A UF/IFAS digital seminar on citrus fruit drop is scheduled for February 16th and earn one continuing education unit (CEU).

Citrus fruit drop has hit Florida citrus growers hard this growing season, according to a Citrus Industry article, with some growers seeing up to over 50 percent of fruit dropped. A virtual UF/IFAS seminar on citrus fruit drop, presented by UF/IFAS researchers Tripti Vashisth and Fernando Alferez, will share information on citrus fruit drop, present possible strategies for reducing loses, and offer a question and answer segment for citrus growers to ask questions. The seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, February 16th, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. via Zoom. See the details below.

Seminar on Citrus Fruit Drop

Vashisth, who has been studying citrus fruit drop season to season, said “Fruit drop has been a big concern this harvest season. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done once the fruit starts to fall down. With this seminar we aim to provide the latest information to growers to make educated decisions in grove management to potentially minimize fruit drop.”

During the seminar on citrus fruit drop, growers will hear about:

  • The latest research on fruit drop.
  • New information about what causes preharvest fruit drop.
  • Strategies for mitigating the loses caused by citrus fruit drop.
  • How “the physiology associated with fruit drop on HLB-affected trees is an opportunity to use new tools that assist in controlling it and improving yield,” according to the article.

The seminar will wrap up with a round-table question and answer session where attendees can ask questions. Attendees can also use the seminar to earn one continuing education unit (CEU) for pesticide license renewal and/or one CEU for certified crop advisers.

Those interested in attending should register in advance for the seminar here. An email will be sent out to those registered with information on how to join the meeting.

Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.