Polk Small Farms: New and Revised Agriculture Publications, January & February 2017

Here are the new and revised #EDISpubs in the Agriculture program area from January & February 2017.

· Crops: Cotton (insect & mite management, using dicamba); nematicides for agronomic crops; sugarcane cultivars

· Nursery & Greenhouse: weed management of goosegrass and thickhead

· Livestock: 2015-2016 Florida Bull Test report, Trueparella in farmed deer

· Citrus: Florida Citrus Activity Book; cost of production for Ridge and SW Florida; economic implications of citrus disease management; grapefruit market in S. Korea

· Forest Resources: Laccate Ganoderma, wood decaying fungi

· Pesticide Information: Quick reference to the 2015 Worker Protection Standard revision

Agriculture

Crops

Fumigant and Non-Fumigant Nematicides Labeled for Agronomic Crops in Florida

Plant-parasitic nematodes can cause severe yield loss of agronomic crops in Florida. Chemical products for managing plant-parasitic nematodes are called nematicides. This three-page facts heet describes the nematicides registered for use in Florida. Written by Zane Grabau and published by the Department of Entomology and Nematology.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1152

Insect and Mite Integrated Pest Management in Florida Cotton

Insect and mite pests of cotton feed on cotton roots, leaves, stems, and fruit and reduce plant health and productivity, and, subsequently, cotton crop yields. These pests hide in different places on or within the plant or field, which makes them difficult to find and identify and costly to manage. The purpose of this 14-page guide written by Joseph Funderburk, Nicole Casuso, Norman Leppla, and Michael Donahoe and published by the Department of Entomology and Nematology is to provide Florida cotton growers a selected set of options for integrated pest management of insects and mites in cotton fields. It serves as a reference for cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical control of arthropods. The guide includes links to additional UF/IFAS EDIS articles, as well as external sources of information on arthropod management. The guide also contains a searchable table of registered insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides for Florida cotton.
edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1111

Manejo de Insectos en Cruciferas (Cultivos de Coles) (Brocoli, Repollo, Coliflor, Col, Col Rizada, Mostaza, Rabano, Nabos)

Los vegetales conocidos como crucíferas son un grupo de cultivos amplio y cada vez más importante en Florida. Un número de insectos se alimenta exclusivamente de crucíferas y afecta todos los cultivos enlistados en el título.
This thirty-page fact sheet is the Spanish translation of IG150: Insect Management for Crucifers (Cole Crops). Written by S.E. Webb, A. Nino, y H.A. Smith and published by the Entomology and Nematology Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig168

Sugarcane Cultivars Descriptive Fact Sheet: CP 96-1252, CP 01-1372, and CP 00-1101

Sugarcane cultivars CP 96-1252, CP 01-1372, and CP 00-1101 are the top three commercial sugarcane cultivars in Florida, occupying more than 43% of total sugarcane area. These cultivars are developed through the cooperative agreement among the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Canal Point, the UF/IFAS Everglades Research and Education Center in Belle Glade, and the Florida Sugar Cane League. This 4-page fact sheet provides information on the cultivars, their parentage, flowering, cold tolerance, yields, disease response, and major growth or yield issues. Written by Hardev Sandhu and Wayne Davidson, and published by the UF Agronomy Department, December 2016.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/sc102

Using Dicamba in Dicamba-Tolerant Crops

After many years in development, dicamba will likely be fully approved for use in tolerant cotton varieties for the 2017 growing season. There is great concern that dicamba drift can result in significant losses in nearby sensitive crops. This concern is well-founded because many crops (such as soybean, snap bean, and peanut) are highly sensitive to extremely low doses of dicamba. All precautions must be followed if these new dicamba formulations are to be used. This 3-page fact sheet discusses herbicide selection, discontinued use of ammonium sulfate, nozzle selection, boom height, and wind speed. It also addresses a few frequently asked questions. Written by J. Ferrell and R. Leon, and published by the UF Agronomy Department, February 2017.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag414

Nursery & Greenhouse

Biology and Management of Goosegrass (Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn.) in Ornamental Plant Production

This six-page fact sheet provides information about the biology and management of goosegrass, including preemergence and postemergence control options. Written by Shawn Steed, Christopher Marble, Nathan S. Boyd, Andrew MacRae, and Kiran Fnu and published by the Environmental Horticulture Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep538

Biology and Management of Thickhead (Crassocephalum crepidioides) in Ornamental Crop Production

Typically found in shadehouses and shaded areas of nursery production, thickhead grows aggressively in containers and can outcompete nursery crops for water, nutrients, and light. This erect, sparingly branched, herbaceous annual, grows up to 4 feet tall and germinates over a wide range of pH, salt, and temperature conditions. This four-page fact sheet describes thickhead (Crassocephalum crepidioides) and various methods for its control in ornamental crop production. Written by Allison Bechtloff, Shawn Steed, Chris Marble, and Nathan Boyd and published by the Environmental Horticulture Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep534

