interest to South Florida residents and families, as ... the best for this upcoming holiday season and a ... schools and
E tension Conne tion
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Winter 2015
UF/IFAS Miami-Dade County Extension, 18710 SW 288th Street, Homestead, FL 33030-2309 http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu 305-248-3311
Letter from the Director
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
By Teresa Olczyk, County Extension Director
Letter from the Director
1
Welcome New FNP Manager
3
Dear Friends of Extension,
Tomato Chlorotic Spot Virus
3
Florida Extension Plant Diagnostic Clinic
5
I hope you find the 2015 Extension Connextion
Maintain Healthy Eating Habits During Holidays
6
this platform to provide information about a wide
winter edition informative and interesting. We use
Tree Carbon Storage & Sequestration Difference What’s New
10
variety of educational programs and topics of
Contact Us
11
interest to South Florida residents and families, as well as agricultural and horticultural professionals.
At this time of the year, it is natural to reflect on
the past year and to think about new challenges in the year ahead. As the Miami-Dade County
Extension Director, I am very proud of the hard work and dedication of our staff members who delivered new research from the University of
Florida to our community and touched the lives of thousands of Extension clients. It is important to
add that we as Extension professionals could not do everything we do without the great support
from our volunteers including Master Gardeners, 4-H Program volunteers, teachers, farmers
helping with field trials, and other supporters of Extension who are passionate about and help to educate thousands of clients. I am proud to say that in 2014 our volunteers provided 15,972 hours of service valued at $368,474. 2015 volunteer data is still being collected.
Looking back on 2015, it is obvious that this year was especially challenging for Miami-Dade
agricultural and horticultural industries. One of the world's most destructive exotic pests the
Oriental fruit fly, was discovered in Miami-Dade County’s Redland agricultural area. This fly can
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attack over 430 different fruits, vegetables and even ornamental plants, many of the grown in Miami-
Dade County. An eradication program was launched by USDA and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and a large area of
agricultural production was placed under quarantine creating many problems and a loss of agricultural production. Over 1,000 people participated in
several workshops conducted at the Extension office in Homestead in collaboration with USDA, FDACS,
and UF/IFAS scientists. Avocado growers continue to face challenges due to the deadly laurel wilt fungal
disease, spread by Ambrosia beetles, and vegetable
growers recently lost an estimated 50-100% of their crops due to serious flooding after unseasonably
heavy rainfalls in early December. Our Commercial
Agricultural and Horticultural Extension agents are
heavily involved in helping affected growers through providing educational programs and helping estimate crop losses.
I would like to mention a few changes and additions to the Extension staff which occurred in 2015. We
welcomed the new Florida Yards and Neighborhoods
(FYN) Extension Agent, Morgan Hopkins, who moved
from Oklahoma to lead our FYN and water
conservation programming. Additionally, the Family
and Nutrition Program (FNP) is expanding to provide (Continued on page 2)
health and nutrition education to low income
of the Consumer Services Department. More
Rodríguez was hired to lead this programming
Economic Resources Department (RER). This all
will deliver FNP programs. Several more
transferred to Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces
residents of South Miami-Dade. Evelyn Muñiz
recently we were placed under Regulatory and
and she already hired two Program Assistants who
changed a few months ago when Extension was
employees will be hired in the upcoming months.
Department (PROS). We already had a strong
Farm Bill with no cost to the County.
and we are looking forward to increased
And once again an interesting event took place in
programs for the urban population including
office in Homestead was filmed for the second
well as using more County Parks as locations
the second season of the Netflix series Bloodline.
like to point out that our current location in the
trucks, film equipment, and Monroe County police
commitment to support agricultural and
The FNP program is totally funded by the USDA
November as the Miami-Dade County Extension time as the Monroe County Sherriff’s Office, for Once again, our parking lot was crowded with
cars and over a hundred people. The scene filmed
partnership with PROS Department in the past, collaboration to provide more educational
children, homeowners, families, and seniors, as where these programs will be conducted. I would County’s TO will not change Extension’s strong horticultural businesses and provide them with
the latest research based information and training helping them to flourish. Extension will continue to educate residents, visitors, elected officials,
and others on the importance of agriculture to the County’s and Florida’s economy.
