By Jaci Schreckengost Integrated nematode management for vegetable crops is an ongoing project at one University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences research center. Johan Desaeger, an assistant professor of entomology and nematology at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC), said researchers are looking for more sustainable management strategies. Current research efforts include new in-field products …
Spider Mite Management Methods
If the weather is hot and dry, growers will want to keep an eye out for spider mites. According to Ayanava Majumdar, an Extension entomologist for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, high populations of spider mites can devastate vegetable crops. There are several different types of spider mites, including twospotted mites, russet mites, rust mites and broad mites. All of …
Sneak Peek: April 2018 VSCNews Magazine
Growers are constantly striving to cut costs while creating the best product possible. The April issue of VSCNews magazine features an article by University of Florida (UF) researchers Nathan Boyd and Arnold Schumann about a new technology that could drastically reduce the use of herbicides. Also featured in the April issue is an article by Jack Payne, University of Florida’s …
Making Muscadine Grapes More Desirable
By Jaci Schreckengost A Georgia specialty crop has seen increased interest and more research for varieties and management strategies. Cain Hickey, Extension viticulture specialist at the University of Georgia (UGA), said that some aspects of muscadine grapes are sparking grower interest. Since the muscadine grape has grown and evolved in the humid conditions of the southeastern United States, Hickey said …
Florida Peach Promotion Set for a Second Year
Sonia Tighe, executive director of the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation (FSCF), is excited to be heading into the second year of a two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to market Florida peaches. The grant was awarded to FSCF to work in collaboration with the Fresh from Florida program. After seeing great results from last year’s marketing efforts, Tighe …
Cold Snap Threatens Georgia Peaches
A warm February and unexpected cold snap could mean trouble for Georgia peaches. Dario Chavez, assistant professor and peach research Extension specialist at the University of Georgia, says although concrete data has not yet been collected, damage was done. Chavez says that early varieties of peaches were pretty developed before the cold snaps within the first couple weeks of March. …
Grower Participation Needed for BMP Survey
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center would like to better understand best management practices (BMPs) used by area growers. BMPs are individual practices or combinations of practices that are effective at improving the quality of surface water and ground water. Growers provide a public service by performing …
Fertigation Improves Potato Production
By Guodong Liu Seepage irrigation has been the most commonly used irrigation method for potatoes since the crop was first grown in Florida in the late 1800s. This traditional irrigation method doesn’t require much investment by the grower. Seepage irrigation waters the crop from the bottom by raising the water table, but it lacks water-use efficiency. DRAMATIC WATER SAVINGS Potatoes …
Pepper Weevil Woes
Pepper weevil has been a problematic pest in Georgia peppers, and now it appears to be moving into other crops. David Riley, a professor of entomology at the University of Georgia, has been studying pepper weevil since he received his doctorate nearly 30 years ago, and he was shocked to see this pest spread to other hosts. According to Riley, …
Florida-Georgia ‘Water War’ Could Keep Rolling Along
By Lloyd Dunkelberger, News Service of Florida Even if the U.S. Supreme Court gives Florida a favorable ruling in its lawsuit against Georgia over water flow into the Apalachicola River, the decision likely would result in more litigation and new legal challenges involving the decades-old water war between the states. Those were the observations of five legal experts who on …