By Johan Desaeger Florida’s subtropical climate offers unique opportunities to grow crops outside of the typical growing season of other states. Such is the case for strawberries and many vegetables. There are high expectations that hemp could be another such crop, although nematodes may have something to say about that. Plant-parasitic nematodes, such as root-knot and sting nematodes, can cause …
Fungicide Resistance in Georgia Strawberry Fields
By Phil Brannen, Md Emran Ali, Jeff Cook, Sumyya Waliullah and Owen Hudson Anthracnose fruit rot disease, caused by fungal Colletotrichum species, is one of the most significant disease problems of commercial strawberry production in the Southeast. Dark, sunken lesions on fruit are the main disease symptoms (Figure 1). Hot, humid weather and significant rainfall make Colletotrichum-induced fruit rot a …
Management of Thrips in Tomatoes
By Xavier Martini and Joe Funderburk Thrips are important pests of tomatoes for two reasons. First, they damage fruit directly by egg-laying or feeding (Figure 1). More importantly, some species also vector tospoviruses that include tomato spotted wilt virus, groundnut ringspot virus and tomato chlorotic spot virus. These tospoviruses can considerably decrease the crop yield if thrips are not controlled. …
Protecting Peppers From Anthracnose
By Pam Roberts Anthracnose is a serious disease problem that can occur throughout pepper-growing regions worldwide. Extensive outbreaks of the disease have developed on bell and other specialty peppers types, such as hot peppers. The disease is more common when both the inoculum and warm weather combined with frequent rains occur. Fruit infections cause significant losses of either mature (red, …
Organic Management Methods for Squash Pests
By Ayanava Majumdar, Rammohan Balusu and Neil Kelly Many pests feed on squash from seedling to harvest. They are generally broken down into two groups: the chewing insects and the sucking insects. Chewing insects of squash consist of common pests like cucumber beetle, squash vine borer larva and pickleworm. Sucking insect pests consist of aphids, squash bugs and whiteflies. The …
Technology to Improve Vegetable Production
By Yiannis Ampatzidis Vegetable growers face a variety of challenges, including pest and diseases, labor shortages and climate change. How can new advancements in technology help growers address these challenges? Can technology improve crops, reduce production costs and protect the environment? How can technological innovations be incorporated into traditional farming to improve production practices? In the last few decades, several …
Sneak Peek: August 2020 VSCNews Magazine
By Ashley Robinson The August issue of VSCNews magazine equips growers with the latest information and strategies to develop a sound fumigation system. With the loss of methyl bromide, many growers have struggled to maintain consistent soilborne pathogen and pest control with fumigants that are currently available. Gary Vallad, Johan Desaeger, Joe Noling and Nathan Boyd of the University of …
Organic management methods for squash pests
By Ayanava Majumdar, Rammohan Balusu and Neil Kelly Many pests feed on squash from seedling to harvest. They are generally broken down into two groups: the chewing insects and the sucking insects. Chewing insects of squash consist of common pests like cucumber beetle, squash vine borer larva and pickleworm. Sucking insect pests consist of aphids, squash bugs and whiteflies. The …
Technology to Improve Vegetable Production
By Yiannis Ampatzidis Vegetable growers face a variety of challenges, including pest and diseases, labor shortages and climate change. How can new advancements in technology help growers address these challenges? Can technology improve crops, reduce production costs and protect the environment? How can technological innovations be incorporated into traditional farming to improve production practices? In the last few decades, several …
Picking Varieties With Profit Potential
By Gene McAvoy Choosing which variety to plant is one of the most critical decisions that a commercial grower must make each season. Variety selection is a dynamic process. In the past, some varieties retained favor for many years. More recently, with advances in plant breeding and the incorporation of new and improved traits for disease resistance and other horticultural …