By Karla Arboleda As the Florida hops industry continues to steadily expand, growers should be aware of some new insights on the crop’s cultivation. Although hops research and the general hops industry are fairly new to Florida, in comparison to other North American regions, researchers have found a variety of different pests that show up in hops plants. According to …
Preparing for the Florida Ag Expo
Planning for the 2019 Florida Ag Expo (FAE) is well underway. This week, the FAE seminar planning committee met to brainstorm ideas for the educational program. Attendees will have the opportunity to earn continuing education units and receive updates on the latest cutting-edge research from the University of Florida (UF). The AgNet Media team that manages FAE met with UF …
Diamondback Moth Update
Diamondback moth (DBM) has been a menace for brassica growers around the globe for decades. After a major outbreak in 2016, the issue became much more prevalent in Florida and Georgia. So, researchers from the University of Florida (UF) and the University of Georgia (UGA) have recently been studying how resistant these pests have become to commonly used insecticides. Hugh …
Smart Sprayer Technology for Better Weed Control
By Arnold Schumann, Nathan Boyd, Shaun Sharpe and Jialin Yu Most vegetable and strawberry crops in Florida are grown on raised, fumigated soil beds covered with plastic mulch and fertigated with drip tape. Fortunately, the plastic mulch suppresses most weeds that would otherwise grow rapidly and outcompete the crops in Florida’s warm subtropical climate. The open holes that are punched …
It Could Be Lights Out for Some Diseases and Pests in Strawberries
Natalia Peres envisions a day when light from a machine that resembles a spacecraft helps prevent powdery mildew from causing much damage to strawberries. Peres, a professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, works with a global group of scientists studying how to use ultraviolet light to suppress plant pathogens. Powdery mildew …
Florida Hop Trials — Keeping Ahead of Pests and Diseases
By Gary Vallad, Johan Desaeger, Hugh Smith, Zhanao Deng and Shinsuke Agehara Like other crops, hops are susceptible to various pests and diseases. The goal of this article is to review findings from ongoing field studies conducted at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC). The presented findings should …
New Crops Proposed After Michael Devastation
Hemp and hops are being promoted among alternatives for crops wiped out by Hurricane Michael in the eastern Panhandle. Glen Aiken, director of the University of Florida’s North Florida Research and Education Center, said Monday the need for alternatives has grown as farmers in an eight-county region suffered most of the estimated $1.5 billion hit to the state’s agriculture industry …
AgNet Media Announces Florida Ag Expo Date and UF Publication Project
GAINESVILLE, FL – Vegetable and specialty crop growers have a new reason to attend the Florida Ag Expo (FAE) this year. The University of Florida’s (UF) annual grower gathering is poised for refocus and reinvention as AgNet Media takes over management of the event. It will be held at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) in Wimauma, Florida, …
Sneak Peek: February VSCNews Magazine
Hemp has been a hot topic in the vegetable and specialty crop industry, however there is still much to figure out regarding production practices and opportunities for southeastern growers. The February issue of VSCNews magazine will discuss the hype on hemp. In an article written by AgNet Media’s Abbey Taylor and Ernie Neff, readers will learn about the crop and …
Florida Hop Production Appears Promising
Findings from the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center hop trials are helping make strides in this new frontier. By Zhanao Deng, Shinsuke Agehara, Gary Vallad, Hugh Smith and Johan Desaeger Hops are an essential ingredient of beer. Breweries use different varieties and amounts of hops during the brewing process to attain the desirable levels of bitterness and flavors associated …