In closing, I would like to express my personal
thanks to our staff and volunteers for their hard work, passion, dedication, and professionalism in making a positive difference in people's lives
through our Extension programs. And finally, on a behalf of all our Extension staff members and
hundreds of volunteers I would like to wish you all outside our building featured a sheriff’s press
conference featuring actor David Zayas. It was
the best for this upcoming holiday season and a very happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!
very interesting to watch how this event was very well organized, and our daily Extension business was not disrupted. There is a possibility they
would like to come again in a few days to film a part of another episode. When watching the
Sincerely, -Teresa
second season of Bloodline, look for the scenes
filmed at Miami-Dade County Extension.
I would like to reflect briefly on a change in the
location of Miami-Dade County Extension in the County’s Table of Organization (TO). Since the
mid-80s, Extension in our County was a Division
2
Welcome Extension Welcomes New FNP Manager Evelyn Muñiz Rodríguez joined
the Miami-Dade Extension Team
in June of 2015 as the new Family Nutrition Program Manager.
Evelyn comes to us from Osceola County were she was a Program Assistant for the Family Nutrition Program. She was born in New York, but raised in Puerto Rico where she also
obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Science with a
concentration in Family and Consumer Sciences, and
an Associate’s degree in Dietetic Technician from the University of Puerto Rico. Evelyn has a background in schools and community education, having worked
for the Department of Education, the Department of Children and Family, and the Department of Health
in Puerto Rico, as well as, the Department of Health,
and the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Program Spotlight Tomato Chlorotic Spot Virus (TCSV): A Serious Threat to the Tomato Industry Qingren Wang and Shouan Zhang
A severe outbreak of Tomato chlorotic spot virus
much as 30% yield loss for the tomato industry in
(TCSV) has occurred again this year in some
the last year, with the worst case a loss of entire
tomato fields of Miami-Dade County this year
plantings. Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), and common blossom thrips (F. schultzei) are
Figure 1. Occurrence of TCSV outbreak in Homestead (photo credit: Qingren Wang)
(Figure 1). A lot of plants have been rogued (Figure 2) when a symptom of the disease appears, otherwise, the disease could quickly spread out to healthy plants by insect vectors, especially flower thrips. It is urgent to control such a fatal disease because the virus caused as
Figure 2. A large number of plants rogued due to the infection of TCSV (photo credit: Qingren Wang)
major known vectors transferring this virus. Therefore, it is critically important to control the thrips by collaborating with surrounding growers in the same or different commodities because 3
there are a large number of hosts for these thrips.
Preliminary results from trials conducted at UF/IFAS
This disease is easily confused with other
TREC, showed that some tomato varieties such as
tospovirus diseases, such as Tomato spotted wilt
Dixie Red (Figure 5) are more TCSV resistant than the
virus (TSWV) and Groundnut ring spot virus (GRSV) because the symptoms appear first on young leaves with irregular spots, and the infected leaves die in a few days from the top leaves downward (Figure 3).
Figure 5. Plant performance of tomato resistant variety: Dixie Red (photo credit: Qingren Wang)
Sanibel or FL-47, the commercial varieties most commonly grown in Miami-Dade County (Figure 6). Figure 3. Symptoms of TCSV infection (photo credit:
For chemical control, data from field trials at TREC
Qingren Wang)
To control TCSV, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches are essential, including physical, biological, cultural, and chemical practices. The practices include some varieties or cultivars with resistance to TCSV, metalized (UV-reflective) mulch (Figure 4) as a cultural control, and spraying appropriate insecticides to manage thrips.
Figure 6. Infection of TCSV: FL-47 (photo credit: Qingren Wang)
indicated that Radiant (spinetoram) is effective in controlling thrips, but rotation with other efficient insecticides of different modes of action (e.g., Exirel -cyantraniliprole) is required to prevent resistance Figure 4. Metalized (UV-reflective) mulch for tomato production (photo credit: Qingren Wang)
development in the insects.
