AgNet DEMO

Category: Strawberry

  • Be on Alert: Gray Mold in Strawberries Can be Devastating

    Alabama Extension photo shows gray mold in strawberries.

    One of the most common diseases of strawberries has already been observed this year in Alabama. Gray mold, also known as Botrytis blight or Botrytis fruit rot, can devastate a crop and cause millions in lost revenue if not managed, according to Alabama Extension.

    No part of the strawberry plant is immune from the disease. Gray mold can affect the leaves, stems, flowers and crowns of the plant. Its wide host range and ability to over-winter in an infested field makes gray mold a challenge to manage.

    The main symptom to look for is fruit rot. A light gray or brownish lesion will develop near the fruit stem. Over time, a grayish, fuzzy mass of spores will spread and cover the entire fruit. Gray mold can also cause post-harvest rot, developing after harvest while still in storage.

    The best management practices include:

    1. Start with healthy transplants. Obtain plants from a reputable nursery.
    2. Use sanitation. Remove dead and infected plant material to reduce the pathogen population.
    3. Allow sufficient spacing between plants. This allows good airflow through the canopy and dries the foliage and fruit quicker.
    4. Avoid over-fertilization. Too much nitrogen can increase fruit rot amid favorable weather conditions.
    5. Early and regular spray. Start fungicide sprays early.
    6. Crop rotation. Rotating strawberries with other crops for two to three years reduces the disease in a field.

    Source: Alabama Extension    

  • UGA Encourages Cleaning of Equipment to Reduce Spread of Neopestalotiopsis

    Neopestalotiopsis spots and pepper-like fruiting structures in spots (photo from Mark Frye; Wayne County Cooperative Extension Service)

    Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot is devastating strawberry fields in Georgia and Alabama.

    In an effort to reduce the pathogen’s spread, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension is encouraging strawberry producers to make sure farm equipment is clean before moving from field to field.

    According to the UGA Extension strawberry blog, washing equipment with soap and water after use in a field with the disease, may or may not be sufficient enough to kill the pathogen. But it needs to be done to reduce the spread through the removal of dirt, debris and plant residues left on the equipment.

    Equipment sanitizers can also be considered as well. Cleaning and disinfecting shoes should also be considered. They are also considered a potential means of disseminating the pathogen.

  • Rookie Success: Alabama Strawberry Producer Says First Crop ‘Looks Good’

    File photo shows a strawberry patch.

    By Clint Thompson

    A couple of weeks into Jim Bennett’s first season and the Alabama strawberry producer already regrets not planting more acres than he did.

    “We’ve talked about planting strawberries since we opened. This year it kind of worked out and decided we’d go for it,” said Bennett, owner of Bennett Farms in Heflin, Alabama. “It’s right at two acres of strawberries. The first year I didn’t want to bite off more than I can chew. But I wished I had planted five more acres of them. We get picked out pretty quick with the amount of strawberries we’ve got right now.”

    Bennett’s strawberry patch is in its second week of production, allowing U-pick the past few days.

    “It’s great to see these kids. They love it. We have a lot of other activities, other than the U-pick. They can come out and pick and spend the rest of the day with the food and activities and all that we offer,” Bennett said. “It’s fun to watch the kids and how they react and enjoy the farm. It makes it worthwhile.”

    While other producers in the Southeast have experienced diseases with their strawberry crops, namely Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot  in Florida and Georgia, Bennett hasn’t observed any fungal diseases in his  crop.

    “The one thing I did learn, I did not build a fence around my crop when we laid the plastic. We were covered with deer, and the deer did some damage to the plastic and ate some crowns off some of the plants. But they’ve recovered and look good now,” Bennett said.

    The biggest challenge so far for this Alabama strawberry producer has been the weather. Persistent rains and cold winter temperatures stalled the growth of the strawberry plants.

    “I really anticipated picking probably two weeks earlier than we were. The cool weather and cool nights and rain has slowed us down a little bit. They’re coming into full production. They look pretty good right now,” Bennett said.

    Hopefully, the cold temperatures on Thursday morning will not impact the crop moving forward the rest of the season.

  • Second Source: Strawberry Disease Attributed to Another Nursery

    Dead and dying strawberry plants with Neopestalotiopsis (image from Shane Curry; Appling County Cooperative Extension Service).

    The strawberry disease that has ravaged crops in Florida and Georgia has now been attributed to two nursery sources.

    According to the University of Georgia Extension strawberry blog, a nursery in Canada received plants from a North Carolina nursery, which is the source of the pathogen related to Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot. Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Fruit Disease Specialist, said the Canadian nursery has been identified as a source of spread through transplants this year and has had difficulty cleaning up its operation.

    “For next year and moving forward, Georgia strawberry producers need to make sure that nursery sources do not have any connection to this pathogen. Once it is in a field, there is no evidence to date that we can get rid of it. It will reside in old residue or weeds in and around the field,” Brannen said in the blog. “The best thing to do is to keep it far away from your strawberry operation.”

