Small Fruit News
The Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium posts articles and sends the SMALL FRUIT NEWS to subscribers four times annually.
-
In this article, we evaluate how southern berry production has evolved over the past 15 years. Overall, there has been growth in the berry industry in terms of number of operations, and average berry farm size across the region.
Posted in: Summer 2024 -
Grape producers, like many other specialty fruit crop growers, face a range of challenging environmental conditions during the growing and dormant seasons. It’s important to understand how variability impacts grapevine biology and fruit chemical composition.
Posted in: Summer 2024 -
During a 2022-2023 disease outbreak in South Carolina plasticulture fields, some decline was attributed to Phytophthora crown rot but Gnomonia leaf blotch commonly took out mature leaflets and contributed to weak plants.
Posted in: Summer 2024 -
Meet Lorena Lopez, Assistant Extension Professor at North Carolina State University, and learn about her work in advancing integrated pest management practices for berry growers.
Posted in: Summer 2024 -
There is a high demand for fresh grapes on the domestic market. Advances in breeding have set the stage for the expansion of the muscadine grape industry and to a wider production area and the introduction of new, high-quality cultivars to the consumer.
Posted in: Summer 2024 -
This study was implemented to determine cultivar recommendations for blackberry and raspberry production in central Alabama, and to determine whether incorporating shade enhances productivity and fruit quality enough to justify the extra expense.
Posted in: Summer 2024 -
This article is the first of a series on work comparing fruit quality traits of major commercial cultivars in southern highbush (SHB), rabbiteye (RE), and northern highbush (NHB) cultivars.
Posted in: Summer 2024 -
Plan to attend one of the upcoming strawberry preplant meetings in Louisiana, Virginia and North Carolina.
Posted in: Summer 2024 -
Soil-less substrates in pots or bags can be replaced year to year, eliminating the need for crop rotation and fumigation. Two of the most used soil-less substrate components worldwide for strawberry production are coco fiber and peat-based mixes.
Posted in: Spring 2024 -
Like many specialty crops, blackberries have relatively few registered herbicide products for weed control. For new herbicides to be registered, crop safety must first be demonstrated in field settings.
Posted in: Spring 2024