Source: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA submitted to
CITRUS UNDER PROTECTIVE SCREEN (CUPS) FOR HLB MANAGEMENT
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1014743
Grant No.
2018-70016-27387
Project No.
FLA-CRC-005675
Proposal No.
2017-08537
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
CDRE
Project Start Date
Jan 1, 2018
Project End Date
Dec 31, 2023
Grant Year
2018
Project Director
Schumann, A. W.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
G022 MCCARTY HALL
GAINESVILLE,FL 32611
Performing Department
IFAS
Non Technical Summary
Citrus greening or Huanglongbing (HLB) disease makes it virtually impossible to profitably grow citrus with conventional methods. Proof of concept studies in UF/IFAS showed that high yielding trees can be grown under protective screen structures for fresh fruit production by completely excluding the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri) and therefore HLB disease. In partnership with UF/IFAS research and extension, many Florida fresh citrus growers are rapidly adopting "Citrus Under Protective Screen" (CUPS) to ensure viable, sustainable supplies of high quality fresh citrus for Florida packing houses and consumers while keeping the U.S. industry competitive in the world marketplace. CUPS are also being implemented in California where HLB is increasing at an alarming rate. Research/extension activities proposed in this project focus on improving CUPS by developing efficient, automated detection methods for ACP incursions, integrated pest management with biocontrol, horticultural methods such as selective canopy management, hydroponics and sensor-based irrigation, suitable varieties and rootstocks to boost yields, and a comprehensive economic analysis. Extension/outreach activities are integrated into every research activity, most notably by conducting research with growers in their own facilities. CUPS is a readily available technology that can be immediately adopted by growers to revitalize the Florida citrus industry and prevent the California citrus industry from reaching a similar stage of decline and consolidation. CUPS may reduce insecticide use and further improve premium HLB-free fruit marketability by providing consumers with lower pesticide residues than equivalent outdoor fruit, and with less impact on the environment.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
60%
Developmental
20%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
20509201060100%
Knowledge Area
205 - Plant Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
0920 - Orange;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems);
Goals / Objectives
The proposal goal is to develop new technologies to improve sustainable fresh citrus production with CUPS and provide strong data evidence that this approach is an economically viable near-term alternative to grow HLB-free citrus. Specific objectives of this proposal are:Objective 1: Integrated pest and disease management. Hypothesis: CUPS screen selectively excludes ACP and therefore HLB disease, but allows entry of smaller pests (e.g. thrips, mites, scales), and diseases (e.g. greasy spot, citrus canker), requiring unique integrated pest management (IPM) guidelines and novel tools for management.Objective 2: Robotic machine vision with artificial intelligence (AI) to improve pest and disease scouting. Hypothesis: Camera-based scouting with artificial intelligence will allow every tree in the CUPS to be frequently examined for pests and diseases, and ensure earliest detection of ACP incursions through doorways.Objective 3: Scion and rootstock selection for CUPS. Hypothesis: High fruit yields and quality of preferred varieties for the fresh market are most profitable. Dwarfing rootstocks and self-pollinating, heat-tolerant scions are essential for high-density plantings in the pollinator-free, hotter CUPS environment.Objective 4: Horticultural improvements to maximize premium-grade fresh fruit production in CUPS. Hypothesis: The high cost of the CUPS screen house which is essential to prevent HLB, can be offset by new horticultural advances that will generate revenue with the highest quantity and quality of fruit for the fresh market.Objective 5: Evaluate the economic feasibility of fresh citrus production using different practices within CUPS under different market conditions in both Florida and California. Hypothesis: The optimal implementation of CUPS will contribute to the profitability and sustainability of fresh citrus production in HLB-affected citrus regions by excluding the ACP while increasing yields and quality of fruit.Objective 6: Develop decision support guidelines for CUPS. Hypothesis: Industry awareness and education is key for acceptance of CUPS as a solution to citrus production under HLB disease pressure. The extension and outreach program will focus on stakeholder's training and education and provide guidelines and recommendations for growing citrus undercover.
Project Methods
Research/extension activities proposedin this project focus on improving CUPS by developing efficient, automated detection methodsfor ACP incursions, integrated pest management with biocontrol, horticultural methods such asselective canopy management, hydroponics and sensor-based irrigation, suitable varieties androotstocks to boost yields, and a comprehensive economic analysis. Extension/outreach activitiesare integrated into every research activity, most notably by conducting research with growers intheir own facilities.Obj-1) Evaluate the efficacy of Neutral Electrolyzed Water (NEW) as an on-site generated chlorine sanitizer to suppress fungal and bacterial pathogens in the tree canopy (overhead spray) and irrigation system / pot / root system (chemigation). Evaluate biological control solutions for thrips, mites, mealy bug, scales in the CUPS (e.g. entemopathogenic fungi, predatory mites and insects).Obj-2) Robotic machine vision scouting platforms will be developed and compared with traditional manual scouting methods for pest and disease detection accuracy and efficiency.Obj-3) Selected scion and rootstock combinations will be tested to evaluate long-term horticultural performance and health of the trees in CUPS.Obj-4) Hydroponically-grown potted citrus trees offer dramatic advances in tree size control, and precocious early fruit bearing (680 boxes/acre in year 2), but need longer-term testing to develop guidelines for growers. Precision sensor-based control of fertigation, enhanced pruning, use of different shading structures and colors, and nutritional and hormonal foliar applications will be evaluated to maximize yields.Obj-5) Perform a cost-benefit analysis from excluding the ACP with CUPS to prevent HLB. Cost-benefit analyses will follow for new technologies such as robotic scouting, large-scale sanitation, improved horticultural practices.Obj-6) On-site demonstration for visiting growers. Annual field days, years 1-4. Publish annually revised guidelines on CUPS, integrating research outcomes and the current knowledge base.

Progress 01/01/18 to 12/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Citrus Growers, Grower Associations, Packing Houses, Students, Scientists, Agricultural Investors, Extension Specialists in Florida and Crop Advisors in California. The target audience is basically anyone who is directly or indirectly impacted by the HLB disease. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided multiple opportunities for post-doctoral training and internships, and graduate student research and training. Professional societies like the ASHS organized pre-conference tours to our CUPS, and a large CA citrus company toured our CUPS with >30 visitors to provide training. Details of professional development for post-docs, students and interns were provided in the previous (annual) reports. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We created a comprehensive project website at https://www.makecitrusgreatagain.com/CUPS.htm The website contains videos of CUPS, including a CUPS Field Day, our scientific publications on CUPS,a comprehensive list of news articles from 2018 to 2023,links to CUPS seminars archived on YouTube, and additional links to relevant CUPS resources and contacts. Additionally, we used field days, presentations at scientific conferences, citrus industryseminars and workshops, personal site visits, phone calls, emails, podcasts, magazine articles and a smartphone app to reach stakeholders. Articles, presentations and workshops were listed under Products and Other Products in years 2018 to 2023. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The previous five annual reports (2018-2022)provided details of project activities by objective. In this final (2023) report, we will focus on outcomes and impacts. The UF CUPS project beganin 2014, and the SCRI-CDRE funding was from 2018 to 2023. By end of 2023, there were >1,200 acres of commercial CUPS in Florida, producing profitable premium-grade fresh citrus. Hundreds moreCUPS acres are being established in Florida, and research-scale CUPS have been built in Louisiana, Texas, and California. Our research CUPS was proved profitable well before 10 years, as documented in the comprehensive economic analysis provided in the 2022 report by Singerman. We estimate that stakeholders in Florida have investedmore than $60 million in CUPS technology. To our knowledge, it is the only technology developed to date that allows profitable production of completely healthy HLB-free fruit in HLB-endemic regions. Another significant beneficial impact of CUPS is that the screenhouse technology also defeats citrus canker, another serious unsolved disease in Florida and other Gulf states. Control is achieved because canker relies on windblown rain to spread, and the CUPS structure reduces the energy of windblown rain like a very effective windbreak does. Certain other destructive arthropod pests like citrus leafminer are also effectively excludedby the CUPS screen houses. Commercial CUPS growers have reported annual yields that are 4 to 5 times higher than conventional grove yields, starting as early as 2.5 years tree age. When grown conventionally,full citrus production only kicks in after 5 years. More than200 Florida citrus growers have benefited from CUPS research, accelerated by this CDRE project started in 2018. The Dundee Citrus Growers Associationlaunched a new CUPS fruit trademark called "Eco-Grown", and a new CUPS-grown grapefruit name "Florida Rubies". http://dun-d.com/citrus-under-protective-screen/. A new CUPS construction company was also formed https://pmcitrus.com/. •Ten years after CUPS research began(2014-2024) there is still no cure for HLB but CUPS research funded by FDACS-SCBG and SCRI-CDRE has achieved its goals of providing Florida growers with a profitable interim solution. A Land Grant Impact Statement about CUPS was published on the APLU database in 2021: https://nidb.landgrantimpacts.org/impacts/show/5359 "Citrus Under Protective Screens help protect state's signature crop from Asian citrus psyllids". Objectives were substantially completed as documented in the previous five years' reporting. Objective 2 (Robotic machine vision with artificial intelligence (AI) to improve pest and disease scouting)is the only objective that was not fully accomplished with outcomes and impacts in the project time period as originally intended. Instead of using robotics,we implemented the machine vision scouting in the form of an AI-enabled smartphone app to diagnose citrus leaf symptoms:https://www.makecitrusgreatagain.com/CitrusDiagnosisHome.htm. The app has more than 2,500 registered users growing citrus all over the world. The robotics platform for objective 2 might be developed in future when the limitations of GPS navigation under tree canopies and screen houses are solved.

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Singerman, A. (2023). Economic Analysis of Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS). Final report for CDRE project. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1akg28ohbjnk03v1pr4ht/CUPS-Final-Economic-report-20230215.pdf?rlkey=qi4inj95t02tb6llqx4r9s2fy&dl=0
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Doker I., E. P. Demard, S. J. Bolton, J. A Qureshi (2023). Description of Neoseiulus hexaporus sp. nov. and a redescription of Neoseiulus mumai (Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) from Florida citrus groves. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 116 (4) 225-234. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saad015.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Demard, E. P., J. A Qureshi (2023). Prey suitability and life table analysis of Amblyseius swirskii and Amblyseius aerialis (Parasitiformes: Phytoseiidae) on Panonychus citri (Acariformes: Tetranychidae) and Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Acariformes: Eriophyidae). Biological Control 182, 105232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2023.105232.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Demard, E. P., I. Doker, J. A Qureshi (2023). Species assemblage, abundance, and distribution of Phytoseiid mites (Parasitiformes: Phytoseiidae) in Citrus Under Protective Screen. Journal of Economic Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toad214
  • Type: Other Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2024 Citation: Al-Shami S. A., J. A Qureshi (2023). Leptomastix dactylopii Howard (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae): parasitoid of mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). EDIS Accepted. In copyediting
  • Type: Other Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2024 Citation: Al-Shami S. A., J. A Qureshi (2023). Coccophagus lycimnia (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae): parasitoid of soft scale pests (Coccidae: Hemiptera). Accepted. EDIS In copyediting
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Qureshi J. A. (2023). Protected production systems for managing Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) and implications for citrus pest complex. Symposium Protected Culture IPM: Controlling Pests from Within. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, National Harbor, Maryland, 5-8 November 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Al-Shami, SR., J. A. Qureshi (2023). Detection of Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) using three sampling methods in citrus grown in protected and traditional systems. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, National Harbor, Maryland, 5-8 November 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Qureshi J. A. (2023). Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tactics for control of Asian citrus psyllid and citrus pest complex. Symposium Detection and Management of Invasive Species in Florida, Annual meeting of the Florida Entomological Society, Jupiter, Florida, 30 July-2 August 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Al-Shami, S. AR., J. A. Qureshi (2023). Florida red scale Chrysomphalus aonidum (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) infestation and parasitism by Aphytis melinus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) in Citrus Under Protective Screen. Symposium Biological Control of Invasive Species in Florida, Annual Meeting of the Florida Entomological Society, Jupiter, Florida, 30 July-2 August 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Qureshi, J. A., S. Al-ShamiR, X. Chen (2023). Predation capacity and functional response of metallic blue ladybeetle Curinus coeruleus (Mulsant) on Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama. Symposium Biological Control of Invasive Species in Florida, Annual Meeting of the Florida Entomological Society, Jupiter, Florida, 30 July-2 August 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Qureshi J. A. 2023. A decade of psyllid suppression and strategies with newly developed and conventional chemicals. Florida Citrus Growers Institute, Avon Park, 4 April 2023. Invited
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Cano, L., & A, S. (2023). Enhancing nutrient uptake and grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) growth through soil applications of beneficial bacteria species (Bacillus spp.). UF/IFAS CREC Research Symposium. Lake Alfred, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Cano, L., A, S., Wang, N., & Strauss, S. (2023). Exploring Sustainable Solutions to Reduce Fungal Disease Impact on Florida Citrus Grown in CUPS. Paper presented at the ASHS, Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Cano, L., & Schumann, A. (2023). Fostering Citrus Growth: PGPR & Mycorrhiza Paper presented at the ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Krajewski, A., Ebert, T., Schumann, A., & Waldo, L. (2023). Managing Fruit Splitting in Florida Citrus. EDIS, 2023. Retrieved from doi:10.32473/edis-ss716-2023
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Schumann, A., Singerman, A., Ritenour, M., Qureshi, J., & Alferez, F. (2023). 20232024 Florida Citrus Production Guide: Citrus under Protective Screen (CUPS) Production Systems: CPG ch. 21, HS1304/CMG19, rev. 5/2023. EDIS. Retrieved from doi:10.32473/edis-hs1304-2023