    How Bad is it?

    Just how bad can this disease get? Just ask Tifton, Georgia farmer Bill Brim. His entire strawberry operation of 12 acres was wiped out because of Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot. Brim was not alone this year. Brannen said the disease devastated multiple strawberry farms in Georgia.

    Thiram and Switch are the only fungicides that have efficacy against this organism, though their activity is not 100%. The pathogen can reside in a field from season to season. It speaks to the importance of growers keeping it out of their fields altogether.

    Growers can remove spotted leaves, starting in the fall, and destroy them outside the field. This should be done when plants are dry to prevent further spread of the disease and infection through these activities.

    Producers need to rotate to another site for production next year if possible. This is if farmers had a problem with the disease this year.

  • Strawberry Disease: ‘It’s on the Back of Everybody’s Minds Right Now’

    A crop that already has its annual challenges is struggling to overcome its latest obstacle.

    Strawberry with Neopestalotiopsis spot and pepper-like fruiting structures in spot (photo provided by Ansuya Jogi; University of Georgia Plant Pathology Department) .

    Florida strawberry farmer Dustin Grooms confirmed that Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot has provided uncertainty for the future of the industry in Florida.

     “I do feel like this year was amplified a little bit more with that new disease because normally you can come out there with something to spray on it and you can maintain it,” Grooms said. “Overall, we don’t know what’s going to happen next year. It’s on the back of everybody’s minds right now.”

    Worse Over Time

    The disease has progressively gotten worse since it was first discovered on five farms during the 2018-19 season. It was attributed to one nursery source in North Carolina. The disease is quickly expanding across Florida and has moved northward. It even wiped out one Georgia farmer’s 12 acres this year.

    Grooms said he spent more money to hand-prune plants to remove leaves while also applying additional sprays to keep the plants healthy.

    “We had a real bad flareup industry wide after a rain. It flared up pretty much on the whole industry there,” Grooms said. “We battled it and battled it. Some blocks were worse. Why? Who knows?”  

    Grooms’ challenging season also included continued competition against early-season imports that suppressed market prices. Grooms also sprayed the most he’s ever sprayed for chili thrips and spider mites which wasn’t enough in some instances.

    “It takes a lot of money right now to be a Florida strawberry farmer. The risks are getting moreso every single day. I’m 39, my dad is 74. That’s a long road ahead to get to 74 where he’s at,” Grooms said. “I’m sure I’m going to see a lot more problems than this disease. But we’re going to put our best foot forward and just try to adapt and overcome, that’s all we can do.

    “The price did end up going back up, and it’s actually really high right now for the month of April. We were able to maintain a handful of blocks. It wasn’t enough to offset the low production of the year. The X and Y axis didn’t cross there good. Tough season, a lot of problems. We’ll just have to try it again next year and see what happens. No two years are alike.”

  • Beware: Fungal Foliar Diseases Alive and Well in Alabama

    Figure 1. Anthracnose fruit rot of strawberry © Catherine Eckert / shutterstock.com

    Weather conditions are conducive to certain plant diseases being a problem this year. Joe Kemble, Alabama Extension vegetable specialist, cautions Alabama producers about certain fungal diseases that could become problematic.

    “One of the things that’s important this time of the year is there are a lot of foliar fungal diseases. They cause problems in strawberries, but they also cause problems in vegetable crops,” Kemble said. “I’ve seen quite a bit of scattered anthracnose around the state. It’s a common fungal disease. It also goes to strawberries, different species of the disease. Basically, if the weather conditions are favorable for one, they’re favorable for all the different versions of that disease.”

    While diagnosing the disease is not an issue, managing it can be a problem if you’re an organic producer. They don’t have the same options to control diseases as a conventional grower would.

    “If you’re a conventional grower, there’s herbicides that work quite well to manage these. But if you’re growing organically, you’ve got a bit of a mixed bag in terms of what you need to do. There aren’t any products out there that are curative. It’s really a preventative measure,” Kemble said. “If I’m an organic grower, this time of the year, I think it’s safe to assume that you’re going to have these diseases. It’s a good idea to put on any type of protectant sprays that you’d like to use. If the spray’s not there, you’re not going to get any type of control. It’s very hard after the fact once you see the disease.”

  • Georgia Strawberry Farmer: Disease Wiped Out This Year’s Crop

    Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot is not just impacting Florida strawberry producers. It has quickly made its way north. Just ask Georgia strawberry farmer Bill Brim.

    Photo by Natalia Peres/UF: Shows the effect of Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot on strawberries.

    “It just wiped (my strawberries) out. As a matter of fact, we sprayed it with roundup (Wednesday),” Brim said.

    Brim’s strawberry production equated to 12 acres.

    “It’s a pile of money, too, the plants; about $60,000 worth of plants,” said Brim, who is in his fifth season growing strawberries at Lewis Taylor Farms, in Tifton, Georgia. “We didn’t have it last year. If we had it, we didn’t know it. It wasn’t noticeable. There might have been a few plants.”

