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 …
Mechanical Strawberry Harvester Could Solve Labor Shortage
Labor continues to be a pressing issue for southeastern agriculture. However, in Florida, new technology on the horizon may offer a glimmer of hope. Gary Wishnatzki, owner of Wish Farms and co-founder of Harvest CROO Robotics, is working to create a mechanical harvester that could revolutionize the strawberry industry. LOOKING AHEAD TO LABOR Wishnatzki said he started seeing changes in …
Putting Australian Peaches and Raspberries to the Test
By Breanna Kendrick Rachel Itle, assistant research scientist in fruit production and genetics at the University of Georgia (UGA), and Dario Chavez, assistant professor at UGA, recently spent two weeks in Australia collecting seeds from wild raspberries, peaches and citrus. Â Itle and Chavez plan to use this seed collection to breed new varieties of raspberries and peaches specifically for the …
From Farmer to Legislator
Those with deep agricultural roots in Florida and Georgia discuss their journey into the world of politics. SONNY PERDUE U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue never wanted to enter the world of politics. As a child he grew up on a diversified row crop farm close to Perry, Georgia. After high school, he attended the University of Georgia (UGA) with …
Plum Curculio Management in Peaches
By Breanna Kendrick Cory Penca, an entomology Ph.D. candidate and a student  in the Doctor of Plant Medicine program at the University of Florida, gave a presentation at the recent Stone Fruit Field Day on managing key pests of peaches in Florida. Plum curculio was one of several pests he discussed. Plum curculio is a type of weevil that doesn’t …
Managing Stink Bugs on Peaches
By Breanna Kendrick At the recent Stone Fruit Field Day, Cory Penca gave a presentation on managing key pests of peaches in Florida. Penca is an entomology Ph.D. candidate and a student in the Doctor of Plant Medicine program at the University of Florida. His presentation covered stink bugs, Caribbean fruit flies, plum curculio and mites. Penca’s pest management practices …
FDACS Begins Efforts to Eradicate Exotic Fruit Fly
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has positively identified the presence of three Oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis, in south Miami-Dade County. The initial fly was discovered during routine trapping, and additional flies were discovered during expanded trapping activities. The department, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, monitors more than 56,000 fruit fly traps statewide as an …
Sneak Peek: June VSCNews Magazine
Policies and regulations can impact a grower’s ability to make a living. The June issue of VSCNews magazine will be growers’ one-stop-shop for important governmental updates on the state and federal levels. Southeastern growers will get an overview of their state’s 2018 legislative session. Adam Basford, director of state legislative affairs for Florida Farm Bureau (FFB), gives a summary of …
The Next Big Biotech Traits
By Anne Schwartz Conventional breeding techniques and chemical controls have long been agriculture’s central means for disease management. However, despite hundreds of crosses performed and generations of progeny evaluated, durably resistant varieties remain elusive. Today, plant breeders are armed with an alternative method when conventional breeding techniques are insufficient. Specifically designed, genetically engineered plants offer potential for the development of …
DNA Sequencing Technology for Breeding Better Crops
By Tong Geon Lee Studies in crop plants now routinely use DNA information, thanks to scientists in the 1960s who invented first-generation machines that interpret DNA information. These devices are often called DNA sequencing machines since DNA is arranged in a particular order. The DNA sequencing approach utilizes computer analysis to assemble DNA sequence from short pieces of DNA sequenced …