Gulf Coast Research and Extension Center Virtual Field Day is Feb. 10

The Gulf Coast Research and Extension Center Virtual Field Day will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 10 in lieu of a South Florida Vegetable Growers’ Meeting.

According to a news release, this training was developed so that participants can come and go as they please, choosing the sessions they wish to attend. CCA and CEU credits can be obtained by completing the pre-test, attending the meeting, and successful completion of the post-test (>70%).

After the event, recordings and pre- and post-tests will be posted for those who cannot attend.

Welcome Remarks 9:00 a.m. Jack Rechcigl, GCREC Center Director/Professor 9:10 a.m.  Scott Angle, IFAS Vice President

Session 1 – Strawberry Presentations – Session 1 – PRE-TEST LINK 9:30 a.m. Strawberry Breeding: Vance Whitaker, Associate Professor Two New UF Strawberry Varieties 9:45 a.m. Strawberry Genetics:  Seonghee Lee, Assistant Professor Strawberry Tissue Culture and Cultivar Improvement 10:00 a.m. Economics: Zhengfei Guan, Associate Professor Mexican Trade Updates 10:15 a.m. Session 1 Discussion: Lisa Hickey, Manatee Co. Extension

Session 2 – Strawberry Presentations – Session 2 PRE-TEST LINK 10:30 a.m. Nematology Management: Johan Desaeger, Assistant Professor Overview of Chemical and Non-Chemical Nematode Management in Vegetables and Strawberries 10:45 a.m. Strawberry Entomology: Sriyanka Lahiri, Assistant Professor Insect Management in Organic Strawberries 11:00 a.m. Strawberry Pathology: Natalia Peres, Professor Neopestalotiopsis on Strawberry 11:15 a.m. Session 2 Discussion: Lisa Hickey, Manatee Co. Extension

Lunch BREAK – 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Session 3 – Vegetable Research Presentations – Session 3 PRE-TEST LINK 1:00 p.m. Tomato Breeding: Dr. Sam Hutton, Associate Professor Breeding Approaches to Develop Tomatoes for Mechanical Harvest 1:15 p.m. Tomato Breeding: Sam Hutton, Associate Professor Progress in Advancing Bacterial Wilt Resistance for Large Fruited Tomatoes 1:30 p.m. Tomato Genetics: Tong Geon Lee, Assistant Professor Study of Tomato Genetics and Applications in Solving Problem in Tomato Production 1:45 p.m. Session 3 Discussion: Craig Frey, Hendry Co. Extension

Session 4 – Vegetable Presentations – Session 4 PRE-TEST LINK 2:00 p.m. Weed Science: Nathan Boyd, Associate Professor Effect of Chloropicrin and 1,3-dichloropropene Ratio and Rate on Pest Control 2:15 p.m. Vegetable Pathology:  Dr. Joseph Carrillo, PostDoc Associate and Gary Vallad, Professor Evaluation of Biological and Conventional Pesticides for Fusarium Wilt Management on Tomato and Watermelon 2:30 p.m. Vegetable Pathology: Gary Vallad, Professor Identifying and Managing Downy Mildew on Common Cucurbit Species 2:45 p.m. Vegetable Entomology: Hugh Smith, Associate Professor Managing Invasive Pests in an Agriculturally Diverse State 3:00 p.m. Session 4 Discussion: Craig Frey, Hendry Co. Extension

Session 5 – Additional Research Updates – Session 5 PRE-TEST LINK 3:15 p.m. Soil and Water Science: Mary Lusk, Assistant Professor Excess Nutrients in Florida’s Water – Where do they come from? 3:30 p.m. Geomatics:  Amr Abd-Elrahman, Associate Professor Using Drone and Ground Images in Phenotyping and Precision Agriculture Applications 3:45 p.m. Horticultural Sciences:  Shinsuke Agehara, Assistant Professor Double-Season Hop Production in Florida:  How to grow hops in the subtropics 4:00 p.m. Session 5 Discussion: Craig Frey, Hendry Co. Extension 4:15 p.m. Closing Remarks and CCA/CEU Information: Craig Frey, Hendry Co. Extension

– Craig Frey, Hendry County Extension Director Multi-County Commercial Horticulture Extension Agent,  University of Florida/IFAS Extension