Progress 01/01/22 to 12/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Growers, Students, Scientists, Agricultural Investors, Extension Specialists in Florida and Crop Advisors in California Changes/Problems:The subcontract for CUPS research to be conducted by UCR at the Lindocove Research and Education Center relied on construction of a new 5-acre CUPS structure and planting of nursery trees. Unfortunately after 5 years (2022) the Lindcove CUPS structure was not yet ready for planting and their subcontract was terminated. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?(Ritenour) The project Co-Pi Dr. Ritenour visited the commercial citrus production area where the trials were installed. Donald Davis and Andres Gonzalez participated in the project and learned about the basics of the CUPS system. Emilie Demard Ph.D. student presented her research findings at the IX Symposium of the European Association of Acarologists and VI International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods, British Columbia, Canada. Graduate student was nominated for the IOBC early career researcher award which was awarded. Dr. S. Al-Shami postdoctoral researcher presented his research work at the Annual meetings of the Florida Entomological Society, Entomological Society of America (ESA) and Southeastern Branch of the ESA. Presentations included pest and beneficial organisms' activity and management relating CUPS. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Publications, meetings, workshops, and presentations are listed under products. There is also a CUPS project website listed under products, with links to CUPS news articles that were distributed to communities of interest. A citrus diagnosis appication was further developed and supported to help stakeholders identify leaf symptoms with an AI-based smartphone app. Personal visits by PIs to commercial CUPS sites and reciprocal visits by growers to the project research CUPS occurred throughout the year. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Objective 3: Scion and rootstock selection for IRREC CUPS: Tree size measurements, leaf and soil nutrient concentration determination, and HLB diagnostic will be performed. Objective 4: Horticultural improvements to maximize premium-grade fresh fruit production in CUPS What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Conduct experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of entomopathogens, other biological control organisms and chemicals on pests of concern. Monitor the populations of pests including Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and others in the CUPS and open-air production systems. Work with the stakeholders on the pest recognition, detection, and management through protected structures. Work on research and extension publications to share the findings and knowledge with stakeholders. New Directions: Presentation at the Florida Entomological Society meeting on pesticide degradation rates in CUPS. Manuscripts in progress (almost finished): "Canopy management of citrus with special reference to under-cover production systems". The publication is intended to be submitted to either the Journal 'Agronomy', or to Horticultural Reviews. AK worked on amendments to this paper on the following dates: October 4, 5; November 9, 10, 16, 17, 18; December 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, and 28. Citrus fresh-fruit quality and its improvement" by Krajewski, Ebert, and Schumann . The latest manuscript was sent (December 23rd) to the co-authors for final comments before submission to a suitable peer-reviewed journal (probably 'HortTechnology'). "Managing fruit splitting in Florida citrus" was submitted as an extension publication. Revisions have been sent to the editor and we are waiting for acceptance. Tasks still to complete: The new sub-objective of this IPM objective 1 using biofungicides (rhizosphere Bacillus spp.), described above, was created in 2022 and has already produced excellent results. In 2023 we plan to repeat some of the experiments in our research CUPS and to start large-scale demonstrations of the biofungicides with the commercial CUPS growers that we collaborate with. Continue the new sub-objective investigating pesticide chemical degradation in the unique CUPS environment in order to develop preliminary guidelines. 1.1 Monitoring of pests: Some pests such as Florida red scale, Caribbean black scale or mealy bugs were recently observed in the CUPS at very low levels and additional data on their occurrence as well as parasitoids that attack those pests will be collected in 2023. The information will be useful for implementing biological control in the CUPS. Several important parasitoids were already identified from the CUPS such as Aphytis spp. attacking Florida red scale and with some additional information an article on the interactions of this pest parasitoid complex will be published. We have already collected enough data on the incidence of Asian citrus psyllid, citrus leafminer, thrips and their natural enemies and those manuscripts are being prepared and require additional time for publication in the refereed journals in 2023. 1.2 Pest management: We have evaluated several naturally occurring as well as commercially available predators against Asian citrus psyllid, thrips, mealybugs, citrus leafminer for their survival and performance against these pests including Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, Rhyzobius lophanthae, Curinus coeruleus, however, some experiments need to be repeated and in relation to temperature in the CUPS. These experiments will be conducted and papers published in 2023. In 2023, we will also conduct experiments to evaluate the efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi such as Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium brunneum, and Cordyceps fumosorosea against Asian citrus psyllid and other pests such as citrus leafminer and thrips which were also observed in the CUPS. Implementation of such products in CUPS will be needed in the long run to reduce the use of conventional insecticides which will likely become common for pest maintenance in the CUPS. This work was proposed in the original project and need to be finished. 1.3 We have also started working on the preparation of EDIS documents and at least two focused on the Coccophagus lycimnia (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) parasitoid of soft scale pests Coccidae (Hemiptera) and Leptomastix dactylopii Howard (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) parasitoid of mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) will be published in 2023. These parasitoids were identified from the CUPS and will be useful for management of scales and mealybugs. Objective 2: Robotic machine vision with artificial intelligence (AI) to improve pest and disease scouting The goal of this research is to develop a robotic scouting platform that can discover pests in a CUPS 24/7, with similar or better detection capabilities than human scouts. We completed two battery powered prototypes of the scouting vehicle, one with solar panels for greater independence. A prototype automatic insect trap using machine vision and AI was completed to conduct the insect attraction, classification, and counting for electronic scouting reports. Progress of the insect detection and trapping system was reported at the FSHS and national entomology meetings. Tasks still to complete: Due to the delays from COVID and supply chain delays getting components of the system, the vehicle navigation / guidance system and the integration of the automated insect trap with the vehicle needs additional time to completely test in the lab and field. Since the open-source AI models used to detect insects are constantly evolving and improving, we will update the system with the latest Yolo7 models and retrain with our existing image database. Finally, we will conduct field testing of the integrated system in the CREC CUPS. Objective 3: There are still loose-ends like the fruit splitting problem with Early Pride that we need to conduct additional research to solve. There are also dozens of other commercial and new experimental citrus varieties that we have not completely tested. Some of them are in our CREC and IRREC research CUPS (see letter from Dr. Ritenour), and some are being evaluated in the commercial CUPS of grower cooperators. There are some outstanding candidates that need additional time, at least one more year, to make informed decisions on. The long-term performance of our CREC and IRREC CUPS plantings will also be important to record for one more year, which will be year 9. Objective 4: The new urgent sub-objective involving fruit splitting needs to continue for another year to establish the possible benefits of using properly timed applications of PGRs 2,4-D and gibberellic acid to strengthen the fruit peel, close the open navel, and thus reduce fruit splitting before harvest. Objective 5: Grower magazine articles and a presentation at the annual Citrus Expo were made showing preliminary economic analysis including NPV of a CUPS enterprise. The full analysis will be conducted next year when we have collected 8 seasons of yield data over 9 years. Dr. Singerman, the economics PI, has committed to complete and publish the full economics analysis for Florida CUPS in 2023. Unfortunately due to lack of progress in California, their specific situation cannot be included at this time. Objective 6: We have plans to publish additional extension articles in EDIS and industry magazines in 2023. A final field day is also planned for 2023, preferably in a large commercial CUPS. Field visits to support the stakeholders and educational seminars will also be ongoing in 2023.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? (Qureshi) Objective 1: Integrated pest and disease management Monitoring of pests Monitoring was conducted for pest and beneficial organisms using sticky traps, pheromone traps, suction, visual and tap sampling techniques. No psyllids were detected in CUPS except a few adults on yellow sticky cards in one of the CUPS (Table 1). Detection of psyllid in CUPS was very low averaging 0.16 adults per sticky card Aug-Oct (0.08-0.25) compared to 2.07 per sticky card Jan-Dec (0.50-6.25) outside (Table 1). However, no infestation of ACP was observed in the trees inside CUPS. Other pests recorded in the CUPS included citrus leafminer (CLM), mites (citrus rust mite, citrus red mite), thrips, scales, and mealybugs and maintenance sprays were conducted for their control. Several species of predatory mites were recorded from the CUPS as well as the open production systems and we are working on their descriptions or redescriptions and publication.? Pest Management CUPS provide more than 80% reduction in the citrus leafminer (CLM) populations compared to the populations observed outside. This year CLM incidence was very low. Few were observed in May and June and populations did not increase to high levels. We have already reported on the incidence of its parasitoids Ageniaspis citricola and Pnigalio minio which contribute to its biological control. It seems that Aphytis spp. a parasitoid of Florida red scale (FRS) for which we observed parasitism rates of 25% also continue to contribute to the mortality and reduction of this pest and this year we did not observe increase in FRS populations. Additionally, releases of two commercially available generalist predators Sympherobius barberi and Orius insidiosus were made in the CUPS. The maintenance sprays were also performed in the CUPS. Experiments were initiated to test the non-target effects of Dimethoate, Agrimek, Movento, Danitol and Micromite against the parasitoid Tamarixia radiata and ladybeetle Curinue coeruleus Objective 6: Develop decision support guidelines for CUPS. Knowledge and findings of pest monitoring and management as well as of biological and chemical controls were provided to the stakeholders through growers and crop advisors meetings such as Citrus Show and Certified Crop Advisor training as well as other state, national and international meetings. Such knowledge was also provided to stakeholders through industry magazine, EDIS and AgNet Media. (Ritenour) Objective 2: Robotic machine vision with artificial intelligence to improve pest and disease scouting 2.4: Large-scale commercial testing of robotic scouting platforms To be tested in year 6 after technology is developed by the other project participants. Objective 3: Scion and rootstock selection for IRREC CUPS : Trees planted Spring 2020 were measured for tree size, HLB incidence, and nutrient concentration. Scion and rootstocks evaluated: 'Early Pride' on US-942, 'BB-4' on US-897, 'W. Murcott' on UFR-17, 'Minneola' on Kuharske, 'UF-950' on US-897, 'Dancy' on UFR-4, 'Nules Clementine' on UFR-4, 'Bingo' on US-942, 'Ray Ruby' on Sour Orange, 'Ray Ruby' on US-897, 'Ray Ruby' on Kuharske, 'Ray Ruby' on UFR-6, 'Ray Ruby' on UFR-17, 'UF-914' on US-942, 'Navel '56-11'' on UFR-17, 'Kinnow LS' on UFR-17, 'UF Sunrise' on UFR-17, 'FF-1-75-55' on UFR-17, 'Tango' on UFR-17, 'Page' on UFR-17, 'UF Glow' on UFR-17, 'C4-15-19 (DPI-435-C4-15-21)' on UFR-17, '5-1-99-2 Pummelette (DPI-435-5-1-99-2)' on UFR-17, '1420' on UFR-17, '1424' on UFR-17, 'Persian lime' on Rangpur lime, 'Mandarin DPI-435-0117' on UFR-17, 'Mandarin UF 304' on UFR-17, 'seedless Murcott clone (DPI-435-18A-10-47)' on UFR-17, 'Mandarin DPI-435-304-4-16' on UFR-17, 'Cybrid Dancy (DPI-435-KW-5-7)' on UFR-17, 'Red grapefruit N11-7 (DPI-435-N40-16-11-7)' on UFR-17, 'Cybrid #304 (DPI-435-304-4-16)' on UFR-17, 'Low-seeded cybrid "Furr" 1 (DPI-435-A-32.5)' on UFR-17, 'Low-seeded cybrid "Furr" 2 (DPI-435-N40-18A-10-11)' on UFR-17, 'US Honey Coat' on UFR-17, 'US Seedless Surprise' on UFR-17, 'FF-1-22-79' on UFR-17. ** DUE TO THE 8000 CHARACTER LIMIT, THE REMAINDER OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK: https://www.dropbox.com/s/unzswv1n7wo3gjv/overflow2022.pdf?dl=0

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Al-Shami, SR., J. A. Qureshi. 2022. Investigation of flower thrips and Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) in an enclosed citrus production system. Joint Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America and Entomological Society of Canada, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 12-17 November 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Demard EG., I. D�ker&, J. A. Qureshi. 2022. Composition and diversity of phytoseiid mites (Parasitiformes: Phytoseiidae) from three pest management programs in Florida citrus orchards. VI International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods, British Columbia, Canada, 15-17 March 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Al-Shami, S. AR., J. A. Qureshi. 2022. Performance of Adalia bipunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on Diaphornia citri and Leuronota fagarae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea). Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America, San Juan, PR, 26-30 March 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Al-Shami, S. AR., J. A. Qureshi. 2022. Predation of Adalia bipunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on Diaphornia citri and Leuronota fagarae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) psyllids. Annual Meeting of the Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville, Florida, 19-22 June 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Demard, EG., I. D�ker&, J. A. Qureshi. 2022. Complementary redescription of seven predatory mite species (Parasitiformes: Phytoseiidae) from Florida citrus orchards*. IX Symposium of the European Association of Acarologists. Bari, Italy. Poster, 12-15 July 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Ebert, T., A. Schumann, P. Mungofa, and L. Waldo. 2022. Development of an automated citrus pest scouting module. Annual Meeting of the Florida State Horticultural Society. Sarasota, Florida, June 5-7. [paper C-19].
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Ebert, T.A., R. Schumann, L. Diepenbrock, A. Schumann. 2022. Pesticide degradation rates influenced by growing citrus under a protective screen. Florida Entomological Society annual meeting. Jupiter Beach, Florida. 29 July to 2 August.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Ferrarezi, R.S., C. Gil, G. Locatelli, R.C. Vinces, D. Davis, L. Cano, H.T. James III, C.E. King, M. Hossain, and M.A. Ritenour. 2022. Irrigation and Fertilization Management for Grapefruit Cultivated Under Protective Screen. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference. Jul 30  Aug 3. Chicago, Ill. (https://ashs.confex.com/ashs/2022/meetingapp.cgi)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Ferrarezi, R.S., J. Mixon, C. Gil, G. Locatelli, L. Cano, D. Davis, H.T. James III, C.E. King, M.A. Ritenour, M. Hossain, A. Schumann, and A. Krajewski. 2022. Hand Pruning and Photoselective Netting Improve Yield and Quality of Mandarins Cultivated Commercially Under Protective Screen. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference. Jul 30  Aug 3. Chicago, Ill. (https://ashs.confex.com/ashs/2022/meetingapp.cgi)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Ferrarezi, R.S., J. Mixon, C. Gil, G. Locatelli, L. Cano, D. Davis, H.T. James III, C.E. King, M.A. Ritenour, M Hossain, A. Schumann, and A. Krajewski. 2022. Hand pruning and photoselective netting improve yield and quality of mandarins cultivated commercially under protective screen. American Society for Horticultural Science annual conference. Chicago Illinois. 30-Jul to 3 Aug 2022
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mariner, N., L. Waldo, T. Ebert, A. Schumann, L. Diepenbrock, and L. Craft. 2022. Individual protective covers: Experiences growing high-density Jackson grapefruit in Lake Alfred, Florida. Annual Meeting of the Florida State Horticultural Society. Sarasota, Florida, June 5-7. [paper C-22]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mungofa, P., A. Schumann, L. Waldo, S. Shrestha, T. Ebert, N. Mariner. 2022. External and internal fruit quality assessment using deep learning semantic image segmentation. Annual Meeting of the Florida State Horticultural Society. Sarasota, Florida, June 5-7. [paper C-11]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Qureshi J. A. 2022. Achievements and challenges in the management of Asian citrus psyllid vector of huanglongbing. Conference on Materials Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL. 24-25 October 2022. Invited.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Qureshi J. A. 2022. Advancing citrus protection against Asian citrus psyllid from traditional to protected production systems. Symposium Management of Invasive Pest Insects in the Caribbean and Floridas Pathways 26th International Congress of Entomology, Helsinki, Finland. 17-22 July 2022. Invited.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Qureshi J. A. 2022. Citrus Pest Management: Progress and Promise. California State University Stanislaus, Fresno, California, 20 April 2022. Invited.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Qureshi J. A. 2022. Citrus pests and management in open and protected production systems. Certified Crop Advisors Training, Florida, 25 March 2022. Invited
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Qureshi J. A. 2022. CUPS Pest Monitoring and Management, Citrus Show, Fort Pierce, Florida, 26-27 January 2022. Invited
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Qureshi J. A. 2022. Managing Asian citrus psyllid and the pest complex of citrus using integrated approaches 10th International IPM Symposium, Denver, Colorado, 28 February to 3 March 2022. Invited.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Qureshi J. A. 2022. Monitoring and management of Asian citrus psyllid vector of CLas pathogen. Symposium Invasive Species and Pest Management. Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America, San Juan, PR, 26-30 March 2022. Invited
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Qureshi J. A., G. RugnoR, S. Al-ShamiR, E. DemardG, 2022. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tactics for control of Asian citrus psyllid and citrus pest complex. Symposium Management of Invasive Pest Insects of Specialty Crops and Community Gardens, Annual meeting of the Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville, Florida, 20-22 June 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Qureshi, J. A., S. Al-ShamiR, G. RugnoR, E. Demard G. 2022. Cultural and chemical controls for Asian citrus psyllid focused citrus pest management. XIV International Citrus Congress, Mersin, Turkey, 6-11 November 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Shrestha, S., A. Schumann, L. Waldo, P. Mungofa, T. Ebert, N. Mariner. 2022. Citrus peel color and brix content are affected by leaf nutrient concentration under CUPS condition. Annual Meeting of the Florida State Horticultural Society. Sarasota, Florida, June 5-7. [paper C-10].
