Fort Pierce - Wednesday March 27, 2024: University of Florida citrus and vegetable researchers will present their latest scientific findings on food production at the 78th annual Florida Citrus Show on April 3.
The event takes place in Fort Pierce on the campus of the UF Institute of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Indian River Research and Education Center (UF/IFAS IRREC) which is located at 2199 South Rock Road, next to the U.S.D.A. Horticultural Research Laboratory.
A line-up of educational seminars is planned for the event which is being organized by agricultural production news leader AgNet Media, and co-sponsored by the UF/IFAS IRREC, and the Indian River Citrus League.
Citrus, vegetable growers and industry-agency members who want to attend can register with the sponsor, AgNet Media, at this link.
"Given that Indian River District growers are known to produce the world's peerless grapefruit, we demonstrate UF/IFAS's unwavering support and devotion to Florida's citrus industry and vegetable production by co-hosting the 2024 Florida Citrus Show," said IRREC Director Ronald Cave. "Florida is our nation's yearlong vegetable production source."
Expansions to the citrus show’s educational seminars will offer growers opportunities to hear from a panel of citrus growers on their techniques to manage citrus greening in their operations. Session leaders are IRREC professors and scientists Sandra Guzmán, an expert in smart irrigation and hydrology, and Mark Ritenour, an expert in post harvest technology. Also joining the panel will be Flavia Zambon, IRREC's new expert in citrus horticulture. Panel moderators will be Anna Mészáros, a UF/IFAS extension agent in commercial horticulture, and Erin Rosskopf, a USDA microbiology research leader.
"Presentations for the 78th Florida Citrus Show will address growers' most urgent needs and support their operations so that we may lead profitable food production operations that serve our nation with safe, nutritious and high-quality food," said Amir Rezazadeh, UF/IFAS multi-county tree crops extension agent.
Heritage citrus growers George Hamner Jr. and Pat Schirard and inventive rising producers Timothee Salin and Matt Machata will serve as panel members for a citrus production presentation moderated by Rezazadeh.
A second panel of leading citrus breeders will discuss new techniques and recommendations to advance crops that tolerate disease. Panel members will be UF/IFAS plant breeders John Chater and Jude Grosser. Representing the USDA will be Matt Mattia and Kim Bowman.
This year the vegetable session will have interactive table displays accompanied by IFAS educational talks covering producer needs in southeast Florida and new technologies available for vegetable production.
Educational talks will include:
· Trunk injection therapy performance.
· New therapies.
· Variety trials update.
· Water farm research updates.
· Sweet orange definition to offset HLB.
· Pectin extraction and characterization.
· Citrus IFAS fertilizer recommendations update.
· Post-harvest fungal disease management.
· Nanoparticles to enhance soil amendment performance.
Vegetable production sessions will include:
· Food safety update.
· Technologies and tools for vegetable production, including soil moisture sensors and drones.
· Weed ID and management.
· Nematode management by anaerobic soil disinfestation.
· Name that vegetable virus.
· T. parvispinus ID trapping, monitoring and management.
Prior to each session, attendees may visit interactive demonstrations of leading-edge irrigation technology and soil moisture sensors.
"The education sessions are well attended because the topics are chosen based on potential industry impact and presented within 10 minutes each to focus on the most important ‘take-home’ messages for each talk,” Ritenour said. "
For more information about the 2024 Florida Citrus Show educational sessions, contact Mark Ritenour, ritenour@ufl.edu, Sandra Guzmán, sandra.guzmangut@ufl.edu, or Flavia Zambon, f.zambon@ufl.edu.