A December 2022 freeze in Georgia significantly reduced the state's 2023 citrus production, but many growers who anticipate a large crop in 2024. "With fewer fruit production in 2023, trees added a lot more vegetative growth and increased their canopy volume," University of Georgia Extension citrus agent Jake Price noted. "The satsuma bloom at the research plot was very large and occurred over a couple of weeks. The peak was probably around March 20, with a few scattered blooms left as of early April. Other satsuma groves I have observed are about a week behind and also have large blooms. The last time I saw a bloom this large with a short duration at the rootstock trial was in 2021. That year, the yield per acre was 61,334 pounds, which was a huge amount of fruit."
Price estimated only 4.6 million pounds of Georgia fruit were sold through packing plants and other outlets in 2023, down 60% from 11.5 million pounds in 2022. He saw similar results at the Owari rootstock trial in Valdosta, with the 2023 fruit yield per acre at 23,220 pounds, down 52% from 48,240 pounds in 2022.
Read the full article at citrusindustry.net.