Polk Small Farms: New and Revised Agriculture Publications, June and July 2015

June and July new and revised #EDISpubs in the Agriculture program area include:

· Citrus: Florida Citrus Rootstock Selection Guide, 3rd Edition, 2013/2014 production costs (Indian River)

· Beekeeping: African honey bees, dissecting honey bees to diagnose tracheal mites

· Nursery & Greenhouse: micropropagation, manage mulberry weed & long-stalked phyllanthus

Agriculture

Crops

Black Scale Saissetia oleae (Olivier, 1791) (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae)

The black scale is an important pest of citrus and olive trees. Originally from South Africa, this scale is now distributed worldwide. In Florida, black scale is found on citrus, cultivated olive, avocado, and many popular landscape plants. It is likely that black scale, like many invasive pests, was imported to the United States on infested nursery plants. Based on their small size and the unique life history of scale insects, these insects are difficult to detect and control. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Morgan A. Byron, Jennifer L. Gillett-Kaufman, and Sandra A. Allan, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2015. (Photo credit: Lyle Buss, UF/IFAS)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1082

Dagger Nematode Xiphinema spp. (Cobb, 1913) Inglis, 1983 (Nematoda: Enoplea: Dorylaimia: Dorylaimina: Xiphinematinae)

Dagger nematodes parasitize plants. They cause economic damage and death of host crops through feeding on the roots and by spreading viral mosaic and wilting diseases, but field studies have shown that some control measures targeting reduction in the population of dagger nematodes can be effective in controlling viral diseases in susceptible crops. This 7-page fact sheet was written by William K. Heve, William T. Crow, and Tesfamarian Mengistu, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1097

Livestock

Can Calcium Propionate Help Maintain Calcium Concentrations and Prevent Metritis in Dairy Cows with Dystocia?

Studies have suggested that giving dairy cows supplemental calcium may reduce the incidence of metritis. This study tested this hypothesis with cows at the UF Dairy Unit and found that calcium supplements actually did not benefit postpartum health and are not recommended as means of metritis prevention. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Klibs N. Galvao, Mauricio Benzaquen, and Carlos A. Risco, and published by the UF Department of Veterinary Medicine—Large Animal Clinical Sciences, June 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm223

Citrus

Florida Citrus Rootstock Selection Guide, 3rd Edition

Information about citrus rootstocks has become an important part of understanding and managing citrus greening (Huanglongbing or HLB). This selection guide covers 20 characteristics of 45 citrus rootstocks and explains its methodology in detail. This 3-page fact sheet was written by William S. Castle, Kim D. Bowman, Jude W. Grosser, Stephen H. Futch, and James H. Graham and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, May 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1260

Summary of 2013/14 Production Costs for Indian River Fresh Market Grapefruit and Southwest Florida Juice Oranges

This 10-page report, developed through interviews with growers who managed their own citrus groves, outlines the cost of production budgets for fresh grapefruit and juice oranges grown during the 2013/14 season. The Florida citrus industry is on a steep learning curve as it collectively tries to maintain economically sustainable fruit yields from HLB-infected trees. Growers are experimenting with new materials and management strategies to reduce psyllid populations and improve a tree’s overall nutritional health. As a result, production costs have increased threefold since 2004. Between the 2012/13 and the 2013/14 seasons, production costs increased 30% and 34% for fresh grapefruit and juice oranges, respectively. Since 2004, production costs for fresh grapefruit have increased 182%, while costs to grow juice oranges have increased 211%.

Written by Fritz Roka, Ariel Singerman, and Ronald Muraro, and published by the UF Department of Food and Resource Economics, July 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe968

Turfgrass

Doveweed (Murdannia nudiflora) Control in Warm-Season Turfgrass Species

Doveweed is an aggressive, naturalized summer annual weed that rapidly invades warm-season turfgrass species, especially in residential lawns, and few herbicides can effectively control it. Because of these challenges, a well-designed management strategy is necessary for doveweed control. This 4-page fact sheet describes identification, growth requirements, chemical control and cultural practices. Written by Ramon G. Leon and Bryan Unruh, and published by the UF Department of Agronomy, June 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag395

