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Messages - fruitmentor

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1
Hi Everyone,

As part of my project to introduce new citrus varieties, I had the chance to taste the citrondarin, a very unusual citrus variety that came from the Soviet Union. It was suggested to be introduced by Juli Mallett, a reader of this forum, and I thank Juli for the suggestion. I visited a citrondarin tree at the University of California Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection, picked some fruit, and tasted it with a couple of volunteers and made a video about it.

With the video I am hoping to raise awareness for my project to introduce new citrus varieties (see my prior post). In the future I will publish more videos of the other citrus varieties that we tasted that day. If you have any varieties that you would like to see introduced, please let me know via the following survey, which should take just a few minutes:
Citrus Variety Introduction Survey


Here is the video:

http://youtu.be/VoBsEPL1jug

Please feel free to share the survey and the video elsewhere.

By the way, it had been thought that the citrondarin is a graft chimera but it is not clear that this is really the case. It may be a hybrid fruit rather than a chimera.

Thank you,
Dan

2
Hi Everyone,

I am working on the second year of a project to introduce new citrus varieties to California and I am hoping to introduce 10 new varieties.

I posted about my project here last year. Thank you to everyone who replied! I received some really great responses that helped with the project. Unfortunately the thread appears to have been deleted. It looks like the forum was subject to some sort of spam attack around that time and I suspect that the thread was deleted along with the spam. Based on the results last year, the introduction of a number of new varieties has been initiated through the CCPP.

This year I have set up a survey to capture the results here (it should take just a few minutes):
Citrus Variety Introduction Survey

Please take the survey if you would like to see some particular citrus variety introduced. It could be anything whether it be a variety from the Citrus Variety Collection or anything else that you are frustrated that you cannot grow.

And I am also happy to get responses from people outside of the U.S. as I hope to repeat this sort of work in Australia, Europe, and elsewhere in the future.

Also feel free to reply to the thread, but to be considered for the project it needs to be input to the survey.

Thanks everyone,
Dan

3
Citrus General Discussion / Re: 24 Excellent Citrus (YouTube) Videos
« on: April 11, 2021, 04:03:35 PM »
Hi Millet and W.,

Thank you for sharing those! I just posted another one that I think many will enjoy, but I will post it in a separate thread.

4
Sorry for reviving this old threat, but there are some misconceptions expressed in some of these posts that I hope that I can help to clear up.

Hobbyists smuggling budwood is actually one of the main ways that citrus diseases spread around the world. Also citrus pests that spread diseases also tend to ride on citrus budwood, so moving those pests can be a major problem if someone else has already smuggled the disease.

I interviewed some people from the California Department of Food and Agriculture last year. You can watch that video here:
CDFA Interview

One thing that I learned in that interview is that there are multiple strains of HLB in California that represent multiple smuggling incidents. HLB has not been found in citrus farms in California. This is a strong indication that the source of the disease is hobbyists who have smuggled budwood into the state. Here is an article on the first detection of HLB in California in a tree that was grafted by a hobbyist:
LA Times article

Japan has a major problem with citrus diseases and the country is unable to farm many types of citrus because of the disease issue. Among those diseases is severe stem pitting tristeza. Anyone considering smuggling budwood out of Japan would do well to understand this problem better and watch my recent video on citrus diseases:
14 Nasty Citrus Diseases

There is also a lot of good information in my recent interview with Georgios Vidalakis of the CCPP:
Interview with Georgios Vidalakis of the CCPP

I apologize that I have not been a regular on here lately. Everyone, please feel free to post my videos in threads like this. We all love to grow citrus but disease is such a major problem these days. It can be spread so easily by people who don't understand these issues.

Best regards,
Dan Willey

5
Hi Millet,
Thank you for posting this!

6
Citrus Buy, Sell, & Trade / Re: WTB: Vietnamese varieties of Pomelo
« on: January 12, 2020, 02:38:16 PM »
What varieties would you like to grow besides Nam Roi? I am working on new citrus introductions.

