By Clint Thompson
The May issue of Specialty Crop Industry Magazine highlights management options available for blueberry farmers in combating anthracnose fruit rot (AFR).
Philip Harmon, professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), and Doug Phillips, UF/IFAS blueberry Extension coordinator, discuss the different options available for blueberry farmers. These include minimizing the use of overhead irrigation to reduce canopy moisture; post-harvest pruning of the plant canopy; timely harvests to prevent sporulation that can spready to nearby fruit. Timely fungicide applications are also important components of effective control.
Growers also have access to the UF/IFAS Blueberry Advisory System, a resource that aid growers in determining how favorable the environment is for AFR infections. Producers can prioritize and schedule fungicide applications for management.
Bhabesh Dutta, University of Georgia (UGA) associate professor and Extension vegetable disease specialist, talks with Specialty Crop Industry Magazine about fusarium wilt of watermelon in Georgia. His overview includes disease symptoms, management options and a research update.
Pam Knox, (UGA) agricultural climatologist, describes drought and the various types that growers have to overcome.
Also, in the May issue of Specialty Crop Industry Magazine Florida, growers and industry leaders gathered at the UF/IFAS Hastings Ag Extension Center for a field day in April. Potato production encompassed much of the focus, specifically research projects at UF/IFAS.
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