Citrus Research International (CRI) Podcast

In this CRI Podcast episode, we speak with Dr. Tarl Berry, CRIProgramme Coordinator: Cold Chain Research, about the critical role the cold chain plays in protecting citrus fruit quality from packhouse to market.South Africa exports citrus over long distances, oftenrequiring extended shipping periods under strict temperature protocols. This makes the cold chain one of the most important - and complex - components of the value chain. Tarl explains how citrus differs from other fruit types, and why managing chilling injury, airflow and temperature exposure is a unique challenge with limited global research to guide decision-making.The discussion highlights how small deviations in cold roomhandling can significantly increase the risk of chilling injury later in the supply chain. Research shows that factors such as cooling rate, airflow distribution, humidity and handling practices in cold storage all influence fruit susceptibility - often with effects only visible weeks later in the market.Tarl also shares practical insights into improving airflowin containers, including the development of simple, cost-effective floor cover designs that help create more uniform temperature distribution. The role of packaging, pallet design and ventilation alignment is also discussed as part of a broader systems approach to cold chain optimisation.A key takeaway is that cold chain performance is notcontrolled by a single point in the system. It requires alignment between growers, packhouses, cold stores and logistics providers, with improved communication and transparency becoming increasingly important. This episode provides practical, research-driven insightinto how the citrus industry can reduce risk, improve consistency and protect fruit quality across the full export chain. This podcast was recorded in February 2026.About the CRI PodcastThe CRI Podcast features interviews with leading researchers and extension experts from Citrus Research International, highlighting the science and field innovation that keep Southern Africa’s citrus industry competitive and sustainable.

In this CRI Podcast episode, Hannes Bester, CRI NationalExtension Manager, and Steve Turner, Technical Manager at Core Fruit, unpack the economic realities shaping the citrus industry as it moves toward 2026 and beyond.The discussion focuses on the increasing cost pressuresfaced by growers, including input costs, logistics, labour, and compliance requirements, and how these factors are tightening margins across the value chain. The speakers also explore how global market dynamics, exchange rates,and shifting export conditions are influencing profitability and long-term sustainability.A key theme is the importance of strategic decision-making.Growers are encouraged to critically evaluate orchard performance, input efficiency, and return on investment, while also considering future planting decisions in a more constrained economic environment. The conversation highlights the need for disciplined cost management, data-driven planning, and a clear understanding of market requirements.This episode provides practical insight into how growers, packhouses, and industry stakeholders can position themselves to remain competitive in a changing economic landscape.About the CRI PodcastThe CRI Podcast features interviews with leading researchers and extension experts from Citrus Research International, highlighting the science and field innovation that keep Southern Africa’s citrus industry competitive and sustainable.

In this episode of the Citrus Research International (CRI) Podcast, we speak with Dr Arno Erasmus, former CRI researcher and now Postharvest Plant Pathologist at Wonderful Citrus in the United States.Arno shares his journey from applied research in South Africa to working inside one of the world’s most highly integrated citrus businesses, where every technical decision must make economic sense. He explains how postharvest practices, sanitation, grading accuracy and line performance are evaluated through the lens of return to the grower, and why even small inefficiencies carry a measurable cost.The conversation explores how electronic grading, consistent specifications, and data-driven scorecards can improve utilisation without compromising quality. Arno also discusses how technology is used not to replace people, but to remove emotion, improve accountability, and support better decision-making across operations, maintenance, treatments and management teams.A central theme is that postharvest success is not only about chemistry or equipment, but about people, consistency and culture. By measuring what matters, understanding fruit behaviour, and aligning technical actions with business outcomes, packhouses can improve efficiency while protecting fruit value.For South African growers and packers, this episode offers practical insight into how postharvest systems can be optimised to reduce waste, improve consistency and ultimately strengthen returns throughout the value chain.About the CRI PodcastThe CRI Podcast features interviews with leading researchers and extension experts from Citrus Research International, highlighting the science and field innovation that keep Southern Africa’s citrus industry competitive and sustainable.

