By Clint Thompson
Ideal weather conditions led to diseases being a non-factor in Florida strawberry production this year. But two insect pests were very impactful, says one Florida farmer.
Credit: Lance Osborne, University of Florida
“What we did have problems with were the chilli thrips. They just ate us up from day one and we never gained control of it in some blocks,” said Dustin Grooms, a strawberry producer with Fancy Farms in Plant City, Florida. “We actually had to quit a few blocks early that were out on some of the perimeters of the farm. They really devastated a lot of the industry. Not only that, but we also had problems with the spider mites this year. We sprayed about every compound there was to spray and even released predatory mites twice. There were just blocks that we could not get control of. We had to quit those blocks early.
“Those two things really hurt us, and there’s other growers that were hurt really bad as well. Those two things were major problems that we need to get a hold of and get dialed in for next year.”
While those insects were concerning, Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot disease was a non-factor.
Neopestalotiopsis had been problematic for Florida farmers since its inception during the 2018-2019 season. However, the cool and dry weather conditions that were predominant during the winter aided the farmers. They were the ideal environment for berry production, not for disease development.
“Neopestalotiopsis is (still) on our mind, too. If the weather was right, it could have been disastrous,” Grooms said. “We managed to dodge a bullet on that. Probably the weather played in our favor this year.”
But the weather was right for the farmers and helped produce a strong strawberry crop this year.
“For our farm, particularly, we had a pretty good season here. We’re pretty blessed and thankful to be honest,” Grooms said. “We had a lot of good fruit we were able to sell. We had a really good season.”
