An Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) sample – confirmed positive for Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the bacteria that causes Huanglongbing (HLB) – was collected from a residential property in the Fallbrook area of San Diego County. Confirmed by Citrus Research Board’s Jerry Dimitman Laboratory, this adult psyllid sample is the first CLas-positive ACP found in San Diego County.While the first confirmation of a CLas-positive ACP in …

Historically credited as being the first bacterium ever characterized as a plant pathogen, fire blight is a bacterial disease that leads to significant losses of pear and apple. The role of insects in the spread of this disease has been long studied. In a new study, plant pathologists based at Cornell University and Cornell AgriTech take a hypothesis that has …

University of Florida Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences – Florida citrus growers who face the most severe citrus disease in history notice how citrus trees under oak tree hammocks appear to tolerate the disease. Lukas Hallman believes oak trees may hold a compound that boosts the citrus trees’ ability to tolerate the disease. Hallman is a graduate student at …

Chew on this the next time you eat a blueberry: Every single blueberry is the result of a flower that was pollinated by a bee.  In other words: No buzz, no berry. With that in mind, it’s no wonder blueberry growers bring in hives of honey bees or bumble bees when their blueberry bushes are in flower. “We are big believers …

Blueberry growers across America today established a new coalition, the American Blueberry Growers Alliance, to seek relief from rising imports that are harming their businesses. The Alliance will provide information and support to an ongoing U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) investigation into the serious injury caused by increased imports of fresh, chilled and frozen blueberries under Section 201 of the …

New grants totaling $6.3 million will help UC Riverside solve problems facing American avocado orchards, including a lethal fungal disease called Laurel Wilt. Laurel Wilt can destroy an entire avocado orchard in a couple of weeks once symptoms develop. It is already present in Florida. Without effective treatments, it will inevitably spread to California, which is the nation’s leading producer …

Pear producers are turning to science in order to take a bigger bite out of the fruit market. U.S. pear production is only about one-seventh that of apple production. Reasons for this shortfall include relatively limited areas with a favorable growing climate; the large size of pear trees; and susceptibility to storm damage, climate change, and disease – particularly fire …

The United States will remain the largest exporter of fresh apples, pears, and table grapes to the Canadian market in marketing year (MY) 2020/21. FAS/Ottawa forecasts a five percent growth in Canadian apple production for MY 2020/21 with fewer weather-related challenges. A reduction in the marketed production of Canadian pears and table grapes is anticipated as a result of weather …

University of Florida researchers hope to discover new methods to help citrus growers fight the deadly citrus greening (or Huanglongbing) disease with cost effective, long-term sustainable treatments with the support of recently awarded federal grants.  Three teams of scientists from UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences received nearly $4.5 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture funds to study new …

On Nov. 10, the European Union (EU) imposed an additional retaliatory tariff of 25% on a range of U.S. agricultural products, including fresh blueberries (HS 0810.40.50) and frozen blueberries (those imported under tariff lines HS 0811.90.50 Vacinnium myrtillus and HS 0811.90.70 Vacinnium myrtilloides and Vaccinium angustifolium). This development will take the total EU tariff on U.S. fresh blueberries to 28.2%, …