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 …
UF ‘Dream Team’ Plans to Change Face of South Florida Ag, Natural Resources
Contact: Beverly James, 352-273-3566, beverlymjames@ufl.edu HOMESTEAD, Fla. – They don’t wear capes and tights, but the new University of Florida (UF) faculty members hope their research will help grow the state’s agriculture and natural resources, and stave off enemies that threaten industry. The eight scientists, based at the Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC) in Homestead, Florida, are bringing new …
Spider Mite Research Heats Up
Two-spotted spider mites are a major issue in Florida strawberries. Justin Renkema, former assistant professor at the University of Florida (UF), says mites make their way into Florida fields by blowing in from neighboring fields, but they may also be coming on strawberry transplants from nurseries. After proving that spider mites were coming to Florida on transplants, Renkema wanted to …
Fusarium Wilt Attacks EAA Lettuce
Lettuce is an extremely important crop in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), and now it is facing a new disease. Richard Raid, associate center director and professor of plant pathology at the Everglades Research and Education Center (EREC), says he has been working in the EAA for 30 years and this is the first instance of fusarium to appear in …
Pointers for Peachtree Borer Management
By Breanna Kendrick Cory Penca, entomology Ph.D. candidate and a student in the Doctor of Plant Medicine Program at the University of Florida, recently spoke to growers about peach pests at the Stone Fruit Field Day in Citra, Florida. One of the many pests he discussed was peachtree borers. Peachtree borers are moth species. There’s two different species, lesser peachtree …
Precautions Growers Should Take in the Rainy Season
By Breanna Kendrick The abundance of rain in Florida over the past two weeks has brought concerns about bacterial disease issues for farmers. Gary Vallad, University of Florida associate professor of plant pathology and associate center director at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, discusses some of the precautions growers can take to make it through this rainy season. …
Stone Fruit Day Focuses on Florida Peach Production
By Breanna Kendrick Ali Sarkhosh, assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida (UF), spoke at and co-hosted the annual Stone Fruit Field Day at the UF Plant Science Research and Education Unit in Citra. The event included discussions on the issues and challenges in the stone fruit industry. It provided information on …
Beware of Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens in Increased Rainfall
By Breanna Kendrick Nicholas Dufault, assistant professor and Extension agent in the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Florida, researches management of diseases affecting vegetable crop production in Florida. “With all the rainfall, the biggest thing we want to pay attention to is the movement of fungal and bacterial pathogens,” said Dufault. “Fungal and bacterial pathogens will be a …
Taking Precautions for Increased Rain
By Breanna Kendrick With widespread rain in Florida for the past week and a half and another week of rain forecasted, growers are becoming concerned about what this might mean for their crops. For the past seven days, rainfall has ranged from 1.20 to 9.43 inches in Florida. Depending on location, the rain has either been devastating or vital for …
UF/IFAS Researchers May Use Fungi to Control Deadly Crop Disease
A group of fungi might fight a disease that’s dangerous to tomatoes and specialty crops. University of Florida scientists hope to develop this biological strategy as they add to growers’ tools to help control Fusarium wilt. Tomatoes are the number one vegetable crop in Florida. In 2017, approximately 28,000 acres of tomatoes were commercially harvested, with a production value of …