By Ashley Robinson
The June issue of VSCNews Magazine will be your go-to guide for crop health.
Carrots are target of plant-parasitic nematodes. The hidden enemy can create serious issues and limit carrot production in the United States. Abolfazl Hajihassani, assistant professor of nematology at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Tifton, shares the latest tips to control nematodes in carrot production.
Alternaria blight and head rot of broccoli and other brassicas can cause significant economic losses for growers. Bhabesh Dutta, associate professor and Extension vegetable disease specialist at UGA, provides tips and tricks to manage these diseases.
As Florida researchers learn more about growing industrial hemp, they are identifying the diseases that will affect the state’s industrial hemp production systems. There are more than 40 currently known hemp diseases, and 16 of those diseases have been confirmed in Florida. Nicholas Dufault, an associate professor and Zach Eldred, a doctor of plant medicine student, both at the University of Florida in Gainesville Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), give an update on these diseases and how growers can manage them.
Dutta and UGA professor Rajagopalbabu Srinivasan, discuss how to properly manage the silverleaf whiteleaf – a pest of several horticultural and agronomic crops in southern Georgia.
Switching gears from crop health and management, there is a new leader taking the reins at UF/IFAS. Chris Gunter will start as the chair of the Department of Horticultural Sciences in June. You can read more about Gunter’s goals and vision for the department in this issue.
Last but not least, the Citrus Expo and Vegetable & Specialty Crop Expo are back! We are excited to hold an in-person event this year to bring growers and the industry together. Registration opens June 1. All pre-registered growers will be entered for a chance to win a John Deere Gun Safe, courtesy of Everglades Equipment Group.
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