7
I attended the HLB conference in Riverside in March and went to the talk by Dr. Tim Gottwald on this technology. My understanding from the talk is that they first theorized that the dogs may have been detecting a reaction of the citrus tree to infection by the bacteria. They performed some experiments to try to figure out if the dogs were detecting a reaction from the trees or if the dogs were smelling the bacteria itself. Their experiments led them to conclude that the dogs were smelling the bacteria which is good news.

Here is a good article on the dog detection technology:
https://ucanr.edu/sites/scienceforcitrushealth/Research_Snapshots/Gottwald/

The article mentions that they are using infected trees and also "scent pads" with the scent signature of the bacteria to train the dogs.

8
Hi Everyone,

I just published a new video answering questions that people have asked via email and via YouTube comments:
https://youtu.be/gqyQZSKHyBQ

 I hope that you will enjoy the video. I did my best to make it interesting. I shot the video at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Lab in Sacramento where they are working to contain the spread of HLB in California. The video gives a bit of a tour of the lab including the 2-million-specimen CDFA insect collection.

Based upon a recent post here, a bit of background may help. When the Asian citrus psyllid was discovered in Florida, the inadequate response led to the rapid spread of HLB all over the state of Florida. Because the Asian citrus psyllid had existed for many years in South America as a minor nuisance because the insect was introduced without the disease, the authorities in Florida made the mistaken assumption that the insect would not be a problem in Florida. Unfortunately, some Floridians has smuggled budwood into the state from Asia where HLB is widespread. HLB infected trees were propagated from this imported budwood. When the insects hit those infected trees, the disease spread rapidly. Furthermore, citrus nurseries in Miami had no protection from the insect and shipped disease infected and insect infested trees all over the state of Florida, devastating citrus farms and making it very difficult for hobbyist homeowners to grow citrus because the trees die so fast.

Florida farmers responded with insecticides and were slow to remove infected trees.

California has learned from the disaster in Florida and is doing its best to stop the disease. There has been quite a bit of bad information coming out of Florida that has the potential to harm California citrus. One of the questions concerns is about a YouTube video from someone who calls himself "Uncle Matt". "Uncle Matt" is a farmer who shows the spraying of compost tea on citrus trees as a supposed remedy. The strategy has not worked out so well for "Uncle Matt" who now imports most of his juice from outside Florida. A recent article has pointed out that his acreage has been reduced from 485 hectares to 60 hectares.

Here is a recent article about a California farmer's approach to the problem of HLB, a decision that was helped by the disaster in Florida:
http://www.agalert.com/story/?id=13272

Best regards,
Dan




9
Citrus General Discussion / Re: 2nd New Video By Dan Wiley This One On HLB
« on: September 21, 2019, 05:21:00 PM »
Hi Millet,

Thank you for posting the video. If there were a treatment that really worked, it would be widely used in Florida. There are some promising new treatments in the works, but it will take a long time to develop them, see if they actually work, and obtain regulatory approval for them to be used in the field.

I am not sure that Florida is taking the right approach with its budwood program. I do not think banning the sale of certified budwood to homeowners solves their problem.

Best regards,
Dan

10
Citrus General Discussion / Ant Control
« on: August 24, 2017, 03:28:29 PM »
Hi Everyone,

I recently published a couple of new articles and videos on ant control. Ant control is very important for reducing the spread of huanglongbing in the citrus growing areas of the United States and elsewhere.

I think I may have posted a first draft of the video here last year. I felt that I needed to learn more and early this year met with a Ph.D. entomology student at the University of California, Riverside who is working on ant baits. I learned so much about Argentine ants and how to kill them and have included what I learned in the ant bait video. I hope that you will find it helpful.

