Game Changer: Chemical Option for Peach Thinning

Clint ThompsonNorth Carolina, Peaches

By Clint Thompson One of the most tedious, but necessary parts of peach production centers on fruit thinning. Producers must remove much of their crop so what’s remaining can increase in size and yields. One North Carolina State University researcher is confident a chemical option will soon be a viable alternative for growers. Mike Parker, associate professor and Extension specialist …

Sweet Georgia Peaches a Hit with Growers, Customers

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Peaches

By Clint Thompson Georgia’s peach producers are finally enjoying the fruits of their labor this year. “It’s good, it’s really hard to complain about this crop,” said North Georgia producer Drew Echols. “The flavor is great. There’s a lot of beautiful peaches.” Echols and other growers with a crop had reason to be smiling this harvest season. Last year’s crop …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Breeding Peaches for Climate Resilience

Clint ThompsonPeaches, South Carolina, Specialty Crop Grower Magazine

By Frank Giles When Ksenija Gasic interviewed for her position at Clemson University in 2007 to reboot the school’s peach breeding program, she saw an omen of things to come. A late freeze that year had wiped out the peach crop on campus and across the state. Building a Better Program Gasic was hired and joined Clemson as its peach …

Alabama Peach Growers Enjoying Strong Crop

Clint ThompsonAlabama, Peaches

Peach harvests are currently being held across the Southeast. Like neighboring Georgia, Alabama is experiencing a strong crop this year due to adequate chilling and the lack of a late-spring freeze event. AgNet Media’s Will Jordan spoke with Edgar Vinson, assistant research professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Auburn University, about this year’s peach crop. Sponsored …

Thrips Pressure: Insect Pest a Problem for Peach Producers in Southeast

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Peaches

By Clint Thompson A tiny pest is wreaking havoc in some Southeast peach orchards this year. Thrips’ impact is unsettling since management options are limited, explains Brett Blaauw, assistant professor at the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “We do not have a lot of options for thrips. There is a couple of relatively good materials, …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Thwarting the Threat of Brown Rot in Peach Production

Clint ThompsonPeaches, Specialty Crop Grower Magazine

By Clint Thompson Georgia peach producers are at risk every year of having their crop succumb to brown rot disease — either through fungicide resistance or looming regulatory hurdles. Growers are successfully avoiding resistance with their current fungicide spray program, but potential regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist, …

Bacterial Spot Increasing in Peach Crop

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Peaches

By Clint Thompson Increased rainfall in recent weeks has made the peach crop across the Southeast susceptible to disease buildup. According to Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist, it has been one disease that is of most concern. “Generally, the crop is excellent. We’ve got a big crop. Hopefully, we can carry a high percentage of …

North Carolina Peach Field Day at the Sandhills Research Station Planned

Clint ThompsonNorth Carolina, Peaches, Uncategorized

The 2024 Peach Field Day will be held Tuesday, July 16, at the Sandhills Research Station in Jackson Springs, North Carolina, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to growers and anyone interested in learning more about producing peaches and the peach industry in North Carolina. Specialists from North Carolina State University as well as …

rain

Rain, Rain, Rain: Wet Weather Impacting Central Alabama Strawberries, Peaches

Dan CooperAlabama, Peaches, Strawberries, Weather

Central Alabama peach and strawberry producers have been challenged with rain events that are impacting this year’s crops. Disease pressure has been widespread in both crops, according to David Lawrence, regional Extension agent in central Alabama. “We’ve seen a lot of disease this year. The diseases that we normally see more in the mid-summer, we’re seeing those this time of …