New Peach Rootstocks Show Potential

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By Breanna Kendrick Could new rootstocks offer hope for peach growers struggling with difficult disease issues? Tom Beckman spoke about the potential for some of his advanced rootstock selections at the recent Stone Fruit Field Day in Citra, Florida. Beckman, a U.S. Department of Agriculture horticultural researcher, noted that one selection in particular could be a replacement for Guardian rootstock, …

Review of New Peach Rootstocks

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By Breanna Kendrick If you’re a peach grower trying to decide what rootstock to use, Tom Beckman has some advice. At the recent Stone Fruit Field Day in Citra, Florida, Beckman spoke about new rootstock options available. A research horticulturist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Beckman is working on developing new rootstocks for the peach industry in the …

Selecting Herbicides for Stone Fruit

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By Breanna Kendrick With perennial crops such as stone fruits, growers are limited in their weed management options because they can’t choose practices like crop rotation. Therefore, selection of proper herbicides is critical for effective weed control. Peter Dittmar, assistant professor with the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, specializes in weed …

Spotted Wing Drosophila Spells Trouble for Grape Growers

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By Breanna Kendrick Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) are small fruit flies that resemble the flies commonly seen indoors buzzing around rotting fruit. Adult male SWD have a little spot on each of their wings, making them easy to identify. Females are more difficult to identify. At the rear of the female SWD abdomen is an egg-laying structure called an ovipositor. …

Rootstock Addresses Peach Disease Issues

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By Breanna Kendrick MP-29 is a hybrid plum-peach rootstock that was created to give peach growers another weapon in the disease-fighting toolbox. Tom Beckman, a U.S. Department of Agriculture research horticulturist, discussed MP-29 at the recent Stone Fruit Field Day in Citra, Florida. MP-29 is the most recent rootstock release from Beckman’s breeding program. Beckman created MP-29 because growers needed …

Managing Scales in Peach Orchards

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By Breanna Kendrick Cory Penca, a Ph.D. candidate as well as a student in the Doctor of Plant Medicine program at the University of Florida, recently presented at the Stone Fruit Field Day in Citra, Florida. His presentation covered basic pest management tactics for scales, among many other pests of peaches. Scales are difficult to manage because they have a …

Peach Problems and the Role of Rootstocks

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By Breanna Kendrick Tom Beckman, a research horticulturist with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service located in Byron, Georgia, is primarily responsible for developing new rootstocks for the Southeastern peach industry. Beckman spoke at the Stone Fruit Field Day in Citra, Florida, about peach diseases and how they influence rootstock development for the Southeast industry. He …

Two-Spotted Spider Mite Management

Web AdminPeaches, Pests, Stone Fruit, Top Posts

By Breanna Kendrick Cory Penca, a speaker at the recent Stone Fruit Field Day, covered lots of pests that are potentially devastating to peach growers. Penca is an entomology Ph.D. candidate and a student in the Doctor of Plant Medicine Program at the University of Florida. The last pest he discussed at the event was the two-spotted spider mite. Mites …

Using Peach History to Aid the Future

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By Breanna Kendrick Without the accumulated knowledge and development of peach rootstocks, the Florida peach industry would not be where it is at today. There are still many challenges facing peach growers, but with the experience of people like Tom Beckman, who has 30 years of peach research under his belt, solutions will be found in the near future. Beckman …

Georgia Farmers Enjoying Improved Peach Crop

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Last year, the peach crop in Georgia really suffered. But according to Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Taylor and Peach counties, this year’s crop has rebounded following colder temperatures this past December and January. In an article written by Clint Thompson, news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and …