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Waldo, L., A. Schumann, and T. Ebert. 2022. Update: Using colored mesh bags to induce early color development in fresh market citrus varieties. Annual Meeting of the Florida State Horticultural Society. Sarasota, Florida, June 5-7. [paper C-21].
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Cano Castro, L., Waldo, L., Mungofa, P., Shrestha, A., & Schumann, A. (2022). Enhancing nutrient uptake and grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) growth through soil application of beneficial bacteria species (Bacillus spp.). American Society of Agronomy Annual International Conference [oral presentation].
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Shrestha, A., & Schumann, A. (2022). Sub-optimum range of leaf nutrients during maturation could improve citrus fruit quality and early color break. Posters and Pastries, CREC [poster]. Lake Alfred, FL: UF/IFAS. [2nd Best student presentation]
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Schumann, A., Waldo, L., Oswalt, C., Mariner, N., TE, E., Mungofa, P., Shrestha, A., & Cano, L. (2022). A Review of Seven Years of CUPS Research. Citrus Industry Magazine, September 2022, 18-21.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Schumann, A. (2022). Monitoring and Managing Seasonal Demand for Plant Nutrients with Smartphone Apps. Florida Citrus Growers Institute Avon Park, FL.


Progress 01/01/21 to 12/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Growers, Students, Scientists, Agricultural Investors, Extension Specialists in Florida and Crop Advisors in California Changes/Problems:(Rolshausen): The CUPS research project for California was initially scheduled to start in the summer of 2019. We successfully leveraged funds from industry stakeholders and build a 5-acre 18-foot-tall structure at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center. However, our research showed that the installed knitted size 50 screen would not exclude the Asian citrus psyllid and should be replaced with a 40- or 50-mesh woven screen (see Ebert et al., 2021). In 2021, UC ANR contracted a structural engineer and code consultant to certify that the existing structure could support the new screen and that the upgrade could be kept under the original building code.UC ANR received plan approval from the fire marshal. Co-PI Rolshausen has worked on leveraging gap funds to cover the costs for the rescreening of the existing structure. Remaining funds from the UCR budget will be used to buy new trees for the experiments outlined below (the original trees are too old). Remaining UCR funds will be used to purchase the new screen as a research item (approved by USDA NIFA program director). UC Riverside indirect costs from the USDA grant will be used towards the contractor labor costs for screen replacement. (Ritenour) Mark A. Ritenour has replaced Dr. Ferrarezi who left the University of Florida. Problems: Last year, our long-term collaborator (Mr. Jerry Mixon) kindly allowed us to use more trees of his commercial production for trials evaluating different screen colors. These were installed outside CUPS with 'SugarBelle' mandarin and inside CUPS with 'W. Murcott' mandarin. After the fall 2021 harvest Mr. Jerry Mixon removed the 'Sugar Belle' trees under CUPS. While we were able to collect data related to testing canopy management and different screen colors this season, continuing measurements related to canopy management (object 4) will not be possible. In addition, the 'W. Murcott" trees under CUPS at Mr. Mixon's were harvested commercially before data could be collected related to the different screen colors. However, data related to canopy management was collected before harvest. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?(Qureshi) Emilie Demard Ph.D. candidate and the postdoctoral research associate Dr. S. Al-Shami presented the research work at the Annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Dr. Al-Shami also presented at the Southeastern Branch of ESA and E. Demard at the International Congress of Biological Control. Presentations included pests and beneficial organisms activity and management in the CUPS. (Ritenour) The project has provided visitors the opportunity to learn more about the system by guided tours at the IRREC CUPS. The project Co-Pi Dr. Ferrarezi visited the commercial citrus production area where the trials were installed several times and Dr. Ritenour also visited CUPS locations. Laura Cano and Cristina Gil participated in the project and learned about the basics of the CUPS system. (Schumann) Napoleon Mariner, Perseverança Mungofa (Ph.D. candidate) Laura Waldo, and Timothy Ebert presented research work at the Florida State Horticultural Society meetings. Timothy Ebert attended the Entomological Society of America meetings to present research results and finish a 1-year chairmanship of the Entomological Society of America Common Names of Insects Committee. Timothy Ebert also completed the following training courses: Source Title Completion Date Data Camp Introduction to PySpark Sept 03 Parallel programming in R Feb 22 Data analysis in Excel Apr 25 Reshaping data with tidyr Jan 18 Reporting with R Markdown Jul 24 Working with dates and times in R Mar 27 Data manipulation with dplyr Feb 25 Data engineering for Everyone Mar 9 Joining data with dplyr Mar 07 Hypothesis testing in R Apr 19 Introduction to data engineering Aug 10 Writing efficient R code Jan 31 Sampling in R Apr 12 Intermediate Python Aug 07 UF/IFAS Championing Diversity, Equity an Inclusion: Insights into anti-racism, privilege, and reducing bias Aug 21 Title IX training Sep 6 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Publications, meetings, workshops, and presentations are listed under products.There is also a CUPS project website listed under products, with links to CUPS news articles that were distributed to communities of interest.A citrus diagnosis appicationwas developed and supported to help stakeholders identify leaf symptoms with an AI-based smartphone app. Personal visits by PIs to commercial CUPS sites and reciprocal visits by growers to the project research CUPS occurred throughout the year. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?(Rolshausen) Objective 3-1: The first trial is aimed at determining the impact of CUPS on tree performance using two California citrus standard varieties. It will feature two one-acre block of Tango x C35 and two one-acre block of Cara Cara x Rich 16-6 planted both in CUPS and in open field (4 acres total). The second trial is aimed at evaluating rootstock and scion combinations under CUPS environment for fresh fruit CA market. The experimental design will be blocks of 6 rootstocks x 8 varieties with 8 replicates of each combination. The variety X rootstock combinations include: (1) 8A Lisbon lemon; (2) Texas Star Ruby grapefruit; (3) Cara Cara orange (4) Shiranui mandarin; (5) Kishu mandarin; (6) Satsuma mandarin; and (7) Nules clementine X (I) US897; (II) US942; (III) C22; (IV) Flying Dragon; (V) C35; and (VI) Rich16/6. Because of incompatibility issue the last variety X rootstock combinations selected are: (8) Allen Eureka lemon X (I) US897; (II) US942; (III) C22; (IV) C35; (V) X639; and (VI) Mac and Volk. All trees will be planted at a density of 8' x 14' (390 trees per acre). Weather stations were already placed inside CUPS and outside to record temperature, light, relative humidity, wind. Soil sensors will be installed once the trees are planted. A portable LICOR system we be used to measure water consumption, water potential, stomatal conductivity, evapotranspiration, and photosynthesis at key physiological tree stages. We will also record horticultural data (tree growth, flushing periods, timings of flowering and fruit set). Objective 1: Following the onset of the experiment we will monitor pests and disease pressure in CUPS and develop an IPDM (Integrated Pest and Disease Management) program that is suited for CUPS under California conditions. Objective 6: Organize a field day for the California Citrus industry in the Spring or Fall of 2022 (tbd). (Qureshi) Monitor the populations of Asian citrus psyllid as well as other pests in the irrigation, and fertigation treatments implemented in the CUPS and open-air production systems. Evaluate the incidence of the naturally occurring beneficial organisms in the CUPS and open production systems. Evaluate the release and establishment of the commercially available biological control agents in the CUPS and open production systems. Evaluate the impact of chemical sprays on pests and beneficial organisms. Work with the stakeholders on pest recognition, detection, and management in protected structures. Work on research and extension publications to share the findings and knowledge with stakeholders. (Ritenour) Objective 3: Scion and rootstock selection for IRREC CUPS: Tree size measurements, leaf and soil nutrient concentration determination, and HLB diagnostic will be performed. Objective 4: Horticultural improvements to maximize premium-grade fresh fruit production in CUPS 4.1 Canopy management: We will continue the evaluation of advanced horticultural techniques to increase tree yield by using canopy management strategies on a replicated trial in a commercial CUPS location at Jerry Mixon's operation in Bartow, FL. We are testing four treatments: a control (mechanical pruning - at bloom and late summer), hand pruning (at bloom and late summer), mechanical + hand pruning (at bloom and late summer) and hand pruning (at bloom only) in different mandarins ('W. Murcott' and 'SugarBelle'). Tree size, HLB incidence, nutrient concentration, phenology, fruit color, fruit yield and fruit quality data will be collected. 4.2 Sensor-based precision irrigation and fertigation control for optimized fruit production: We will continue the evaluation of sensor-based precision irrigation and fertigation control for optimized fruit production. Treatments on Trial 1 (irrigation): two environments (open-air and screenhouse), two planting methods (in-ground and potted) and three Irrigation scheduling (T1 based on ETo, T2 and T3 based on VWC). Treatments on Trial 2 (fertigation): two environments (open-air and screenhouse), two planting methods (in-ground and potted) and three fertilization treatments (T1 control with controlled-release fertilizer, T2 and T3 based on daily and weekly fertigation). Tree size, HLB incidence, nutrient concentration, fruit yield and fruit quality data will be collected. CREC CUPS: Objective 1: Threenew sub-objectives have been initiated. The first looks at pesticide decay rates inside and outside CUPS. The shading inside CUPS might reduce degradation while increased temperatures and humidity should increase degradation. Understanding this will facilitate good management practices and safety. The second looks at the screen as a wind barrier to improve drift management tool in CUPS. The third will investigate the effects of beneficial microbial biofungicides on tree growth and health, as alternatives to agrochemical use. Objective 2:Since the open-source AI models used to detect insects are constantly evolving and improving, we will update the system with the latest Yolo7 models and retrain with our existing image database. Finally, we will conduct field testing of the integrated system in the CREC CUPS. Objective 3:The fruit splitting problem with Early Pride requiresadditional research to solve. There are also dozens of other commercial and new experimental citrus varieties that we have not completely tested. Some of them are in our CREC and IRREC research CUPS, and some are being evaluated in the commercial CUPS of grower cooperators. There are some outstanding candidates that need additional time, at least one more year, to make informed decisions on. The long-term performance of our CREC and IRREC CUPS plantings will also be important to record foryear 8. Objective 5: A comrehensive economic analysis of a CUPS grove will be conducted to prove the sustainability and profitability of this solution forHLB disease. Objective 6: We have a series of journal and extension (EDIS) articles in the pipeline.?Manuscripts in progress (almost finished): Two literature reviews. "Pre-harvest fruit splitting of citrus" (proposed authors AK; TE; AS, possible publisher journal 'Agronomy'). The document presents images showing the range of stylar-end splitting, including splits radiating outwards from the stylar end in one, two (the usual) and three directions, plus images of equatorial grooving not resulting in fruit splitting. Images of sectioned fruit are included, showing stylar end anatomy of mature mandarin fruit sectioned pole to pole. AK worked on amendments to this paper on the following date: December 17th 2021. "Canopy management of citrus with special reference to under-cover production systems". The publication is intended to be submitted to either the Journal 'Agronomy', or to Horticultural Reviews. AK worked on amendments to this paper on the following dates: October 4, 5; November 9, 10, 16, 17, 18; December 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, and 28.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? (Qureshi) Objective 1: Integrated pest and disease management Monitoring of pests: Monitoring was conducted for Asian citrus psyllid, citrus leafminer, scales, thrips, mealybugs, and mites. Sticky traps, pheromone traps, suction, visual and tap sampling techniques were employed. No psyllid adults were detected in all four CUPS at the Indian River Research and Education Center. Psyllid populations in the open-air controls averaged 2.2 psyllids/trap/month. Other pests recorded in the CUPS included citrus leafminer, citrus rust mite, citrus red mite, thrips, scales, and mealybugs. Ten species of predatory mites were identified from the CUPS. Two were dominant with potential to enhance biological control of mite and insect pests. Additionally, 27 species of predatory mites from the three habitats (tree canopy, ground cover and leaf litter) were identified from the untreated, organic, and conventional groves surveyed including species for biological control of multiple pests. A redescription of seven of these was published in PLOS One. Pest Management Following products were applied in the CUPS and control to suppress pest populations during 2021: Lorsban, Applaud, Abound, Carbaryl, Agrimek, Delegate, Micromite, Nexter, copper, and 435 oil. High pest populations were observed despite these sprays with citrus rust mite and citrus red mite as the major problems. Search for predatory mites in the commercial conventional and organic groves and untreated groves was conducted. More than 27 species of predatory mites were identified from different locations and seven were redescribed. The research on redescriptions was published in PlosOne. Objective 6: Develop decision support guidelines for CUPS. Growers were trained in the monitoring and recognition of pests and provided with knowledge on beneficial organisms and pest management during the CUPS Field Day, De Leon Springs, FL. March 25. Information on the same topics was also provided to stakeholders during several training events and state shows such Citrus Show and Citrus Growers Institute. Information on the pests, their natural enemies and monitoring was incorporated in the EDIS document https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1304. (Ritenour) Objective 2: Robotic machine vision with artificial intelligence to improve pest and disease scouting 2.4: Large-scale commercial testing of robotic scouting platforms To be tested in year 5 after technology is developed by the other project participants. Objective 3: Scion and rootstock selection for IRREC CUPS Trees planted Spring 2020 were measured for tree size, HLB incidence, and nutrient concentration. Scion and rootstocks evaluated: 'Early Pride' on US-942, 'BB-4' on US-897, 'W. Murcott' on UFR-17, 'Minneola' on Kuharske, 'UF-950' on US-897, 'Dancy' on UFR-4, 'Nules Clementine' on UFR-4, 'Bingo' on US-942, 'Ray Ruby' on Sour Orange, 'Ray Ruby' on US-897, 'Ray Ruby' on Kuharske, 'Ray Ruby' on UFR-6, 'Ray Ruby' on UFR-17, 'UF-914' on US-942, 'Navel '56-11'' on UFR-17, 'Kinnow LS' on UFR-17, 'UF Sunrise' on UFR-17, 'FF-1-75-55' on UFR-17, 'Tango' on UFR-17, 'Page' on UFR-17, 'UF Glow' on UFR-17, 'C4-15-19 (DPI-435-C4-15-21)' on UFR-17, '5-1-99-2 Pummelette (DPI-435-5-1-99-2)' on UFR-17, '1420' on UFR-17, '1424' on UFR-17, 'Persian lime' on Rangpur lime, 'Mandarin DPI-435-0117' on UFR-17, 'Mandarin UF 304' on UFR-17, 'seedless Murcott clone (DPI-435-18A-10-47)' on UFR-17, 'Mandarin DPI-435-304-4-16' on UFR-17, 'Cybrid Dancy (DPI-435-KW-5-7)' on UFR-17, 'Red grapefruit N11-7 (DPI-435-N40-16-11-7)' on UFR-17, 'Cybrid #304 (DPI-435-304-4-16)' on UFR-17, 'Low-seeded cybrid "Furr" 1 (DPI-435-A-32.5)' on UFR-17, 'Low-seeded cybrid "Furr" 2 (DPI-435-N40-18A-10-11)' on UFR-17, 'US Honey Coat' on UFR-17, 'US Seedless Surprise' on UFR-17, 'FF-1-22-79' on UFR-17. Objective 4: Horticultural improvements to maximize premium-grade fresh fruit production in CUPS 4.1 Canopy management Our team continued evaluating advanced horticultural techniques to increase tree yield by using canopy management strategies on a replicated trial in a commercial CUPS location at Jerry Mixon's operation in Bartow, FL. We tested a combination of practices: Mechanical hedging/topping after bud-break stage (bloom) and late summer, Hand pruning at bloom and late summer, Mechanical hedging+Hand pruning at bloom and late summer, and Hand pruning only at bloom. We used 'SugarBelle' and 'W. Murcott' (Citrus×reticulata) on C-35 (Citroncirus spp.) planted on Jan/2017 spaced at 8'×15' (363 trees/acre). The trial was conducted in a commercial CUPS operation in Bartow, FL on a RCBD with five replications and 8 trees/rep. Mechanical pruning was performed using a gas-powered 3-foot-long sickle-bar knife. Hand pruning was done with lopping shears, saws, and clippers. In 'SugarBelle', trees on Hand_Bloom+Summer are infected with HLB due to a prolonged breach in the screenhouse roof. Canopy management increased yield and is a promising technique to produce mandarins under protective screen. Growers can multiply labor costs by the time to perform the pruning and the yield by the current mandarin price to identify if the technique is economically feasible. See addititional accomplishments at:https://www.dropbox.com/s/d7u849ql5x6kewi/overflow-accomplishments.pdf?dl=0

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Schumann, A. W., A. Singerman, A. L. Wright, R. S. Ferrarezi, J. A. Qureshi, F. Alferez. 2021. Florida Citrus Production Guide: Citrus under Protective Screen (CUPS) Production Systems. Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida EDIS Publication CMG19 https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1304.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Ebert T.A., Schumann A.W., Waldo L., Stanton D. and Rolshausen, P.E. 2021. A Close-up look at screens for excluding Asian citrus psyllids. University of Florida EDIS publication SL489. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-ss702-2021
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Krajewski, A., A. Schumann, T. Ebert, C. Oswalt, R.S. Ferrarezi, L. Waldo. 2021. Management of citrus tree canopies for fresh-fruit production. University of Florida EDIS publication SL485. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/SS698
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Schumann, A. 2021. Management practices to enhance fruit color at maturity. Citrus from the ridge to the valley: Central Florida Citrus Extension newsletter. Vol 21:3 (March).
