By Karla Arboleda With a wide variety of options to choose from, researchers are working with technology in order to grow better cucurbits. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), marker assisted selection and genomic selection have been used to improve specialty crops like squash, pumpkins and watermelons. Geoffrey Meru, an assistant professor in vegetable breeding at the University of Florida Tropical Research …
‘It’s More Than Just Work’
University of Florida Extension Agent Gene McAvoy retires. If you ask any Florida grower if they know who Gene McAvoy is, they’ll probably reply with a smile and say “yes.” That is the kind of impact McAvoy has had in his 22-year run as an Extension agent in Hendry County, Florida. On July 31, McAvoy officially retired from the University …
More Ways to Manage Fusarium Wilt
By Karla Arboleda Five years ago, there was no solid foundation for managing fusarium wilt in watermelons. Now, researchers have identified several techniques watermelon growers can use to help combat the disease. Nicholas Dufault, associate professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), says his research on the pathogen is leading to …
SmartIrrigation Apps Improve Water-Use Efficiency
By Vasileios Liakos and George Vellidis Ample water is a critical input needed to grow high-yielding, high-quality crops. Today, irrigated agriculture represents 20 percent of the total cultivated land, but contributes 40 percent of the total food produced worldwide. Due to overuse, droughts and growing demand by urban and industrial users, competition for available fresh water supplies is rapidly increasing. …
VSC Expo Sees Success
The 2019 Vegetable & Specialty Crop (VSC) Expo, held in conjunction with the 28-year-old Citrus Expo, saw great success with the largest crowd in Expo history on Aug. 14–15 at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers, Florida. With more than 200 exhibitors and a stellar educational program, themed “Growing Stronger,” growers were able to meet with suppliers, mingle …
Speaker Spotlight: Nick Dufault
By Ashley Robinson Florida watermelon growers continue to struggle with fusarium wilt. Nick Dufault, plant pathologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), will be discussing this disease during his seminar presentation at the Vegetable & Specialty Crop Expo. Fusarium wilt is a soilborne fungal disease that can affect watermelon plants at any point from …
Vegetable and Specialty Crop Seminars Cover Crucial Issues
By Ashley Robinson Last year, AgNet Media incorporated vegetable and specialty crop (VSC) seminars into the 28-year-old Citrus Expo. The change was met with positive feedback from both growers and industry members. Therefore, AgNet Media decided to expand that side of the program and debut the Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo (VSC Expo) this year, being held in conjunction with …
Nikki Fried Announces Members of New Hemp Advisory Committee
Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried announced the members of her new Hemp Advisory Committee, which will help guide the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ hemp rulemaking process and the state’s emerging hemp industry development. Commissioner Fried is committed to Florida becoming a national leader on industrial hemp production. The appointment of committee members comes after the department held three workshops …
EPA Registers Long-Term Uses of Sulfoxaflor While Ensuring Strong Pollinator Protection
Registration provides benefits to growers and is supported by strong science that shows minimal risks for pollinators. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a long-term approval for the insecticide sulfoxaflor— an effective tool to control challenging pests with fewer environmental impacts. After conducting an extensive risk analysis, including the review of one of the agency’s largest datasets on …
Whitefly Management Methods
By Hugh Smith The silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmits tomato yellow leaf curl virus in tomatoes. The pest also transmits three viruses to cucurbits, including squash vein yellowing virus, which causes watermelon vine decline. In addition to virus transmission and contamination, the silverleaf whitefly induces irregular ripening in tomato and the silverleafing in squash that gives it its common name. …