Researchers are investigating new behavioral and cultural controls to help protect crops from spotted wing drosophila (SWD). SWD has been attacking many crops, such as small berries, and leaving growers with devastating losses, said Ashfaq Sial, assistant professor at the University of Georgia. This pest is such an issue for growers because there is a very large window of when …
Florida Ag Policy Conference to Help Growers Deal with the Ever-Changing Global Economy
By: Brad Buck, 352-294-3303, bradbuck@ufl.edu GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In light of the competitive and dynamic global economy, experts from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and other organizations will share knowledge about how to deal with pressures facing growers in Florida at the third annual Florida Agricultural Policy Conference. The conference will be held Feb. …
Georgia Peach Outlook Uncertain
Last year’s low-chill issues, combined with cold weather this year, could affect Georgia peach crops in 2018. Phil Brannen, professor and Extension plant pathologist at the University of Georgia (UGA), gave an outlook for the peach season. Issues from 2017 have the possibility to carry over into this season and affect the crops. Many growers did not follow all the way through with …
Sneak Peek: February 2018 VSCNews Magazine
The February issue of VSCNews magazine is packed with information about protecting your crops against disease. Included in the issue is the latest research on diseases like target spot, fusarium wilt, center rot and more. Gary Vallad, University of Florida associate professor, explores target spot in tomatoes. He discusses what to look for as well as methods for management. Bhabesh …
Georgia Sets Goals for the 2018 Legislative Session
The Georgia legislative session began on Jan. 8, and agricultural leaders have set goals for what they would like to achieve this session. Bryan Tolar, president of the Georgia Agribusiness Council, spoke about the council’s priorities for the 2018 session. Tolar laid out a few key issues that will take much of his focus. He said he has spent the …
Combating Fire Blight in Alabama Pears
Auburn University researchers are studying the most resistant varieties of pears for combating fire blight in Alabama. A publication by Alabama A&M University and Auburn University describes fire blight as a common and destructive pome fruit disease in the Southeast. “The fire blight pathogen … is a rod-shaped bacterium that overwinters in tissues around the edge of cankers on large …
Battling Blueberry Diseases
Predictive systems and preventing new diseases in blueberries were topics Phil Brannen addressed at the 2018 Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Ga., in January. Brannen is a professor and Extension plant pathologist at the University of Georgia. Predictive systems can benefit growers by letting them know when their disease risks are highest and lowest. Brannen said a …
Researchers and Growers Working with Olives
The possibility of a commercial olive industry in the Southeast has caused many growers and researchers to begin looking at what could be attainable. Peter Andersen, professor of horticulture at the University of Florida (UF), said north Florida and south Georgia are two areas of the Southeast looking at the possibility of olives as a commercial crop. More research is …
Taste Test Shows Luffa’s Potential
This emerging Asian vegetable is one to watch in Florida. By Yucong Xie, Guodong Liu, Bala Rathinasabapathi and Muhammad A. Shahid Luffa is a genus of tropical and subtropical plants in the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae). Native to Asia, particularly in China and Vietnam, luffa is cultivated for its immature fruit, which is consumed as a cooked vegetable (Figure 1). Mature …
Critical Organic Insecticides
Auburn University Extension entomologist Ayanava Majumdar says for organic growers, the use of organic insecticides can make or break a production system. “Organic insecticides are critical for organic producers; we shouldn’t forget about them,” Majumdar says. Southeastern weather conditions are among the most unique in the nation, making pests a year-round issue. For starters, the southeast has heat, humidity and …