Tomatoes/Peppers

Bayer Cropscience acquires Abbott & Cobb watermelon and melon seeds

Bayer CropScience announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase the watermelon and melon seed business of Abbott & Cobb Inc., a privately-held seed company headquartered in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, USA. The acquisition will... more »

Grants give farms kick-start to expand with value-added products

USDA has awarded $40.2 million in value-added producer grants to 298 recipients in 44 states and Puerto Rico for 2012.According to USDA, the grant program is a tool for independent fruit and vegetable producers, among... more »

Tomato genome gets fully sequenced — paves way to healthier fruits, veggies

For the first time, the genome of the tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, has been decoded, an important step toward improving yield, nutrition, disease resistance, taste and color of the tomato and other crops.The full genome sequence,... more »

Low prices threaten Florida tomato growers

Florida's tomato industry has been grappling with money problems for the past two seasons, said Reggie Brown, manager of the Florida Tomato Committee.Last year, an assessment was implemented to cover committee expenses after a bad... more »

Maintaining cold chain helps avoid salmonella

A new study indicates that maintaining cold storage throughout the entire supply chain can help avoid a possible recurrence of salmonella in produce.Studying washed and non-washed jalapeno peppers and Roma tomatoes, Steven Pao, a professor... more »

Some Alabama farmers cut back crops, citing crackdown

Some Alabama farmers say they are planting less produce rather than risk having tomatoes and other crops rot in the fields a second straight year because of labor shortages linked to the state's crackdown on... more »

Agraquest gets OK to expand use of Serenade Soil fungicide

Agraquest has been given the green light to use its Serenade Soil fungicide for control of Verticillium in California strawberries.Available in the U.S. for tomatoes, potatoes and melons since 2010, Serenade Soil has proved effective... more »

Early warm weather worries growers

States across the Midwest and East Coast were experiencing warmer-than-normal temperatures earlier this year. In March alone, average temperatures were 15˚ F to 20˚ F higher than normal, according to The Weather Channel.History in the... more »