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Citrus Under Protective Screen - C U P S

The UF/IFAS CUPS project

Research CUPS locations:

Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC)

Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC)

 

Funding for CUPS research, 2014 to 2023

USDA-FDACS Specialty Crops Block Grant

UF Citrus Iniatiative

USDA SCRI-CDRE award number 2018-70016-27387

 

Objectives:

The goal of the project 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.

 

CUPS in the news: 2018 to 2023

https://citrusindustry.net/2023/08/14/return-on-investment-potential-of-cups

Seminar on YouTube: HLB-free citrus production for the fresh market using CUPS

https://citrusindustry.net/2023/06/16/new-cups-research-results-reported/

https://citrusindustry.net/2023/05/03/fine-tuning-cups-production-practices/

https://citrusindustry.net/2023/05/15/long-term-research-proves-cups-performance/

https://citrusindustry.net/2022/12/16/cups-can-be-more-profitable-than-conventional-production/

https://citrusindustry.net/2022/12/07/cups-weather-hurricane-ian-well/

https://citrusindustry.net/2022/11/22/managing-pest-and-predatory-mites-in-cups/

https://citrusindustry.net/2022/09/07/dundee-to-double-cups-acreage/

https://citrusindustry.net/2022/09/26/cups-update-from-the-citrus-research-and-education-center/

https://citrusindustry.net/2022/03/04/controlling-mites-in-cups/

https://www.thepacker.com/news/produce-crops/dundee-citrus-invests-heavily-citrus-under-protective-screens

https://centralfloridaagnews.com/cups-runneth-over/

https://citrusindustry.net/2021/08/04/dundee-cups-project-awarded/

https://citrusindustry.net/2021/03/10/canopy-management-to-improve-fresh-fruit/

http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2021/01/20/citrus-growers-tour-of-uf-ifas-citrus-under-protective-screens-houses/

https://citrusindustry.net/2020/11/11/five-years-of-fresh-fruit-production-in-cups/

https://www.growingproduce.com/citrus/citrus-achievement-award/up-to-1000-new-acres-of-florida-citrus-going-under-cover/

CUPS Featured at Field Day, December 12, 2019 http://citrusindustry.net/2019/12/13/cups-featured-at-field-day/

http://citrusindustry.net/2019/11/01/cups-favorite-varieties-to-grow/

http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/growers-test-new-method-to-fight-citrus-greening

https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2019/08/07/growers-association-spends-millions-on-new-method-of-growing-citrus

https://www.newswise.com/articles/grapefruit-grown-under-protective-screens-maximizes-fruit-yield

https://www.growingproduce.com/citrus/why-growing-grapefruit-under-cover-is-gaining-appeal/

http://citrusindustry.net/2018/08/27/cups-offers-grapefruit-hope/

https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9018792/cups-protects-citrus-from-greening-and-storms/

http://citrusindustry.net/2018/11/26/research-update-citrus-under-protective-screen/

https://www.growingproduce.com/citrus/growing-under-cover-a-big-deal-for-florida-citrus/

http://citrusindustry.net/2018/11/16/grower-optimistic-citrus-under-protective-screen/

Good Varieties for CUPS: http://citrusindustry.net/2018/12/18/good-varieties-for-cups/

CUPS Heat and Cold Considerations: http://citrusindustry.net/2018/12/04/cups-heat-and-cold-considerations/

CUPS field day, November 15, 2018: video produced by PGTV – Polk TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksxWYM8u_TY

 

Other links:

LIVE CUPS weather station and web site designed and built by the Schumann lab, CREC

CUPS construction company: https://pmcitrus.com/

Florida Classic Growers website: C.U.P.S. (Citrus Under Protective Screen):

http://flclassic.com/cups/

 

Publications:

Cano, 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].
Ebert, T., Diepenbrock, L., & Schumann, A. (2022). Pesticide degradation rates influenced by growing citrus under a protective screen. FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGY SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING [poster]. Gainesville, FL: UF/IFAS.
Ebert, T., Schumann, A., Mungofa, P., & Waldo, L. (2022). Development of an automated citrus pest scouting module. Paper presented at the Florida State Horticulture Society Annual Meeting, Sarasota, FL.
Ferrarezi, R. S., Mixon, J., Gil, C., Locatelli, G., Cano, L., Davis, D., James, H. T., King, C. E., Ritenour, M. A., & Hossain, M. (2022, 2022). Hand Pruning and Photoselective Netting Improve Yield and Quality of Mandarins Cultivated Commercially Under Protective Screen. Paper presented at the American Society of Horticultural Sciences.
Krajewski, A., Ebert, T., Schumann, A., & Waldo, L. (2022). Pre-Harvest Fruit Splitting of Citrus. Agronomy, 12(7), 1505.
Mungofa, P., Schumann, A., Waldo, L., Shrestha, A., TE, E., & Mariner, N. (2022). External and Internal Fruit Quality Assessment Using Deep Learning Semantic Image Segmentation. Paper presented at the Florida State Horticulture Society Annual Meeting, Sarasota, FL.
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.
Schumann, A. W., Singerman, A., Wright, A. L., Ritenour, M., Qureshi, J., & Alferez, F. (2022). 2022–2023 Florida Citrus Production Guide: Citrus under Protective Screen (CUPS) Production Systems: CPG ch. 22, HS1304/CMG19, rev. 4/2022. EDIS. Retrieved from
Shrestha, A., Schumann, A., Waldo, L., Mungofa, P., Ebert, T., & Mariner, N. (2022). Citrus peel color and brix content are affected by leaf nutrient concentration in citrus under protective screen production system. Paper presented at the Florida State Horticulture Society Annual Meeting, Sarasota, FL.
Waldo, L., Ebert, T., Mungofa, P., & Schumann, A. (2022). Update: Using colored mesh bags to induce early color development in fresh market citrus varieties. Paper presented at the Florida State Horticulture Society Annual Meeting, Sarasota, FL.
Ebert, T., Schumann, A., & Mungofa, P. (2021). Computer identification of insect pests of citrus for automated scouting. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting [poster]. Denver, CO: ESA.
Ebert, T., Schumann, A., Waldo, L., & Mariner, N. (2021). Developing Neutral Electrolyzed Water for pest management: 2020 update. Paper presented at the FSHS, Daytona, FL. oral retrieved from
Ebert, T. A., Schumann, A. W., Waldo, L., Stanton, D., & Rolshausen, P. (2021). A Close-up Look at Screens for Excluding Asian Citrus Psyllids: SS702/SL489, 6/2021. EDIS, 2021(3).
Krajewski, A., Schumann, A., Ebert, T., Oswalt, C., Ferrarezi, R., & Waldo, L. (2021). Management of Citrus Tree Canopies for Fresh-Fruit Production. EDIS, 2021(1). Retrieved from
Mariner, N., Waldo, L., Ebert, T., & Schumann, A. (2021). Pest population dynamics in Citrus Under Protective Screen production enclosures: Experiences in Lake Alfred, Florida. Paper presented at the FSHS, Daytona, FL. oral retrieved from
Mungofa, P., Schumann, A., Waldo, L., & Ebert, T. (2021). Diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies, pest, and disease disorders on citrus leaves using deep learning machine vision. Paper presented at the FSHS, Daytona, FL. oral retrieved from
Schumann, A., Waldo, L., Mariner, N., & Ebert, T. (2021). Nutrient management to enhance citrus fruit color break and quality at maturity. Paper presented at the FSHS, Daytona, FL. oral retrieved from
Waldo, L., Schumann, A., & Ebert, T. (2021). Using colored mesh bags to induce early color development in fresh market citrus varieties Paper presented at the FSHS, Daytona, FL. oral retrieved from
Ebert, T., Waldo, L., Mungofa, P., Holmes, W., Mariner, N., & Schumann, A. (2020). Developing a neutral electrolyzed water treatment for pest management in a citrus under protective screen production system. Paper presented at the FSHS, virtual format.

