From the Archives: Soil Science Foundation

In 1939, the Soil Science Foundation was started by a group of farmers in Dade City who were looking to come up with solutions that they were facing with their various crops; the Soil Science Foundation is credited with several scientific accomplishments. Their first headquarters was a small building on the campus of Florida Southern College, and they did not relocate off campus for 10 years.

When the Foundation started, they were running experiments on the fertilization of sandy soils at the Short Grove in Lake County. Sandy soils do not hold nutrients well, meaning fertilization is necessary to ensure that crops are able to obtain the necessary nutrients for growth. However, over fertilization can be harmful for plants as it will change the pH of the soil, suffocate the soil, and cause root damage. The goal of the experiments being run by the foundation was to determine the necessary amount of fertilizer.

During this time, the Foundation also researched the sustainability of Florida flatwoods for citrus planting. Florida flatwoods make up a large portion of Florida’s landscape. Flatwoods are ideal for citrus cultivation because of their sandy moist soils. Citrus does well in sandy soils because it provides good drainage, which prevents root damage from taking place. Planting in flatwoods also helps with irrigation because of the water deposits that are typically found within these flatwoods. However, there may be some disadvantages to planting citrus on these lands. During wet seasons, the soil can become overly saturated due to the water deposits already existing in the soil, they are at risk to develop frost that can cause freeze in citrus, and cultivating citrus in these regions could negatively impact the environment and decrease the biodiversity of the region. The goal of the experiments targeting citrus cultivation on the flatwoods was to determine if using the flatwoods would result in significantly better yields.


To learn more about the Soil Science Foundation, please check out the Soil Science Foundation Records at the McKay Archives: https://www.flsouthern.edu/getattachment/96400c75-e443-47c6-9fc7-690feef0137c/Soil-Science-Foundation-Records-Finding-Aid.pdf.

Written by Tanzy Zviitwah, Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Fellow
In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center
Spring 2024

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Source:
 

Mack, Thomas B. Citrifacts. Bartow, Florida: Associated Publications Corporation, 1992.

From the Archives: Traveling Citrus in Egypt

In 1992, Dr. Prevatt visited the Nile Delta region of Egypt as a citrus expert for six weeks in May and June. During this time, he worked with the Agricultural Cooperative Development International program; the goal of this program was to create a line of dialogue between Egyptian and American farmers and researchers. Prevatt was selected to be the citrus expert because of his background knowledge in citrus. The main objective of his role was to help the growers in the region of interest with any issues they may be facing regarding their crops.
 

Upon arrival, Prevatt was tasked with determining what the major problems in the area were. He concluded that the region was plagued with poor irrigation, Phytophthora foot rot and psorosis were killing trees, lack of a hedging program, excessive use of chemical fertilizers, and closed plantings.
 

At the time, farmers had begun growing citrus in a region referred to as the “New Lands.” This area is made up of sandy desert soils. Other regions where citrus production takes place have silt soil. This means that the same farming practices cannot be used in both regions due to the differences in the soil. Silt soil is a combination of sand and clay. It is an extremely fertile type of soil because it is very good at water retention. Due to the aforementioned fertility of silt, it does not need to be fertilized often. Silt soil is one of the ideal soils for citrus production due to its loose form and drainage properties; Prevatt comments on the effects over-fertilization is having on the crops. For centuries, the Nile River would flood and deposit more silt on its banks. This flooding was later controlled by the production of the Aswan Dam in 1968. Sandy soil is made up of fine particles and is loosely packed. Due to this loose packaging, sandy soil tends to need to be fertilized because it does not hold on to nutrients well. Besides this, it is a good soil for citrus production as long as it is fertilized to ensure there are adequate nutrients present.
 

However, the biggest problem with citrus production in the New Lands is the lack of water. The Egyptian government was attempting to install canals and waterways to aid in agriculture. Due to a lack of funds and resources, the installation of these irrigation systems was not an easy one. Regardless, Dr. Prevatt made attempts to give help where applicable. Dr. Prevatt comments on an interaction he had with a farmer in Cairo. Upon meeting this farmer for what Prevatt thought was the first time, the farmer exclaimed “I know you” to Prevatt. After some discussion, they realized that the farmer had visited Florida Southern College years ago as part of a citrus exchange program. The Agricultural Cooperative Development International program has helped people all over the world and given people the opportunity to visit places they may have never seen.