In this episode of the Citrus Research International (CRI) Podcast, we speak with Dr Kim Bowman, research geneticist at the US Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) in Fort Pierce, Florida, and one of the world’s leading citrus rootstock breeders.Dr Bowman shares insights from more than 30 years of citrus rootstock development, including the release of 16 USDA rootstocks, one of which, US-942, has become the most widely planted rootstock in Florida. He explains why rootstocks play a foundational role in citrus production, influencing tree vigour, anchorage, nutrient uptake, disease tolerance and ultimately fruit yield and quality.The conversation focuses strongly on Huanglongbing (HLB) and how Florida’s experience with the disease reshaped global thinking around rootstocks. Dr Bowman explains how certain rootstocks show improved tolerance by limiting bacterial multiplication in the root system, while also emphasising that tolerance is not immunity. Rootstocks, he notes, are one part of a broader system aimed at sustaining fruit production under disease pressure.He also unpacks how rootstocks are bred and evaluated, why they cannot simply be “discovered” like scion mutations, and how long-term field performance is essential before release. Additional discussion covers tolerance to phytophthora, nematodes, soil constraints, anchorage under extreme weather, and the role rootstocks may play in future production systems such as protected structures.For South African growers, the key takeaway is clear: rootstocks are not interchangeable. They are strategic production decisions that shape orchard performance for decades and become even more critical as disease, climate and soil challenges intensify.About the CRI PodcastThe CRI Podcast features interviews with leading researchers and extension experts from Citrus Research International, highlighting the science and field innovation that keep Southern Africa’s citrus industry competitive and sustainable.

In this Citrus Research International (CRI) Podcast,Coenraad Fraenkel, Area Extension Manager for the Western and Northern Cape, and Jaco Lindeque, Production Manager at Groep 91, discuss one of the most influential – and most often underrated – crop manipulation tools influencing citrusperformance: irrigation.Coenraad explains how incorrect irrigation remains a leadingcause of poor orchard performance across South Africa. Through CRI’s national irrigation courses and field diagnostics, the team repeatedly found that manytree health problems traced back to over-irrigation, poor system maintenance, and a lack of soil observations.Jaco shares the practical journey of transforming irrigationmanagement at farm level using simple tools, consistent planning, and disciplined auditing. By adopting basic practices like regular soil augering, checking root depth and health, verifying system pressure, and using probes toaudit rather than replace decision-making, his team achieved measurable improvements in yield, water use efficiency and production consistency - even in difficult, high-clay soils.Both guests emphasise the same message:Irrigation success comes from getting the basics right, not only relying on technology .Have a plan. Execute it consistently. Audit it honestly. Repeat it. This episode is essential for any grower wanting to improvefruit quality, reduce wasted inputs, and strengthen long-term orchard performance.About the CRI PodcastThe CRI Podcast features interviews with leading researchers and extensionexperts from Citrus Research International, highlighting the science and fieldinnovation that keep southern Africa’s citrus industry competitive andsustainable.

In this Citrus Research International (CRI) Podcast, wespeak with Dr Kandas Cloete, Senior Analyst at BFAP and specialist in farmprofitability and agricultural policy for high-value export crops.Kandas explains the core drivers of economic sustainabilityin citrus farming, showing that profitability depends far more on cartons per hectare, fruit size, market returns, and farm gate value than simply on cost-cutting. Drawing on BFAP’s work with citrus producers, she highlights how counts, pack-outs, logistics costs, distance to port, and market choice allshape the price a grower ultimately receives.She unpacks the relationship between fruit size and profit,explaining why smaller fruit not only earns less per carton, but also increasespicking and packing costs throughout the chain. She discusses how market preferences vary (EU, UK, Russia, US), and why understanding which fruit fits which market is essential for maximising returns.Kandas also discusses financial risk, debt pressure, farmperformance variation, and why growers need accurate information flowing between farm, packhouse and exporter. Her message is clear:To be profitable, growers must maximise the number of exportable cartons at theright counts, and make informed decisions based on reliable economic data.About the CRI PodcastThe CRI Podcast features interviews with leading researchers and extension experts from Citrus Research International, highlighting the science and field innovation that keep Southern Africa’s citrus industry competitive and sustainable.