Ebert, T. A., 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. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaa095
Ferrarezi, R. S., Mixon, J., A., S., Krajewski, A., Alfarez, F., James, H., 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. Paper presented at the ASHS Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.
Schumann, A. (2020). Computer Tools for Diagnosing Citrus Leaf Symptoms (Part 1): Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS). EDIS, 2020(4), 1-2. Retrieved from doi:https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-ss683-2020
Schumann, A. (2020, 08/10/2020). Growing Citrus for the Fresh Market in Covered Production Systems. Paper presented at the ASHS, Orlando, FL.
Schumann, A., Mungofa, P., Waldo, L., & Oswalt, C. (2020). Smartphone app under development for diagnosing citrus leaf symptoms. Citrus Industry, 101, 16-19.
Schumann, A., Waldo, L., Mariner, N., & Ebert, T. (2020). Five years of fresh fruit production in CUPS. Citrus Industry, 101, 14-17.
Schumann, A., Waldo, L., Mungofa, P., & Oswalt, C. (2020). Computer Tools for Diagnosing Citrus Leaf Symptoms (Part 2): Smartphone Apps for Expert Diagnosis of Citrus Leaf Symptoms. EDIS, 2020(5). Retrieved from
Ebert, T., Waldo, L., Holmes, W., Mariner, N., & A, S. (2019, 06/10/2019). Phytotoxicity Threshold for Neutral Electrolyzed Water in Citrus. Paper presented at the Florida State Horticultural Society Annual Meeting, Sanford, FL.
Schumann, A., Singerman, A., & Wang, Y. (2019). Production, consumer preference, and economics of fresh grapefruit grown in CUPS. Citrus Industry, 100, 14-18.
Schumann, A., Waldo, L., Holmes, W., TE, E., Mariner, N., Test, G., & Krajewski, A. (2019). Hydroponically-grown grapefruit maximize HLB-free fresh fruit production in CUPS. Paper presented at the IRCHLB, Riverside, CA.
Schumann, A. W., Ebert, T. E., Waldo, L., Holmes, W., Mariner, N., Test, G., Oswalt, C., Ferrarezi, R. S., & Lesmes, R. (2018, November, 2018). Research update: citrus under protective screen. Citrus Industry, 99, 14-19.
Schumann, A. W., Waldo, L., Holmes, W., Test, G., & Ebert, T. E. (2018, July, 2018). Artificial intelligence for detecting citrus pests, diseases and disorders. Citrus Industry, 99, 6-10.
Ferrarezi, R. S., Wright, A., Boman, B. J., Schumann, A. W., Gmitter, F. G., & Grosser, J. W. (2017). Protected fresh grapefruit cultivation Systems: Antipsyllid screen effects on environmental variables inside enclosures. [refereed]. HortTechnology, 27(5), 675-681.
Ferrarezi, R. S., Wright, A., Boman, B. J., Schumann, A. W., Gmitter, F. G., & Grosser, J. W. (2017). Protected fresh grapefruit cultivation systems: Antipsyllid screen effects on plant growth and leaf transpiration, vapor pressure deficit, and nutrition. [refereed]. HortTechnology, 27(5), 666-674.
Schumann, A., Waldo, L., Holmes, W., & Hartzog, T. (2017). Hydroponic Citrus: A High Performance Growing System for Fresh Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS). Paper presented at the Florida State Horticultural Society annual meeting, Tampa, FL. non-refereed retrieved from
Schumann, A. W., & Waldo, L. (2017, July, 2017). Update on citrus undercover production systems research. Citrus Industry, 98, 16-20.

 


CUPS video clip shown on ABC News' Food Forecast, January 9, 2018

(See full video at https://abcnews.go.com/video/food_forecast)

CUPS Management Field Day video: 15 November 2018

'Honey' Murcott fruit in the CREC CUPS, January 2019

 

Last Updated: August 24, 2023