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Thompson, C. interview A. Schumann. 2021 CUPS yielding positive results for grapefruit. Citrus Industry. September 7.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Schumann, A., T. Ebert. 2021. Tip of the Week. Citrus Industry. https://citrusindustry.net/2021/06/22/psyllid-exclusion-and-screen-selection/#:~:text=As%20the%20adage%20goes%2C%20%E2%80%9Cnecessity,screen)%20and%20the%20use%20of
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Anonymous. 2021. Canopy management to improve fresh fruit. Citrus Industry. March 10. https://citrusindustry.net/2021/03/10/canopy-management-to-improve-fresh-fruit/ (This is a highlight from EDIS article SL485: Management of citrus tree canopies for fresh-fruit production).
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Land Grants Impact Statement about CUPS published on the APLU database in 2021: https://landgrantimpacts.tamu.edu/impacts/show/5359 Citrus Under Protective Screens help protect states signature crop from Asian citrus psyllids
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Al-Shami, S., J. A Qureshi. (2021). Predation of Florida red scale Chrysomphalus aonidum (L.) by the metallic blue ladybeetle Curinus coeruleus (Mulsant). Bulletin of Entomological Research, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007485321000936.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Demard, E. P., I. D�ker, J. A Qureshi. 2021. Re-description of seven predatory mite species of family Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) sourced from Florida citrus groves. PlosOne. 16(8): e0255455. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255455.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gil, Gil, J. Mixon, H. T. James III, L. Cano, G. Locatelli, D. Davis, C. E. King, and R. S. Ferrarezi. 2021. Effect of Photoselective Netting on Plant Growth and Fruit Color of W. Murcott and Sugarbelle Mandarins Cultivated Under Protective Screen (CUPS). HortScience 56(9): S7 (Abstr.).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Cano, L, R. C. Vinces, G. Locatelli; C. Gil, H. T. James III, C. E. King, D. Davis, and R. S. Ferrarezi. 2021. Irrigation Management Strategies to Increase Fruit Yield and Quality of Grapefruit Cultivated Under Protective Screens (CUPS). HortScience 56(9): S220 (Abstr.).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Ferrarezi, R. S., H. T. James III, C. Gil, D. Davis, G. Locatelli, and L. Cano. 2021. Daily Fertigation Improves Grapefruit Fruit Yield and Quality Cultivated Under Protective Screens. HortScience 56(9): S221 (Abstr.).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Al-Shami, S., J. A. Qureshi. 2021. Florida flower thrips Frankliniella bispinosa (Morgan) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) incidence and associated impact on grapefruit in Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS). ESA Annual Meeting, Denver, CO. October 31-November 3.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Al-Shami, S., J. A. Qureshi. 2021. Occurrence of Florida red scale Chrysomphalus aonidum (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) and its parasitoid Aphytis spp. (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) in citrus produced under protective screens. ESA-SEB Annual Meeting, March 29-31. Virtual.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Cano, L, R.C. Vinces, G. Locatelli, C. Gil, H.T. James III, C.E. King, D. Davis, R.S. Ferrerezi. 2021. Irrigation Management Strategies to Increase Fruit Yield and Quality of Grapefruit Cultivated Under Protective Screens (CUPS). American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting Denver Colorado Aug 5-9.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Demard, P. E., I. Doker, J. A. Qureshi. 2021. Influence of pest management systems on diversity and abundance of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) in Florida citrus orchards. ESA Annual Meeting, Denver, CO. October 31-November 3.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Demard, P. E., J. A. Qureshi, I. Doker. 2021. Seasonal abundance and species distribution of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) from different citrus production systems in Florida. International Congress of Biological Control, April 26-30. Virtual.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Ebert, T., A. Schumann, L. Waldo, and N. Mariner. 2021. Developing Neutral Electrolyzed Water for pest management 2020 update. Florida State Horticultural Society. 26-28 September 2021. Daytona FL. Daytona FL. [C-16].
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Ebert, T.A., A. Schumann, P. Mungofa. 2021. Computer identification of insect pests of citrus for automated scouting. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Oct 31  Nov 3. (D3145).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Ebert, T.A., M. Rogers. 2021. Short term host adaptation in Diaphorina citri. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Oct 31  Nov 3.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Ferrarezi, R.S., H.T. James III, C. Gil, D. Davis, G. Locatelli, L. Cano. 2021 Daily Fertigation Improves Grapefruit Fruit Yield and Quality Cultivated Under Protective Screens. American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting Denver Colorado Aug 5-9.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gil, C., J. Mixon, H.T. James III, L. Cano, G. Locatelli, D. Davis, C.E. King, R.S. Ferrarezi. 2021. Effect of Photoselective Netting on Plant Growth and Fruit Color of W. Murcott and Sugarbelle Mandarins Cultivated Under Protective Screen (CUPS). American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting Denver Colorado Aug 5-9.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Mariner, N., L. Waldo, T. Ebert, and A. Schumann. 2021. Pest Population Dynamics in Citrus under Protective Screen Production Enclosures: Experiences in Lake Alfred, Florida. Florida State Horticultural Society. 26-28 September 2021. Daytona FL. [C-17].
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Mungofa, P., A. Schumann, L. Waldo and T. Ebert. 2021. Diagnosis of Nutrient Deficiencies, Pest, and Disease Disorders on Citrus Leaves Using Deep Learning Machine Vision. Florida State Horticultural Society. 26-28 September 2021. Daytona FL. [C-3].
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Qureshi J. A. 2021. Managing global pest threats to citrus production. Fifth International conference on agriculture and food science. October 28-30, Virtual.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Qureshi, J. A. 2021. Traditional and advanced management of the Asian citrus psyllid, vector of huanglongbing. Section Symposium. Entomological Society of America (ESA) Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, October 31  November 3.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Schumann, A., L. Waldo, N. Mariner, and T. Ebert. 2021. Nutrient management to enhance citrus fruit color break and quality at maturity. Florida State Horticultural Society. 26-28 September 2021. Daytona FL. [C-13].
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Waldo, L., A. Schumann, and T. Ebert. 2021. Using colored mesh bags to induce early peel color development in fresh market citrus varieties. Florida State Horticultural Society. 26-28 September 2021. Daytona FL. [C-15].
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Qureshi J. A. 2021. Integrated citrus pest management. International Workshop. The role of plant protection in sustainable agriculture development. February 21-23, Virtual.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Qureshi, J. A., 2021. CUPS Pest Management and Tree Production. Central Floridas Citrus Under Protective Structure (C.U.P.S) Field Day, De Leon Springs, FL. March 25.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Qureshi, J. A., 2021. Monitoring and Management of Citrus Pests in Protected Structures. Citrus Show, Fort Pierce, FL, May 12.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Schumann, A.W. 2021. CUPS project website. https://www.makecitrusgreatagain.com/CUPS.htm
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Rolshausen, P. 2021. CUPS website. https://ucanr.edu/sites/Citrus@UCR/Citrus_Under_Protective_Screen_[CUPS]/


Progress 01/01/20 to 12/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Growers, Students, Scientists, Agricultural Investors, Extension Specialists in Florida and Crop Advisors in California Changes/Problems:CREC-CUPS was rescreened as the screen was weakened from weathering and hurricane Irma in 2017. Replacing the screen allowed a few psyllids to colonize CUPS and required additional sprays. Psyllids in CUPS may result in a few HLB positive trees in the next few years. Most of the grapefruit was moved out of pots and planted in the ground. This was done shortly before bloom in 2020 and considerably stressed the trees resulting in lower yields. Andy Krajewski's effort was redirected to three objectives: #1, #4 and #6. These included management of Phytophthora brown rot; use of UAVs and other platforms for sensors assessing tree canopy health; and the possible effects of biotic and abiotic stress on nitrogen metabolism, and thereby possibly on susceptibility to pests and diseases. The IRREC-CUPS experiment was changed to focus on three irrigation and three fertigation treatments in both CUPS and outdoor plantings. This necessitated changes in pest sampling protocols. A long-term collaborator (Mr. Jerry Mixon) made available more trees in his commercial production. Trials with different screen colors were successfully installed outside with 'SugarBelle' mandarin and inside CUPS with 'W. Murcott' mandarin. The canopy management experiment at George Pantuso's CUPS operation in Zolfo Springs FL was ruined when the grower decided to remove trees in January 2020 and restart his CUPS planting with grapefruit. Construction of LREC-CUPS in California was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions and the netting installed at the facility did not qualify for psyllid exclusion and must be replaced. Installing the scion/rootstock trials will happen once the screen issue is resolved. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?CREC) As in 2019, opportunities for training and personal development were exploited between IFAS-CREC and IRREC personnel and students and PI Krajewski, as well as between commercial CUPS producers through these same organizations. The growing list of ad hoc matters to address (e.g. PFS; delayed and poor development of rind color) has increased the opportunities for professional development and training since practical solutions must be found. IRREC) Emilie Demard Ph.D. candidate and the postdoctoral research associate Dr. S. Al-Shami presented the research work at the Annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America (see previous section for citations). Findings included information on predatory mites and other beneficial organisms useful to control mites, Asian citrus psyllid, citrus leafminer and other pests. The presentations to growers, students, and extension agents provided them with knowledge in monitoring the pests and beneficial organisms and methods of pest management. Dr. Qureshi lab also checked sticky cards provided by the stakeholders from their production systems for the presence of Asian citrus psyllid adults. The project has provided visitors the opportunity to learn more about the system by guided tours at the IRREC CUPS. The project Co-Pi Dr. Ferrarezi visited the commercial citrus production area where the trials were installed several times. Visiting Scholars Renzo Cemes and Laura Cano are participating in the project and learned about the basics of the CUPS system. Interactions between the three groups (CREC, IRREC, LREC) remain strong with regular communication via email and videoconferencing How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Meetings and presentations are listed here. Publications are in a separate section. CREC) Website: http://www.makecitrusgreatagain.com/. The "citrus diagnostic app" is another tool available on this website. It was trained to recognize nutrient deficiencies, and pathogens common in CUPS. It is also able to diagnose sunscald, and some insect pests. We also provide technical support through individual meetings: Jerry Mixon (Jan 22) Rizk, A.G. and A. Singerman, 2020. Feasibility and Impact of Adopting a Proposed Solution to Citrus Greening. Selected Poster. Southern Agricultural Economics Association 52nd. Annual Meeting Program February 1-4, 2020, Louisville, KY Ebert, T., Waldo, L., Mungofa, P., Holmes, W., Mariner Jr., N. and A. Schumann. 2020. Developing a neutral electrolyzed water treatment for pest management in a citrus under protective screen production system. 133 Annual meeting of the Florida State Horticultural Society, 19-20 October, [C-13] IRREC) Results were disseminated through presentations given at the growers' meetings and at the Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Al-Shami. S., and J. A. Qureshi. 2020. Incidence of citrus leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), and its natural enemies on grapefruit in protected and open production systems. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Virtual, November 11-15 (83 Views, 4 attendees) Demard, E. P., Döker, I. and J. A. Qureshi. 2020. (talk) Abundance, diversity, and distribution of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) from citrus under different pest management programs in Florida. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Virtual, November 11-15. (128 views, 13 attendees) Qureshi J. A. 2020. Recognition and management of pests and beneficial organisms. Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS) Field Day, Fort Pierce, FL. October 29. Qureshi, J. A., 2020. Entomological considerations for CUPS and IPCs. Virtual Citrus seminar, October 15. Qureshi, J. A., 2020. Strengthening and Diversifying Citrus Pest Management. Citrus Growers' Institute, Virtual online, April 14. Qureshi, J. A., 2020. Citrus Pest Management: Open and Protected Production Systems. Extension agents training, Immokalee, FL, January 28. Emily Demard also co-organized a symposium "Mite-y women in acarology: current research from a historical perspective" at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. (484 views, 28 attendees). The presentations given to growers, students and extension agents by Dr. Qureshi included information on the identification and incidence of multiple pests and beneficial organisms expected and observed in CUPS and open-air production systems. The topics of discussion also included information on how different beneficial organisms could impact the populations of these pests in CUPS. Growers and industry representatives were presented with information on the recognition, monitoring and management of the pests in CUPS during their visit to the field day event (https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/irrec/2021/01/20/citrus-growers-tour-of-uf-ifas-citrus-under-protective-screens-houses). System basics and research results were presented at the American Society of Horticultural Science's 2020 Annual Conference and at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS) Field Day in Fort Pierce, FL (October 9, 25 participants) (https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/irrec/2021/01/20/citrus-growers-tour-of-uf-ifas-citrus-under-protective-screens-houses). Also presentations at the Annual meeting of the Florida State Horticultural Ssociation: Qureshi, J., and Kosttyk B. Chemical control of citrus rust mite, Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashmead). (Presentation C-16) LREC) Citrograph article, industry meetings, Rolshausen lab website (https://ucanr.edu/sites/Rolshausen/; https://ucanr.edu/sites/Citrus@UCR/) and Twitter (@philrols) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?CREC) Objective 1) Integrated pest and disease management A) Test NEW water in CREC-CUPS to further develop this product for greasy spot and citrus black spot management. The 2020 experiment gathered disease, yield, and nutrient data from grapefruit trees using a RCB design with three concentrations of NEW, and two spray starting dates. The results are being analyzed. The 2021 experiment will be similar to 2020, with earlier starting dates. While the 2019 showed harmful effects from high doses at more sensitive fruit growth stages, 2020 showed low efficacy but no harm to the fruits. B) A more general effort to monitor pest populations will continue to work out CUPS-specific pest phenology. Objective 2) Robotic machine vision with artificial intelligence (AI) to improve pest and disease scouting: complete the construction of two AI-self-driving rover prototypes and begin thorough field testing; complete and test the smart AI-based insect trap for scouting pests in the CUPS. Objective 3: Scion and rootstock selection for CUPS: Continue growing and monitoring the different varieties and rootstocks in the CUPS environment. Objective 4) Horticultural improvements A) Continue the pruning trial, however 2021 may be another off year with greatly reduced yields in all plots. B) Shading effects on color development in citrus. This project is designed to explore preharvest methods for degreening fruits. Fruits that are appropriately colored have a longer shelf life than post-harvest degreened fruit. C) Nutritional methods of preharvest degreening of citrus. Appropriately timed nutritional deficiency can promote color break in citrus. D) Nutritional control of fruit splitting in citrus. While 2019 had many fruits that split, fruit splitting was mild in 2020. One feature that stands out from nutritional analysis was calcium levels were exceptionally low at flowering in 2019. E) Continue monitoring leaf samples for macro- and micronutrient levels. Objective 5) Economic assessment A) Update the estimates to perform the investment analysis and assess CUPS profitability. Objective 6) Decision support guidelines (manuscripts (target Journal if known)) The screen reduces light levels and changes both temperature and humidity relative to ambient. This microcosm influences tree health as well as the performance of pests and beneficial organisms within CUPS. a. Management of citrus tree canopies for fresh-fruit production. (EDIS Published Jan 2021) b. Citrus fresh fruit quality and its improvement (HortScience) c. Recommended pre-harvest handling practices for production of high quality fresh-fruit in CUPS d. Canopy management for CUPS e. Pre-harvest fruit splitting (PFS) of citrus f. Neutral electrolyzed water for pest management in Citrus grown under protective screen (HortScience). g. Designing CUPS for psyllid exclusion h. Citrus varieties for CUPS i. Managing CUPS fruit yield and quality for fresh market j. Screen enclosed citrus production (review of screen uses, screen types, and screen effect on environmental conditions). k. A close-up look at screen for excluding Asian citrus psyllids (EDIS). IRREC) Objective 1.2: Pest and disease management: Continue pest monitoring protocols as established in previous years in the irrigation and fertigation treatments implemented in the CUPS and open-air production systems. Continue to monitor beneficial organisms (predators, parasites, disease of pest species) in CUPS and open production systems. Additionally, assess the value of augmentative release efforts using ladybeetles and lacewings. Evaluate the impact of chemical sprays on these systems. Finally communicate results to stakeholders. Objective 3: Scion and rootstock selection for IRREC CUPS: Tree size measurements, leaf and soil nutrient concentration determination, and HLB diagnostic will be performed. Objective 4: Horticultural improvements to maximize premium-grade fresh fruit production in CUPS. 4.1 Canopy management: We will continue the evaluation of advanced horticultural techniques to increase tree yield by using canopy management strategies on a replicated trial in a commercial CUPS at KLM farms in Bartow FL. 4.2 Effect of different screen color and/or reflective mulch on plant growth and fruit yield: We will continue the evaluation of different screen color on plant growth and fruit yield. Treatments: T1 (Control): No photoselective net, T2: Red photoselective net, T3: Blue photoselective net, T4: Gray photoselective net. Tree size, HLB incidence, nutrient concentration, fruit yield and fruit quality data will be collected. 4.3 Sensor-based precision irrigation and fertigation control for optimized fruit production: We will continue the evaluation of sensor-based precision irrigation and fertigation control for optimized fruit production. Treatments for Trial 1 (irrigation): two environments (open-air and screenhouse), two planting methods (in-ground and potted) and three Irrigation scheduling (T1 based on ETo, T2 and T3 based on VWC). Treatments for Trial 2 (fertigation): two environments (open-air and screenhouse), two planting methods (in-ground and potted) and three fertilization treatments (T1 control with controlled-release fertilizer, T2 and T3 based on daily and weekly fertigation). Tree growth, health, and yield variables will be collected to assess treatment effects. LREC) Objective 3) Two trials will be installed upon replacement of the netting. The first trial is aimed at determining the impact of CUPS on tree performance, and feature two one-acre blocks of Tango x C35 and two one-acre blocks of Cara Cara x Rich 16-6 planted both in CUPS and in open field (4 acres total). The second trial is aimed at evaluating rootstock and scion combinations that will perform well under CUPS environment for fresh fruit market. Blocks of 6 rootstocks x 8 varieties with 8 replicates will feature these seven scions (1) 8A Lisbon lemon; (2) Texas Star Ruby grapefruit; (3) Cara Cara orange (4) Shiranui mandarin; (5) Kishu mandarin; (6) Satsuma mandarin; and (7) Nules clementine and these six rootstocks (I) US897; (II) US942; (III) C22; (IV) Flying Dragon; (V) C35; and (VI) Rich16/6. An additional scion Allen Eureka lemon is not compatible with all the aforementioned rootstocks. It will be tested against these six rootstocks (I) US897; (II) US942; (III) C22; (IV) C35; (V) X639; and (VI) Mac and Volk. Weather stations were already placed inside and outside CUPS and environmental parameters are being recorded in real time (temperature, light, relative humidity, wind; https://ucanr.edu/sites/Citrus@UCR/Citrus_Under_Protective_Screen_[CUPS]/Research_-_Publications/). Soil sensors will also be installed once the trees are planted to record soil moisture and irrigation water. In addition, using a portable LICOR system we will record data on tree physiology (water consumption, water potential, stomatal conductivity, evapotranspiration, and photosynthesis) at key physiological tree stages. We will also record horticultural data (tree growth, flushing periods, timings of flowering and fruit set).

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1) Integrated pest and disease management CREC) Information was provided and discussion initiated on the serious fungal pathogenPhytophthorabrown rot (PBR); its incidence, epidemiology, effects on production, and control. Practical implications for the ongoing trials at CREC-IFAS and IRREC include correct skirting of trees to lift developing fruit clear of direct contact with soil or rain-induced soil "splash"; opening of spray channels into lower canopies facilitating effective fungicide application; and rigorous sanitation through the season to pick up and remove fallen fruit from soil surfaces beneath the trees. Cryptomaemus montrouzieri(mealybug destroyers) were released February 6th. While 250 beetles were released, scouting on February 28 failed to recover any beetles.Weekly scouting thereafter for pests did not recover any beetles on other dates. A second replicated experiment was completed for managing citrus greasy spot disease on grapefruit with neutral electrolyzed water (NEW). The factorial treatments compared different application timings and concentrations of NEW. Greasy spot incidence and severity was measured on fruit and leaves, and fruit yield and quality were measured at harvest time. IRREC) Monitoring of pests Monitoring was conducted for Asian citrus psyllid, citrus leafminer, scales, thrips, mealybugs, and mites. Sticky traps, pheromone traps, suction, visual and tap sampling techniques were employed. Psyllids were detected in CUPS at low levels through Feb in NE, NW and SE house and through April in SW house. CUPS reduced ACP by 82% between four houses through April and 100% thereafter. Other pests recorded in the CUPS included citrus leafminer, mites (citrus rust mite, citrus red mite), thrips, scales, and mealybugs. Pest Management Pest management consisted of sprays of one or more of the following products: Applaud, Copper, Foliar phosphite, Movento, 435 Oil, Lorsban, Agri-Mek, Envidor, Mustang, Delegate, and Micromite. EntomopathogensCordyceps fumosoroseaandBeauveria bassianawere evaluated for persistence in the CUPS and detected for 2-4 weeks after applications.Beauveria bassianawas more abundant. Tamarixia radiata, a parasitoid of psyllid nymphs was released multiple times during the year. Evaluating impact was not possible due to scarcity of nymphs. Sampling for pest and predatory mites was conducted in the CUPS. Citrus rust mite was the most abundant species and more so on fruit than leaves. A peak of citrus rust mite was observed in early July in CUPS and early October in controls. Citrus red mite was second important species recorded in the CUPS. In CUPS, 57% of the predatory mites wereA. tamatavensisfollowed by 26%T. peregrinusand 17% unidentified. Sampling for predatory mites in the commercial conventional and organic groves and untreated groves as a reference was conductedmultiple times during spring, summer and fall. More than 20 species of predatory mites were identified including few redescriptions (article in review). Objective 2) Robotic machine vision for improved pest and disease scouting CREC) The research focused on two scouting rover electric vehicle designs; one was based on a golf-caddy chassis, and the other was custom-built with mobility scooter motors and solar panels for self-recharging in the field. Progress was made with the autopilot navigation, charging, RTK-GPS, and the insect pest detection systems, but the speed of progress was hindered by the Covid-19 pandemic. The pruning and canopy management treatments listed above for Obj. #1 remain likely to affect the precision of robotic vision for improved pest and disease scouting. The possibility was also considered of employing robotic technology to assess canopy health and leaf color of trees infected withPhytophthoraroot rot and/or HLB. Objective 3) Scion and rootstock selection for CUPS CREC) The most successful citrus varieties for the fresh market are likely to be early to mid-season varieties with high reliable yields, good external and internal qualities and low to no seeds. So far our list of successful seedless candidates includes Ray Ruby grapefruit, Flame grapefruit, Ruby Red grapefruit, UF-914, Sugarbelle, W. Murcott, and Early Pride. Other varieties with great yields and quality but with seeds are Kinnow mandarin, Temple tangelo, Honey Murcott, and Dancy tangerine. The Nules Clementine variety has not produced a successful crop in the CREC CUPS so far. Regarding rootstocks, the sour orange rootstock produces higher quality Ray Ruby grapefruit (size and quality) than the US-897 rootstock but the latter grows into a smaller tree, which is desirable for CUPS. The highest yields were consistently achieved with Ray Ruby grapefruit on X-639 rootstock, but the high vigor leads to larger tree sizes which could be difficult to manage in CUPS. All rootstocks being tested with Dancy and W. Murcott have performed similarly so far. IRREC) Trees were planted in Spring 2020. Treatments or varieties tested: 'Early Pride' on US-942, 'BB-4' on US-897, 'W. Murcott' on UFR-17, 'Minneola' on Kuharske, 'UF-950' on US-897, 'Dancy' on UFR-4, 'Nules Clementine' on UFR-4, 'Bingo' on US-942, 'Ray Ruby' on Sour Orange, 'Ray Ruby' on US-897, 'Ray Ruby' on Kuharske, 'Ray Ruby' on UFR-6, 'Ray Ruby' on UFR-17, 'UF-914' on US-942, 'Navel '56-11'' on UFR-17, 'Kinnow LS' on UFR-17, 'UF Sunrise' on UFR-17, 'FF-1-75-55' on UFR-17, 'Tango' on UFR-17, 'Page' on UFR-17, 'UF Glow' on UFR-17, 'C4-15-19 (DPI-435-C4-15-21)' on UFR-17, '5-1-99-2 Pummelette (DPI-435-5-1-99-2)' on UFR-17, '1420' on UFR-17, '1424' on UFR-17, 'Persian lime' on Rangpur lime, 'Mandarin DPI-435-0117' on UFR-17, 'Mandarin UF 304' on UFR-17, 'seedless Murcott clone (DPI-435-18A-10-47)' on UFR-17, 'Mandarin DPI-435-304-4-16' on UFR-17, 'Cybrid Dancy (DPI-435-KW-5-7)' on UFR-17, 'Red grapefruit N11-7 (DPI-435-N40-16-11-7)' on UFR-17, 'Cybrid #304 (DPI-435-304-4-16)' on UFR-17, 'Low-seeded cybrid "Furr" 1 (DPI-435-A-32.5)' on UFR-17, 'Low-seeded cybrid "Furr" 2 (DPI-435-N40-18A-10-11)' on UFR-17, 'US Honey Coat' on UFR-17, 'US Seedless Surprise' on UFR-17, 'FF-1-22-79' on UFR-17. Tree size, HLB incidence, nutrient concentration data are being analyzed. Please see this link for the remainder of the accomplishments:https://www.dropbox.com/s/bhjnmmrfbdjuc7s/overflow-accomplishments.pdf?dl=0

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Ebert, T., Waldo, L., Mungofa, P., Holmes, W., Mariner Jr., N. and A. Schumann. 2020. Developing a neutral electrolyzed water treatment for pest management in a citrus under protective screen production system. 133 Annual meeting of the Florida State Horticultural Society, 19-20 October, [C-13]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rizk, A.G. and A. Singerman, 2020. Feasibility and Impact of Adopting a Proposed Solution to Citrus Greening. Selected Poster. Southern Agricultural Economics Association 52nd. Annual Meeting Program February 1-4, 2020, Louisville, KY
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Al-Shami. S., and J. A. Qureshi. 2020. Incidence of citrus leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), and its natural enemies on grapefruit in protected and open production systems. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Virtual, November 11-15 (83 Views, 4 attendees)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Demard, E. P., D�ker, I. and J. A. Qureshi. 2020. (talk) Abundance, diversity, and distribution of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) from citrus under different pest management programs in Florida. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Virtual, November 11-15. (128 views, 13 attendees)
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Ebert, T., Waldo L., Stanton D., Schumann A. 2020. Screen mesh size for exclusion of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) in citrus production. Journal of Economic Entomology. 113(4): 2026-2030. https://academic.oup.com/jee/article/113/4/2026/5840497
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2020 Citation: Ebert T., Waldo L., Holmes, W., Mariner Jr. N., Schumann A. (in press). Phytotoxicity threshold for neutral electrolyzed water in citrus. Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society. 132:
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Ferrarezi, R. S., Mixon, J., Schumann, A. W., Krajewski, A., Alferez, F., James, H. T., Gil, C, Davis, D., King, C., Locatelli, G. 2020. Hand pruning increases fruit yield and quality of W. Murcott and SugarBelle mandarins cultivated under protective screen. HortScience 55(9): S285 (Abstr.).
