By Clint Thompson
Specialty crop producers in Georgia, Florida and Alabama are reminded that registration is ongoing for the upcoming Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference, scheduled for Jan. 6, 2022 through Jan. 9, 2022, at the Savannah Convention Center in Savannah, Georgia.
Late registration for the event ends Jan. 5. Interested attendees can register for the full four-day conference or register for each day individually.
Educational sessions pertaining to various crops will be offered from industry leaders and university specialists across the Southeast region, including the University of Georgia Extension, Auburn University and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).
Andre da Silva, an assistant professor at Auburn University, will discuss bell pepper varieties that include improved disease resistance, yield and quality for growers in the southeast.
Patricio Munoz, a plant breeder at UF, will highlight the university’s blueberry program, which focuses on developing southern highbush cultivars with an emphasis on production timing, increased yields and improved quality.
Natalia Peres, a professor of plant pathology at UF, will provide an update on Neopestalotiopsis of strawberries, which has impacted the crop in Florida and Georgia.
Insect, pest and disease management of multiple fruits and vegetables will also highlight the two-day educational sessions, presented by UGA specialists like Tim Coolong, Stormy Sparks, Bhabesh Dutta and Stanley Culpepper.
The sessions will start on Friday, Jan. 7 and Saturday, Jan. 8 at 9 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m.