Aug. 22, 2008

Fay drenches Florida citrus industry

Tropical Storm Fay crossed Florida Tuesday and Wednesday drenching the citrus industry but not leaving significant damage.

"We were very concerned as Fay approached the state. We've been through this a few too many times over the past four years," says Mike Sparks, executive vice president and chief executive officer of Florida Citrus Mutual, Lakeland, in a news release. "Fortunately, the storm did not strengthen to a point where it could cause major damage to our crop.

"We got much needed rain from the storm; however there are isolated pockets of standing water that could cause some problems, especially in the Indian River region where we've had reports of 13 inches of rain. Despite that situation, we came out of this in pretty good shape."

Sparks says Fay did not cause a significant amount of fruit to drop to the ground. Wind from the storm was not strong enough to uproot trees, he says.

"This is a very fluid situation, so we are still assessing the total impact," Sparks says. "Hopefully, this is the last major storm to hit Florida for a long time. The citrus harvest is right around the corner and we are primed for a good season and a quality crop."

Dow AgroSciences develops ThripsManagement.com

The continuous application of any class of insecticides over an extended period of time, without proper rotation with other chemistries, can lead to resistance development, according to a Dow AgroSciences, Indianapolis, news release.

Dow AgroSciences has joined governmental agencies, pest management consultants and university experts to develop a series of educational management seminars for key Florida audiences, as well as create the Web site www.ThripsManagement.com.

"Dow AgroSciences is providing resources to help reinforce the importance for growers and other professional applicators to follow label directions. We also are working together to reinforce the proper use and rotation of products as recommended in IPM programs," says Joe Funderburk, professor of entomology, University of Florida, in the release.

The thrips management Web site is intended to educate growers to help prevent resistance from expanding to other areas. The one-stop resource allows growers access to multiple university and government IPM programs and tips for western flower thrips.