Podcasts about citrus expo

A pest problem in citrus under protective screen (CUPS), heat stress guidance, and Citrus Expo news headline the July episode of the All In For Citrus podcast. Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers begins the episode with an overview of the seminars at this year's Citrus Expo. He said his University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus team will be presenting a full lineup of sessions on Wednesday, Aug. 18. Talks will fall under three sections — pathology, entomology and horticulture. While HLB research will be covered, Rogers said there is a lot more that will be addressed in all aspects of production. He hopes attendees will be able to walk away from the sessions this year with actionable tools that can help them stay productive. Next up, UF/IFAS entomologist Lauren Diepenbrock talks about an emerging pest in CUPS production systems. Chilli thrips are so small that they can fit through most screens. She said there are some unanswered questions about the situation, including where the pest pupates and why it isn't an issue in traditional production. Research has already begun, and Diepenbrock hopes to have some answers soon for growers who have invested in the high-cost system for fresh fruit production. Florida growers face threats from hot temperatures during the summer months. UF/IFAS Extension agent Amir Rezazadeh details how heat combined with little water can cause major damage to both trees and humans. He shares the key signs to keep an eye out for in groves when it comes to plants and workers. Wrapping up the episode is UF/IFAS Extension Program Manager Jamie Burrow. She brings the listeners back to the topic of Citrus Expo, where the UF/IFAS trade show booth will look a little different this year. The open space will feature hands-on, digital and physical information for growers. The booth will be more interactive this year, so growers can take home things they can use in the grove, along with the newly updated Citrus Production Guide. Listen to the July episode of the All In For Citrus podcast.

This month's All In for Citrus Podcast details the results and benefits growers are getting from the citrus nutrition box program. Before hearing from the coordinators of the program, Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers shares updates on key events coming up this summer for the industry. The first is the Citrus, Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo in North Fort Myers, Florida, on Aug. 18–19. Rogers says planning is quickly progressing for 18 citrus talks in the seminar program. His team is excited to be back in-person and looks forward to connecting with growers on the trade show floor. Soon after the Citrus Expo is the 60th anniversary of Citrus Packinghouse Day on Aug. 26. It will also be returning to in-person after a virtual-style shift last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rogers says the event is loaded with post-harvest research information and is also a great opportunity to socialize with fellow industry members. While in-person events are reemerging, Rogers says some of the online information will not be going away. He says the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus team saw great response to digital efforts and will continue to produce online content that growers can use on a daily basis. All of that information can be found on the UF/IFAS Citrus Research website. UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences and Citrus Extension Specialist Tripti Vashisth and Extension Program Manager Jamie Burrow have worked hard to coordinate the nutrition box program. It was one of the few services that continued through the pandemic. “This first year, so through the pandemic, we had over 70 participants,” Burrow says. “This year, as we start year two, we have over 90 different locations that are participating in the program.” Vashisth believes the customized information specific to a grower's environment is what makes the program popular. “We are taking into account all of the factors, and we put a lot of time into this,” she says. “I think growers are appreciating that, and they see the value and that the trees do respond when you take care of their nutritional needs.”

March's All In For Citrus podcast brings news of in-person events, details on controlling the vector of HLB disease, as well as potential changes to nutrient and water management recommendations. Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers begins the episode discussing several upcoming events for growers. On April 6, the Florida Citrus Growers' Institute will return as a virtual event. Rogers says the presentations will be focused on pest management this year, and participants can register online. Two other major events later this year are scheduled to be in-person again. The Florida Citrus Show has been rescheduled from earlier this year to May 12-13, and the Citrus Expo will be Aug. 18-19. Rogers reports that the Citrus Expo planning meetings have gone well, and all things point to having as close to a ‘normal' event as possible while maintaining COVID-19 safety precautions. Nabil Killiny, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor, shares the latest findings from his team's RNA interference (RNAI) research. He says they are using RNAI to attack the Asian citrus psyllid and limit HLB transmission from plant to plant. It is a three-pronged approach aimed at disrupting how the disease's bacteria attaches to the insect, how well the insect flies and how well the insect can tolerate pesticides. Killiny says the RNAI work could break the pesticide resistance seen in Asian citrus psyllids and increase insect feeding, making applications more effective. Davie Kadyampakeni, UF/IFAS assistant professor, concludes the episode with a few updates on soil and water management research. While some growers have tried deficit irrigation on HLB-infected trees, he says field tests have shown this practice significantly hurts the trees. Kadyampakeni is also taking an in-depth look at nutrient management. A project in its fourth year has identified three micronutrients that could be doubled, tripled, and in some cases even quadrupled, without toxicity issues. He says researchers have seen an increase in tree health and production with less fruit drop in some instances. Kadyampakeni's team also is looking at nitrogen levels to update recommendations to modern spacing practices.

