It comes as no surprise to anyone in the Southeast this summer that July is cooler and wetter than normal in most areas. This is according to Pam Knox, University of Georgia Extension Agricultural Climatologist. Knox reported in her University of Georgia Extension Climate and Agriculture blog that even with the warmer temperatures being experienced this week, cooler temperatures and …
Favorable Outcome for UF/IFAS
The 2021 Florida legislative session will be described in the history books as unique. COVID-19 protocols resulted in empty and eerily quiet hallways in the Capitol. Masks and regular COVID-19 tests were required, and citizens and lobbyists made public comments virtually from a building blocks away from the Capitol. The beginning and end of the session were polar opposites. Based …
Technological Advancements Helpful in Preserving Florida’s Water Supply
By Clint Thompson Water is one of the most valuable resources Florida vegetable and specialty crop producers utilize every season. But that doesn’t mean there’s an endless supply. “I think it is easy for us to forget it is a finite resource and there are limits. It’s easy for us to forget because we just got five inches of rain …
UF Scientist: Understanding the Past is Really a Window to the Future
LAKE ALFRED, Fla. — University of Florida scientists aiming to find a solution to citrus greening disease are looking to the past to hopefully find the answer. In a new study, published in Nature Communications, UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences collaborated with an international team of scientists and analyzed 69 genomes from the East Asian mandarin family, alongside their …
UF’s Natalia Peres ‘Optimistic’ About Strawberry’s Future in Florida
By Clint Thompson Natalia Peres, Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, is confident Florida’s strawberry industry will survive Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot Disease. But it will take time. “The industry has faced challenges before with other diseases like anthracnose. It’s one that has been devastating in the past, and we have been …
Results from Vegetable Chemical Use Survey
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released the results of its 2020 Agricultural Chemical Use Survey of vegetable producers across the country. The data relates to pesticide use and pest management practices on 22 different vegetable crops. Producers in 18 states participated in the survey, which included eight-focused crops in Florida and eight in Georgia. The pesticide …
Explain Yourself: Florida Blueberry Producers Part of Survey on Pollinator Use
A national group of scientists, including University of Florida researcher Rachel Mallinger, hope to learn more about how blueberry growers use pollinators to boost their yields for the state’s $60 million-a-year industry. Mallinger is surveying Florida blueberry farmers to see how they utilize pollinators. “Pollination is extremely important for blueberries as little to no fruit forms without it,” said Mallinger, …
Little Drought Reported Across Southeast
A wet summer across the Southeast can only mean one thing – very little drought across the region. That continues to be the case as evidence by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Persistent rains have provided sufficient moisture for Georgia and Alabama. Neither state is reporting any abnormally dry conditions. The majority of Florida has sufficient moisture as well, except for …
Nematode Management Key to Hemp Production in Florida
By Clint Thompson The long-term sustainability of producing hemp in Florida is still being researched. What is certain is that if growers hope to produce hemp in the Sunshine State, they’ll have to overcome nematodes. It is not a surprise to Johan Desaeger, Assistant Professor of Entomology and Nematology at the UF Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. “What we …
Key Strategies to Slow Down Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot in Strawberries
By Clint Thompson The dawn of another strawberry season brings added concern of Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot disease. The disease that has devastated the state’s strawberry crop since the 2018-19 season is the top concern for producers heading into the season. What can be done to manage the disease, which can cause leaf spots on strawberry plants? Natalia Peres, a Professor …