First Fruits Consulting

Month: August 2019

28 Aug 2019
Post bloom Fruit Drop
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Plant hormone inhibitors for reducing postbloom fruit drop (pfd) of citrus

Hiu-Ling Liao, Huiqin Chen & Kuang-Ren Chung
University of Florida, IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center

Postbloom fruit drop (PFD) of citrus is caused by the fungus Colletotrichum acutatum. The fungus infects flower petals causing brownish lesions that result in young fruit drop, leaf distortion, and formation of persistent calyces (commonly called ‘buttons’) after the fruitlet drops. Previous studies suggested that an imbalance of plant growth regulators such as auxin, ethylene, and jasmonic acid in C. acutatum-infected flowers, may contribute to young fruit drop.

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28 Aug 2019
Satsuma
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Girdling increases carbohydrate availability and fruit-set in citrus cultivars irrespective of parthenocarpic ability

F. Rivas, M. Juan, V.Almela, M. Agusti
Departamento de Producción Vegetal, Cátedra de Citricultura, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.
E. Alos
Departamento de Citricultura, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias. Valencia, Spain
Y. Erner
Department of Fruit Tree Sciences. Israel

The effects of girdling performed at various dates were evaluated during two consecutive years in high- and lowbearing commercial orchards of ‘Fortune’ mandarin and ‘Clausellina’ Satsuma mandarin. The time-dependent response was evaluated through fruitlet abscission, final fruit-set and yield as related to carbohydrate contents in developing fruitlets. A few days after treatment, girdling increased the soluble sugars content (SSC) in fruitlets, reduced the daily fruit drop, and thereby diminished abscission. Application of girdling to low-bearing ‘Fortune’ mandarin orchards was most effective 15 d before anthesis (DBA) and 35 d after anthesis (DAA). It increased yield by 125%. In high-bearing orchards, the best results were achieved by girdling 35 DAA, which increased yield by 28%.

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28 Aug 2019
Cover crops
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Cover crops for citrus

Sarah Strauss, Davie Kadyampakeni, Ramdas Kanissery, Tara Wade, Lauren Diepenbrock and Juanita Popenoe
Citrus Industry

Cover crops are specific crops not intended for sale but for soil improvement and sustainability. They are increasingly common in the agricultural fields of the Midwest and other grain-producing regions because of the wide range of benefits not just for the soil, but also the cash crop. In those systems, cover crops improve water and nutrient retention, promote microbial activity, reduce weed growth and insect pests, and improve plant growth. Similar impacts have been found in tree crops like apples and peaches, where cover crops are planted in row middles.

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28 Aug 2019
Citrus
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Use of the Cover Crop Weed Index to Evaluate Weed Suppression by Cover Crops in Organic Citrus Orchards

Jose Linares, Johannes Scholberg, and Kenneth Boote
University of Florida, Agronomy Department
Carlene A. Chase and James J. Ferguson
University of Florida, Horticultural Sciences Department
Robert McSorley
University of Florida, Entomology and Nematology Department

Citrus is one of the most important crops in Florida. During the past decade, increased international competition and urban development, diseases, and more stringent environmental regulations have greatly affected the citrus industry. Citrus growers transitioning to organic production may benefit from premium prices, but they also face many challenges, including development of effective weed management strategies. Cover crops (CC) may constitute an environmentally sound alternative for improved weed management in organic systems.

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