Citrus Field Day at Southwest Florida REC

What the Citrus Field Day Is

The Citrus Field Day is a free morning-to-early-afternoon program run by the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) near Immokalee. Growers walk the center's grove to see current research on citrus problems, then move indoors for talks on food safety and precision technology. The most recent edition was Thursday, April 30, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Continuing education units were available, pre-registration was required, and lunch was provided thanks to sponsors Valent USA and Ohio Valley Imports LLC.

The 2026 program centered on six topics: AI-enabled precision ag technologies, citrus rejuvenation, citrus under protective screen (CUPS), cover crop and compost application, individual protective covers (IPCs) and weed management.

How the Day Works: The Timeline

1. 8:00 a.m. Welcome and registration.
2. 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. Demonstrations and presentations in the SWFREC grove.
3. 11:00 to 11:15 a.m. Break and travel back to the auditorium.
4. 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Presentations in the SWFREC auditorium, with a 12:00 p.m. lunch break.

What You See in the Grove

• Pest and disease suppression. Dr. Jawwad Qureshi (entomology) covers trunk-injected treatments, alone and mixed, for managing Asian citrus psyllid and HLB, plus spray treatments for mealybugs in IPCs.
• The ditch effect. Dr. Sanjay Shukla (water resources engineering) discusses how ditch networks and drainage affect yield variability and phytophthora disease control.
• Protecting young trees from HLB. Dr. Fernando Alferez (citrus horticulture) presents CUPS and IPC work to exclude psyllids, including combined use with plant growth regulators such as brassinosteroids.
• Cover crops and compost. Dr. Emma Dawson (soil microbiology) covers when and what to plant, and how these practices support weed suppression, soil health and microbes.
• Copper alternatives. Dr. Ozgur Batuman (citrus pathology) shows trunk injection and OTC plus SAR inducer spray trials, with rotation to reduce reliance on OTC and copper and delay bacterial resistance.
• Weed management. Dr. Ramdas Kanissery (weed science) demonstrates how pre-emergence residual herbicides perform in tree rows over the long term.
• Equipment demo. Ohio Valley Imports LLC, the U.S. distributor for Caffini spraying equipment, shows a high-pressure water weeding system for orchards.

What You Hear in the Auditorium

• Food safety updates from Dr. Stephanie Brown, with hands-on cleaning and sanitizing verification activities.
• AI-enabled technologies for precision citrus management from Dr. Yiannis Ampatzidis, covering platforms such as Agroview, Agrosense and variable-rate spraying systems.
• Graphs and results on copper alternatives and SAR inducers from Dr. Batuman.
• Water-related environmental services from working agricultural lands from Dr. Shukla, summarizing a payment-for-environmental-services project on ranchlands and the opportunities for flatwoods citrus.
• Qureshi's results on the trunk-injection and IPC mealybug trials.

Cost, Registration and CEUs

The program is free. Pre-registration was required through Eventbrite, and CEUs were available.

Where

UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, 2685 SR 29 North, Immokalee, FL 34142. Phone: 239-658-3400.

Questions

Does it cost anything?

No. The program is free, with lunch provided by sponsors.

Do I need to sign up?

Yes. Pre-registration is required.

Is it all outdoors?

No. The morning is spent in the grove and the later session is in the center's auditorium.

Who do I call?

The center at 239-658-3400.

Official Links

• Citrus Field Day event page
• 2026 flyer and agenda (PDF)
• Eventbrite registration
• SWFREC events calendar

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