Forest Resources

Black Turpentine Beetle, Dendroctonus terebrans (Olivier) (Insecta: Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Black turpentine beetles bore into the inner bark of stressed or injured pines, where they breed and feed on phloem tissue. Adults are strongly attracted to volatile pine odors and readily breed in fresh stumps. In typical forests, infestations do not exhibit the rapid and devastating expansion characteristic of the closely related southern pine beetle, but in stands where stress conditions are frequent or persistent, black turpentine beetle can become a chronic pest and cause significant mortality over an extended period of time. Historically, black turpentine beetle has been a major pest of pines wounded or treated with herbicides in naval stores production. During the 1950s, black turpentine beetle damaged 37 million board feet of timber and contributed to the financial collapse of turpentine farms. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Albert E. Mayfield, John L. Foltz and Jiri Hulcr, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2015. (Photo credit Adam Black and Jiri Hulcr, UF/IFAS)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in636

An ambrosia beetle Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff, 1868 (Insecta: Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Xyleborus affinis is one of the most widespread and common ambrosia beetles in the world. It is also very common in Florida. Like other ambrosia beetles, it bores tunnels into the xylem of weakened, cut or injured trees and farms gardens of symbiotic fungus for food. Females lay eggs in the fungus-lined galleries and larvae feed exclusively on the fungi. Recent studies have shown that Xyleborus affinis can vector the fungus responsible for laurel wilt disease, which is lethal to numerous species of trees in the Lauraceae family. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Lanette Sobel, Andrea Lucky, and Jiri Hulcr, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2015. (Photo credit: Juri Hulcr, UF/IFAS)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1094

Nursery & Greenhouse

Biology and Management of Long-Stalked Phyllanthus in Ornamental Crop Production

This 5-page fact sheet discusses the characteristics of long-stalked phyllanthus and explains how to control its growth in a nursery environment. Written by Theresa Chormanski, Chris Marble, and Lyn Gettys, and published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, April 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep518

Biology and Management of Mulberry Weed (Fatoua villosa) in Ornamental Crop Production

This 4-page fact sheet discusses the characteristics of mulberry weed (Fatoua villosa) and explains how to control its growth in a nursery environment. Written by Chris Marble and Shawn Steed, and published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, April 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep517

Commercial Production of Ornamental Tropical Foliage Plants: Micropropagation

Florida nursery operators need to understand plant propagation principles and techniques so they can grow enough plants for sale. Micropropagation is a way to culture plant tissue to rapidly propagate a large number of plants. This 4-page fact sheet presents an overview of micropropagation to help growers evaluate it as a propagation technique for their own nursery operations. Written by J. Chen and R. J. Henny, and published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, May 2015. (Photo: J. Chen, UF/IFAS)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep520

Vespiform Thrips Franklinothrips vespiformis Crawford (Insecta: Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae)
Franklinothrips vespiformis Crawford is a predatory thrips with a pantropical distribution. The distinctive red, humped-back larvae and fast-moving ant-like adults are predaceous on small arthropods. In addition to being easily mistaken for an ant, this beneficial thrips is unusual in that it constructs a silken cocoon within which it pupates. Males of this species are rare. This species is sold for use as a biological control agent in botanical gardens, zoos, interior landscapes, research greenhouses, nurseries with ornamental plants as well as outdoors in subtropical regions. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Runqian Mao, Yingfang Xiao, and Steven P. Arthurs, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2015. (Photo credit: Runqian Mao, UF/IFAS)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1083

Small Farms/Beekeeping

African Honey Bee: What You Need to Know
African honey bees entered the United States in the early 1990s and have since spread throughout the Southwest and Southeast, including parts of Florida. Compared to European bees, African bees are highly aggressive when disturbed and are more likely to sting humans and animals. This 6-page fact sheet covers the history and distribution of African honey bees in the Americas and explains how beekeepers and residents can manage their interactions with these bees. Written by H. Glenn Hall, Catherine Zettel-Nalen and James D. Ellis, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, December 2014. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg113

How to Dissect Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.) to Detect Tracheal Mites (Acarapis woodi Rennie)
Tracheal mites are parasites of the western honey bee and negatively impact the health and productivity of an infested colony. This 6-page fact sheet details the method of dissecting honey bees in order to diagnose tracheal mites. Written by John Bonkowski, Ashley N. Mortensen, and James D Ellis, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, January 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1072