Gummy stem blight disease pressure has been light so far this season in North Florida watermelons. That trend may soon be changing, however. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, confirmed this week that gummy stem blight disease is beginning to become a problem for Florida watermelons. …
UF/IFAS Strawberry Specialist: Lack of Neopestalotiopsis a Blessing for Producers
By Clint Thompson A drier year meant a good production season for Florida strawberries regarding a lack of diseases. A state known for its high-quality strawberry crop was ravaged in prior seasons because of neopestalotiopsis fruit rot disease. But rainy seasons exacerbated the problem. This year’s dry weather led to minimal disease impact, said Vance Whitaker, University of Florida Institute …
Watermelon Production: Preventative Sprays Needed for Rindworms
By Clint Thompson North Florida watermelon producers should be applying insecticides on a preventative basis when targeting rindworms. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, advises growers that an economical program consists of adding a Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) spray now and continue weekly until pest pressure gets …
Strawberry Growers Could Benefit From UF/IFAS Research into Powdery Mildew
Strawberry farmers worldwide may get help from new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research that shows a way to battle one of the fruit’s fiercest foes. The key: combine genomic data with phenomics. The genome amounts to all the DNA in an organism. Phenomics is the study of plant growth, performance and composition. Through phenomics, …
Florida’s Blueberry Production: May Management Tips
Harvests may be nearing an end for Florida’s blueberry producers, but management should continue during May. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) recommends that growers monitor for leaf diseases like rust, anthracnose, Septoria, target spot and Phyllosticta. Florida’s blueberry producers should continue with insecticide sprays for spotted wing drosophila to protect against any remaining ripe fruit …
ABT Impact Minimal This Season
By Clint Thompson What was once a destructive pest of snap beans in South Florida during the 2019-20 season, Asian bean thrips’ (ABT) impact this season was almost non-existent. Now it is the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ responsibility to figure out why, says Anna Meszaros, Extension commercial horticulture agent in West Palm Beach. “At the …
Blackberry Field Day: Attendees Can Tour Orchard at UF/IFAS on May 25
Florida specialty crop farmers interested in producing blackberries can attend the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blackberry field day at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC). UF/IFAS faculty from Gainesville and from the center — along with a scientist from the University of Arkansas — will present updated findings at the meeting, from …
Nutsedge Control During Fallow Period
By Clint Thompson There are ways to control nutsedge during the upcoming fallow period. Cover crops are not an effective solution, however. Nathan Boyd, University of Florida (UF) associate center director and associate professor of horticulture/weed science at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, discusses why cover crops are not recommended to manage nutsedge, which can grow up to …
Nematode Control in Potatoes
By Clint Thompson Potato producers need to be diligent in applying nematicides. Nematode control is essential every year, especially for farmers in Northeast Florida, says Zane Grabau, assistant professor of nematology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). “The main thing is you can’t take a year off from applying a nematicide. If you do, …
What To Do About Anthracnose Fruit Rot in Blueberries
By Philip Harmon and Doug Phillips Anthracnose fruit rot (AFR), also known as ripe rot, is a significant disease on southern highbush blueberries. Caused by the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides on southern highbush blueberries in Florida, AFR creates sunken lesions on the surface of blueberries. This is followed by eruptions of orange- or salmon-colored spores from the lesions when the …