Grower Meetings

  • Make plans to join us for the 2026 Annual Blueberry Update on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for updates on disease, insect, horticulture, and water management. Speakers scheduled are Dr. Jonathan Oliver (UGA Plant Pathologist), Dr. Ash Sial (UGA Small Fruit Entomologist), Dr. Zilphina Rubio Ames (UGA Horticulturalist), and Jason…

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  • Dear blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry growers and industry professionals:   A national team of researchers led by Dr. Ash Sial (UGA) with representatives from multiple states across the United States is planning a project to develop sustainable management of thrips including flower thrips and chilli thrips in small fruit crops. In order for us to develop…

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  • Advances in Behavior-Based Tactics for Management of Spotted-Wing Drosophila Dec 8, 2022 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada) Sustainable SWD Management SCRI Project team is is organizing their second annual webinar on December 8, 2022 at 12pm Eastern. This webinar will focus on the advances in behavior-based tactics for management of SWD. Please use the link…

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  • Georgia blueberry growers are invited to attend an upcoming Blueberry Fruit Quality Webinar on Thursday, October 13th @ 7PM. Members of the UGA Extension Blueberry Team including Dr. Jonathan Oliver, Dr. Zilfina Rubio Ames, and Dr. Angelos Deltsidis will provide a brief overview of factors affecting blueberry fruit quality, highlight recent efforts to elucidate the…

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  • Flower thrips are chronic pests of both southern highbush and rabbiteye blueberries in the southeastern United States. Flower thrips are small insects, less than 1.5 mm long (0.06 inches), with slender bodies usually yellow to orange in color. Females are typically larger than males. Adult thrips have long narrow wings fringed with fine hairs. Adults…

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  • SWD OREI Project Team is scheduled to present a webinar on Organic Management of Spotted-Wing Drosophila (SWD) to provide a comprehensive update on strategies to manage SWD in organic production systems. Please register at: https://eorganic.org/node/34578 to attend this webinar. 

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  • Following recent freezes in the Georgia blueberry production region, the threat exists for subsequent damage from fungal pathogens. On tissues already damaged by freezes, two fungal pathogens of particular concern are Botrytis and Botryosphaeria.  In addition, root zone saturation from overhead freeze protection/subsequent rainfall can lead to issues with Phytophthora root rot. BotrytisThe fungus Botrytis cinerea causes…

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