Proper weed identification is key in eradicating it from the landscape or a field. University of Florida/IFAS has developed a set of resources for homeowners and vegetable growers to follow to avoid misidentification. “If you don’t take the time to identify the weed first, often times you may treat it incorrectly,” said Chris Marble, associate professor of environmental horticulture at …
Bed Formation Key to Vegetable Producers’ Management System
By Clint Thompson A key to vegetable producers’ success this fall starts before they even plant their crops. Forming the perfect bed in vegetable crop systems helps growers facilitate the movement of fumigants to control nematodes and weeds, as well the movement of water and fertilizer through the drip system. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension weed scientist Stanley Culpepper stresses …
A Look at What’s in the Citrus Breeding Project Pipeline
Proposed research endeavors will mine the rich varietal pool established in recent years.
Expo Pre-Registration Closes Aug. 12
Pre-registration for the upcoming Citrus, Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo, scheduled for Aug. 18-19 in North Fort Myers, Florida, closes Thursday, August 12 at 11:59 a.m. The annual conference returns to an in-person event this year after last year’s virtual show amid the coronavirus pandemic. The two-day event will feature a citrus session on Wednesday, Aug. 18. Growers and industry …
Onion Sweetness: Soil Conditions, Fertilizers Affect Vidalia Flavor
Source: UGA CAES Newswire University of Georgia Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories (AESL) researchers are ensuring sweetness is a quality of all Vidalia onions. Vidalia onions are known for their sweetness because of the low sulfur environment of the sandy Coastal Plain soils in South Georgia where they are grown, said Daniel Jackson, manager of the Crop Quality Lab, a …
Studying Salmonella Contamination in Onions
By Bhabesh Dutta, Govindaraj DevKumar, Brian Kvitko and Hemant Naikare Organic onion production has grown substantially over the last two decades with the adoption of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP). Consumer demand for organic food is rapidly increasing. U.S. organic growers, both large and small, are benefiting from this trend. Organic onion production faces several …
Optimistic Outlook: Sunnier Days Ahead for North Alabama Produce
By Clint Thompson The calm after the storm seems to have hit north Alabama. In a summer highlighted by persistent rains, the north Alabama region has experienced sunnier days recently. It has Doug Chapman, Alabama Extension agent for Commercial Horticulture in North Alabama, optimistic for what remains for his farmers’ vegetable and specialty crops. “It rained on the first of …
Grapes of Wrath: Wet Summer Impacting Fruit Development, Quality
By Clint Thompson Like other crops produced in Georgia and Alabama, grapes are not immune to the impact of the excessive rains being experienced across the Southeast this summer. They are impacting production, says Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Fruit Disease Specialist. “It’s wet. We’ve definitely had plenty of rain, very little drying time. It seems like it …
Time is Now to Fruit Thin Pecan Crop
Now is the time for pecan producers with a heavy crop load to thin their crop, according to the University of Georgia Extension pecan blog. Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist, said that growers with Pawnee varieties need to thin their crop now. Those with Cape Fear, Creek, Stuart and other varieties have 2 to 3 more weeks …
Lack of Consistency: Fumigation Erratic in Control of Weeds
By Clint Thompson Florida vegetable producers hoping to control weeds with just fumigation need to be mindful of its erratic effectiveness, says Ramdas Kanissery, a weed scientist at the University of Florida/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. “The thing with fumigation, what we have observed, there will be good effects on nematode suppression, but when it comes to weed …