By RUTH BORGER
LAKE ALFRED, Fla. — If information is power, Florida citrus growers have a new asset in their fight against citrus greening disease, which has been impacting the state’s multi-billion dollar citrus industry.
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences statewide citrus program launched a major revision of a website, providing instant access to a portfolio of information valuable to growers.
The website underwent a major revision, making it easier to navigate, adding new access to research trials, publications and presentations.
“We know growers are busy and don’t have time to search multiple sites for information,” said Michael Rogers, professor and director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Florida. “We put the most current research in one website where growers can search for and find what they need to be successful in today’s challenging growing situation.”
The new site includes special features of interest to growers including:
- Data from over 20 rootstock trials conducted by the UF/IFAS plant improvement team. Growers can review the data collected from the trials and compare data from sites across the state.
- UF/IFAS researchers share their ongoing research priorities in citrus economics, grove management, new varieties, nutrition/water management, psyllid management and root health.
- A resources section includes current production and nutrition guides and Extension documents (edis.ifas.ufl.edu) on citrus-related topics from 2016 to the present that are easily linked to from the website and are also presented by researcher for easy searching.
“This website is just one of the ways that the UF/IFAS citrus team is working to support growers with the latest science to best battle citrus greening. We are working to get this information directly to growers as soon as it is available so that they may be able to put it into action as soon as possible,” Rogers said.
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The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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