Livestock

The Florida Bull Test 2015-2016

The 16th annual Florida Bull Test Sale was held on January 16, 2016 at the conclusion of the 2015–2016 Florida Bull Test. The test evaluated the performance potential and breeding soundness of bulls consigned to the program at the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC). This 10-page fact sheet covers the test procedures, assessment of feed efficiency, general policies and procedures, health requirements, test results, and sale summary. Written by Carla D. Sanford, G. Cliff Lamb, and Nicolas DiLorenzo, and published by the UF Department of Animal Sciences, November 2016.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an328

Trueperella (Arcanobacterium pyogenes) in Farmed White-Tailed Deer

Trueperella is a harmless bacterium in intestinal tracts of ruminants like deer, cattle, and pigs, but if it migrates out of the intestine to other areas of an animal’s body and proliferates, it can make the animal sick. Trueperella causes many problems in deer, including lesions, abscesses, and pneumonia, and it is one of the types of bacteria that is known to contribute to the disease lumpy jaw. In young fawns, it is a common cause of death. This 3-page fact sheet written by Kathryn D. Pothier, Katherine A. Sayler, and Samantha M. Wisely and published by the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation explains how to spot and treat trueperella, or, better yet, prevent it in the first place.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw427

Citrus

Florida Citrus Activity Book

The Florida Citrus Activity Book is a basic introduction to Florida citrus trees, diseases, and pests. This 20-page booklet is for elementary students. Written by J.D. Burrow, M.M. Dewdney, M.E. Rogers, and T. Vashisth and published by the Plant Pathology Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp331

Cost of Production for Processed Oranges Grown in Central Florida (Ridge), 2015/16

This 4-page fact sheet written by Ariel Singerman and published by the Department of Food and Resource Economics presents the cost of production per acre for processed oranges in central Florida during 2015/16. Five growers participated in the survey and provided annual, per-acre costs by program for a “typical” irrigated, mature grove (10+ years old), including resets. The number of acres managed by their combined operations accounts for approximately 29,000 acres, of an estimated 137,154 acres devoted to oranges in the area, so the sample represents 21% of the acreage devoted to oranges in that region. Typical users of the estimates in this publication include growers, consultants, property appraisers, and researchers.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe1006

Cost of Production for Processed Oranges Grown in Southwest Florida, 2015/16

This 4-page fact sheet written by Ariel Singerman and published by the Department of Food and Resource Economics presents the cost of production per acre for processed oranges in southwest Florida during 2015/16. Thirteen growers participated in the survey and provided annual, per-acre costs by program for a “typical” irrigated, mature grove (10+ years old), including resets. The number of acres managed by their combined operations accounts for approximately 41,000 acres, of an estimated 257,298 acres devoted to oranges in the area, so the sample represents 16% of the acreage devoted to oranges in that region. Typical users of the estimates in this publication include growers, consultants, property appraisers, and researchers.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe1007

Evolution of Citrus Disease Management Programs and Their Economic Implications: The Case of Florida’s Citrus Industry

New exotic diseases (citrus canker, HLB, and citrus black spot) have sharply increased the real cost of production of citrus in Florida. Growers have been applying different management strategies, and more effective treatments are being researched. The costs and benefits of these alternatives will need to be quantified to establish their economic feasibility. This 5-page fact sheet written by Ariel Singerman and Marina Burani-Arouca and published by the Food and Resource Economics Department focuses on the costs of managing exotic citrus diseases as they become endemic or established within a citrus industry, with Florida used as an example. The steep increase in the real cost of production of citrus in Florida from 2003/04 to 2014/15 provides evidence that managing endemic exotic diseases is very costly for growers, even without taking into account the effect those diseases have on yields. Therefore, governmental policies focused on preventing the introduction of additional exotic diseases would be highly beneficial for citrus growers and the Florida citrus industry as a whole.
edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe915

An Overview of the Grapefruit Market in South Korea

According to the Foreign Agricultural Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, worldwide consumption of fresh grapefruit in 2014/15 increased from 4.2 million to 5.2 million metric tons. China, which is the largest producer of grapefruit, was largely responsible for the increase. In South Korea, however, the state of Florida in the United States has traditionally dominated the grapefruit market. The South Korean grapefruit market has been increasing in recent years and is expected to keep growing. The industry in Florida now faces fierce competition from other suppliers with lower import prices and different harvest seasons. This 5-page fact sheet written by Yan Heng, Hyeyoung Kim, and Lisa House and published by the Food and Resource Economics Department aims to provide an overview of the grapefruit market in South Korea and evaluate the potential of this market for Florida fresh grapefruit producers.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe1003

Forest Resources

The Laccate Ganoderma of the Southeastern United States: A Cosmopolitan and Important Genus of Wood Decay Fungi

Ganoderma Karst. is a large and diverse genus of wood decay fungi that can rot the roots and/or lower trunk of many tree species. There are several laccate (varnished or polished) Ganoderma species that are found in the southeastern United States and this six-page fact sheet provides an overview of the different species. Written by Andrew L. Loyd, Jason A. Smith, Brantlee S. Richter, Robert A. Blanchette, and Matthew E. Smith and published by the Plant Pathology Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp333

Pesticide Information

Quick Reference Guide to the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) as Revised in 2015

The Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is a regulation originally issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1992 and most recently revised in 2015. This eight-page reference guide gives an overview of the 2015 revisions. Written by Frederick M. Fishel, and published by the Agronomy Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi270