A new University of Florida (UF)/IFAS tool can help blueberry producers decide what cultivars are best for their farming operation.
The UF/IFAS blueberry breeding program has developed a new cultivar module of the UF/IFAS Blueberry Growers Guide, available for download at:
- iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/uf-blueberry-growers-guide/id1535258711
- Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.austn.ss.blueberry
The app includes a scouting guide that can help farmers scout their fields for diseases, insect injuries, nutrient deficiencies and abiotic conditions, like a freeze or drought damage.
Doug Phillips, Extension blueberry coordinator for UF/IFAS and UF/IFAS blueberry breeder Patricio Munoz, in consultation with growers and other UF/IFAS colleagues, compiled the information that is included in the app.
It contains detailed information on southern highbush blueberry cultivars released by UF/IFAS. It also includes yield and fruit-quality data, along with information on Florida regions that cultivars are best adapted to, production systems, use of hydrogen cyanamide, machine harvesting, cultivars with overlapping flowering times and susceptibility to pests and diseases.
“Since I started in this position, I have seen the need for more easily accessible information about what we do,” said Munoz, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of horticultural sciences. “This is why we developed the UF Blueberry Breeding program webpage, which includes a significant amount of information.”
Munoz developed the vision for a new cultivar module for this app, which is being released this month.
Blueberry growers are encouraged to download and review this new cultivar module and share thoughts and ideas with the UF/IFAS team at blueberryguide@ifas.ufl.edu.