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By Clint Thompson North Florida watermelon growers should be cautious about powdery mildew disease heading into the upcoming season. Its potential resistance to fungicide applications has industry experts like Nick Dufalt wary with the start of the season just a couple of months away. Dufalt, a plant pathologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, talked …
By Frank Giles Paul Allen developed an appreciation for hard work and farming at an early age. After school, he’d head to the South Bay Growers packing facility in South Bay, Florida, to work for a few hours cleaning celery boxes. There he observed the lifeblood of the Everglades Agriculture Area in action. Farming drives the economy of the region …
By Clint Thompson Much-needed rainfall during December helped alleviate much of the drought present across the Southeast, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. It is seen especially in Georgia and Florida and part of Alabama. Florida is mostly drought free, though abnormally dry conditions are still present in Escambia and Santa Rose counties in the Panhandle. Some areas along the …
By Clint Thompson Specialty crop producers should be wary that Diamide resistance in beet armyworm exists. How widespread it is remains a question mark, says Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia Extension vegetable entomologist. “We know it’s there, and when it’s there it’s bad. We don’t know how widespread it is,” Sparks said. “Where we’ve looked at is where we’ve had …
By Clint Thompson This year’s pecan season endured the worst scab disease pressure in 20 years according to one industry expert. However, this year’s crop survived and thrived thanks to better available fungicides, says Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist. “As far as scab pressure goes, the worst I’ve ever seen was 2003. We had an enormous amount …
By Clint Thompson Southeast specialty crop producers and industry leaders that have not registered for the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference are reminded that the deadline for regular registration ends Jan. 9. The annual event, scheduled for Jan. 11-14, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia, attracts growers and industry experts from Florida, Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas. Educational sessions focus on …
By Clint Thompson Specialty crop producers rely on industry supporters like Will Bentley, president of the Georgia Agribusiness Council, to be a voice at the state and federal levels. It is a responsibility that Bentley does not take lightly. “For us at the Agribusiness Council, we feel like our role is to take that fight to the capitol; whether that’s …
By Clint Thompson First chlorothalonil. What’s next for watermelon growers? It was the message delivered by Nick Dufalt, a plant pathologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, to producers and industry leaders at the Suwanee Valley Watermelon Institute meeting in Fanning Springs on Nov. 30. Chlorothalonil’s usage could be reduced in the near future by …
By Clint Thompson Paper mulch is a management option that watermelon producers could be using in the near future. While plastic mulch has long been utilized in vegetable production, paper mulch provides growers a more efficient and effective product to use during the season. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent …
By Clint Thompson University of Georgia (UGA) bell pepper research centered on phytophthora resistance is a focus of Ted McAvoy’s studies on the UGA Tifton campus. The UGA Extension vegetable specialist explains that resistant varieties exist but in other parts of the country not suited for South Georgia producers. He hopes to change that. “Phytophthora is the No. 1 soil-borne …
