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 …
Cowpea Curculio Wreaking Havoc in the Southeast
By Breanna Kendrick One of the toughest insect problems to deal with in the Southeast is cowpea curculio. It has been very difficult to control because it becomes resistant to insecticides. Cowpea curculio is a weevil that can be very destructive to the crops it attacks. This pest is just as destructive to southern peas as the boll weevil is …
The Buzz on Hollow Heart
By Breanna Kendrick A lot of watermelon growers have had to deal with hollow heart this season. It’s not known for certain what causes hollow heart, but research is pointing toward pollination deficiency. Hollow heart is a separation of the cells in the flesh of the fruit, which causes a fissure to form. A fissure can form from stem to …
Rootstock Addresses Peach Disease Issues
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 …
University of Florida Has High Hopes for Hemp
By Breanna Kendrick The University of Florida will be researching hemp to determine its potential to be grown as a crop in the Sunshine State. Industrial hemp is Cannabis sativa, which is the same species as marijuana. However, there is a very important difference. Industrial hemp is required to have less than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, a psychoactive substance). The …
Macro Bug Management
Though stink bugs and leaffooted bugs may be the easiest pests to scout due to their large size, they are also some of the most difficult to control. These large insects, also known as macro bugs, live in urban and rural areas and are highly migratory. Ayanava Majumdar, Extension entomologist with Auburn University, says these insects can cause massive destruction …
Learn New Tools for Nematode Management
Nematodes are a key pest in vegetables and strawberries. Johan Desaeger, an assistant professor of nematology at the University of Florida’s Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, has spent years studying nematodes and how to manage them. He will be giving a presentation at the upcoming Vegetables and Specialty Crops Expo. According to Desaeger, historically, most growers used methyl bromide …
Sneak Peek: August VSCNews Magazine
Organically grown produce is climbing in popularity in the United States. The August issue of VSCNews magazine will give growers the information they need to help their organic farm thrive or to convert to organic growing. For growers looking toward growing organically, AgNet Media’s Ernie Neff and Abbey Taylor explore what it takes to become organically certified by the U.S. …
Vegetable and Specialty Crop Seminars Pack a Punch
The 27th year of Citrus Expo is expected to be the biggest year yet with an added vegetable and specialty crop educational program. AgNet Media has always relied on University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professionals to help create an informative program for growers. This year, Gene McAvoy, a regional vegetable Extension agent, led the efforts in …
Peach Problems and the Role of Rootstocks
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 …