By Clint Thompson The strawberry disease that has ravaged Florida’s crop the last two seasons is still on the mind of one producer heading into this year. It’s largely due to the uncertainty surrounding Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot disease that has Matt Parke concerned. “I think it’s going to keep growing year by year. I have a bad feeling it’s going …
Dry Conditions Remain Minimal Across Southeast Region
Dry conditions continue to be virtually non-existent across the Southeast. Due to persistent rains this summer, the majority of the Southeast region has sufficient moisture, according to Thursday’s release of the U.S. Drought Monitor. There are abnormally dry conditions in Florida, Georgia or Alabama. A small portion of Greenville County and Spartanburg County in South Carolina is abnormally dry. A …
Lack of Consistency: Fumigation Erratic in Control of Weeds
By Clint Thompson Florida vegetable producers hoping to control weeds with just fumigation need to be mindful of its erratic effectiveness, says Ramdas Kanissery, a weed scientist at the University of Florida/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. “The thing with fumigation, what we have observed, there will be good effects on nematode suppression, but when it comes to weed …
Protecting Peppers from Bacterial Spot
By Pamela Roberts and Cami Esmel McAvoy Bell and specialty peppers, such as jalapeños, are grown throughout the United States and worldwide for the fresh market or processing. Bacterial spot, caused by three different species of Xanthomonas, is a major disease affecting all pepper types. The most commonly occurring species in the United States and Florida is Xanthomonas euvesicatoria. The …
Sanitation Key for Whitefly Management in Tomatoes
By Clint Thompson Planting season is under way for Florida’s tomato producers. Hopefully, farmers have done their due diligence and planned for whiteflies with proper sanitation of previous crops. That is one of the best management tactics growers can implement, says Hugh Smith, Associate Professor of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. …
Florida Strawberry Producer: We Need to Maximize our Profitability
By Clint Thompson A productive 2020-21 strawberry season could entice Florida growers to increase acreage this year. That’s a concern, though, for fellow producer Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida; especially with input costs rising. “Hopefully, people don’t overplant themselves and flood the market. You know when farmers have a good year, they like to …
Plummeting Prices: Central Florida Groves not as Valuable as Used to be
Central Florida grove land sold for about 30% less per net tree acre in 2020 than the year before, according to a firm that sells Florida land. Brian Beasley, senior advisor at SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler in Lakeland, reported the sales in the firm’s Lay of the Land 2020 Market Report. “We assume most of this decrease (in prices) is …
Florida Tomato Conference in September
By Clint Thompson Registration is under way for the Florida Tomato Conference, scheduled for Sept. 8 at the LaBelle Civic Center in LaBelle, Florida. The annual format will feature industry and research updates in the morning session. Michael Schadler with the Florida Tomato Committee will speak about the state of the industry. Scientists from the University of Florida/IFAS will share …
Pepper Weevil Pointers
By Gene McAvoy The pepper weevil (Anthonomus eugenii) is a key pest of all pepper varieties grown in Florida. Populations build throughout the season and often reach unmanageable numbers in South Florida in the late spring (early fall in North Florida), resulting in crop loss. In South Florida, it is not unusual for growers to terminate older plantings where weevils …
Tomato Producers Be Wary of Fall Diseases
By Clint Thompson Tomato season is here for producers in Florida. Diseases like bacterial leaf spot and target spot should be on the mind of growers preparing their fungicide programs, says Josh Freeman, University of Florida/IFAS Associate Professor in Horticultural Science. “In the fall season we really worry about bacterial leaf spot getting established early just because we’re in a …