In this episode of the Citrus Research International (CRI)Podcast, Prof Jacquie van der Waals, Programme Coordinator for Preharvest Diseases, explains the epidemiology and management of Alternaria Brown Spot and Core Rot - two important diseases increasingly affecting soft citrus.Jacquie discusses how Alternaria infections begin early inthe season, often during first flush and flowering, and how warm, humid conditions drive both disease development and severity. She highlights the role of canopy management, airflow and light penetration in reducing favourableinfection conditions, and explains why preventative fungicide applications must be carefully timed and managed to avoid resistance.She also addresses cultivar susceptibility and shares howCRI is developing rapid bioassays to screen new cultivars before commercial release. Her core message is the importance of early observation and regular “footprints in the orchard,” supported by accurate diagnosis and close communication with CRI extension staff.About the CRI PodcastThe CRI Podcast features interviews with leading researchers and extension experts from Citrus Research International, highlighting the science and field innovation that keep Southern Africa’s citrus industry competitive and sustainable.

In this episode of the Citrus Research International Podcast, we talk to Dr. Paul Fourie, Manager of Biosecurity and the Citrus Improvement Scheme (CIS) at CRI.Paul explains how South Africa’s world-class citrus industry depends on one critical safeguard - certified, disease-free propagation material. From the Citrus Foundation Block in the Eastern Cape, every legal citrus tree in South Africa starts clean.He warns that illegal plant imports and backyard grafting are among the biggest biosecurity risks, capable of introducing devastating diseases like Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening, which has destroyed citrus industries abroad.Paul shares how CRI and the CGA are working with neighbouring countries to strengthen regional surveillance and early detection systems, and why public awareness is now key: every gardener, grower, and traveller has a role in keeping our citrus safe.About the CRI PodcastThe CRI Podcast features interviews with leading researchers and extension experts from Citrus Research International, highlighting the science and field innovation that keep Southern Africa’s citrus industry competitive and sustainable.Connect with us:Website: https://www.citrusres.com/

In this episode of the Citrus Research International Podcast, André Combrink, Area Extension Manager for the Eastern Cape, shares practical insights into Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and how growers can reduce chemical reliance through smarter cultural practices.Drawing on decades of experience—from his years at SRCC to his current role at CRI—André explains how pruning, spray machine calibration, orchard sanitation, and ant control all contribute to cleaner fruit and a healthier orchard ecosystem.He discusses the importance of monitoring data, avoiding unnecessary sprays, and preserving natural predators and parasitoids that form the backbone of sustainable pest control. His message is clear: long-term citrus success depends on working with nature, not against it.About the CRI PodcastThe CRI Podcast features interviews with leading researchers and extension experts from Citrus Research International, highlighting the science and field innovation that keep Southern Africa’s citrus industry competitive and sustainable.

We are excited to share key insights from our recent conversation with Etienne Rabe, who discussed the future of citrus farming. With decades of experience across South Africa, California, and Mexico, Etienne highlighted how South African citrus growers are at the forefront of the global market.

We are excited to share insights from our recent podcast with Dr. Aruna Manrakhan, Research Entomologist at Citrus Research International (CRI). Fruit flies pose significant threats to our citrus industry, but effective management practices can help mitigate these risks. Listen to this new podcast in our library.

"Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a sustainable approach that combines biological, cultural, and chemical tools to manage pests effectively. Learn more from our podcast with Dr Sean Moore. #CitrusResearch #IPM"