UF/IFAS Archives - Specialty Crop Industry Vegetable and Specialty Crop News Wed, 18 Oct 2023 15:42:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.1 116110416 Chilli Thrips: Primary Pest of Florida Blueberries https://specialtycropindustry.com/chilli-thrips-primary-pest-of-florida-blueberries/ Thu, 19 Oct 2023 09:30:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=23295 By Oscar Liburd and Doug Phillips Over the past few years, chilli thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis) have become the most important insect pest of Florida blueberries, causing substantial injury to plant foliage and typically requiring significant and costly chemical control measures. Chilli thrips have been an economically important pest of vegetable, fruit and ornamental crops throughout Asia, Africa, Oceania the Caribbean ...

The post Chilli Thrips: Primary Pest of Florida Blueberries appeared first on Specialty Crop Industry.

]]> 23295 Drought Impact: Northeast Florida Experiencing Dry Conditions https://specialtycropindustry.com/drought-impact-northeast-florida-experiencing-dry-conditions/ Wed, 18 Oct 2023 09:30:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=23281 By Clint Thompson The lingering drought has spread across the Southeast and impacted various parts of Florida, specifically in the northeast part of the state. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, discusses the impact the dry weather is having in his area. “We’re very dry, and ...

The post Drought Impact: Northeast Florida Experiencing Dry Conditions appeared first on Specialty Crop Industry.

]]> 23281 Imports Battering the U.S. Blueberry Industry https://specialtycropindustry.com/imports-battering-the-u-s-blueberry-industry/ Tue, 17 Oct 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=23271 By A. Malek Hammami and Zhengfei Guan The United States is a major blueberry producer. The value of production in 2021 reached $1.1 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA ERS). USDA statistics show that total U.S. blueberry production in 2022 was 622 million pounds. The Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington lead in ...

The post Imports Battering the U.S. Blueberry Industry appeared first on Specialty Crop Industry.

]]> 23271 South Florida Leaders to Honor Miami-Dade County Farmers Month at UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center https://specialtycropindustry.com/south-florida-leaders-to-honor-miami-dade-county-farmers-month-at-uf-ifas-tropical-research-and-education-center/ Thu, 12 Oct 2023 09:00:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=23243 On Nov. 4, South Florida leaders and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences will commemorate Miami-Dade County Farmers Month during the 9th annual One Night in the Tropics. This premier philanthropic event will pay homage to those who harvest the fields of food that feed our communities. At the same time, it will raise funds for the University ...

The post South Florida Leaders to Honor Miami-Dade County Farmers Month at UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center appeared first on Specialty Crop Industry.

]]> 23243 It Is Time to Talk About Quality https://specialtycropindustry.com/it-is-time-to-talk-about-quality/ Wed, 11 Oct 2023 09:30:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=23221 By Gerardo H. Nunez Long gone are the days when blueberries were a seasonal product. Nowadays, blueberries are available at the grocery store year-round thanks to innovations in plant breeding and a flood of imported fruit. This is changing the scenario for blueberry growers in the Southeast. Suddenly, growing fruit for the early spring market is not enough. The market ...

The post It Is Time to Talk About Quality appeared first on Specialty Crop Industry.

]]> 23221 UF/IFAS Using AI to Apply Herbicides More Efficiently https://specialtycropindustry.com/uf-ifas-using-ai-to-apply-herbicides-more-efficiently/ Tue, 10 Oct 2023 14:30:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=23198 By Clint Thompson One University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher is using artificial intelligence (AI) to apply herbicides more efficiently. Nathan Boyd’s research will help growers to not make chemical applications where they are not needed. “We use artificial intelligence that we’ve trained to differentiate. You could train it to differentiate species. We’ve decided that’s ...

The post UF/IFAS Using AI to Apply Herbicides More Efficiently appeared first on Specialty Crop Industry.

]]> 23198 New Fusarium Wilt Race a Concern for Florida Tomatoes https://specialtycropindustry.com/new-fusarium-wilt-race-a-concern-for-florida-tomatoes/ Thu, 05 Oct 2023 10:00:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=23172 By Clint Thompson Florida tomato growers have a new concern with plant disease management this year. “The big news that we have right now is that we’ve identified a new race of fusarium wilt on tomato that appears to overcome a lot of our sources of resistance that are currently deployed. I’m just trying to get the word out to ...

The post New Fusarium Wilt Race a Concern for Florida Tomatoes appeared first on Specialty Crop Industry.

]]> 23172 Producer Panel Discussion Part of Upcoming Florida Blueberry Conference https://specialtycropindustry.com/producer-panel-discussion-part-of-upcoming-florida-blueberry-conference/ Wed, 04 Oct 2023 11:45:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=23161 By Clint Thompson Labor remains a contentious issue for specialty crop producers in the Southeast. It will be highlighted during the upcoming Florida Blueberry Growers Association Conference and Trade Show. “It’s a topic with some really high interest among growers,” said Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator. It has been widely ...

The post Producer Panel Discussion Part of Upcoming Florida Blueberry Conference appeared first on Specialty Crop Industry.

]]> 23161 UF/IFAS Facilities Rebuild from Hurricane Idalia with Help from Volunteers, Emergency Response Crews https://specialtycropindustry.com/uf-ifas-facilities-rebuild-from-hurricane-idalia-with-help-from-volunteers-emergency-response-crews/ Fri, 29 Sep 2023 11:00:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=23120 When Hurricane Idalia barreled through the Big Bend region of Florida, Mike Allen was stuck in Gainesville, watching a beloved facility get slammed by storm surge while The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore reported from the facility’s second-story patio. Once the rain stopped and the wind subsided after the storm rushed through on Aug. 30, University of Florida Institute of Food ...

The post UF/IFAS Facilities Rebuild from Hurricane Idalia with Help from Volunteers, Emergency Response Crews appeared first on Specialty Crop Industry.

]]> 23120 In Comparison: Hurricane Idalia Financial Impact Less Than Ian, Irma https://specialtycropindustry.com/in-comparison-hurricane-idalia-financial-impact-less-than-ian-irma/ Thu, 28 Sep 2023 11:30:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=23106 By Clint Thompson Hurricane Idalia’s financial impact on Florida is less than similar storms that have impacted the state; like Irma (2017) and Ian (2022). But that does not lessen the toll felt by specialty crop producers when the storm moved through North Florida a little less than a month ago. Christa Court, assistant professor in the food and resource ...

The post In Comparison: Hurricane Idalia Financial Impact Less Than Ian, Irma appeared first on Specialty Crop Industry.

]]> 23106