Polk Small Farms: New and Revised Agriculture Publications, July 2016

New and revised #EDISpubs in the Agriculture program area include fact sheets providing strategies for

· detecting pathogenic E. coli in unprocessed food products

· diagnosing fungal Nosema parasites in beehives,

· improving the success rate in fish breeding in aquaculture,

· growing summer squash in Miami-Dade County, and

· identifying and managing a new palm disease in Florida.

Agriculture

Identifying the Attitudes and Preferences of Parents and Children for Seafood: Summary of Focus Group Results

Seafood contains high-quality protein, vitamins, and minerals that have many health benefits, but the average family’s consumption of seafood in the United States remains below recommended levels. To begin to understand how to raise consumption levels, the study described in this three-page fact sheet focused on the influence parents’ seafood consumption habits may have on their children. Written by Anh Sam, Xiang Bi, and Lisa House and published by the Department of Food and Resource Economics.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe992

Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli: Detection, Differentiation, and Implications for Food Safety

Shiga toxin is a protein found within the genome of a type of virus called a bacteriophage. These bacteriophages can integrate into the genomes of the bacterium E. coli. Even though most E. coli are benign or even beneficial members of our gut microbial communities, strains carrying Shiga-toxin encoding genes are highly pathogenic in humans and other animals. This six-page fact sheet discusses the two types of Shiga toxins and the best approaches to identifying and determining which Shiga toxin is present. Written by William J. Zaragoza, Max Teplitski, and Clifton K. Fagerquist and published by the Department of Soil and Water Sciences.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss654

Crops

Summer Squash Production in Miami-Dade County, Florida

Summer squash is an important vegetable crop in Miami-Dade County. It is grown annually on about 6,000 acres and sold nationwide during the winter in the fresh market. This 16-page fact sheet describes the varieties of summer squash, land preparation and transplanting, what fertilizer to use, irrigation and freeze protection, disease management, insect management, weed management, harvest, and crop rotation. Written by D. Seal, S. Zhang, M. Ozores-Hampton, P. Dittmar, Y. Li, W. Klassen, Q. Wang, and T. Olczyk and published by the Horticultural Sciences Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/tr012

Nursery & Greenhouse

Texas Phoenix Palm Decline

Texas Phoenix palm decline is a new disease in Florida, caused by an unculturable bacterium. It is a fatal, systemic disease that kills palms relatively quickly. This six-page fact sheet explains the pathogen and hosts of TPPD, its symptoms, how to diagnose it, and provides disease management practices. Written by Nigel A. Harrison and Monica L. Elliott and published by the Plant Pathology Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp163

Small Farms

How to Quantify Nosema Spores Infection Rate in a Honey Bee Colony

Nosema are single-celled fungal parasites that infect various animal hosts. One species, Nosema ceranae, has become the dominant microsporidian infection in western honey bee colonies. When honey bees ingest Nosema spores, many eventually starve to death because the spores replicate in the stomach and hijack the bee’s nutrition. The risk of Nosema infection can be particularly unsettling to beekeepers because colonies often do not show signs of infection until the colony is severely diminished.

This 5-page fact sheet written by Ashley N. Mortensen, Cameron J. Jack, Meghan McConnell, Liana Teigen, and Jamie Ellis and published by the Department of Entomology and Nematology explains how to diagnose and quantify Nosema infection in a honey bee colony.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1123

Aquaculture

A Semen Extender for the Short-Term Storage of Fish Sperm

Aquaculturists worldwide use artificial or induced spawning of fish to maximize egg and larval production from fish that cannot normally be bred in captivity. Despite the wide global use of this technique, and much literature published, the success rates of induced spawning are consistently variable. One often overlooked reason for the variable success rates is that successful rates of fertilization, hatching, and larval survival are most dependent on high-quality sperm and the surrounding fluid that supports sperm function. It is difficult to obtain consistent, good-quality spermiations (releases of spermatozoa); to keep sperm alive after collection and during storage and transport; and to freeze large volumes of semen at one time. Therefore, a successful fish breeding program requiring sperm begins with a source of high-quality semen, and its proper collection, handling, and storage. This three-page article written by Frank A. Chapman and published by the Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation describes how to make and use a semen extender that will maximize the volume and preserve the viability of obtained semen.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa193

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