![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() For grapefruits, the fruit size is very important because it greatly affects the selling price.” “Our understanding of fresh fruit quality has been honed by our partnership with the Dundee Citrus Growers Association, which harvested and shipped our CUPS grapefruits and tangerines for the past two seasons,” Schumann said “Most importantly, fruit grown in CUPS should all be ready to sell, and our grapefruit and tangerine harvests have achieved 100 percent pack-out. Scientists focus on producing high yields with premium grades for the fresh fruit market. “During the past five years, we have learned much about optimizing horticultural practices and pest and disease management for red grapefruit grown in CUPS,” he said. The CUPS experiment at the Citrus REC has demonstrated that nearly all those harmful effects of HLB can be addressed, Schumann said. “HLB reduces profits for fresh citrus producers in many ways,” Schumann said “Production costs are higher due to increased needs to use pesticides and fertilizers, and fruit production is harmed by stunted tree growth, reduced fruit set and pre-harvest fruit drop, among other factors.” Currently the average yield for Florida grapefruit is about 166 boxes per acre per year, according to the USDA. In years 3 and 4, the CUPS grapefruit yields were 797 and 892 boxes per acre, respectively. That’s 525 boxes per acre per year on average, but Schumann notes that trees are less productive in the initial two years after planting. By December 2018, the trees had produced 2,100 boxes of grapefruits per acre, Schumann said. Researchers planted ‘Ray Ruby’ grapefruit trees in August 2014. Schumann is studying how well grapefruit grows in the 1.3-acre facility at the CREC.įour years of data show grapefruit that exhibit no signs of greening, Schumann said. In Florida, grapefruit production has gone down from 40.8 million boxes in 2003-2004 to 4.9 million boxes in 2018-2019, according to the USDA.Īrnold Schumann, a UF/IFAS soil and water sciences professor, leads the “CUPS” experiment at the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Florida.Īnd right now, he sees reason for optimism. They’re noticing higher grapefruit yields and no psyllids or greening.įlorida grapefruit production has been drastically reduced by citrus greening, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB). Infected psyllids can transmit the deadly greening disease to citrus. They’re trying to keep the dangerous Asian citrus psyllid away from citrus trees. UF/IFAS scientists and a few commercial growers have used the system, known as “CUPS,” or “Citrus Under Protective Screens,” for a few years. Researchers have worked for four years, growing grapefruit under protective screens on a 1-acre experimental plot of trees at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and they’re seeing encouraging results. Growers of one of Florida’s signature citrus crops, the grapefruit, may see more production and possibly less of the deadly citrus greening disease. ![]()
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