Small Fruit News
The Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium posts articles and sends the SMALL FRUIT NEWS to subscribers four times annually.
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Postharvest physiology is key to maintaining the shelf-life of small fruits and reducing food loss. Typically, research deals with the plant and fruit’s response to different technologies and applications that increase quality and delay senescence (decomposition). Fruit quality is a major component of postharvest physiology as it relates to consumer acceptance.
Posted in: Fall 2023 -
In the past few years, there’s been an increased interest in the use of biostimulants for improved crop production. Biostimulants are materials that can promote plant growth when applied in amounts so small that they do not provide much nutrition.
Posted in: Fall 2023 -
Water is an essential resource for small fruit growers, as it is crucial for irrigation and post-harvest activities. In this article, we will provide an overview of various options available to commercial small fruit growers, as well as other measures to improve water quality.
Posted in: Summer 2023 -
Survey questions are related to grower-specific experiences, business information, and opinions about sustainability. The survey can be completed within 25 minutes.
Posted in: Summer 2023 -
Austin Wrenn, 3rd generation strawberry farmer, and the current president of the North Carolina Strawberry Association shares his experience as a strawberry grower and researcher, and his views on strawberry greenhouse production in the Southeastern US.
Posted in: Summer 2023 -
Blackberry (Rubus spp.) is a popular fruit due to its delightful taste and notable health benefits. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of pre-harvest foliar treatments and shade application on yield, white drupelet disorder, post-harvest attributes and aroma profile of two blackberry varieties.
Posted in: Summer 2023 -
Blueberry production in the Southern United States is greatly challenged by diseases like Botryosphaeria stem blight, which is caused by fungi pathogens in the family of Botryosphaeriaceae. Botryosphaeria stem blight can cause sudden wilting and chlorosis of leaves and stems, and in severe cases plant death.
Posted in: Summer 2023 -
Most people who have grown strawberries or vegetables in the Southeast have had their experiences with slugs. These pests damage low-growing vegetable tissue and can be difficult to control.
Posted in: Spring 2023 -
Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that causes disease in many crops. Most notably, it causes gray mold of strawberry and Botrytis bunch rot of grape. On strawberries, infection can occur at bloom, while disease symptoms appear at fruit ripening or post-harvest.
Posted in: Spring 2023 -
Organic fungicides are non-conventional products that are listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute and are generally accepted by organic reviewers as qualifying for use in organic production systems. The products evaluated in these blueberry trials include oils, plant or bacterial extracts, or biological control agents (microorganisms) as their active ingredient.
Posted in: Spring 2023