Plant Diagnostic Center Serves Invaluable Role in Florida Blueberry Industry

Summer Is Prime Time for Blueberry Gall Midge to Feast on Floral and  Vegetative Buds 

There are two species of blueberry gall midges (BGM) infesting blueberry plantings  in Florida. Dasineura oxycoccana (Johnson) is an important pest of Vaccinium species, including southern highbush blueberry, and feeds on developing floral and leaf buds. Prodiplosis vaccinii (Felt) is a BGM species that typically feeds almost entirely on leaf buds during summer months. The feeding injury caused by the larvae of these pests is observed as dieback from leaf tips, crumpled and withered buds (Figure 1), leading to reduced plant vigor, increased susceptibility to secondary infections, and reduced yields by up to 80% in the case of damaged floral buds. In Florida, populations of BGM have been recorded on blueberry farms throughout the north-central and central regions of the state. 

Hurricanes can have significant impacts on Florida blueberry operations, including wind damage (uprooting and defoliation), flooding, and disease. Blueberry growers should consider the following pre-storm preparations and post-storm management items to help minimize these impacts.

Steady Market Prices Make for Successful Season

by RYAN MILEJCZAK

The 2025 Florida blueberry season proved to be a case of “better late than never” for many growers. A delayed start, caused by a cold January and the lingering effects of an active 2024 hurricane season — including Hurricane Milton in the south and Hurricane Helene to the north — set back many growers. Although yield volumes were generally considered average, harvest prices remained strong through late April and into May, transforming a challenging start into a successful season for most.

Top Summer Practices to Prime Your Field for Success

Summer is a critical period for the growth of new fruiting wood, which is needed for the following year’s blueberry crop. The goal is to produce vigorous and healthy summer growth that will initiate flower buds in late summer and fall that will form the bases for next year’s crop. Along with postharvest pruning, fertilization, and pest and disease management, proper irrigation practices are critical for producing healthy summer growth of sufficient vigor to sustain productivity year after year. A typical blueberry field in Florida often consists of a light sandy soil with pine bark incorporated into the soil, or with beds of pine bark on top of the soil surface. The pine bark provides organic matter and helps maintain an acidic soil pH. However, neither sandy soils nor non-decomposed pine bark have high water holding capacities (they do not retain large quantities of water after wetting). Moreover, blueberry plants have shallow root systems that lack root hairs, making them drought susceptible during periods of high water demand (Figure 1). 

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 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.

The FBGA meetings are always a great way for growers to connect and compare notes about what’s working and what isn’t. This past meeting in Citra on March 6 was no exception, especially when it came to the panel discussion on machine harvesting. Growers Ryan Atwood, Kyle Hill, Kyle Straughn, and Cameron Allison highlighted several important aspects, including labor and genetics.

Dear Valued Members,

Dates & Locations:

Little Known About New Disease Gloeocerospora Leaf Spot

When blueberry samples are submitted to the UF/IFAS Plant Diagnostic Center, it’s not uncommon for us to observe a handful of pathogens, most of which are minor and unrelated to the problem the grower is concerned about. Alternaria and Pestalotiopsis leaf spots are examples that we find on most every leaf sample but that fungicides aren’t needed to control because the damage done is not severe. A dozen or more other minor leaf spots are listed as occurring on highbush blueberry in the American Phytopathological Society’s Compendium of Blueberry Diseases that rarely— if ever — cause Florida growers problems. However, occasionally, we will see something flare up out of the ordinary. That was the case with target spot caused by Corynespora cassicola that showed up around 2015 and that has required some adjustment to fungicide programs since.  

Best Practices for Young and Mature Plants

Scouting, Insecticides Should Be Primary Focus From Late Spring Through Fall

Chilli thrips have become the most significant insect pest in Florida blueberry production and have now been recorded in Georgia. Careful scouting and appropriate application of suggested insecticides are important to help manage this invasive pest.

No Longer Considered Impractical, the Practice Signals a Future of Possibility

As I write this letter, we are just scraping together our first pallets for a commercial pick in the third week of March. The majority of Florida growers are three to four weeks behind last year’s start date setting us up to have a late start and likely a condensed season. We will blame this on the weather. 

The North American Blueberry Council’s (NABC) amplified government affairs efforts are having an impact – ensuring that growers’ voices are heard in Washington, D.C., and at the state level. 

The table below lists suggested blueberry management items for April through June. 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.

Blueberry Management

The table below lists suggested blueberry management items for February. 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.u.edu/publication/HS1363). Specic disease, insect, and weed controls are listed in the 2024 Florida Blueberry IPM Guide (https://edis.ifas.u.edu/publication/HS380), as well as in subject-specic 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. Remember to take a look at the UF/IFAS Blueberry Growers Guide phone app (available in both English and Spanish) for eld scouting tools, as well as information on all of the UF southern highbush blueberry cultivar, a monthly management calendar, and pesticide information (https://tosto.re/blueberryuf).

The table below lists suggested blueberry management items for 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.u.edu/publication/HS1363). Specific disease, insect, and weed controls are listed in the 2024 Florida Blueberry IPM Guide (https://edis.ifas.u.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. Remember to take a look at the UF/IFAS Blueberry Growers Guide phone app (available in both English and Spanish) for field scouting tools, as well as information on all of the UF southern highbush blueberry cultivars (https://tosto.re/blueberryuf).

I would like to start by introducing myself. My name is Kyle Straughn, and I am a fifth-generation Florida farmer. My partners and I have close to 750 acres of blueberries planted in Alachua County. We also have partners farming approximately 250 acres in southern Georgia. Our four largest farms are fully vertically integrated, from propagating our own bare-root plants to picking and packing out of centrally located packing houses on each farm. I say all this to explain we are heavily invested and therefore dedicated to the success of the Florida blueberry industry. I would like to personally invite anyone to come visit our farms to look at research plots and varieties, and I hope to get the opportunity to visit yours as well.