July's All in For Citrus podcast episode focuses on online educational opportunities for growers as in-person events continue to get canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions.   Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers begins the program with an update on the phased reopening of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Rogers says more researchers are being allowed to return to their laboratories in a scaled-back manner while adhering to social-distancing guidelines. He says it's exciting to see some movement toward normalcy, but the health and safety of staff is the top priority. Faculty continue to move research projects forward, are providing new online educational opportunities, and remain available to growers when they have issues.   Tripti Vashisth, UF/IFAS assistant professor, describes how information normally presented at Citrus Expo will be made available to growers online. Vashisth was organizing the educational sessions prior to the cancellation of the in-person 2020 Citrus Expo. She says presenters are now in the process of recording their talks, which will be included in the virtual Citrus Expo debuting online Aug. 19-20. She previews some of the session topics and speakers on the agenda.   Citrus Expo is not the only digital education program UF/IFAS is developing. Five presentations from the 2020 Florida Citrus Growers' Institute, which was canceled back in April, are now available online. Citrus Extension Agent Chris Oswalt says the presentations have been approved for continuing education units (CEUs). Growers can find the information and how to apply for the CEUs at the 2020 Florida Citrus Growers' Institute webpage.

Listen to the June episode of the All In For Citrus podcast to hear a bit of breaking news as well as updates on two research projects with exciting potential. Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers learned just hours before the recording of this episode that the University of Florida was moving forward with the state's Phase Three of reopening from coronavirus restrictions. He describes what that means for the citrus agents and discusses some of their tentative plans for the 2020 Citrus Expo that, as of now, is still happening. Johnny Ferrarezi, assistant professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center, offers an update on the exciting Millennium Block research. The project looks at a variety of scion and rootstock combinations for grapefruit, tangerines and navel oranges. Although it's still too early to publish data, Ferrarezi says he already sees a lot of differences in growth between the combinations. UF/IFAS Assistant Professor Lauren Diepenbrock wraps up this episode with how she's helping growers start young trees off on their healthiest foot. Her research aims to make official recommendations for growers who are replanting trees in the face of widespread huanglongbing.

August's All In for Citrus podcast includes some exciting updates from the recent Citrus Expo! First, Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus Research and Education Center, summarizes the good grower responses that UF/IFAS has received regarding the seminar program at Citrus Expo. He discusses the new Hands-on session that attracted a full house on the second day of Expo. “They (growers) thought it was very worthwhile to stick around and participate,” he says. Finally, Rogers summarizes a new program he introduced at Expo, in which UF/IFAS will fund some nutrition sampling to encourage growers to conduct soil and leaf samples. Then, Multi-County Citrus Extension Agent Mongi Zekri discusses the effectiveness of tree covers on young trees in the fight against citrus greening. Zekri talks about the material of the tree cover, as well as if he thinks it's worth the extra cost for growers. Lastly, Ute Albrecht, a citrus physiologist at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, gives an in-depth look to her work with rootstocks. She talks about what rootstocks are and why growers should keep an eye on this work. She also goes over the presentation she gave at the recent Citrus Expo. If you could not make it to her presentation at Expo, listen to the August program to get up-to-date.

