Abscission

Many factors affect performance of mechanical harvesting technologies; however, fruit removal efficiency with these machines can be improved with abscission materials. In 1998, a team of researchers from the Citrus Research and Education Center, University of Florida, was asked to initiate a comprehensive program to determine if a suitable abscission material could be found for the Florida citrus industry. The abscission program has both applied and basic components. We have put the highest priority on using information gained to identify abscission materials for the Florida citrus industry, and once found, identify the most efficient application method(s).