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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Research”
By Guodong Liu Seepage irrigation has been the most commonly used irrigation method for potatoes since the crop was first grown in Florida in the late 1800s. This traditional irrigation method doesn’t require much investment by the grower. Seepage irrigation waters the crop from the bottom by raising the water table, but it lacks water-use efficiency. DRAMATIC WATER SAVINGS Potatoes …
By Jaci Schreckengost Many Florida strawberry and blueberry growers face similar challenges when managing mites and insects. Chilli thrips affect strawberries by feeding on the foliage and fruit of the crop. The pest affects blueberries by feeding on new growth in the spring and summer. Chilli thrips are relatively new to Florida growers, said Justin Renkema, assistant professor at the …
By Brad Buck, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Pumpkins and their seeds are good for you. For example, the flesh of the fruit is a good source of many vitamins and fiber, and its seeds provide unsaturated fats that help reduce cholesterol, among their other health benefits. The pumpkin’s nutrient values are driving Geoffrey Meru, a fruit …
New varieties were a hot topic at the Florida Blueberry Growers Association’s (FBGA) spring field day. The event was held on March 7 at the University of Florida (UF) Plant Science Research and Education Unit in Citra. Ryan Atwood, a blueberry grower and vice president of the FBGA, says new varieties from UF will make Florida blueberries more competitive in …
By Jenna C. Vance and Stanley Culpepper Effective alternatives to methyl bromide do exist for fruiting vegetable and cucurbit cropping systems in the Southeast; albeit these alternatives are much more complex than in the “golden” methyl bromide days. Growers need to be much smarter and more efficient in their decision-making process, and they need to better understand the factors that …
Growers are constantly looking for ways to better the health of their crops while increasing yields. In the March 2018 issue of VSCNews magazine, growers can learn methods to improve plant production from top researchers in the Southeast. Finding alternative methods to methyl bromide has been a constant struggle for growers. Jenna C. Vance, University of Georgia (UGA) crop and …
By Bhabesh Dutta Annually, Georgia plants over 12,000 acres of sweet Vidalia onions (National Agricultural Statistical Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture) with farmgate value of approximately $145 million dollars. Vidalia onion ranks first in terms of farmgate value among vegetables in Georgia, making it the most important vegetable crop in the state. Among the spring-grown onions in the United States, …
Alarming levels of fungicide resistance have been detected among isolates of the pathogen that causes target spot on tomato in Florida. By Gary E. Vallad and Samuel Hutton Fresh-market tomatoes are a valuable crop for Florida and are vulnerable to a number of fungal diseases. However, few fungal diseases have caused as much grower concern over the last six years …
By Brian German There is an ongoing effort to get a concrete definition for what plant biostimulants are officially classified as. The need for a clearly outlined definition is due to the broad range of what can be considered a biostimulant. Beaudreau “Biostimulants can mean a number of different things,” said Executive Director of the U.S. Biostimulant Coalition David Beaudreau. …
Florida watermelon growers are constantly faced with the challenge of disease management. Whether it’s diseases vectored by whiteflies or fungal diseases such as fusarium wilt, once a crop is infected, the results can be detrimental. Nicholas Dufault, assistant professor of plant pathology and Extension specialist at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville, has been studying ways growers can manage …