Researchers at the University of Florida's Citrus Research and Education Center are gearing up for the 2019 Citrus Expo! Get a sneak peek of what to expect at during the citrus program on July's All In for Citrus podcast. Also, growers will also hear an update on a recent pest alert on this month's program. Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus Research and Education Center, discusses new opportunities for growers to learn in interactions with researchers at Citrus Expo on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 15. He discusses numerous topics that will be addressed at each of several stations where growers will participate in “hands-on” activities. At the same time, researchers at round tables will talk with growers in “meet the specialist” sessions, he says. Citrus Expo educational seminars are addressed by horticulturist Tripti Vashisth, who is organizing the Aug. 14-15 citrus seminars. She lists all the presentations that will be made and reports in-depth on a talk she'll make Aug. 14 regarding fruit drop. She has found that fruit drop is heavily related to fruit size and says growers who improve fruit size with good irrigation and nutrition can reduce drop. Entomologist Lauren Diepenbrock provides a thorough update on the lebbeck mealybug, the latest citrus pest found in Highlands County groves in June. She discusses the potential heavy damage this pest can cause, immediate steps growers can take to reduce its spread, and possible long-term control measures. She tells who growers should contact if they suspect they have the lebbeck mealybug in their groves. Be sure to register for the 2019 Citrus Expo, happening Aug. 15-16 at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers, FL. All pre-registered growers will automatically be entered to win a John Deere gun safe courtesy of Everglades Equipment Group. The seminar schedule will be coming soon. Visit CitruExpo.net for more information or to register.

June's All In for Citrus Podcast is filled with updates on University of Florida citrus research First, Michael Rogers focuses on a recent Florida visit by some USDA administrators who make the decisions on how millions of dollars in Farm Bill citrus research money are allocated. He explains that the visit was very valuable for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture officials because they got to learn what research growers need, and what research is already being conducted. Following that, Kelly Morgan, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) director, gives listeners an update on citrus research happening at the center. Morgan was a guest on the first All In for Citrus Podcast in 2018 where he laid the framework of what was to come for the center in 2019, and this month he gives a break down on how those projects are going so far. Lastly, Ozgur Batuman, assistant professor of citrus pathology at SWFREC, talks about a project he's been working on since he came on the SWFREC staff in 2016. The project revolves around creating a robotic arm that can help citrus growers apply chemicals in their groves. He discusses the beginnings of the project and how it may be a game changer in growers' production systems. A reminder that grower registration for the 2019 Citrus Expo is now open! The Citrus Expo will be held August 14-15 at the Lee civic center in North Fort Myers, Florida. All registered growers will automatically be entered to win a John Deere gun safe courtesy of Everglades Equipment Group. Visit CitrusExpo.net to register and find more information.

May's All In for Citrus podcast gives growers the latest updates on everything citrus research. First, Michael Rogers, Citrus Research and Education Center director, focuses on recent media coverage, mostly negative, about antibiotic use in citrus. He talks about the safety measures in use for antibiotics, commonly referred to as bactericides, which many have used as a tool against HLB. He tells why the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has no guidelines for antibiotic use. Finally, he reminds growers to plan on attending Citrus Expo August 14-15 in North Fort Myers. Following that, listeners will hear from Scott Angle, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Angle took his seat as director in October 2018, and one of his first stops was to Florida. During the interview, conducted by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences communications team, he discusses some of the things he saw and his hopes for the future. Lastly, Arnold Schumann, professor of soil science at the Citrus Research and Education Center, reports on his 5 years of research into citrus under protective screen (CUPS) for fresh fruit. He says CUPS, used to exclude the psyllids that spread HLB, requires a different production system than conventional outdoor growing systems but offers excellent yield and fruit quality. Schumann discusses the startup and ongoing production costs for CUPS, and his optimism that growers can be profitable with CUPS. A reminder that pre-registration for the 2019 Citrus Expo opens on June 1. All pre-registered growers will automatically be entered to win a John Deere gun safe courtesy of Everglades Equipment Group. Join AgNet Media on August 14-15 at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers, Florida for another great gathering of citrus leaders.