The first article is on controlling ants with ant baits:
Killing Ants with Liquid Ant Baits

The next article is on sticky barriers:
Ant Control with Sticky Barriers

I posted this in another thread, but I think it is worth repeating here. In the panhandle of Florida there is still the opportunity to slow the spread of HLB. Here is a recent article from the University of Florida:
A Tiny Wasp to Fight the Asian Citrus Psyllid

Best regards,
Dan Willey

11
Citrus General Discussion / Re: Asian Citrus Psyllid Survival
« on: August 24, 2017, 02:52:11 PM »
I think the comment about psyllids "disappearing" is a bit misleading. They are very hard to spot. I heard last week that one of the big citrus growers from Florida who never saw a single psyllid in the grove was losing trees to huanglongbing. They may be around even without being seen. In the absence of ants on a citrus tree the psyllids may be controlled to a low level by natural predators.

12
I think the comment about 100% infection in Florida refers to commercial citrus in the southern part of the state. There is more hope on the panhandle and the tamarixia can help. Please see this recent article from the University of Florida:
A Tiny Wasp to Fight the Asian Citrus Psyllid

Best regards,
Dan Willey

13
Citrus General Discussion / Re: Rooting cuttings
« on: August 24, 2017, 02:27:31 PM »
I have been able to get it to work, but it was difficult. I am planning some more experiments. I wrote an article about it here:
Growing Citrus From Cuttings

Best regards,
Dan Willey

14
Citrus General Discussion / Rooting Citrus and Z-grafting
« on: October 05, 2016, 02:27:18 PM »
Hi Everyone,

I published a couple of new articles and videos on citrus propagation that I think you will enjoy.

The first is on Z-grafting of citrus. I tried the technique and found it useful for the case when my scion is bigger in diameter than the rootstock or target branch to which I would like to graft.

Step by Step article: Z grafting citrus
YouTube video: Z grafting citrus

The second is on growing citrus from budwood ordered from CCPP. It was the most challenging plant propagation I have ever attempted, but I finally got it to work with a good success rate. The step-by-step article includes the full details for those who may want to try it.

Step by Step article: Growing Citrus from Cuttings
YouTube video: Growing Citrus from Cuttings

I hope that you enjoy these!

Best regards,
Dan Willey

15
Citrus General Discussion / t-budding
« on: August 26, 2016, 06:39:16 PM »
Hi Everyone,

I published a couple more videos and articles, this time on grafting citrus with T-budding. I had originally planned to do only one, but I thought that my video footage turned out well and that they were different enough to make two examples worthwhile.

I hope that you enjoy them!

Grafting Lemon Trees by T-budding (video)
Grafting Lemon Trees by T-budding (step-by-step article)

Grafting Orange Trees by T-budding (video)
Grafting Orange Trees by T-budding (step-by-step article)

Best regards,
Dan Willey

16
Citrus General Discussion / Re: HLB stories
« on: August 26, 2016, 05:52:12 PM »
I agree that there are many more HLB infected trees in California. It is likely to be outside of the current quarantine zone. Many DNA tests of citrus tissue samples outside of the quarantine zone have indicated that DNA of HLB is present, but not at a high enough level to count as HLB positive according to the current testing scheme. Unfortunately the current HLB tests do not work very well.

17
Citrus General Discussion / Re: Citrus Patch Budding
« on: August 26, 2016, 05:44:12 PM »
I am glad that you all enjoyed the patch budding video.

An update on my patch budding:
The patch bud that I compared to a scion graft in the video overtook the scion graft and ended up growing much faster. The patch bud was on a larger diameter branch and was receiving good sunlight. So there are multiple factors to consider besides grafting technique.

I think that this patch budding technique is very easy and very useful and I will continue to experiment with it. I think the best technique will depend upon circumstances.

18
Citrus General Discussion / Fighting HLB by Controlling Ants
« on: June 12, 2016, 10:20:55 AM »
Hi Everyone,

In addition to the new video on patch budding, I also created a new video on ant control. This video will be especially helpful for Californians as it shows steps that citrus growers can take to fight back against HLB disease. California has imported parasitic wasps that are very effective at killing Asian citrus psyllids, the insects that spread HLB disease. The problem is that we also have a supercolony of Argentine ants that protect citrus psyllids from the parasitic wasps. The parasitic wasps do not work very well when ants are present on a citrus tree. So a concrete action that we can take to slow the spread of HLB and save our citrus trees is to control the ants on our citrus trees.