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Update from the Florida Extension Plant Diagnostic Clinic Aaron Palmateer, Tropical Research and Extension Center
This has been a really busy year for the Florida Extension Plant Diagnostic Clinic at the Tropical Research & Education Center in Homestead. Typical hot temperature, high humidity, and heavy rainfall created highly favorable conditions for a variety of plant diseases. Fungal and bacterial leaf spots, plenty of powdery and downy mildews to go around, branch diebacks, and wilts are just some of the most common and aggressive diseases attacking plants in MiamiDade County. Growers and landscape professionals have been challenged by an abundance of bacterial pathogens including Xanthomonas,
Pseudomonas, Erwinia, and Acidovorax, with sample numbers being greatest for Mandevilla, Ficus, Dieffenbachia, Hibiscus, and Poinsettia. Bacterial pathogens typically cause water-soaked spots on leaves that are confined between the leaf veins and sometimes appear angular in shape with a yellow halo. Bacterial plant diseases are often the most difficult to control and require quick detection and preventative action to manage. For additional information refer to the following EDIS publications http:// edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp305 and http:// edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg442. The heavy late summer and fall rains have
brought on an abundance of plant samples submitted to the diagnostic clinic that were
diagnosed with fungal leaf spots. Some of the
usual suspects include Colletotrichum species, Calonectria species, Cercospora species and
Corynespora cassiicola. These pathogens are
excellent opportunist and capable of causing disease on a wide range of plant species.
Fertilization programs that are imbalanced,
damage from pesticides, heat or cold injury, and
leaf necrosis caused by water stress should be avoided. Wounded or weakened tissue allows
these pathogens to form colonies in the canopy,
which serve as the focal point for disease spread. For more information about widespread
outbreaks of Calonectria on palms in the nursery and landscape refer to the following fact sheet:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp302. Fungi are the most economically important plant pathogens and South Florida has plenty to go
around. This year brought more plant disease samples than previous years. Root and stem rots, leaf spots, hardwood rots, and wilts were just
some of the plant diseases caused by fungi this year. One disease that’s been receiving a lot of
publicity in South Florida, laurel wilt of avocado,
has been keeping the clinic busy. We continue to
receive avocado trunk tissue samples to be tested
for laurel wilt. For instructions on how to properly take samples and more information about the disease refer to the following website: http:// www.savetheguac.com. With cooler temperatures on the way, we can
expect to see downy mildew on everything from herbs such as rosemary and basil to woody
shrubs like Viburnum and Roses and bedding plants such as impatiens and coleus. Downy
mildews appear to be more abundant than ever
with the list of new and newly emerging mildews on the rise. For more information about downy mildew refer to the following EDIS publication:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp309 To learn more about the Florida Extension Plant
Diagnostic Clinic and for instructions on how to
submit a plant disease sample, visit our website at http://www.plantclinic.org. For additional
information on how to manage the plethora of
plant pathogens causing disease in Miami Dade County refer to the following EDIS fact sheet on fungicides available for homeowners: http:// edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp154.
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Maintain Healthy Eating Habits During the Holidays Monica Dawkins, EFNEP Agent
The holiday season is a joyous time of the year
fat, calorie and sodium intake, helping you stay healthy this holiday season.
filled with friends, family and giving. However, the season also comes with parties, eating, chaotic schedules and stress. People are busier than usual and cannot keep up with their work out routine;
Avoid Overeating
next day if you resist the temptation of over-
and eating habits
eating.
are often thrown off by holiday travel, busy
You will be much happier and feel better the
Choose moderate portions of foods you like best and fill up half your plates with fruits or
schedules, and
vegetables.
tempting sweets and fattening dishes. Here are some tips to help you enjoy a healthy and happy holiday season this
that is full and only go back for seconds if you
year.
are still hungry.
Plan Ahead If you know you are going to be attending a holi-
Eat slowly so your body can digest and signal
Sweets are fine in moderation. If you are going to indulge, enjoy, and limit yourself to a
day party at night and will be indulging in not-so
small quantity.
-healthy foods, eat healthy and low-calorie foods during the day to balance out your caloric intake, while still getting your daily nutrients. Also, be
Eat an apple, cut up vegetables or other
sure to exercise that day to balance out the calo-
healthy snacks before attending a holiday
ries consumed and burned.
party or meal to avoid overeating while you are there.
Make Substitutions
Many ingredients in traditional holiday recipes
Beverage Control
can be substituted for ones that are not as unhealthy:
for a holiday toast, it is important to be con-
Mix skim-milk in your mashed potatoes in-
scious not to consume excessive calories
stead of whole milk. Swap the white rolls with
through beverages.
whole wheat.
Use low-sodium broths, soups and canned items.
Serve steamed green beans instead of a green bean casserole.
Making healthy substitutions will lower your
Although it is perfectly okay to raise a glass
Drinks such as eggnog, hot chocolate and apple cider have empty calories and high sugar content.
