Following an extensive call for nominations, the Hass Avocado Board (HAB) named the recipients of its 20th Anniversary Recognition awards at the September Board Meeting and commemorated their service with a presentation and award recognition ceremony. The accolades acknowledge individuals for their outstanding commitment and achievements in “Making it Happen” for HAB by establishing and building the organization over the …

Thirteen UC Davis scientists or former affiliates are among authors from eight countries who contributed to research articles for the Journal of Economic Entomology’s Special Collection: Research Advances in Spotted-Wing Drosophila suzukii Management. The recently published Special Collection showcases 14 articles. Native to Asia, the agricultural pest is a worldwide threat to the berry production industry, which includes raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and cherries. The …

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Pacific Regional Field Office recently completed the California Mandarin Objective Measurement Survey. A sample of 293 Tango and W. Murcott Afourer Mandarin varieties were randomly selected proportional to county and variety bearing acreage. Results show an average fruit set of 596 fruit per tree and an average fruit size of 1.344 inches in diameter for …

The North American Raspberry & Blackberry Association (NARBA) will be gathering in person for their annual meeting to be held January 22-24, 2023, in Tampa, Florida. After two years of virtual conferences, the group will move the conference to the Sunshine State for the first time. The event will be held at the Hotel Alba Tampa. Visit the hotel website …

The initial 2022-23 California Navel orange forecast is 76.0 million cartons, up 19% from the previous year, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Objective Measurement Report.  Of the total Navel orange forecast, 73.0 million cartons are estimated to be in the Central Valley. Cara Cara variety Navel orange production in the Central Valley is forecast at 8.0 million …

As citrus growers in the west dreadfully anticipate the arrival of the citrus killing disease Huanglongbing, researchers in the already severely impacted state of Florida are making significant strides in learning how to combat this disease. Early results from a groundbreaking, large-scale citrus trial looking for solutions to the devastating citrus greening disease have given early hope for growers in …

Citrus growers may have a new tool to help them slow the presence of citrus greening in already diseased trees. While there is no cure for Huanglongbing (HLB), researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences found that injecting a benign Xylella fastidiosa EB92-1 bacteria biocontrol into infected citrus trees over a period of six years …

Through support from the USDA Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination Group (HLB-MAC) the Citrus Research Board (CRB) is initiating a California focused Citrus Research and Field Trials (CA-CRaFT) project. The overarching goal of CA-CRaFT is to demonstrate the effects of additional mitigations on Asian citrus psyllid control within commercial citrus groves across the various citrus growing regions in California. This project will …

The Pacific Regional Office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducts an acreage survey of California citrus growers as funding is available. The purpose of this survey is to provide bi-annual citrus acreage, which includes information on new plantings and removals. It is the continuation of a long series of industry-funded Citrus Acreage surveys. Resulting data reveals that …

The Olive Oil Commission of California (OOCC) Board of Directors has established a pre-season crop estimate of 1.8 million gallons for the 2022/23 season. The estimate is down significantly from the 2021/22 season when just over 3 million gallons were produced by OOCC members, who represent approximately 90 percent of California’s olive oil production. The Board also reviewed and adopted …