Putting Australian Peaches and Raspberries to the Test

Web AdminFruit, Peaches, Research, Top Posts

By Breanna Kendrick Rachel Itle, assistant research scientist in fruit production and genetics at the University of Georgia (UGA), and Dario Chavez, assistant professor at UGA, recently spent two weeks in Australia collecting seeds from wild raspberries, peaches and citrus.  Itle and Chavez plan to use this seed collection to breed new varieties of raspberries and peaches specifically for the …

fdacs

FDACS Begins Efforts to Eradicate Exotic Fruit Fly

Web AdminEnvironment, Fruit, Industry News Release, Produce, Stone Fruit, Vegetables

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has positively identified the presence of three Oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis, in south Miami-Dade County. The initial fly was discovered during routine trapping, and additional flies were discovered during expanded trapping activities. The department, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, monitors more than 56,000 fruit fly traps statewide as an …

fungi

UF/IFAS Researchers May Use Fungi to Control Deadly Crop Disease

Web AdminFruit, Industry News Release, Research, Strawberry, Tomatoes, Vegetables, Watermelon

A group of fungi might fight a disease that’s dangerous to tomatoes and specialty crops. University of Florida scientists hope to develop this biological strategy as they add to growers’ tools to help control Fusarium wilt. Tomatoes are the number one vegetable crop in Florida. In 2017, approximately 28,000 acres of tomatoes were commercially harvested, with a production value of …

Can Pomegranates Be Produced in Florida’s Climate?

Web AdminFruit, Pomegranates, Top Posts

By Breanna Kendrick Ali Sarkhosh, assistant professor and Extension specialist at the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida, is conducting research on how well pomegranates will grow in Florida’s climate. The potential for growing pomegranates profitably in Florida is currently unknown at this time. Research continues on the possibility of pomegranates becoming a new crop produced in Florida. …

USDA Seeks Nominees for Reestablished Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee

Web AdminFruit, Industry News Release, Produce, Top Posts, Vegetables

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking nominations for the newly reestablished Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC). Eligible nominees include anyone actively working in the fruit and vegetable industry as growers, shippers, wholesalers, distributors, brokers, retailers, restaurant representatives, processors, fresh cut processors, foodservice suppliers, representatives of state departments of agriculture and members of trade associations. Written nominations must …

Combating Fire Blight in Alabama Pears

Web AdminFruit, Top Posts

Auburn University researchers are studying the most resistant varieties of pears for combating fire blight in Alabama. A publication by Alabama A&M University and Auburn University describes fire blight as a common and destructive pome fruit disease in the Southeast. “The fire blight pathogen … is a rod-shaped bacterium that overwinters in tissues around the edge of cankers on large …