Auburn University research has created new opportunities for growers who want to begin or increase grape production. Elina Coneva, Extension specialist for the Auburn University department of horticulture, said new research has increased interest in grape production in the Southeast. Muscadine grapes are currently the most popular type of grapes grown in Alabama. This is due to the resistance the …
Florida Growers Prepare for Freezing Temperatures
Florida is off to a cool start in 2018 as parts of the state anticipate freezing temperatures during the rest of the week. According to Lisa Lochridge, director of public affairs for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, Florida growers are doing what they can to prepare for the cold. Lochridge says that Florida fruit and vegetables are well into …
Early-Season Peach Varieties in Doubt Following Freeze Event
By Clint Thompson Early-season peaches will be sporadic this year thanks to a late-season freeze event in mid-March. The quality and quantity of early peach varieties is in doubt as a result. Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agriculture and natural resources (ANR) agent for Peach and Taylor counties, discussed the situation facing his growers. “It depends on location. …
Fusarium Wilt Observed In North Florida Watermelons
By Clint Thompson North Florida and South Georgia watermelon producers must be aware that fusarium wilt disease is showing up across North Florida. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, said in his weekly email that the disease has also been observed in UF/IFAS research trials. Symptoms …
Blueberry Management Options for April
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has issued management strategies that blueberry growers should implement for April. Diseases For disease management, producers should apply suggested fungicides in rotation for control of disease threats like anthracnose and/or Alternaria fruit rot. Prompt harvests and cooling of ripe fruit is also important. One tool that growers should also …
Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Working Toward Bamboo Profitability
By Kevin Barley As growers seek alternative crops, bamboo has been considered, especially on ground fallowed after citrus greening has taken out groves across the state of Florida. Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have been searching for viable alternative crops. In 2016, a small bamboo farming industry began developing in Florida, gaining …
$130 Million Drain: UF/IFAS Researcher Looks to Genetics to Rein in Wasteful Strawberry Runners
Strawberry growers pour roughly $130 million a year, nationally, into a surprisingly stubborn problem: a part of the plant that sabotages fruit production. These fast-growing offshoots – called “runners” – stretch out from the mother plant, siphoning energy that would otherwise go into plump, market-ready berries. University of Florida doctoral student Kaitlyn Vondracek wants to help farmers solve this costly …
Alabama Extension Agent: It’s Been a Good Strawberry Season So Far
By Clint Thompson Count Alabama’s strawberry growers as one ag group benefiting from the current hot and dry weather conditions. David Lawrence, regional Extension agent in central Alabama, explains why. “It’s good for the strawberries. The strawberry guys are loving it,” Lawrence said. “Not a lot of berries are going to waste being as dry as it is.” Extreme drought …
Watermelons Flourish in Hot, Dry Conditions
By Clint Thompson An increase in temperatures throughout Georgia makes for challenging working conditions for farmers having to maintain crops this time of year. They are, however, favorable growing conditions for watermelon plants in the region. Watermelons prefer to grow under hot and dry conditions, says Tim Coolong, professor and Extension specialist in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural …
Lab Diagnosis Needed to Identify Phytophthora in Southeast Strawberries
By Clint Thompson Neopestalotiopsis (Neo) disease in strawberries has garnered much of the headlines in recent years for Southeast producers. But other diseases can still leave a mark on production if growers are not careful. One, in particular, is a huge concern, says Phil Brannen, University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist. “Phytophthora is still a problem. Not …