Fruit
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While this year’s chill hours are doing reasonably well because of the current Arctic blast of chilly air, in the past few winters some fruit growers have had problems getting enough chill hours for their crops and are looking to newer varieties that need less chill hours. This article on low-chill blueberry cultivars designed to…
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Now that winter is here, fruit growers are thinking about winter care of their trees and bushes. Did you know that the time you choose to prune your fruit trees depends on the weather conditions? Pruning in fall can prevent sugars from moving to the roots of muscadines where they are normally stored, for example.…
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The wildfires out west are causing a lot of devastation to homes and businesses, but you might not think about the impact on agriculture. This story from The Packer describes the damage to avocado farms from the wind-driven blazes. You can read it here.
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Impacts from Hurricane Irma continue to affect the citrus crop in Florida. The Packer reported this week that the latest estimate of yield from this year’s citrus crop is down 8% from the November estimate. This is attributed to continuing losses from damaged citrus trees that were affected by wind and standing water from Hurricane…
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Here’s an interesting story from California’s Daily Democrat which discusses how putting plastic down in strawberry production changes the hydrology of the field, especially in areas where there is some slope. While many strawberry fields in the Southeast are quite flat, if they do have some slope the plastic may contribute to excess runoff and…
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Clint Thompson of UGA reported on Georgia peach farmers’ hopes that this winter will provide more chill hours for their trees than the last two winters. Last year in particular was particularly devastating for peaches with consistently above-normal temperatures leading to less than half the usual number of chill hours, followed by the mid-March frost…
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What to do when your citrus grove is devastated by citrus greening? One citrus grove owner in Palm City, FL, found an alternate use for his land. The owner was originally going to turn the land into “ranchettes” but an offer from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection encouraged them to instead turn it into…