Sneak Peek: November 2020 VSCNews Magazine

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By Ashley Robinson The November issue of VSCNews magazine touches on a variety of topics, including an improved method to detect phytophthora in irrigation water, smart irrigation tools for blueberry growers and new findings on growing hemp in Florida. One of the most serious diseases in Georgia vegetable production is phytophthora blight, a water mold that attacks the roots, foliage …

University of Florida Awarded Key Federal Grants to Continue Fight Against Citrus Greening

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By: Ruth Borger, 517-803-7631, rborger@ufl.edu LAKE ALFRED, Fla. — University of Florida (UF) researchers hope to discover new methods to help citrus growers fight the deadly citrus greening (or Huanglongbing) disease with cost effective, long-term sustainable treatments with the support of recently awarded federal grants.  Three teams of scientists from UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences received nearly $4.5 …

Alabama Extension Economist Tries to Clear Up Misconception about Hemp

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A misconception between hemp and marijuana has Adam Rabinowitz concerned about how consumers view an up-and-coming agricultural commodity in the Southeast. Rabinowitz worked as an Extension economist at the University of Georgia before he moved to Alabama this summer to become an Auburn University Assistant Professor and Extension economist. At UGA, Rabinowitz helped conduct a survey to gauge consumer knowledge …

Citrus Advisory System Alerts Growers So They can Stem Post-Bloom Fruit Drop

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October 22, 2020 By: Brad Buck, bradbuck@ufl.edu Beep. Beep. Beep. That’s the sound of the alert, telling a citrus grower it’s time to spray fungicide to help prevent fruit from falling off the tree. When the new fruit fall off a citrus tree, post-bloom fruit drop (PFD) can cause major losses for citrus growers. Infection of flowering citrus by the …

Problematic Pests of Florida Strawberries

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By Sriyanka Lahiri Several arthropod pests occur in strawberries in Florida during the various stages of the crop cycle. Cyclamen mites (Phytonemus pallidus), if present, originate from strawberry nurseries as hitchhikers on transplants. Thankfully, a very small percentage of growers reported a cyclamen mite infestation during the strawberry season of 2019–2020. Soon after planting, armyworms (Spodoptera spp.), twospotted spider mites …

UF Scientists Make Big Stride Toward Greening-Resistant Citrus Trees

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By: Brad Buck, 813-757-2224, bradbuck@ufl.edu University of Florida scientists achieved a major milestone in their quest to develop a citrus greening-resistant tree by sequencing the genome of a fruit plant that’s a close cousin to citrus trees. You’d need to print 54,000 pages of copy paper to see the complete genome sequence. But within it, scientists believe they’ve found genes …

Florida Hops Show Potential

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By Shinsuke Agehara Craft beer brewed with Florida hops sounds very attractive. But can hops be grown in Florida? Will the crop produce high yields? The most important question is: Will it be profitable? There are lots of rumors, myths and hype about growing hops in the Sunshine State. That’s probably because hops have never been grown commercially in Florida …

UGA researcher to study potential use of essential oils in organic blueberry production

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By Josh Paine for UGA CAES News Organic fruit and vegetable growers want to meet the recent uptick in national consumer demand, but they need additional tools to battle pests and diseases that often accompany organic crop growth. One such tool may be the use of essential oils. That’s why the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and …

Establishing an Olive Industry in Florida

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By Michael O’Hara Garcia With weather and soils similar to the Mediterranean Basin, olives grow in Florida and throughout much of the southeastern United States. Currently, Florida has approximately 800 acres of olives under active cultivation by 60 to 80 individual farmers in 20 counties. The groves range from backyard hobby plots with several trees to high-density commercial operations of …