By Clint Thompson
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Blueberry Growers Guide phone app has drawn rave reviews from the people who need it the most – Florida’s blueberry producers.
Doug Phillips, UF/IFAS blueberry Extension coordinator at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, discussed the app, which started a couple of years ago.
“I think the adoption rate’s been great on it. The comments we’ve gotten have been favorable. We’ve also gotten comments on things folks would like to see added. We’re definitely taking that into account and see if we can add those in or if there’s ways we can improve the existing information,” Phillips said.
“The whole idea is to get as much information as possible into one place. Hopefully, it’s something that growers will have in their pockets, like their phone, but is just easy to navigate and they can quickly access the information that they need.”
The app guides growers who are scouting for plant diseases, insect pests and deficiencies in essential nutrients. Blueberries are valued around $60 million annually in Florida. Growers need to be more efficient to combat imports from competing countries and rising input costs. If producers can detect problems before they become widespread, that will only help their bottom line.
UF/IFAS has also helped make the app more efficient by releasing a new pesticides module.
“It’s a quick reference guide for pesticides that are labeled for highbush blueberries in Florida. It’s not a substitute for reading the entire label, but if you’re looking for some quick information on what’s the PHI (preharvest interval), what’s the REI (restricted-entry interval), what are the application amounts; hopefully, it’s a good tool for that purpose,” Phillips said.
Click here for additional information about the smart phone app.