Written by Tanzy Zviitwah, Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Fellow
In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center
Spring 2024

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Source:
 
Mack, Thomas B. History of the Citrus Institute, Florida Southern College, 1947-1993. Lakeland, Florida: Florida Southern College, 1993.

From the Archives: Traveling Citrus in Europe

For five weeks in 1982, Professor Mack, along with six students, toured the common markets in Europe. The goal of this adventure was to see firsthand how citrus, among other fruits, was handled and marketed in major importing hubs in Europe. They visited a total of 7 countries including England, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and France. 

While in England, they had the opportunity to see how apples were grown, produced, and sent out all over the continent. During their 4 week-long road trip across Europe, they spoke with buyers, marketers, and importers of Florida citrus specifically. They had the unique experience of seeing how these markets work behind the scenes. 

The goal of traveling to Spain was to observe the citrus growing styles and the research that was being done on citrus. Today, Spain is the leader in citrus production making up 56% of citrus production in Europe. Spain is well suited for citrus growth for a multitude of reasons, especially the climate as they have hot dry summers. However, this is paired with relatively cold winters, low humidity, and little rainfall, making irrigation a necessity. Although irrigation may be difficult, they are still able to produce large amounts of fresh fruit every year. 

This trip was not only spent learning about produce and how it is grown or marketed. Students had down time to learn more about the cultures and see historical land sites and monuments. In 1983, Mack orchestrated another tour of Europe; however, this one was not nearly as detailed as the tour the year before had been. Both tours gave students memories that most people can only dream of, and the memories they gained will hopefully last a lifetime. 

 

 

Written by Tanzy Zviitwah, Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Fellow
In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center
Spring 2024

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Sources:
 

Díaz, Sergio. “Citrus Fruit: A Leading Sector Despite the Complicated Context.” CaixaBank Research, October 4, 2022. https://www.caixabankresearch.com/en/sector-analysis/agrifood/citrus-fruit-leading-sector-despite-complicated-context.

 

Mack, Thomas B. History of the Citrus Institute, Florida Southern College, 1947-1993. Lakeland, Florida: Florida Southern College, 1993.

 

From the Archives: Traveling Citrus in New Zealand

Florida Southern College’s Citrus Institute aimed to give students not only an exceptional in-classroom education, but also a hands-on experience; with citrus groves planted all around campus, students had a learning experience unlike any other. The faculty were also well versed in the different techniques used all over the world thanks to their own hands on learning. Professor Tom Mack spent time in New Zealand in 1982 and spent his time abroad learning more about their citrus culture.
 
New Zealand is located on the limit for citrus culture and only on the northern and north eastern sections of the north island can citrus be feasibly grown. Ideal conditions for citrus include warm and sunny positions and temperature ranging from 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit; anything below 45 could possibly kill the plants. Upon hearing this, one can understand why Florida is the ideal place for citrus production. The lack of sunshine during the summers in New Zealand results in small, slow growing fruits, usually with poor yield.

During his time in New Zealand, Mack was able to see several similarities and differences in planting habits. The country is known for its strong winds in an effort to protect citrus cultures; they plant windbreakers which have been effective in sheltering the plants up to a specific distance. They also grew citrus crops on significantly smaller areas in order to grow more plants per the area to secure a reasonable income for the grower. They did not have significant issues with pests or diseases killing crops, but they continue to take precautions to ensure that this remains the reality. Mack remarks on the fumigation process that takes place the moment an airplane lands in the country.

New Zealand is far from being one of the world's top producers in citrus, but they are well on their way in kiwifruit. Growers in different parts of the country were seen to be growing kiwifruit in between the citrus plantings in the hopes of cutting down the citrus trees once the kiwifruit has matured. Mack ends his account commenting on how the New Zealand citrus industry will never be a threat to the Florida citrus grower. Currently,  New Zealand makes up about 0.05% of the world's citrus production. Safe to say, Professor Mack was right in his conclusion.

