By Karla Arboleda Faculty and staff at University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) focused on disease management at the 2019 Suwannee Valley Watermelon Institute meeting on Dec. 3. Among the attendees were growers, trade show exhibitors and UF/IFAS employees. The event included a disease management workshop and updates on the watermelon industry. WATERMELON DISEASES Nicholas Dufault, …
Research Addressing Hemp Production Challenges
Future growers of industrial hemp in Florida will have the advantage of research being conducted now by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services expects Florida farmers will be allowed to legally plant industrial hemp in 2020. Zach Brym, agronomist at the Tropical Research and Education Center in …
Root-Knot Nematode Update
“Root-knot nematode is really our number one nematode problem in Florida,” nematologist Johan Desaeger said at Florida Ag Expo in November. Desaeger is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. “It’s the most widespread nematode we have in Florida, and the most damaging,” he added. Florida has at …
Interest in UF/IFAS Hops Experiment Grows
(UF/IFAS) — Tampa Bay microbreweries have a hankering for hops, and some see a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) experimental farm as a source for the crop that will help quench their customers’ thirsts. Several Tampa Bay area breweries have come to the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) to pick up hops …
UGA Researchers Working on Disease Control in Vidalia Onions
By Karla Arboleda After some growers reported seeing center rot, downy mildew and Botrytis leaf blight in their fields, University of Georgia (UGA) researchers are working on better disease control for Vidalia onions. UGA researchers work with both organic and conventional Vidalia onions to develop ways to deal with fungal and bacterial diseases. Bhabesh Dutta, an Extension vegetable pathologist at …
Bringing Better Broccoli to the East Coast
By Karla Arboleda While the West Coast is known as the main U.S. region for broccoli production, the East Coast may soon be on its heels, thanks to the Eastern Broccoli Project. Thomas Björkman is a professor of vegetable physiology at Cornell University and project director of the Eastern Broccoli Project. He leads a group of collaborators, from Maine to Florida, …
Could Jujube Be a Fruit Tree for the Southeast?
By Kevin Folta I was glued to an uncomfortable seat in a rickety van, speeding down a marginal Chinese highway. A group of scientists ventured out for a day trip, from Wuhan to the Three Gorges Dam. The driver spoke no English, his foot was made of lead, and he chain-smoked one cigarette after another, pausing only to find his …
UF Researchers Developing Combinations of Fumigants to Fight Nutsedge
By Karla Arboleda Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) are developing fumigant combinations to fight nutsedge. Nathan Boyd, an associate professor of horticulture at UF/IFAS, said options are limited when trying to control the weed. “Nutsedge is a problem because it’s the only weed that punctures the plastic mulch that we use,” Boyd …
Helping Specialty Crop Growers Reduce, Remediate and Recycle Water
By Sarah A. White Water is necessary for growing plants. This simple statement says it all but doesn’t begin to address the complexities of water decisions growers face today. Some questions are common, regardless of where your operation is located: How much water do my plants need? How does water quality affect plant growth? How much water do I need …
How Many Hives Are Best for Florida Blueberries?
By Karla Arboleda University of Florida (UF) researchers are working to establish honeybee hive recommendations specific to Florida blueberries. Right now, Florida blueberry growers rely on honeybee hive recommendations from research based in other states. Rachel Mallinger, an assistant professor in entomology at UF and part of the research team, said the amount of honeybees available to pollinate blueberries is …