The Florida Blueberry Growers Association recently hosted its annual meeting in Lakeland. The event drew a good crowd, and speakers addressed pest management, new varieties, labor issues and more.
One highlight of the event was Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator, presenting the results of his annual survey of Florida blueberry growers.
The survey provides a snapshot of variety selection and performance as well as the biggest pest challenges. Sixty-two growers representing nearly 4,500 acres responded to the survey. The survey covered the 2025 growing season.
The survey breaks the state into three regions: North-Central, Central and South-Central Florida. According to this year’s survey, the most widely planted varieties in the state by region were as follows:
North-Central Region
- Farthing at 17%
- Optimus at 15%
- Sentinel at 13%
Central Region
- Arcadia at 19%
- Sentinel at 12%
- Emerald at 10%
South-Central Region
- Arcadia at 22%
- Sentinel at 17%
- Non-UF/IFAS variety at 17% (Note: This figure was due to one large-acreage grower’s selection)
- 19-006 at 12%
Across the state, the highest yielding varieties reported were Arcadia, Sentinel, Winter Bell, Emerald, Farthing and Optimus. The most profitable varieties were Sentinel, Arcadia, Emerald, Winter Bell, Farthing and Optimus. Phillips said Sentinel may have taken the top spot for profitability due both to its high yield and its ability to be machine harvested, which reduced costs.
Machine harvest continues to grow in popularity, especially in North-Central Florida where 38% of reported acreage was harvested by machine. In Central Florida, growers reported 7%. In South-Central Florida, it was only 2%. The lower figures in the south are attributed to slower adoption of machine harvesting in that region.
All three regions expect machine harvest to grow in the next three to five years. North-Central predicts 55% of acreage, Central Florida estimates 26%, and South-Central expects 15%.
Chilli thrips was clearly the most problematic pest, as reported by 52 of the 62 survey respondents. Phillips noted that disease pressure was light during the season, possibly due to dry weather during harvest.
See the full survey results here.
By Frank Giles