Jeffrey Williamson – EDIS Update

Organic Blueberry Production in Florida

There is a growing market in the United States and globally for fresh fruits and vegetables with reported health-enhancing properties. This includes blueberries, which are high in antioxidants and have been reported to improve heart health and contain anticancer properties. Fresh-market blueberry sales (conventional and organic) increased by 27% between 2013 and 2017, and that trend is expected to continue. In addition, there is an increasing level of consumer interest in organically grown produce (for environmental conservation, taste, and other perceived benefits), for which some consumers are willing to pay a premium over the price for a conventionally produced crop. This new 8-page publication of the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department discusses various aspects of organic blueberry production in Florida and is intended for use by those currently using or interested in pursuing organic production. Written by Douglas A. Phillips, Peter J. Dittmar, Philip F. Harmon, Oscar E. Liburd, Danielle D. Treadwell, and Jeffrey G. Williamson.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1400

Blueberry Frost Protection Practices in Florida and Georgia

Private blueberry farm in Alachua County, frozen, frost, crops. UF/IFAS Photo: Thomas Wright.

Written by Tatiana Borisova, Elizabeth Conlan, Erick Smith, Mercy Olmstead, and Jeffrey Williamson and published by the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department, this publication was developed to assist professionals attempting to establish a benchmark for when to use frost protection in blueberry production. This benchmark can assist in developing outreach strategies to educate producers about frost protection strategies, and it can also help measure changes in their frost protection behavior over time.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe1045

Citrus Propagation

Plant propagation is the art and science of reproducing plants while preserving their unique characteristics from one generation to the next. This 6-page document, written by Ute Albrecht, Mongi Zekri, and Jeffrey Williamson, describes the propagation process for commercial citrus. Published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department, October 2017.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1309

Improving the Precision of Blueberry Frost Protection Irrigation

In Florida, early-ripening southern highbush blueberry cultivars allow growers to take advantage of high prices in the early market before other states can compete with higher volumes of berries sold at lower prices. That advantage comes with a vulnerability, however, because frosts can reduce gains. Florida growers rely on strategies like cold protection irrigation to reduce their risk of loss due to cold damage. This 9-page article by Tatiana Borisova, Tori Bradley, Mercy Olmstead, and Jeffrey Williamson describes a UF/IFAS study comparing precision cold protection irrigation to uniform cold protection irrigation to estimate the potential savings in diesel costs and water withdrawal volumes associated with the two practices and help protect Florida’s valuable and vulnerable blueberry harvest. Published by the Food and Resource Economics Department in November 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe979