storm had a large wind field with 70 to 80 mph winds reaching well inland across Florida. He also draws some comparisons between Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Ian, which struck in 2022.

Tripti Vashisth, UF/IFAS associate professor of horticultural sciences, joins the podcast to provide guidance on the use of plant growth regulators to help reduce the amount of fruit drop in the wake of the storm. Applied in a timely manner, 2,4-D can reduce delayed fruit drop that could be caused by Milton.

To learn more about Hurricane Milton damage and resources available to help growers, don’t miss the October episode of All In For Citrus. The podcast is a partnership between UF/IFAS and AgNet Media.

Mark Ritenour, professor of postharvest technology with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), joined the September episode of the All In For Citrus podcast to provide a recap of Packinghouse Day. The event was held Sept. 12 at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred.

Based at the Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce, Ritenour has worked with UF/IFAS for 26 years. Much of his research has focused on the fresh fruit industry. That is also the focus of Packinghouse Day, which marked its 63rd year in 2024.

Ritenour said despite the sharp contraction of the fresh citrus segment in recent years, Packinghouse Day has maintained a loyal following of growers, packers and stakeholders who value the meeting and the opportunity to get together with industry peers.

The educational program touched on a wide range of topics. Scott McClure, with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, informed growers and packers about the services the agency offers to help prepare for food safety audits and other audits.

The meeting also addressed movement of fruit between states.

“There are agreements between Florida, Alabama and Georgia on the movement of fruit, but you must contact your respective departments of agriculture (and get clearance), along with preharvest grove inspections to get certificates to harvest the fruit and transport it across those boarders,” Ritenour said. “The good news is you can do it, and there are procedures in place (to accommodate the movement).”

There was a presentation from Paul Mears of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the phytosanitary requirements of key export markets for fresh citrus. Other topics addressed included disease management and requirements to avoid the potential of pest movement in shipments. Ritenour discusses these presentations in the podcast.

A highlight of Packinghouse Day was the John T. Lesley Award of Excellence presentation. The honor was first presented in 1981 to John T. Lesley for “recognition of an individual for outstanding leadership and service on behalf of the Florida fresh citrus industry.” This year’s winner is Lindsay Raley Jr. of Dundee Citrus Growers Association.

Also in the podcast, Michael Rogers, CREC director, provides a rundown of a busy slate of citrus events planned for this fall. Don’t miss the September episode of All In For Citrus. The podcast is a partnership between UF/IFAS and AgNet Media.