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Schumann, A., Waldo, L., Mariner, N., & Ebert, T. (2020). Five years of fresh fruit production in CUPS. Citrus Industry, 101, 14-17. https://citrusindustry.net/2020/11/11/five-years-of-fresh-fruit-production-in-cups/
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rolshausen P.E., Graham B. and Schumann A. 2019. Growing Citrus Under Nets. Citrograph. Winter Issue 40-43.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Schumann, A. (2020, 08/10/2020). Growing Citrus for the Fresh Market in Covered Production Systems. Paper presented at the ASHS, Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Schumann, A. W., Singerman, A., Wright, A. L., & Ferrarezi, R. S. (2020). 20202021 Florida Citrus Production Guide: Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS) Production Systems. EDIS, 1. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/HS/HS130400.pdf
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Ferguson, K., Cruz, M. A. da, Ferrarezi, R. S., Dorado, C., Bai, J., Cameron, R. G. 2020. Huanglongbing (HLB) impact on grapefruit peel and pectin quality during grapefruit maturation. Food Hydrocolloids. Available online Dec 15, 2020. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268005X20329271?via%3Dihub
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Chen, X.D., Sandoval-Majica, A.F., Bonilla, S.I., Ebert, T.A. Gossett, H., Pelz-Stelinski, K.S., Stelinski, L.L. 2020. Fenpropathrin resistance in Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuayama: risk assessment and changes in expression of CYP and GST genes associated with resistance. International Journal of Pest Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/09670874.2020.1850906
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Demard, E. P., J. A. Qureshi. 2020. Featured Creatures, Citrus Rust Mite: Phyllocoptruta oleivora F. Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, University of Florida, Featured Creatures EDIS Publication EENY 748. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1278.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Khan, A.A., M. Afzal, P.A. Stansly, and J.A. Qureshi. 2020. Effectiveness of the brown lacewing, Sympherobius barberi Banks as a biological control agent of the Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama. In Ferrarezi, R.S. Urbaneja, A., Machado, M.A., Vincent C.I. eds. 2021. Unravelling Citrus Huanglongbing Disease. Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.567212 .
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: http://www.makecitrusgreatagain.com/CUPS.htm
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rolshausen lab website (https://ucanr.edu/sites/Rolshausen/; https://ucanr.edu/sites/Citrus@UCR/) and Twitter (@philrols)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Qureshi, J., and Kosttyk B. Chemical control of citrus rust mite, Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashmead). 133 Annual meeting of the Florida State Horticultural Society, 19-20 October, (Presentation C-16)


Progress 01/01/19 to 12/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:We used a diverse portfolio of extension outlets to reach out to our target audience(s). Citrus growers in Florida and California are the primary end-users, but this research also engages with several other groups including manufacturers, citrus processors, extension agents, crop advisors, farming industries, academic/industry researchers, policy makers and stakeholders for other commodity groups. Changes/Problems:IRREC CUPS: A winter storm in early part of 2019 caused significant damage to the roofs of the CUPS at the Indian River Research and Education Center, which most likely allowed Asian citrus psyllid to enter and establish in the CUPS. CUPS were exposed for few months and roofs replaced on all four structures. Changes: 1) A new irrigation and fertigation controller (HI 10000, Hanna Instruments, Woonsocket, RI) was successfully installed in 2019. 2) The sand used as a substrate for the potted trees from years 2013-2019 was replaced by a commercial substrate (Fafard Citrus Mix RSi; Sungro Horticulture, Agawam, MA) on 400 trees. That major task was needed since sand was a poor media that reduced tree growth overtime, leading to reduced growth compared to the in-ground trees. It took approximately 2-3 months to fully accomplish this time-consuming and labor-intensive activity. 3) The irrigation emitters were replaced by two 1 GPH drip emitters per tree. 4) Fertigation started been applied daily for a total of 180 kg N/ha per year using the 15N-4.8P-25.7K water-soluble fertilizer [15% total-N, 4.8% P, 25.7% K, 0.8% Mg, 1.0% S, 0.02% B, 0.05% Cu, 0.1% Fe, 0.05% Mn, 0.0005% Mo, and 0.05% Zn (Agrolution pHLow; Everris NA, Dublin, OH)] and calcium nitrate (15.5% total-N and 19% Ca). Problems:1) In April 2019 a tropical storm destroyed the roof of all screenhouses, requiring complete replacement. The replacement job faced a few setbacks, since the cheapest vendor did not execute the contract on time, and a most expensive vendor had to be hired, pushing the activity completion in several months. The task was completed in October 2019. 2) Our team started evaluating canopy management strategies on a replicated trial in another commercial CUPS location at George Pantuso's operation in Zolfo Springs, FL. We tested four treatments: a control (mechanical pruning - at bloom and late summer), hand pruning (at bloom and late summer), mechanical + hand pruning (at bloom and late summer) and hand pruning (at bloom only) in potted 'W. Murcott' mandarin. However, the grower decided cutting trees down starting early January 2020 and start his CUPS project over again with grapefruit trees since the 'W. Murcott' mandarins were tested positive for HLB due to hurricane damages in 2017 and the low fruit yield/lack of color in 2019/20. 3) The research graduate (a PhD candidate) in charge of implementing several of the project objectives (#4, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3) was not able to keep up the tasks on schedule. The student was facing personal problems and took a long Summer vacation, being oriented to seek for UF Counseling and Wellness Center support. Unfortunately the student ended up taking a medical leave in the middle of the Fall semester and withdrew UF Graduate Program. Modifications: The installation of trials with different screen colors in two commercial collaborators was not completed due to problems in identifying grower collaborators. One of our long term collaborators (Mr. George Pantuso) cut his CUPS trees down and the other collaborator (Mr. Jerry Mixon) did not want to use more trees of his commercial production for trials. The trial is getting installed at the IRREC CUPS as soon the 2019/20 season fruit is harvested and existing trees hedged and topped. LREC CUPS:Changes/problems/project modifications: The CUPS research project for California was initially scheduled to start in the summer of 2019. However, the lowest bidding price from contractors to build the CUPS structure was $215K higher than the budget allocated ($335K). Thus PI Rolshausen had to leverage gap funds from stakeholders (California Citrus Research Board, and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources), which delayed the start of the project. CREC CUPS:As the result of a serious medical condition adversely affecting subcontractor PI Krajewski and the resulting advice from his medical professional against undertaking travel outside Australia (effective from March, 2019); a reallocation of some consultancy time was undertaken, enabling PI Krajewski to meet agreed-upon project commitments and objectives provided for under the initial project budget. This was deemed necessary to compensate for the loss (in 2019) of 20 consultancy days initially designated for on-site work in Florida. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Emilie Demard PhD student attended two-week Acarology Summer Program at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AK, which provided training in the identification and classification of mites of agricultural importance and on evolutionary and applied aspects of mite biological control. She and the postdoc Dr. S. Al-Shami were also sent to several meetings where they presented the work being conducted in the CUPS. Presentations on CUPS pests and management issues were made at the professional and grower meetings, which provided the research and extension specialists, students and citrus producers to gain knowledge about the CUPS production system. Presentations are listed in the products section. The project has provided visitors to learn more about the system by guided tours at the IRREC CUPS. The project Co-PI Dr. Ferrarezi and graduate student Natalia Macan were able to visit a CUPS research facility at the Citrus Research Center "Sylvio Moreira" in Cordeirópolis, SP, Brazil, and the Co-Pi Dr. Ferrarezi visited commercial citrus production areas cultivated under screen for hail protection in Alcanar and Valencia, Spain. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results were disseminated under the scope of objective 6. CREC CUPS site: We presented pertinent research results at multiple Florida grower forums, seminars, workshops and field days using Powerpoint slides, posters, handouts and video clips as support material. Numerous magazine articles were published for citrus grower readers. We also hosted ongoing grower and scientist visits to our CUPS facility and a Field Day at the CREC CUPS on 12 December. We are developing a project web site athttp://www.makecitrusgreatagain.com/CUPS.htm and the California sub-project is athttp://ucanr.edu/sites/Rolshausen/Crops/Citrus/ . Please refer to the products section for a complete listing of all the outcomes that have been disseminated in 2019. IRREC CUPS site: Results were published as a peer-reviewed publication in Frontiers in Plant Science (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2019.01598/full), and presented at the Florida Society of Horticultural Science's 2019 Annual Conference in Maitland/FL, Sixth International Research Conference on Huanglongbing in Riverside/CA, and, "CUPS, mini-CUPS and other strategies to manage HLB" seminar at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee, FL (https://citrusagents.ifas.ufl.edu/newsletters/zekri/Flatwoods%20Citrus-December%202019.pdf). The seminar occurred on Dec 17, 2019 and hosted approximately 45 participants. LREC:Citrograph article, industry meetings, Rolshausen lab website (), Twitter (@philrols) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?IRREC CUPS: Objective 1. Studies will be conducted to evaluate naturally occurring and commercially available biological control agents for their impact on the pests attacking citrus in the CUPS. The evaluations will include exclusion experiments to test the survival, predation or parasitism potentials of the beneficial organisms and open releases of the predators and parasitoids in the CUPS and control. Studies will also be conducted to evaluate the effects of the insecticides and miticides and fungal pathogens against pests colonizing citrus in the CUPS. Findings will be presented at the grower (workshops, field day) and professional meetings and published in the peer reviewed and EDIS documents. Objective 3: Scion and rootstock selection for IRREC CUPS As previously reported, an order was placed with Brite Leaf Nursery (Lake Panasofkee, FL) and trees will be delivered Spring 2020. Varieties ordered (scion and rootstocks): 'Early Pride' on US-942, 'BB-4' on US-897, 'W. Murcott' on UFR-17, 'Minneola' on Kuharske, 'UF-950' on US-897, 'Dancy' on UFR-4, 'Nules Clementine' on UFR-4, 'Bingo' on US-942, 'Ray Ruby' on Sour Orange, 'Ray Ruby' on US-897, 'Ray Ruby' on Kuharske, 'Ray Ruby' on UFR-6, 'Ray Ruby' on UFR-17, 'UF-914' on US-942, 'Navel '56-11'' on UFR-17, 'KinnowLS' on UFR-17, 'UF Sunrise' on UFR-17, 'FF-1-75-55' on UFR-17, 'Tango' on UFR-17, 'Page' on UFR-17, 'UF Glow' on UFR-17, 'C4-15-19 (DPI-435-C4-15-21)' on UFR-17, '5-1-99-2 Pummelette (DPI-435-5-1-99-2)' on UFR-17, '1420' on UFR-17, '1424' on UFR-17, 'Persian lime' on Rangpur lime, 'Mandarin DPI-435-0117' on UFR-17, 'Mandarin UF 304' on UFR-17, 'seedless Murcott clone (DPI-435-18A-10-47)' on UFR-17, 'Mandarin DPI-435-304-4-16' on UFR-17, 'Cybrid Dancy (DPI-435-KW-5-7)' on UFR-17, 'Red grapefruit N11-7 (DPI-435-N40-16-11-7)' on UFR-17, 'Cybrid #304 (DPI-435-304-4-16)' on UFR-17, 'Low-seeded cybrid "Furr" 1 (DPI-435-A-32.5)' on UFR-17, 'Low-seeded cybrid "Furr" 2 (DPI-435-N40-18A-10-11)' on UFR-17, 'US HoneyCoat' on UFR-17, 'US Seedless Surprise' on UFR-17, 'FF-1-22-79' on UFR-17, Objective 4: Horticultural improvements to maximize premium-grade fresh fruit production in CUPS 4.1 Canopy management We will continue the evaluation of advanced horticultural techniques to increase tree yield by using canopy management strategies on a replicated trial in a commercial CUPS location at Jerry Mixon's operation in Bartow, FL. We are testing four treatments: a control (mechanical pruning - at bloom and late summer), hand pruning (at bloom and late summer), mechanical + hand pruning (at bloom and late summer) and hand pruning (at bloom only) in different mandarins ('W. Murcott' and 'SugarBelle'). Studies were conducted on trees in-ground and in pots. 4.2 Effect of different screen color and/or reflective mulch on plant growth and fruit yield Literature review was performed by the PhD student, treatments established and two grower collaborators contacted to perform field trials. Jerry Mixon did not accept using more trees from his commercial operation to conduct trials due to the potential impact on yield despite of potential compensation, and George Pantuso cut down all the trees and is replanting. The trial is getting installed at the IRREC CUPS as soon the 2019/20 season fruit is harvested and existing trees hedged and topped. Treatments: T1 (Control): No photoselective net, T2: Red photoselective net, T3: Blue photoselective net, T4: Gray photoselective net. 4.3 Sensor-based precision irrigation and fertigation control