The ant control video can be found here:

Ant Control for Citrus Trees

Please let me know if you have any questions about the video. I plan to eventually split it into three other videos and I can address any common questions that I may have missed at that time. I had originally intended to make the ant video after I finished my series on citrus grafting, but thought it would be a very good thing to share now. I have been to some industry meetings that discussed the spread of HLB and the psyllid population in southern California. They are finding more and more trees infected with HLB and ant control is something that can be done now that will make a difference against the disease.

Best regards,
Dan Willey

19
Citrus General Discussion / Citrus Patch Budding
« on: June 12, 2016, 10:12:02 AM »
Hi Everyone,

I experimented with patch budding citrus last year and found that it worked very well. I understand that it is a popular technique in Spain and after trying it, I can see why. It is very easy and gives a high success rate. I wrote a new article and published a new video on YouTube. You can find them here:

Citrus Patch Budding (step-by-step)
Citrus Patch Budding video

I hope that you enjoy these!

Best regards,
Dan Willey

20
Citrus General Discussion / Citrus Cleft Grafting
« on: March 10, 2016, 04:31:46 PM »
Hi Everyone,

I have published a new step-by-step guide and also a YouTube video on cleft grafting citrus trees. I hope that you will enjoy them.

Grafting Citrus Trees - Cleft Grafting step-by-step

Grafting Citrus Trees - Cleft Grafting video

I am doing a series of these, so there will be more to come.

Best regards,
Dan Willey

21
For those in southern California in areas where eradication of ACP is no longer an option, there are some things that you can do to help short of using imidacloprid.

You can check your trees for psyllids. If you find psyllids, spray with soap or oil -- these do not harm the biocontrol efforts that are underway.

Argentine ants protect ACPs like they do other insects. If you keep the argentine ants off of your citrus trees, the biocontrol will be more effective. The parasitism rate is much higher when there are no ants on a tree. If there are ants on a tree, the psyllids have protection from the parasitic wasps.

22
Hi Everyone,

I have put together a new citrus bud grafting video and also a step-by-step guide to bud grafting citrus. The method that I am showing is the chip bud. I hope that you will find them helpful.

Here is the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1HSOy-3JGU

Here is the step-by-step guide:

http://www.fruitmentor.com/bud-grafting-citrus-trees

Best regards,
Dan Willey

23
Citrus General Discussion / Re: SorryI have not beeen on lately
« on: October 10, 2014, 06:28:06 PM »
Get well soon!

24
Citrus General Discussion / Re: can you root budwood?
« on: October 10, 2014, 06:26:58 PM »
Hi Joshua,

Last week I went to the annual conference of the California Citrus Nursery Society. I learned there that some commercially produced citrus trees are made with rooted rootstock cuttings, so your method definitely has potential. They have a carefully controlled environment with bottom heat and high humidity. They also use rooting hormone. It looks like you are doing everything needed for success. Good luck with your experiment. I look forward to hearing how your cuttings do.

Best regards,
Dan Willey

25
Hi Mark,

I wish that you could have joined one of the tastings and tasted those fruit for yourself. It is not like comparing grapefruit to each other. The flavors are so different that you do not need a refractometer to tell the difference. I like grapefruit and I have had some very good ones including fresh from the tree in Florida and California and store-bought ones from Texas. I prefer most of these pummelos and pummelo hybrids to grapefruit.

Most Americans only know about grapefruit and if any of these other fruit were to appear in a store, people would not buy them because they do not know about them. It is a shame. I believe that most of these that are grown in California are exported to Asia where people appreciate them and pay a premium for them.

Although some of these fruit are quite messy and I suppose inconvenient to eat, I still prefer them to grapefruit. Sometimes I find myself eating a Cocktail pummelo hybrid over the kitchen sink like a barbarian with the juice dripping everywhere. It is worth it for the taste.

I hope that you have the chance to try them. I also hope that I have a chance to try one of those perfectly-ripened Texas Rio Reds right off of the tree someday!

Best regards,
Dan

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