Forum Guides Fruit Growers to Fine-tune Fertilization Programs

For more information, contact:

Jim Kamas, Assistant Professor and Extension Fruit Specialist
Texas Cooperative Extension, Fredericksburg
(830) 997-7047 - email: j-kamas@tamu.edu

ecreasing economic margins and public sentiments toward environmental stewardship will dictate that in the 21st Century, fruit growers must fine-tune their fertilization programs. Insufficient fertilization will result in economically undesirable yields of inferior fruit while excessive fertilization is equally non-profitable and may result in harmful environmental impact.

To address this issue, the 2002 Horticultural Food Crops Symposium on the Campus of Texas A&M University will offer a break-out session for fruit growers to offer instruction on the latest methods of determining fertilizer needs.

Dr. Ed Hellman, Jim Kamas and Dr. Larry Stein will address the following topics:

• Soil and Tissue Testing: methodology and interpretation
• Soil Amendments: material selection, timing and placement
• Common Nutrient Problems and strategies for management, and
• Environmental Factors Affecting Nutrient Uptake.

The fruit nutrition session will meet concurrently with a vegetable growers workshop that will offer instruction on:

• Food safety issues
• Use of global positioning technology, and
• Factors affecting insect and disease management.

These sessions will wrap-up the three day conference that offers growers classroom-style instruction focusing on the scientific principals that affect plant growth and yield. Speakers include faculty from Texas A&M as well as expert researchers from out of state.

The conference will be held on Monday, September 30th through Wednesday, October 2nd at the Rudder Conference Center on the Campus of Texas A&M University. The cost is $125 and late registration (after September 15) is $150. Registration fees include an evening meal on September 30th and a box lunch on October 1st.

All commercial growers desiring technical training in the production of fruit and vegetables are invited to attend.