for optimized fruit production Start of the treatment application. Treatments on Trial 1 (irrigation): two environments (open-air and screenhouse), two planting methods (in-ground and potted) and three Irrigation scheduling (T1 based on ETo, T2 and T3 based on VWC). Treatments on Trial 2 (fertigation): two environments (open-air and screenhouse), two planting methods (in-ground and potted) and three fertilization treatments (T1 control, T2 and T3 based on EC). LREC CUPS: Objective 3-1: In the Spring of 2020, one-acre block of Tango x C35 and one acre block of Cara Cara x Rich 16-6 will be planted under cover and replicated outdoor (4 acres total). Blocks will be planted at a density of 8' x 14' (390 trees per acre). Data on several parameters will be recorded at the onset of the experiment following tree planting. Weather stations and soil sensors will be placed inside and outside so we can record environmental parameters including temperature, relative humidity, wind, soil moisture and irrigation water. In addition using a portable LICOR system we will record data on tree physiology (water consumption, water potential, stomatal conductivity, evapotranspiration, chlorophyll content, and photosynthesis) at key physiological tree stages. We will also record horticultural data (tree growth, flushing periods, timings of flowering and fruit set). Objective 1: Following the onset of the experiment (Spring 2020) we will monitor pests and diseases pressure in CUPS and develop an IPDM (Integrated Pest and Disease Management) program that is suited for CUPS under California conditions. Objective 6: Organize a field day for the California Citrus industry in the Spring or Fall of 2020 (tbd). CREC CUPS: We will continue with routine maintenance, spraying, harvesting, irrigation, fertilization, leaf sampling and data analysis in the CUPS. The screen house will be re-screened in early 2020. Activities related to the project objectives will be: Objective 1. A second field experiment with the NEW sanitizer spray will be conducted in 2020 to suppress greasy spot, melanose and scab fungal diseases on grapefruit. The goal will be to refine the application rate to be effective for disease control but safer on the citrus trees than it was in the 2019 season experiments. Prepare a journal paper to publish the 2019 results of the NEW experiments. Objective 2. The robotic scouting platform will be retrofitted with a new automatic insect trap using deep learning machine vision to detect different insects in real time. The performance of the robotic scouting platform will be evaluated in the CREC CUPS as proof of concept. Objective 3. Continue evaluating the grapefruit and tangerine varieties in the CUPS to maximize fresh fruit quality and quantity at early, mid and late seasons. Objective 4. The multi-year canopy management / pruning experiments in Honey Murcott will be continued. Additional gibberellic acid spray trials will be initiated at bloom to improve fruit set on Early Pride, Sugar Belle, and Dancy varieties in particular. Based on color-break tests with W. Murcott and UF914 using LED light wavelengths and colored shadecloth in 2019, we will expand the tests to include other varieties and combinations of spectral filters and timings to improve fruit rind color at maturity. Objective 5. Continue refining the economic analysis of CUPS fresh fruit production as new data becomes available. Objective 6. Host a CUPS field day in Florida and California. Publish pertinent outcomes in trade journals, EDIS documents, and web sites. Present results at grower forums like the Citrus Expos in Florida and California. Host visits with growers in the CUPS as needed. Visit commercial CUPS in Florida and California to provide logistical and scientific support.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Participants: Arnold Schumann, Ariel Singerman, Chris Oswalt, Andrew Krajewski, Rhuanito Ferrarezi, Jawwad Qureshi, Philippe Rolshausen,Elizabeth Grafton-Cardwell In Florida, there are now approximately 500 acres of commercial CUPS groves planted, an increase of 66% since 2018. Additional new CUPS projects and expansion of existing sites in Florida will add hundreds more acres in 2020. A 4.7-acre research CUPS being built at the Lindcove Research and Education Center in late 2019 will be planted in 2020 and serve as the primary CUPS test facility for California. Research/extension activities in 2019 continued with those proposed in this project, focusing on further improving CUPS technology by developing efficient, automated detection methods for ACP incursions, integrated pest management with biocontrol, horticultural methods such as selective canopy management, hydroponics and sensor-based irrigation, suitable varieties and rootstocks to boost yields, and a comprehensive economic analysis. Horticultural research under sub-objective 4.2: "Effect of different screen color and/or reflective mulch on plant growth and fruit yield" was initiated in 2019 to improve the fruit color break of some varieties grown in CUPS. The W. Murcott variety produces high yields of seedless fruit in CUPS, with excellent internal quality, but the external peel fails to color properly and reduces its consumer acceptance and therefore the market price. Achievement of overall goals: CREC CUPS: Our research CUPS at the CREC is 1.3 acres and was started 5.5 years ago. During that time we found only one psyllid in the screen house and in October 2019 we found and verified the first HLB-positive tree, representing an HLB-incidence of only 0.09% over 5.5 years. Fruit yields in the CUPS, especially grapefruit, have proved to be reliable and high. Cumulative harvested red grapefruit yields reached 2,950 boxes/acre in December 2019, worth more than $76,000/acre at current fresh fruit prices. An economic analysis of 4 grapefruit seasons in our CUPS, projected out to 10 years showed it would be profitable with a decent return on investment of around 15% if projection assumptions hold. We are evaluating about 20 different citrus varieties in the CREC CUPS in order to support the commercial CUPS growers with the best possible information and choices. Variety evaluations in 2019 included scoring seediness of the fruit, increasing fruit set with gibberellic acid sprays, investigating mid-season fruit splitting, and testing canopy management options and their effects on fruit yields and quality. Discussion was also initiated on the incidence of "open navels" in certain hybrid and/or mandarin cultivars, and its effects on the incidence of certain important fungal pathogens, such as Alternaria citri (or A. alternata?) core rot. We made good progress with developing more effective remedies for controlling greasy spot disease in the CUPS by using Neutral Electrolyzed Water, or dilute sodium or potassium hypochlorite sanitizer sprays. The greasy spot lesions on the leaves were significantly reduced and trees retained their leaves for longer in treated plots. Unfortunately the yields and fruit size were significantly reduced by the sanitizer, which we hope to resolve with follow-up experiments in 2020. Other important fruit quality issues that occur in CUPS are being actively researched and some progress was made in 2019. The W. murcott variety is popular in CUPS because it is seedless, easy peeling and high yielding. In the Florida climate and particularly in CUPS, it fails to color up properly at maturity, which reduces its value at markets. Standard ethylene degreening also fails to work on W. murcott. We ran six post-harvest experiments with LED lights of ten different wavelengths to determine that red and pink (=blue+red) lights have a strong positive effect on degreening W. murcott fruit, even in the absence of ethylene. In 2019 we made more progress with developing an autonomous robotic scouting platform for arthropod pests that uses artificial intelligence and machine vision. We have nearly completed an automated smart trap for capturing and identifying any of the flying pests that might occur in CUPS (thrips, leaf rollers, aphids, psyllids, whitefly, leaf miner). IRREC CUPS: Objective 1: Refer to the PDF file in the link https://www.dropbox.com/s/pv2r4pfx0ufrstt/PDF2019.pdf?dl=0 (8000 character limit in this section has been exceeded) Objective 3: Scion and rootstock selection for IRREC CUPS Trees were ordered at Brite Leaf Nursery (Lake Panasofkee, FL) and are expected to be delivered/planted in Spring 2020. We kept constant communication with nursery and UF breeders to check order status, assist with budwood and seed supply and update the variety list as needed. Objective 4: Horticultural improvements to maximize premium-grade fresh fruit production in CUPS 4.1 Canopy management Our team continued evaluating advanced horticultural techniques to increase tree yield by using canopy management strategies on a replicated trial in two commercial CUPS locations at George Pantuso's and Jerry Mixon's operation in Zolfo Springs, FL and Bartow, FL, respectively. Second year of fruit yield data is been collected and processed. 4.2 Effect of different screen color and/or reflective mulch on plant growth and fruit yield Literature review was performed by the PhD student, treatments established and two grower collaborators contacted to perform field trials. Mr. Jerry Mixon did not accept using more trees from his commercial operation to conduct trials due to the potential impact on yield despite of potential compensation, and Mr. George Pantuso cut down all the trees and is replanting. We are implementing the trial at the IRREC CUPS. 4.3 Sensor-based precision irrigation and fertigation control for optimized fruit production A new irrigation and fertigation controller was installed in early 2019. A new irrigation and fertigation system was designed and installation completed late in 2019, with miles of trenches excavated and pipes and wires deployed in the field. Independent solenoid valves and soil moisture sensors were connected to dataloggers, multiplexers and relay drivers. The communication between the loggers and a central computer was established using radio modules, and the computer was connected to the internet by a local hotspot. Objective 6: Develop decision support guidelines for CUPS A "CUPS, mini-CUPS and other strategies to manage HLB" seminar was organized at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee, FL (https://citrusagents.ifas.ufl.edu/newsletters/zekri/Flatwoods%20Citrus-December%202019.pdf) with approximately 45 participants. A refereed publication in Frontiers in Plant Science provided research results of a long-term experiment at the IRREC CUPS (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2019.01598/full). LREC CUPS: A 4.7 acres structure is currently being built at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center and will be finalized in February of 2020 (see attached document). Total funding of $550K was leveraged from the Citrus Research Board ($350K) and the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources ($200K) to build the structure.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ebert, T., L. Waldo, W. Holmes, N. Mariner and A.W. Schumann (2019). Phytotoxicity Threshold for Neutral Electrolyzed Water in Citrus. Florida State Horticultural Society Annual Meeting, Sanford, FL, ASHS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ebert, T., L. Waldo, D. Stanton and A. W. Schumann (2019). Screen mesh size selection for exclusion of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) in citrus production. Entomology 2019, ESA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Schumann, A., L. Waldo, W. Holmes, E. TE, N. Mariner, G. Test and A. Krajewski (2019). Hydroponically-grown grapefruit maximize HLB-free fresh fruit production in CUPS. IRCHLB. Riverside, CA.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: FERRAREZI, R. S.; QURESHI, J. A.; WRIGHT, A. L.; RITENOUR, M. A.; MACAN, N. P. F. 2019. Citrus production under screen as a strategy to protect grapefruit trees from huanglongbing disease. Frontiers in Plant Science. 10(1598): 1-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.01598
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: FERRAREZI, R. S.; HERNANDEZ, Y. V.; STEPHENS, J. 2019. Environmental parameters inside the citrus under protective screen system for fresh grapefruit production. Florida Society of Horticultural Science, 2019 Annual Conference (Abstr.). Maitland/FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: FERRAREZI, R. S.; QURESHI, J. A. 2019. Citrus Under Protected Screen (CUPS) for grapefruit production in Floridas East Coast. Sixth International Research Conference on Huanglongbing, 2019 Annual Conference (Abstr.). Riverside/CA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: DEMARD, E. P.; DOKER, I.; FERRAREZI, R. S.; QURESHI, J. A. 2019. Pest and predacious mite complex of Citrus Under Protective Screens (CUPS). Florida Entomological Society, 2019 Annual Meeting July 21-24, 2019 (Abstr.). Jupiter/FL.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: DEMARD, E. P.; FERRAREZI, R. S.; QURESHI, J. A. 2019. Abundance and distribution of the citrus rust mite (Phyllocoptruta oleivora) and the citrus red mite (Panonychus citri) in Citrus Under Protective Screens (CUPS). TREC South Florida Graduate Research Symposium (Abstr.). Homestead/FL.
  • Type: Websites Status: Under Review Year Published: 2019 Citation: http://www.makecitrusgreatagain.com/CUPS.htm
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rolshausen, P., G Barry and A Schumann (2019). Growing citrus under nets. Citrograph. Visalia, CA, Citrus Research Board. Winter 2019: 40-43.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Schumann, A., A. Singerman and Y. Wang (2019). Production, consumer preference, and economics of fresh grapefruit grown in CUPS. Citrus Industry 100(11): 14-18.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Schumann A., Singerman A., Wright A., Ferrarezi R.S. (2019) Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS) Production Systems- 2019-2020 Florida Citrus Production Guide EDIS, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. 2 pp.


