Workers at the Orange Cove-Sanger Citrus Association pack navel oranges as harvest begins. Growers and packer-shippers say the drought and hot summer helped concentrate sweetness, and fruit quality is good, but sizing is off. The fruit has been slow to size, particularly in production areas where irrigation water is limited or unavailable.

This is one of those years that drives citrus farmers nuts, said Rod Radke, who grows navel oranges in Fresno County. Early harvest reports indicate good-quality oranges in terms of shape and sweetness, but the drought and lack of irrigation water are being blamed for slow and uneven fruit sizing.

The initial 2014-15 navel orange crop forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in September was for near-average production levels. The federal survey estimated the harvest at about 78 million cartons, off slightly from the 81 million cartons produced in 2013-14. Survey data, however, indicated fruit size of 2.205 inches in circumference was somewhat low compared to the five-year average of 2.256.

When the survey was released, California Citrus Mutual President Joel Nelsen said the assessment may not have factored in all the variables growers face this year: lack of water, trees removed from production, farmers going out of business and a long, hot summer that may have helped reduce fruit size.

If growers have gotten a crop through to this point, they're now concerned about getting rain to help the fruit size, said Radke, who is a member of the California Farm Bureau Federation citrus advisory committee.

If forecasts for another dry winter prove accurate, it looks as though the state's citrus growers may be in for a long fight. They say holding small fruit through a cold cycle is difficult and could add up to serious damage and losses.

The zero irrigation-water allocation from the federal Central Valley Project meant farmers had to turn to emergency water sources secured by local irrigation districts.

"I purchased emergency water at $1,200 an acre-foot, but by the time I got it on the trees it was just too late," McMasters said. "Some growers were able to put enough on early to save their crops, but the fruit size in our irrigation district is small. Everybody put on considerably less water than in a normal year."

He said his Valencia orange crop, which is a summer-harvested fruit, also appeared to be "significantly reduced" in volume, but, he said, "we were able to save our lemon, blood orange and red grapefruit crops. As for my navels, the water was too little, too late."

McMasters said the citrus crop throughout the Terra Bella area, which has been hard hit by water shortages, appears to be seriously impacted in terms of fruit size.

With the return of an adequate water supply, McMasters said, growers could bounce back with a big crop next year. He said citrus growers need rain now, to help the fruit gain size, and adequate irrigation water next year to maintain future production levels.

McMasters said in his area he's seeing hundreds of acres of citrus groves being pushed out—or growers are simply letting the trees die.

"I've got dead groves all around me," he said. "I can imagine if we have another dry winter, the acres that will be removed will likely double. The only thing that will help is rain in January and February. I'm not going to guess what will happen beyond that."

California supplies 85 percent of the nation's fresh citrus and navel oranges are one of the state's top crops, valued at more than $721 million a year.

Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/