By Karla Arboleda As the Florida hops industry continues to steadily expand, growers should be aware of some new insights on the crop’s cultivation. Although hops research and the general hops industry are fairly new to Florida, in comparison to other North American regions, researchers have found a variety of different pests that show up in hops plants. According to …
UF Eyes Butterfly Pea as Natural Food-Color Source
It provides a natural food coloring. It gives nurseries another ornamental to grow and sell, and it might provide health benefits to those who eat it with their food. It is the Butterfly Pea, and University of Florida researchers are studying the flower to see if it will grow in Florida. Much of what we eat every day contains added …
Industry Reaction to U.S. Senate Approval of a Disaster-Aid Package
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) applauded Senate passage of a disaster supplemental that will provide much-needed funds to Florida’s Northwest communities, which were devastated by Hurricane Michael more than seven months ago. With Senate passage, Rubio urged the U.S. House of Representatives to swiftly approve the long overdue disaster-relief package, and send the measure to …
Sneak Peek: June VSCNews Magazine
The June issue of VSCNews magazine will be growers’ go-to guide for crucial crop diseases in the Southeast. Gary Vallad, University of Florida (UF) pathologist, authors two articles in this issue. In the first feature, he discusses tomato bacterial spot, including where and how it begins in the transplant house. His second article addresses southern blight and the best ways …
Enza Zaden Field Day Features Watermelons and More
Growers and seed distributors had a field day Tuesday at the Enza Zaden seed breeding and field trials facility near Myakka City, Florida. The main attraction was the watermelon trials that include new varieties being tested and introduced into the market. Other trials added great flavor to the day’s tour and discussions, with multiple plots for bell peppers, mature green …
Tips for Dual-Season Strawberry Production
By Ashley Robinson Joshua Mays, regional agronomist with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, discussed dual-season production of strawberries at the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in January. Mays believes the most important factors for growers to consider before starting fall production of strawberries is their market and their ability to market strawberries to buyers that would cost them …
Beetle Borer in Blueberries
By Janine Spies Since 2014, several Florida blueberry growers have reported seeing tunneling or girdling on the canes of their blueberry bushes. Oscar Liburd at the University of Florida has been investigating the source of the damage in blueberries along with his graduate students Lindsy Iglesias and Krystal Ashman in the Fruit and Vegetable IPM Laboratory. In the summer of …
Managing Nematodes in Peaches
By Alison DeLoach Nematodes are known to cause severe damage to growers’ crops in Florida. Don Dickson, a nematologist at the University of Florida (UF), has spent his career helping growers manage nematodes. At a Peach Field Day on April 30 held by the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Dickson presented nematode research. In Florida, there are four …
Bags Protect and Improve Peaches
By David Campbell and Danielle Treadwell Peach growers have rediscovered a tool to add to their integrated pest and disease management toolbox — a unique paper bag. Easy to install and remove, the bag has extra durability to withstand wind and rain throughout the season. And if our data is consistent with previous observations, bagging may be affordable for many …
Living with Fusarium Wilt
With multiple races that are increasingly aggressive, fusarium wilt has been a challenging disease for watermelon growers and a tough nut to crack for southeastern researchers. Nicholas Dufault, assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Florida, says all races of fusarium wilt occur in Florida, but each is a little different. Fusarium wilt …