By Ozgur Batuman and Salih Yilmaz Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) is a highly contagious, devastating and economically important plant virus. It mainly threatens greenhouse-grown vegetable crops worldwide, especially tomatoes and peppers. ToBRFV is very similar to other tobamoviruses, such as tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), two tomato-infecting viruses common to most Florida growers. Although …
Wet Summer: Minimal Dry Conditions Reported Across Southeast
Alabama, Florida, Georgia have sufficient moisture and are not reporting any abnormally dry conditions, according to Thursday’s release of the U.S. Drought Monitor. Persistent rainfall has been the dominant story of this year’s summer for most of the Southeast region. Similar conditions are being reported up the East Coast. Only a small portion of Greenville County and Spartanburg County are …
Tomato, Pepper Listening Sessions Scheduled with USDA RMA
Florida and Georgia tomato and pepper producers are invited to listening sessions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). Feedback about potential production and revenue history policy is wanted for both commodities. The fresh market tomato sessions are for growers in South Florida, industry members and regional insurance representatives. The pepper sessions are for fresh market growers …
Planning Ahead: Strawberry Farmer Proactive to Remain Sustainable
By Clint Thompson Strawberry growers need to stay proactive to remain viable and sustainable amid growing challenges throughout the industry. Consider the obstacles that Florida producers like Dustin Grooms must deal with: Imports from other countries continue to flood the U.S. market, driving down prices. The rise of the new Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot disease in the last three years has …
Cooler, Wetter Weather Reported in July
It comes as no surprise to anyone in the Southeast this summer that July is cooler and wetter than normal in most areas. This is according to Pam Knox, University of Georgia Extension Agricultural Climatologist. Knox reported in her University of Georgia Extension Climate and Agriculture blog that even with the warmer temperatures being experienced this week, cooler temperatures and …
Favorable Outcome for UF/IFAS
The 2021 Florida legislative session will be described in the history books as unique. COVID-19 protocols resulted in empty and eerily quiet hallways in the Capitol. Masks and regular COVID-19 tests were required, and citizens and lobbyists made public comments virtually from a building blocks away from the Capitol. The beginning and end of the session were polar opposites. Based …
Technological Advancements Helpful in Preserving Florida’s Water Supply
By Clint Thompson Water is one of the most valuable resources Florida vegetable and specialty crop producers utilize every season. But that doesn’t mean there’s an endless supply. “I think it is easy for us to forget it is a finite resource and there are limits. It’s easy for us to forget because we just got five inches of rain …
UF Scientist: Understanding the Past is Really a Window to the Future
LAKE ALFRED, Fla. — University of Florida scientists aiming to find a solution to citrus greening disease are looking to the past to hopefully find the answer. In a new study, published in Nature Communications, UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences collaborated with an international team of scientists and analyzed 69 genomes from the East Asian mandarin family, alongside their …
UF’s Natalia Peres ‘Optimistic’ About Strawberry’s Future in Florida
By Clint Thompson Natalia Peres, Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, is confident Florida’s strawberry industry will survive Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot Disease. But it will take time. “The industry has faced challenges before with other diseases like anthracnose. It’s one that has been devastating in the past, and we have been …
Results from Vegetable Chemical Use Survey
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released the results of its 2020 Agricultural Chemical Use Survey of vegetable producers across the country. The data relates to pesticide use and pest management practices on 22 different vegetable crops. Producers in 18 states participated in the survey, which included eight-focused crops in Florida and eight in Georgia. The pesticide …