Written by Tanzy Zviitwah, Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Fellow
In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center
Fall 2023

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Source:

Mack, Thomas B. History of the Citrus Institute, Florida Southern College, 1947-1993. Lakeland, Florida: Florida Southern College, 1993.

From the Archives: FSC Citrus Institute Chimeras

In History of the Citrus Institute, Professor Thomas B. Mack talks about how the citrus department was always trying to expand their audience past citrus majors and hit all sectors of campus life while engaging all students in one way or another. In the 1960s to 1980s, the citrus department created a “Plant of the Day” display that was placed between the citrus and physics wings. Chimeras were one of the most popular sites on display because of their humorous appearance. The citrus department created this display as an attempt to reach out and connect to the larger student body that were not involved with the citrus department.

A chimera is a mutant that results from an organism that has cells where two different genes are present causing them to both be expressed in the cell. This can be seen in a variety of organisms; for example, a rose can be half red and half white because it has both genes that are coding for the color white and for the color red being expressed.

A chimera is also different from a hybrid because of how the cells are oriented. A hybrid is an organism that has genes from two different species coexisting within one cell while a chimera has genes from two different species existing in separate cells. This means the tissue, the body of the cells, in a chimera are made from genes of two different organisms.

A specific chimera collected in the citrus department had an usually large section making it resemble a cantaloupe. As an April Fool’s prank, the department decided to name it the Orange-A-Loupe and convinced non-citrus majors they had created a cross between an orange and a cantaloupe, an impossible feat. Along with the Orange-A-Loupe, there were several other humorous chimeras placed on display for all of campus to see. 

 

Written by Tanzy Zviitwah, Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Fellow
In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center
Fall 2023

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Source: 

Mack, Thomas B. History of the Citrus Institute, Florida Southern College, 1947-1993. Lakeland, Florida: Florida Southern College, 1993.

From the Archives: Citrifacts!

The “From the Archives'' series is back! In these blogs, we will be discussing the history of Florida Southern College’s Citrus Institute as well as some of Professor Tom Mack’s personal endeavors.

 

To start us off, we will be discussing Citrifacts. In September 1983, Prof. Mack wrote the first Citrifact column in the Citrus Industry magazine. This column was seen monthly in the magazine from 1983 until 1999. This column continued to be seen in the magazine as space permitted under the title “It’s a Citrifact,” referencing the original Citrifact column from the ‘80s. It presumably ceased to be published in 2004 following the death of Prof. Mack. This column was used to give some piece of information on citrus whether it was background on an existing system or new information that was recently published. The first Citrifact was about the origin of citrus concentrate in 1920. This article explains how Dr. J. E. Crump, a veterinarian and citrus grower, was the first to produce citrus concentrate in an ice cream freezer. 

 

Citrus concentrate is a powdered juice that can be used to make things taste like citrus. The production of citrus concentrate was a game changer for the citrus industry because this allowed growers the ability to sell citrus year-round. As the citrus industry grew larger and larger, growers began to look for more ways to store excess crops; this is where concentrate comes into the picture. 

 

Creating concentrate is a multi-step process. After harvesting, the fruits are juiced, and the juice is collected. The juice is then strained leaving a clear liquid and is evaporated to remove any water from the solution. This liquid is then deoxygenated meaning all dissolved oxygen is removed from solution; this is done to prevent oxidation from taking place because oxidation can cause rotting. The product then goes through another round of evaporation; it is then cooled and packed away in storage for later use. When it is time to use, the concentrate can be rehydrated by the addition of water.

 

 

Written by Tanzy Zviitwah, Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Fellow
In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center
Fall 2023

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Sources:
 

Mack, Thomas B. Citrifacts. Bartow, Florida: Associated Publications Corporation, 1992.

 

Powers, John Robert and Robert Sidney Moore, Barry Jay Anderson, Galen Edward Downton, Judith Ann Kennedy, Donald Raymond Kearney, and David Arthur Strang. 1983. Process for Preparing Citrus Juice Concentrate. European Patent EP0110638A2, filed November 18, 1983, and issued June 13, 1984. https://patents.google.com/patent/EP0110638A2/en.