Progress 01/01/18 to 12/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:We used a diverse portfolio of extension outlets to reach out to our target audience(s). Citrus growers are the primary end-users, but this research also engages with several other groups including manufacturers, screen house builders, extension agents, farming industries, packing houses, academic/industry researchers, policy makers and stakeholders for other commodity groups. Principal locations of target audiences are in Florida and California, but recently other citrus-producing states like Alabama have requested information from us. Changes/Problems:CREC CUPS, Lake Alfred: There were no majorchanges or problems to report fromthe CUPS project, except that the initiation of the pruning experiment in 2018 was slightly delayed due to the additional workload needed to make repairs to the structure after hurricane Irma damaged it in September 2017. Consulting support from A. Krajewski, International Citrus Technologies, Western Australia: 2018 ran smoothly and as planned with the following exceptions: PI Krajewski's scheduled on-site visit to Florida in November was disrupted by an unforeseen and unavoidable medical emergency that affected Dr. Krajewski while in Florida Due to PI Krajewski's medical emergency, he was unable to present a 30 minute practical demonstration of the principles and practices of citrus canopy management by hand pruning at the CUPS Field Day at Mr. J. Mixon's facilities, held on November 15 Due to reallocation of time and reprioritization of activities necessitated by points i and ii above, discussion was not held on editorial changes and authorship to two manuscripts drafted by PI Krajewski [viz: 'Canopy management of trees under CUPS' (drafted March, intended for EDIS publication); and 'Canopy management of Citrus with special reference to CUPS' (drafted June, intended for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, not yet selected)] These issues shall be addressed in the first quarter of 2019. IRREC CUPS, Ft. Pierce: PI Jawwad Qureshi relocated from the IRREC, Ft. Pierce center to the SWFREC, Immokalee center in late 2018. His post-doctoral associate and PhD student will remain in Ft. Pierce to continue the IPM research of objective 1 in the IRREC CUPS. The CUPS houses at the IRREC, Ft. Pierce center were damaged during Hurricane Irma in 2017, which allowed Asian citrus psyllid to enter and establish in the CUPS in 2018. ACP infestation was observed in all four CUPS in 2018 which was cleared using foliar sprays of insecticides, manual removal of infested shoots and releases of the parasitoid Tamarixia radiata. The experimental area has other chronic issues related to the study design and implementation back in 2013. The most limiting factor is the small area dedicated to production, since the IRREC CUPS has four independent ¼-acre screenhouses. That creates a practical challenging related to machinery movement among screenhouses, since everything is exposed to the open-air while transiting from one house to another, increasing the potential for pest and disease dissemination. The four independent screenhouses also drastically reduces the number of trees that can be cultivated inside the enclosure since we need space for machinery turning and operation. All potted trees were planted in a sand-based potting mix: 50% washed sand (South Florida Land Clearing, Fort Pierce, FL), 15% Florida peat, 20% cypress dust, 7.5% perlite, and 7.5% coconut coir with 3 kg/m3 dolomite (Harrell's, Lakeland, FL) (mixed on site in cement mixer). That poor media reduced tree growth overtime, leading to small trees compared to the in-ground trees. The potted trees are certainly not reaching their maximum production potential. The study was also implemented with only one grapefruit variety on two rootstocks (Sour orange and US-897). There is need for several other varieties and a mix of advanced cultural practices to justify the use of an expensive enclosure. We are limited by the number of trees per screenhouse, and need to perform studies in commercial collaborators to overcome the reduced amount of trees available. There is one missing row of trees per rootstock in the open-air production system, resulting in six rows per plot instead of eight. On top of that, the screens have had multiple opens throughout the years; plants were not looking healthy when the current center horticulturalist assumed the position; and there was no walking-through station for disinfection of personnel and equipment in all houses. The screenhouses provide for disease exclusion, but environmental challenges such as hurricanes in Florida require a more comprehensive evaluation of structural modifications to deal with extreme weather. Hurricane Irma damaged the screen structures in September 2017, leaving openings until repairs were completed in April 2018. In March of 2018, monitoring of psyllids with sticky cards changed from once monthly to twice monthly in response to the detection of psyllids inside the screenhouses post Irma. On top of the psyllid detection, there was an inefficient psyllid control due to product coverage issues and difficulties in scheduling applications during the peak of Florida's rainy season (21 days of non-stop rain late May/early June, 2018). IRREC CUPS screenhouses are 5 years old, and the screen is experiencing degradation from solar radiation, rainfall, and constant strong winds, resulting in screen rupture at several points in the roof. That task has been requiring a tremendous labor effort to patch the holes and repair those openings. Due to this degradation, the screen will have to be replaced in the near future. Leaf samples were collected and tested for HLB once per year. Diagnostics were performed by Southern Gardens in 2018. Inside screenhouse trees tested negative, while outside trees tested positive for HLB. New testing is scheduled to March 2019. There was a failure in the irrigation system in September 2018. A lightning strike burnt the irrigation controllers and caused major damages to the system on a Friday afternoon, causing potted trees to wilt during the weekend due to the high temperatures inside the screenhouses. There was no defoliation or fruit drop. The irrigation have been turned on manually from the last three months until the new irrigation and fertigation controller was installed. There was a delay in installing the system (HI 10000; Hanna Instruments, Woonsocket, RI) caused by tardiness in payment from the University and difficulty in finding an adequate date in December for the installation. The research graduate (a PhD candidate) in charge of implementing several of the project objectives was replaced on 01/01/2019 due to low performance. Even though there were multiples attempts to solve the situation, the student failed in performing several activities: 1) designing the irrigation and fertigation management study using soil moisture sensors on CUPS, 2) implementing the new irrigation system on CUPS for the irrigation/fertigation management study, and 3) starting the study with different screen colors on CUPS. A new research graduate (a PhD candidate) started right away and is working to catch up the delay caused by the lack of proactivity from the previous PhD candidate. We are expanding the varieties tested under the IRREC CUPS. However, no trees were available for 2018 or 2019 due to the shortage in the nurseries and the complexity of propagating so many varieties and rootstocks in small batches. An order was placed with Brite Leaf Nursery (Lake Panasofkee, FL) and trees will be delivered Spring 2020. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?IRREC CUPS site:A PhD student was hired to work on understanding the mite problems and management in the CUPS. She monitored populations of pest and beneficial mites biweekly in CUPS and respective outside controls and presented the findings at Florida Entomological Society and Entomological Society of America meetings. She also presented her PhD research proposal seminar in Fall 2018. These events were attended by students and research and extension specialists. A temporary assistant was hired to help with the monitoring and management of Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), citrus leafminer (CLM), mealybugs, scales and beneficial organisms initiated in 2018. Beside ACP and CLM monitoring using sticky cards, he is also helping with comparisons of tap sampling and suction sampling methods and releases of the parasitoid Tamarixia radiata conducted in the CUPS and outside. A full-bright scholar from Philippines was invited to the lab and she is working on the investigation against Florida red scale an important pest of citrus in protected and open systems. A commercially available parasitoid Aphytis melinus and naturally occurring species are being tested against Florida red scale. The Citrus Horticulture Laboratory team visited the CREC CUPS twice in 2018, and hosted multiple tours for growers and visitors at the IRREC CUPS. The previous PhD candidate sponsored by the grant attended a training about using the LI-6400XT photosynthesis gas analyzer at Licor (Lincoln, NE), and was leading an independent trial to use sap flow sensors in citrus trees that was going to be useful for measuring water uptake on CUPS trees. CREC CUPS site: An indoor workshop with Powerpoint and handouts on CUPS canopy management, was held twice in November at the CREC for stakeholders: "Canopy management for CUPS", byDr. Andrew J. Krajewski, our project consultant from International Citrus Technologies Pty Ltd,Albany, Western Australia. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?(Objective 6)CREC CUPS site:We presented pertinent research results at multiple Florida grower forums, seminars, workshops and field days using Powerpoint slides, posters, handouts and video clips as support material. Numerous magazine articles werepublished for citrus grower readers. Wealso hosted ongoing grower and scientist visits to our CUPS facility. There are more than ten growers / groups currently that are seriously planning to establish similar larger covered growing systems for fresh fruit. They have consulted repeatedly with us for advice and to view our own progress with the system. There is increasing interest in the CUPS system among the FL fresh citrus growers, with about 250 acres of commercial CUPS in progress during 2018 and more acres of new CUPS structures planned for construction in 2019.An annual CUPS field day was held by Arnold Schumann, Chris Oswalt, and Timothy Ebert on November 15, 2018. The event was co-hosted by Jerry Mixon at his KLM Farms commercial CUPS. He isone of the grower-stakeholders with 35acres of CUPS (to be expanded to 75 acres in 2019): A comprehensivevideo was produced by PGTV - Polk TV, and can be watched at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksxWYM8u_TYFor a list of outreach activities and materials in 2018, see "Other Products". In 2018 the CUPS project was also placed on Philippe Rolshausen's lab web site, serving primarily the California citrus industry: (http://ucanr.edu/sites/Rolshausen/Crops/Citrus/) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?CREC CUPS site: Test NEW water in CREC-CUPS to determine efficacy on controlling greasy spot disease Continue to monitor pest populations to work out phenology specific to CUPS. Introduce some predators into CREC-CUPS for mite and thrips control. Submit the screen test results for publication. Submit the NEW water test results for publication. Study shading and cooling to identify trigger for color development of grapefruit. This is critical information to facilitate color development to take advantage of Christmas sales. Work at machine learning and vision for identifying pest problems in citrus and to complete the autonomous scouting drone. Release other natural enemies in an attempt to find compatible species. Conduct routine maintenance, spraying, harvesting, irrigation,fertilization, leaf sampling and data analysis in the CUPS Conduct the first comprehensive economic analysis of grapefruit and mandarin varieties growing in the CREC CUPS LREC CUPS site: (California CUPS research);A 4.6 acres structure will be built at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center in the Spring of 2019 to address the objectives listed in the proposal. We are currently finalizing the structure design with UC Agricultural and Natural Resources (see attached document) that will be sent out at by the end of January for bidding. Objective 3-1: In the summer of 2019, one-acre block of Tango x C35 and one acre block of Cara Cara x Rich 16-6 will be planted under cover and replicated outdoor (4 acres total). Blocks will be planted at a density of 8' x 14' (390 trees per acre). Data on several parameters will be recorded at the onset of the experiment following tree planting. Weather stations and soil sensors will be placed inside and outside so we can record environmental parameters including temperature, relative humidity, wind, soil moisture and irrigation water. In addition using a portable LICOR system we will record data on tree physiology (water consumption, water potential, stomatal conductivity, evapotranspiration, chlorophyll content, and photosynthesis) at key physiological tree stages. We will also record horticultural data (tree growth, flushing periods, timings of flowering and fruit set). Objective 1: Following the onset of the experiment (Summer 2019) we will monitor pests and diseases pressure in CUPS and develop an IPDM (Integrated Pest and Disease Management) program that is suited for CUPS under California conditions. Objective 6: Organize a field day for the California Citrus industry in the early Fall of 2019 (tbd). IRREC CUPS site: Dr. Salman Al-Shami is hired as a post-doctoral associate, to work on the research and extension of monitoring and management of multiple pest problems in CUPS. Dr. Al-Shami will be joining the lab in February 2019. He will work on the monitoring of ACP, CLM, mites, scales, and thrips in the CUPS and respective outdoor controls and their management using insecticides and biological control agents. The student will be sampling conventional, organic and untreated citrus groves to identify potential predators for use in CUPS. She will also initiate investigations on potential of a commercially available predatory mite, Amblyseius swirskii, against pest mites of CUPS. Findings of the research will be presented at professional and grower meetings and at CUPS grower field day to be organized in collaboration with the Citrus Horticulturist. An on-demand irrigation system controlled by soil moisture sensors has been designed and will be installed by March 2019 Implement the new irrigation system for the irrigation/fertigation management study Improve irrigation and fertigation management Potting media is being switched from a sand to an organic substrate (peat: perlite) A second trial focusing on canopy management strategies is expected to be installed this season in another commercial CUPS with potted mandarins and grapefruit at George Pantuso's operation in Zolfo Springs, FL Install study with different screen colors in two commercial collaborators

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Participants:Arnold Schumann, Ariel Singerman, Chris Oswalt, Andrew Krajewski, Rhuanito Ferrarezi, Jawwad Qureshi, Philippe Rolshausen Impacts:At the time this project proposal was conceived, CUPS proof of concept research was already underway at two REC locations in Florida.Research/extension activities proposed in this project focus on further improving CUPStechnology by developing efficient, automated detection methods for ACP incursions, integrated pest management with biocontrol, horticultural methods such as selective canopy management, hydroponics and sensor-based irrigation, suitable varieties and rootstocks to boost yields, and a comprehensive economic analysis. Extension/outreach activities are integrated into every research activity, most notably by conducting research with growers in their own facilities where possible. CUPS is a readily available technology that can be immediately adopted by growers to revitalize the Florida citrus industry and prevent the California citrus industry from reaching a similar stage of decline and consolidation. In Florida, there are now approximately 300 acres of commercial CUPS groves planted. Our preliminary results suggest that the productivity per acre for high quality fresh fruit in CUPS can be as much as 16x the productivity from conventional open-air HLB-affected groves. Therefore the relatively small acreage under CUPS can achieve a disproportionately large impact on saving the fresh fruit industry (growers, packing houses, export markest, and associated contracters, agricultural suppliers, etc). Impacts from our research weredemonstrated as changed knowledge and actions in the Florida citrus industry. New industry CUPS initiatives were created (http://dun-d.com/citrus-under-protective-screen/), (https://www.growingproduce.com/citrus/growing-under-cover-a-big-deal-for-florida-citrus/), (http://www.precisioncitrus.com/), creating new opportunities for employment, sustained fresh citrus production, and optimism for surviving the HLB threat.The smaller Alabama citrus industry is now also impacted by HLB and is looking to use CUPS technology for protecting their trees (one unconfirmed report of their first CUPS structure was received). Regardless of location, CUPS technology is being adopted as an interim, working solution for growing fresh citrus in HLB-affected regions of the USA. CUPS research sites:The CREC (Lake Alfred, FL) and IRREC (Ft. Pierce, FL) CUPS screen houses were constructed and planted in 2013/14. The LREC (Lindcove, CA)California project will only start in 2019 after the CUPS structure is built. Funding at the level of $336K was leveraged from the CA Citrus Research Board ($236K) and the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources ($100K) to build the structure in winter 2019. Achievement of overall goals: At the CREC CUPS facility, the trees have remained psyllid- and HLB-free for 4.5 years, and cumulative harvested red grapefruit yields reached 2,100 boxes/acre, worth more than $50,000 at current fresh fruit prices. The tangerine 'Honey' murcott variety has also yielded well (~1,500 boxes/acre cumulative) in the CUPS but tends to bear fruit in an alternating habit. Significantly, the packing house handling our fruit sales in 2018 reported a 100% packout for both murcott and grapefruit varieties. In the presence of HLB, Florida fresh fruit packouts are rarely higher than 50%. Our research prototype of growing citrus trees hydroponically at high densities in artificial media with pots is proving to be very productive, and many growers are ready to start similar larger systems commercially because they see the same benefits as tomato and other vegetable growers did years ago when they moved to intensive hydroponics in protected greenhouse environments. In 2018 progress was made in all objectives except Objective 5, because there was insufficient data for economic analysis in the first year.(Due to the limitation of 8000 characters in this web page section, please refer to the completeAccomplishments by objectiveathttps://www.dropbox.com/s/npcxwr7jzp23z4b/PDF2018.pdf?dl=0) Please also refer tothe "Products" and "Other Products" sections for a full list of research, extension / outreach events in 2018, as outputs from Objectives 1-6.

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Schumann, A. W., T. E. Ebert, L. Waldo, W. Holmes, N. Mariner, G. Test, C. Oswalt, R. S. Ferrarezi and R. Lesmes (2018). Research update: citrus under protective screen. Citrus Industry. Ocala, FL, Southeast Agnet. 99: 14-19. URL: http://citrusindustry.net/2018/11/26/research-update-citrus-under-protective-screen
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Schumann, A. W., L. Waldo, W. Holmes, G. Test and T. E. Ebert (2018). Artificial intelligence for detecting citrus pests, diseases and disorders. Citrus Industry. Ocala, FL, Southeast Agnet. 99: 6-10.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: SCHUMANN, A. W.; SINGERMAN, A.; WRIGHT, A. L; FERRAREZI, R. S. 2018. Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS) Production Systems. p.79-80. In: ROGERS, M. E.; DEWDNEY, M. M.; VASHISTH, T. (Ed.). 2018-2019 Citrus Production Guide. Lake Alfred, FL: UF/IFAS, 168 p. URL: https://crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/pest/PDF/CUPS.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: FERRAREZI, R. S. 2018. Growing citrus under enclosures. UC Berkeley Research Snapshot 04/28/2018. URL: https://berkeley.box.com/shared/static/swyx5cv21fakjjmihzdigrpy0nd5u281.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: SCHUMANN, A. W.; WALDO, L.; KADYAMPAKENI, D. M.; FERRAREZI, R. S.; OSWALT, C. 2018. Using soil moisture sensors for citrus irrigation. Citrus Industry 10/07/2018. URL: http://citrusindustry.net/2018/07/10/using-soil-moisture-sensors-for-citrus-irrigation
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rolshausen, P.E. 2018. Citrus Undercover Production System (CUPS). Citrograph, Spring Issue; p20.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Demard, E. P., and J. A. Qureshi. 2018. (talk) Composition, Abundance and Distribution of Phytophagous Mites in Citrus Under Protective Screens (CUPS). Annual Meeting of the Florida Entomological Society, St. Augustine, FL, July 22-25.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Demard, E. P., and J. A. Qureshi. 2018. (poster) Incidence of Mite Pests on Citrus Under Protective Screens (CUPS). Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Montreal, Canada, November 10-15.