By Ali Sarkhosh This time of the year, during winter pruning and tree topping/hedging, you will probably see tiny white insects on peach tree limbs and branches. In most cases, these insects are scales, which cause branches to die back. If not treated, tree death can eventually occur. SCALE CONTROL Scales, normally white peach and/or San Jose scale, are serious …
E-Verify Divides Republican Leaders as Florida Legislative Session Starts
(NSF) — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push for a politically charged immigration proposal has begun to expose a clash between Republicans as this year’s legislative session starts. The governor kicked off the session Tuesday by reminding lawmakers about one of his top priorities: a proposed mandate for all Florida employers to use the federal government’s E-Verify system to check new hires …
New Website All About Harmful Algal Blooms
(UF/IFAS) — The University of Florida (UF) has unveiled a new website to address the public’s confusion surrounding harmful algal blooms (HABs), The website addresses causes of such events, effects and attempts to combat future blooms. Scientists from several University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) departments and affiliated groups teamed up to provide expertise for the site, …
Drones Detect Two Tomato Diseases With 99 Percent Accuracy
(UF/IFAS) — New technology being developed by University of Florida scientists identifies two dangerous tomato diseases with 99 percent accuracy. This finding is critical because diseases can cost growers millions of dollars annually in the state’s third most valuable crop. Thus, the earlier farmers detect those ailments, the better their chances of treating them before the diseases cause excessive damage. …
Tips for Gall Midge Management
By Oscar Liburd and Doug Phillips Blueberry gall midge is a small fly that feeds on the floral and vegetative buds of blueberries. Reports of gall midge damage on blueberries grown in Florida have become more common in recent years. In cases where there was severe feeding injury to floral buds, the midge can significantly affect yield. DESCRIPTION AND LIFE …
Senator David Perdue on USMCA and Phase One China Trade Deal
By Clint Thompson Georgia Senator David Perdue is optimistic about Wednesday’s phase one trade deal that the United States will sign with China that includes the foreign country increasing its purchasing of US agricultural products by $32 billion over the next two years. “My suggestion all along was to go to an incremental phase approach with China. They wanted to …
Conference Highlighted Key Crops and Grower Concerns
By Clint Thompson The Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference (SERFVC) in Savannah, Georgia, educated growers and industry leaders about production practices for 13 different commodities during the four-day event, held Jan. 9-12. The educational programs and trade show attracted more than 3,300 participants and vendors. Sessions were aimed at introducing growers to citrus production in Georgia, teaching interested producers …
Why Sharing is Caring on the Citrus Learning Curve
In the quest for HLB-tolerant cultivars, there is no such thing as too much information.
New Wine Grape Varieties Resistant to Pierce’s Disease
By Ashley Robinson Researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) have released five new varieties of wine grapes that are highly resistant to Pierce’s disease. Pierce’s disease, the greatest threat to the growth and sustainability of wine grape industries in the southeastern United States, is caused by a bacterium spread by a group of insects called sharpshooters. Sharpshooters …
Alabama Extension, Auburn University Partner With UC Davis in European Grape Studies
(ACES) — Alabama wine grape growers will soon have access to disease-resistant bunch grape varieties as new grape varieties send ripples through the entire wine-making community. For many years, Alabama’s commercial grape producers have been limited to native muscadine, American and French-American hybrid bunch grape cultivars. The limited access is due to heavy bacterial disease pressure that suffocates most European …