The Tropical Fruit Forum

If indeed it is a limb sport, it is interesting that the limb produced a variegated fruit, but has not produced even a single variegated leaf. I would tag that branch with a label, so I could watch it again next year to see if the variegation is stable. - Millet

brian, is correct (as he usually always is).   Flying Dragon (FD) the contorted growing variety of Trifoliate Orange is the variety commonly used as a root stock to produce dwarf citrus trees.  I have both a Clementine and a Cara Cara Pink Navel Orange that are grafted on FD root stock.  They are now mature grown trees, and both are only 9-ft. tall, thus fit nicely inside the greenhouse.  Flying Dragon when grown out as a tree, instead of being used as a rootstock, generally grow to 7 feet tall after 20 years. Rubidoux and Rich 16-6 are straight growing trifoliate orange varieties that are sometimes used as root stocks, and produce trees about the same size as trees grown on Carrizo (which are big trees).  In field trials Rubidoux and Rich 16-6  grew from 53 to 151% of the size of normal full size citrus trees.  Over all eight trials, the average tree size was 91% of that of most full size citrus trees. - Millet

Australian lemon growers are set for a highly lucrative season this year due to very strong domestic and international markets, according to one citrus producer.

Fresh Produce general manager of exports, Brian Charles, said the fruit would perform far better this year compared to other popular citrus fruits like oranges and easy peelers.

“The variety in Australia that is in massive demand at the moment, domestically and export, is lemons. The lemon market is very strong in Australia,” Charles said.

“There are a couple of reasons – obviously the American volumes have been affected by frost and drought, and it’s my understanding that the lemon market is just strong worldwide.”

California, one of the U.S.’s largest citrus producers, experienced devastating frosts last winter that led to an average crop loss of 30%.

Charles went on to say the high prices lemons were fetching was not a new trend, though they had been doing particularly well over the last year.

“Lemon returns in Australia have been good for a number of years, and in the latter part of last year and first half of this year they’ve been very strong,” he said.

Australia’s export prospects for other citrus types are reportedly looking good as well, although a warmer start to the winter this year has delayed color development.

“Normally at this time of the year we would have had several frosts which help bring out the color, and at the moment we’ve had no significant frosts,” Charles said.

“The overnight temperatures have actually been quite mild around 4-6°C (39 – 43°F) overnight, and I think since the start of May we’ve only had one night where the temperature was below 1°C (34°F),” Charles said.

Another citrus grower, Seven Fields, said the warmer weather would likely mean the industry would produce more class 2 quality fruit of some varieties, adding that sizing and internal quality should not be affected.

“We’ve had a very windy spring and an early summer last year, so Australia’s going to grow a lot of class 2 Navels, so externally there’s going to be a lot of blemishes of the fruit from Australia this year,” said head of marketing Brett Jackson.

Jackson also said he had noticed interest in Navels had been declining over recent years, while the popularity of other varieties had started to shoot up.

“The markets are all starting to shift steadily towards easy peelers and soft citrus over Navel oranges. Navels are getting tougher every year,” Jackson said.

Export markets

Charles said although Chile and South Africa were Australia’s biggest citrus competitors, the countries seasons peak in different months and last for different lengths of time.

“South Africa is significant competition during our winter months, which is June, July and August, but by late August they’re virtually done with their Navels and into things like Midknight Valencias,” he said.

“The best three months for Australian citrus up into Asia is September, October, November because we’re the only ones who have got Navels. Other Southern Hemisphere competition have moved on to Valencias by then.

“So those three months, particularly like second half of September, all of October, and the first half of November we basically have the whole world at our disposal because we’re the only ones who have got decent navels.”

Millet

Redster, be sure you do.  Our members would be very interested in your battle against canker. - Millet

Redster, If I was a grapefruit tree, I would want to be growing in your yard.  The best of luck to you and your tree. -Millet

I have purchased citrus trees from Phil  (Mr. Texas), all of them were excellent trees.  My Xie Shan tree came from Mr. Texas.  Lets hope he is allowed to sell out of state again. - Millet

California Citrus Mutual vice president Bob Blakely said he received official notification on Friday, and was very pleased that California citrus growers could regain China markets for citrus.  China was California's third-largest market until April, 2013.

“There was a delegation that came over and visited the California industry in the first week of July, to see what our industry was doing to satisfy their concerns, and in those meetings the language [of a protocol] was discussed and further refined, and agreements were made in principle,” Blakely said, adding the main concern was phytophthora root rot
He said clearer language was then put in place about how growers wishing to export ought to manage trees and the harvest to make sure the disease was not present in China-bound fruit.

