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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Strawberry”
Florida’s strawberry season doesn’t return until December. But University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers work year-round to support an industry with a $500 million-a-year farm-gate value in Florida. Among their research endeavors, UF/IFAS scientists search for ways to help growers control diseases that threaten strawberries. Most of Florida’s 13,500 acres of strawberries are grown in …
By Clint Thompson When Hurricane Debby made landfall in Florida earlier this week, it dumped excessive amounts of rainfall. One strawberry producer experienced the torrential downpours in Plant City, Florida. Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida, highlighted how devastating the rains were on Monday and the impact he’s experiencing as he readies for the upcoming …
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s bout with neopestalotiopsis fruit rot disease in strawberries this year means producers need to be more cautious in how they order their plants every summer. Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agriculture and natural resources (ANR) agent for Peach and Taylor counties, believes growers need to spread the risk among multiple nurseries. It will help …
Florida strawberry growers can use less pesticide and save money as they attempt to control chilli thrips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research shows. An invasive pest in the southeastern United States, chilli thrips was introduced to the United States from Southeast Asia. The first report in Florida came in 1991 in Okeechobee County and …
By Clint Thompson Tarnished plant bugs have impacted Alabama’s strawberry crop this season. Growers’ success in managing the pest in the future will depend on scouting, says David Lawrence, regional Extension agent in central Alabama. “Especially the growers that have seen them this year, they need to mark that date on their calendars of when they saw it, and the …
By Clint Thompson Supply overwhelmed demand in the strawberry industry in March. As a result, the subsequent market did not respond favorably for Florida growers. Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida, stopped harvesting his crop on March 17, because he was going to lose more money harvesting the crop than if he had just stopped. …
By Clint Thompson This year’s strawberry season has reminded Florida growers about the danger of too much water. “Any berry that gets wet, you’re going to start getting botrytis on it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a strawberry, blackberry, blueberry; whatever berry it is, it’s going to start to rot,” said Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant …
By Clint Thompson A week of expected sunshine should boost strawberry volume in central Florida, according to one grower. Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida, said multiple days of sunshine are needed to help boost what has been a stagnant crop. “This weather this week should help dry everything out, get some berries off the …
By Clint Thompson South Florida strawberries are almost in peak season. For one grower, his volume should be in place to satisfy the potential increased demand. “We’ve got a lot of fruit sitting out there. I’ve probably got 2,000 flats sitting on the bush right now, sitting there, per acre,” said Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant …
Florida is at the height of its strawberry harvesting season – a time when the state’s growers are doing all they can to ensure consumers can choose from among the best at the market. “It has been an incredible Florida strawberry season in terms of flavor and quality,” said Kenneth Parker, executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association. Parker …
