Cross and Self-Pollination in Blueberries

The UF/IFAS Blueberry Breeding program previously announced the upcoming release of two new southern highbush blueberry cultivars — Falcon and FL19-006. These new cultivars will be 

Healthy Leaves in Fall Are Important for Flower Bud Initiation and Development 

The table below lists suggested blueberry management items for October – January. Suggested management items for the entire calendar year are available in an EDIS publication, Calendar for Southern Highbush Blueberry Management in Florida (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1363). Specific disease, insect, and weed controls are listed in the 2024 Florida Blueberry IPM Guide (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS380), as well as in subject-specific publications referenced below. Also, a list of all UF EDIS blueberry publications can be found at www.blueberrybreeding.com/blog, along with a summary description and link to each.

National Blueberry Month Success

Changes in Leaves Offer Insight Into Plant Health, Fruit Quality 

Wednesday, Oct. 23
Bonnet Springs Park, Lakeland
Reception: 6 p.m. / Dinner 7 p.m.

As I write this, all eyes are glued to the weather forecasts as Tropical Storm (soon to be Hurricane) Helene forms. Like most storms that make their way through the Gulf of Mexico, her path is not set in stone. But then again, that’s something those of us in agriculture know about all too well: Very little is set in stone, and how we fare is measured by how we adapt.

Check Out the Latest in Prevention and Management Practices

Florida is a large multi-climate state so our widely dispersed Blueberry growers experience quite different growing conditions. One should not generalize how any single farm’s growing season progressed to that of most other farms. However, at Frogmore, our operation in Central Florida, it’s been a bit of a tough growing season so far. June started out hot and dry and stayed that way on into July. To keep our initial leaf flushes going, we had to employ extraordinary effort to protect tender leaves and stay on schedule. Then the rains came with only sporadic respite up till now in mid-September. We have rich soils undergirded by impervious clay, so although it grows berries well, it stays wet with ponding water that retreats ever so slowly. In seasons like this I envy the growers whose sandy soil seems to suck excess water away in a day or two. 

Virtually all blueberry fields in Florida are subject to late winter or early spring freezes, which can cause serious reductions in yield. This is a list of activities for freeze preparation. The list was originally published by Mike Mainland in the North Carolina Blueberry News, Vol. 7, No. 1and has been modified by IFAS faculty and FBGA board members. 

The table below lists suggested blueberry management items for July - September. Suggested management items for the entire calendar year are available in an EDIS publication, Calendar for Southern Highbush Blueberry Management in Florida (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1363). Specific disease, insect, and weed controls are listed in the 2022 Florida Blueberry IPM Guide (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS380), as well as in subject-specific publications referenced below. Also, a list of all UF EDIS blueberry publications can be found at www.blueberrybreeding.com/blog, along with a summary description and link to each.

Growers Report High Yields but Steep Price Drop

The 2024 Florida blueberry season was marked by two factors — strong yield and late-season price drop. We spoke with growers around the state to put our finger on the pulse of the Florida blueberry industry. 

Management Tactics for Chilli Thrips, Diaprepes, and Flea Beetle

Chilli Thrips

Don’t Be Defeated by These Common Diseases

Managing Summer Blueberry Diseases

Hurricane Season Planning Tips From the Pros

We are now officially in another hurricane season, and it’s a good time to think about how to prepare your farm for a possible major storm. Florida has been impacted by nine hurricanes since 2000. As of this article’s writing, Hurricane Ian was the most recent major storm to affect the state (September 2022). It made landfall in southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained wind speeds of 150 mph and accumulated rainfall of up to 20 inches, with estimated losses of more than $1 billion. 

Harvest 2024 was a tale of two seasons.  The one before the market crash in mid-to late April and the one after the “wall of fruit” burst almost overnight from a massive Georgia highbush crop. You’ll get a balanced sense of how the Florida season went from the article on page 10 of this edition of Blueberry News.