    But that wasn’t the case for this year’s crop.

    Symptoms

    Neopestalotiopsis causes leaf spots on strawberry plants. It develops quickly and produces spores on the leaves. It can cause severe leaf spotting and fruit rot under favorable weather conditions. The disease was first discovered during the 2018-19 season in five farms and was attributed to one nursery source in North Carolina.

    “We’re going to have to change vendors is what I think we’re going to have to do; get them out of California, Canada, somewhere. Can’t grow them in Florida, send them over and plug them out in North Carolina and get a clean plant, don’t look like,” said Brim, who is not the only Georgia strawberry farmer impacted. “It’s not just us, there’s several other growers that have got it, too.”

    Disease instances have increased over the past three seasons. The disease was also discovered in fields that had it the prior season.

    One Florida producer even called it the “Greening of Strawberries.”

  • Taste Test: UF Scientists Use AI to Develop Better Tasting Strawberries

    UF/IFAS photo/Hands holding harvested strawberries. Photo taken 02-05-20.

    Source: UF/IFAS   

    A $300 million-a-year industry in Florida may soon depend on artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance its flavor.

    Research at the University of Florida (UF) shows AI can help scientists breed more flavor into strawberries.

    While consumer panels are the method for UF researchers to gauge whether new fruit varieties taste good enough for development into market, in the evolving world of AI, a computer can now tell scientists what strawberries taste and smell like. This will help researchers determine whether a variety is worth more genetic breeding efforts.

    Vance Whitaker, a UF/IFAS associate professor of horticultural sciences, used an algorithm that allows him to predict how a strawberry will taste, based on the chemical constitution of its fruit. The computer method also takes less time than volunteer test panels.

    UF/IFAS photo/Vance Whitaker. Taken on 11-08-18.

    Whitaker published new research in the journal Nature Horticulture Research in which he and his team used taste-test panels and computer technology to identify the volatiles that give strawberries their unique tangy flavor.

    “Some volatiles are more important than others,” said Whitaker, a faculty member at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. “Knowing this allows us to focus in on a few high-impact breeding targets. In other words, now we know which volatile compounds we want to increase in breeding to achieve better flavor.”

    Over seven years, 384 consumers came to the UF Sensory Lab in Gainesville to provide feedback on flavor and aroma of strawberry varieties. Whitaker and his team compared their preferences with results that were derived from an already established algorithm and found the volatiles he needs to boost in strawberries he breeds in the future to improve their flavor.

    Machine learning algorithms are especially useful for analyzing “big data,” Whitaker said. When the data set is huge and involves a lot of variables at once, machine learning picks out patterns that previous statistical methods cannot.

    Click here for additional information.

  • Weather Alert: N.C. Strawberry Farmers Encouraged to Protect Crop

    N.C. State Extension

    N.C. State Extension cautions strawberry producers to apply row covers to their plants in anticipation of freezing temperatures that will linger into the weekend.

    A freeze warning started Thursday night and will continue Friday night. But conditions will improve on Saturday, though there still is a chance for a frost from Saturday night to Sunday.

    According to N.C. State Extension, the morning of highest concern is Saturday morning. A high pressure system will allow winds to decrease and ground temperatures to cool. It is likely to be several degrees below freezing in many areas. This frost and ground freeze will extend into Georgia as well.

    Farmers are encouraged to apply double covers in areas where temperatures are forecast to be below 20 degrees. It’s also important to have sprinklers set up and in place in case they’re needed.

  • Sweet Finish: Florida Strawberry Growers Ending Season with Strong Crop

    What began as a sour start to Florida’s strawberry season is ending with a sweet finish, says Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida.

    Parke said he wasn’t getting the desired volume before Valentine’s Day. Then it started and hasn’t stopped since.

    “I think it’s going to end up being a bumper deal for us. We started off real slow, and I thought our averages were going to be low,” Parke said. “It could be spotty for a grower, just depends on what varieties you planted and what kind of volume you got. It’d be hard for me to say anybody had a bad deal unless they had a big problem with disease,” Parke said.

    The main disease was Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot, which still took its toll on Florida’s strawberry crop. Even Parke had throw away about 400 flats to the acre during one harvest.

    “Regardless of that, I almost matched last year on volume,” Parke said. “I would say this year was a good season as well. For us and the growers I know, everybody’s had a pretty good deal.”

    Even more remarkable than the turnaround in volume was the consistent market prices that growers like Parke capitalized on.

    “Between Mexico, Florida and California, we were picking 1.5 million (flats) a day and still had an $8 to $10 a deal. That’s weird,” Parke said. “Normally when you pick 1.5 in a deal, you’re looking at a $3 to $4 market. I can tell you on the streets, they were $3 to $4. But if you had a good retail business, you were still getting your $8 and $10.

    “Normally, when you think about a market, if you want to hold a market, you don’t want to go for a million flats a day. That’s nationwide. You don’t want to be over a million flats; eight million pounds of fruit a day.”