Tag: Gary Vallad

Scientists try to limit nasty tomato disease from spreading via grower spraying

by Brad Buck
July 7, 2026

Bacterial spot disease isn’t just a nuisance for tomato growers – it’s a relentless, weather-powered villain that can ruin a field of promising fruit, threatening farm profits. When warm rains roll in and humidity hangs in the air, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS
Tags: Aerosol, Airborne, Bacterial Spot Disease, Fungicides, Gary Vallad, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Plant Pathologist, Renzo Ramírez, Spraying, Tomato Plants, Water

Los científicos buscan frenar la propagación de una grave enfermedad del tomate durante la fumigación

by Luz Bahder
June 12, 2026

Creado por Brad Buck, especialista sénior en relaciones públicas para UF/IFAS La mancha bacteriana no es solo un problema para los productores de tomate; es una amenaza persistente, favorecida por las condiciones climáticas, capaz de ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Aspersores, Bacteria, Bioaerosoles, Decisiones De Manejo, Día De Campo Del Tomate, Dispersion, Enfermedad, Español, Fitopatologia, Fumigadores, Fumigar, Gary Vallad, GCREC, Mancha Bacteriana, Partículas Suspendidas, Patogeno, Patógeno De La Mancha Bacteriana, Propagacion, Renzo Ramírez, Spanish, Tomate, Tomates, UF-IFAS

UF-led research reveals tomato disease spreading rapidly across continents

by Brad Buck
April 29, 2025

Tomatoes represent a $1.9 billion annual crop, nationwide. They’re planted on 330,000 acres across 18 states, but diseases such as bacterial spot can ravage the popular crop. Bacterial diseases pose significant threats to food security ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease
Tags: Bacterial Spot, Bacterial Spot Disease Of Tomato, Continents, Erica Goss, Florida, Gary Vallad, Genes, Genetic, Genetic Variation, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Pathogen, Plant Breeders, Plant Pathology, Spread, Tomatoes, Travel, Xanthomonas Euvesicatoria Pathovar Perforans

UF scientist, veteran wins national award for program connecting military personnel to ag careers

by Brad Buck
May 14, 2024

A veteran himself, University of Florida plant pathologist Gary Vallad wanted to give back to his comrades-in-arms. So, he and Simon Bollin started the Veterans Florida Agriculture Program (VFAP), which helps train veterans for jobs in that ... READ MORE

Category: Professional Development
Tags: Department Of Defense SkillBridge Program, Gary Vallad, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Jobs, Military, Research And Education Centers, Simon Bollin, UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County, USDA-NIFA, USDA-NIFA Partnership Award, Veterans Florida Agriculture Program, Workforce

UF scientist to investigate strategies to control major tomato disease

by Brad Buck
October 13, 2022

Tomatoes represent a $1.9 billion-a-year crop planted on 330,000 acres across 18 states, but diseases such as bacterial spot can threaten them. A University of Florida scientist has been awarded a $5.8 million federal grant to study ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Bacterial Spot, Bacterium, Environment, Fresh Market, Gary Vallad, Grant, Plant Breeding, Plant Pathology, Strains, Tomatoes, Transplant Facilities, USDA-NIFA

UF scientists receive grant to study fumigation impacts on soil health

by Brad Buck
March 21, 2022

Soil health is an important aspect to strawberry and tomato production. Farmers often apply a type of pesticide called fumigants to the soil months before planting to manage soil health. Fumigants reduce harmful diseases such as Fusarium ... READ MORE

Category: Pests & Disease
Tags: Crops, Fusarium Wilt, Gary Vallad, Grant, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Mary Lusk, Nathan Boyd, Nitrogen, Root-knot Nematodes, Sarah Strauss, Soil Health, Soil Microbes, Soil Microbiome, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Soil-borne Diseases, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Strawberries, Tomatoes, USDA-NIFA

Fungicide Assessment for Cucurbit Downy Mildew Management

by Craig Frey
October 28, 2021

Gary Vallad Plant Pathology Gulf Coast Research and Education Center Downy Mildew Cucurbit production in Florida is impacted by downy mildew on an annual basis. Nearly continuous production of cucurbits occurs temporally throughout Florida, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: CDM, Commercial Vegetable Production, Craig Frey, Cucurbits, Disease Management, Downy Mildew, Extension, Fungicides, Gary Vallad, GCREC, Plant Pathology, UF-IFAS, Vegetable Production, Vegetable Research Highlights

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