By Clint Thompson
Florida blueberry growers have resource tools to help them navigate through diseases and pests leading up to harvest time over the next couple of months, says Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator.
“We’ve got the new 2022 version of the Blueberry IPM guide that’s out. We’ve also got the UF/IFAS Blueberry Growers Guide phone app. It’s got a relatively new module we put in there,” Phillips said. “It’s a monthly management calendar so users get an alert at the beginning of each month as a reminder to look at it. It’ll go through each month and the diseases, insect pests, freeze protection, pollination. It’s just as a reminder of things to look at.”
January is usually reserved for the beginning of bloom and fruit development. Growers need to monitor for diseases and pests. These include botrytis flower blight, anthracnose, blueberry gall midge, scales, mites and flower thrips.
Fruit development will continue through March when harvest time commences.
The smartphone application is available on iPhone and android platforms.
Phillips and the UF/IFAS blueberry team are close to finishing a Spanish version of the smart-phone app. They will also have a chemical products module late in 2022.
Florida blueberries are valued around $60 million annually. Growers need to be more efficient to combat increased imports and rising costs associated with inputs.