After these agreements were agreed, he highlighted “the way was clear” for a market re-opening and official documents were signed. The first fruit would likely be sent in December, following the Navel harvest which kicks off in November. However, there would be some volumes of Valencia oranges and lemons ready to go now if shippers wished to ship them earlier.

“The market has been re-opened effective yesterday, and we’re very pleased to see this after such a long time out of the market, and that we’ll be able to send citrus again,” Cranney said.

“We’re looking forward to getting back a normal pace of trade with China.”

Millet
(Miscellaneous Fact) $395 billion sold in US agricultural products in 2013. A 33% increase from 2007.

Mike and Riverland , the points that you both have made might be true in Australia, I really don't know.  But well colored rind in the USA indicates high quality.  Growers in the tropics  have a very difficult time obtaining well colored oranges as there is not enough cool weather to degrade the green chlorophyll pigmentation.    Thanks for your comments. - Millet

Its true. When looking for any type of citrus, you have to check for fruits that are heavy for their size and category. You have to look for skins that are bright and colorful. It is best to avoid purchasing fruits that have bruises or have what is considered wrinkled skin, as this may be a sign that the fruit has been sitting at your grocer's for quite sometime.
Millet
Miscellaneous fact) - 0.4 percent of all American farms had agricultural sales of more than $5,000,000.00.  These farms produced 32 percent of the total value of all agricultural products sold.

Uruguayan citrus advisor Federico Montes told www.freshfruitportal.com that in September last year the country’s dream of opening up exports to the United States finally became a reality.

“Of the 63,000 [metric] tons of citrus exports to date, 5,200 were sent to the U.S., making it currently the industry’s third most important market,” Montes said.

He added that citrus exported to the North American country were sold under the brand ‘Uruguay Natural’, which was another point of the strategic plan, and he emphasized the importance of produce having a good image to consumers.

Millet
(Miscellaneous Fact): There are 969,672 female farmers in the USA.  That's 30 percent of all farm operators in the country.

I was cleaning my greenhouse and noticed a LOT of ants everywhere.  What is the best ant poison or ant bait for controlling. them.?

If every tree is not infected with citrus greening, we’re not far from it, it’s getting worse. There’s a little bit of hope on the horizon — antibiotics, tetracycline. We just don’t have them for citrus yet. Citrus growers have planted about 61,525 acres in Highlands County, and 12,083 are already diseased.  University of Florida and agricultural chemical manufacturers have been developing new antibiotic injections.  The antibiotics alleviate the bacteria in the tree, but growers don't want to say cure, because so far, there is no proven cure for the huanglongbing bacteria that circulates inside citrus trees.  Florida grower J. Norris said "we’re just losing more ground every day".  There is also injury on top of misery: when owners give up and abandon their groves, they lose the greenbelt exemption — lower property taxes on agricultural land. “I can tell you with a certainty that a lot of groves are being abandoned because of citrus greening,” McIntyre said. “All you have to do is drive around the county, and you can see the effect of greening.” - Millet

Brian, most citrus nurseries purchase their rootstock seed from large companies that maintain  groves of trees for the various types of rootstock seed that they market.  Following is the procedure that is commercially used by major companies that market Poncirus Trifoliate seed. You can adapt  from this.  The process of producing large volumes of rootstock seed includes harvesting the fruit at normal maturity, crushing the fruit in water, stirring the resulting mixture with pectinase enzymes at specified temperatures to separate the seed from the pulp, and washing out the seed.  The washed seed has its surface sterilized with 125-F water for 10 minutes, then dipped into a 1 percent solution of 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate (8HQS), then left to air dry on screens in the shade, and packaged in plastic bags.  When storing, it is important to leave these storage bags open initially until the seed equilibrate with the refrigeration temperature.  If the bags were closed before refrigeration, the undissipated heat and humidity may generate condensation inside the bags which promotes fungal pathogens.  Fresh used citrus seed has the highest germination percentage, however seed can be stored at 40-F for as long as 6 months with little loss of viability.  Seed stored at room temperature looses viability quickly.    NOTE: 8-HQS is just a common bactericide,  if you can't locate it, there are a lot of bactericides that can be used. Be sure that the medium that you plant the seed in, and the seed tray used are completely sterile .  Nurseries that purchase the seed and grow them out add dolomitic limestone to the seedling medium to maintain a pH of 6 to 7, plus controlled slow release fertilizers with micronutrients.  The seed is planted 1/2 inch deep.   Humidity maintained between 80 and 90%, temperatures are kept at 85-F.  Germination is further enhanced by pealing away the testa (outer seed coat).  Germination is further enhanced if the seed trays can be heated from the bottom to maintain the 85-F temperature in the media. Following the above procedures seedlings 2 inches tall with three leaves can be achieved within 10 to 14 days after planting, though it can take as long as 40 days for all the seed to germinate. - Millet