(Continued on page 7)
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(Continued from page 6)
have a small sample of different foods to sat-
Limit yourself to one alcoholic or seasonal
isfy your craving.
beverage a day and remember that water is always the best option to keep you hydrated
and energized.
thank yourself the next day.
Be sure to keep up your normal exercise routine if you have the time to do so. For those whose exercise schedule is altered by the holidays, there are other ways to get your exercise in during the holiday season.
One way is to complete shorter and higher intensity workouts. For example, complete 30 second sprint intervals outdoors or on the treadmill for 15 minutes, or complete three sets of squats, push-ups and sit-ups when you are at home.
Another way to get your exercise in is to go on a walk with family or friends to catch up instead of sitting on the couch.
Use self control and limit yourself to the sweets and treats that you really love. You'll
Exercise
If everything looks tempting and delicious,
Enjoy the holidays and follow these tips to stay healthy and prepare for the New Year.
Recipes Honey Orange Glazed Florida Grouper Ingredients:
1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon orange marmalade 1 tablespoon orange juice 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper 3/4 pound grouper fillets Directions:
Preheat broiler. Combine all ingredients except grouper, mixing well. Place fillets on an oiled broiler pan and brush fillets with honey glaze to cover. Broil 5 to 6 inches from heat for 4 to 5 minutes until browned. Turn fillets, brush with Be Selective
honey glaze and broil additional 5
Before you begin eating at a holiday party,
minutes or until
check out all of the options and choose the
fish flakes easily.
foods that you really want to eat. (Continued on page 8)
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(Continued from page 7)
Provencal Roasted Florida Tomatoes
dish. Sprinkle with cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and oregano. Drizzle lightly
Ingredients:
with olive oil or spray with nonstick olive oil
4 large ripe tomatoes,
spray. Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven, or
sliced 1/4 inch thick
until top is lightly toasted.
1/8 cup grated Romano
cheese
Warm Cinnamon – Orange Cider
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
32 ounces apple cider
Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups orange juice
2 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
2 sticks cinnamon
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 pieces whole allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano olive oil or nonstick
2 tablespoons of honey
olive oil spray Directions:
Directions:
Heat apple cider, orange juice, cinnamon sticks
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a shallow
and allspice to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and
baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil. Place
simmer 5 minutes. Remove allspice and cinnamon
tomato slices close together in prepared baking
sticks. Stir in honey and serve warm.
Do Trees Make a Difference with Carbon Storage and Sequestration? Francisco Escobedo and Henry Mayer
Communities can help mitigate climate change by reducing fossil fuel consumption and through proper management of urban forests. Urban
forests have the ability to capture atmospheric
carbon dioxide by storing carbon in the soil and in a tree’s roots, stems, and branches. Urban forests can also help reduce carbon dioxide
emissions from fossil-fuel-based power plants
because their shade reduces energy consumption
estimate the amount of carbon in a tree by estimating its dry weight. Carbon sequestration is the estimated amount of carbon a tree's stem and branches take up during one year of growth. Overall healthier and larger trees sequester more carbon annually than do younger, smaller sized trees due to the limited growth and size.
for cooling buildings.
Eventually, if small trees remain healthy and
Different trees can take up carbon differently
carbon as their biomass increases. Trees in poor
depending on their growth, size, species and
condition sequester less carbon than do healthy
condition. Using these relationships we can
continue to grow, they will accumulate more
(Continued on page 9)
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(Continued from page 8)
The Miami-Dade board of County Commissioners
trees, and dead trees actually emit carbon as they
unanimously approved “A Long Term CO2
decompose.
Emission Reduction Plan for Miami-Dade County” in 1993. The goal of Miami-Dade County’s plan
Tree Diameter at Breast Height Class (cm)
was to reduce urban CO2 emissions countywide
Per Tree C Sequestered (kg/year)
1 – 15
2
16 – 30
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31 – 45
17
46 – 60
9
61 – 76
33
77+
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by 20% of the baseline 1988 level. This translated into a goal of reducing emissions in excess of 11,000,000 tons of CO2 each year during this period. In order to meet the estimated 2015 emissions target of 28.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (mt CO2 e), the County would need to reduce emissions by approximately 6.8 million mt CO2 e at the end of this first five years.
Do trees really make a difference in capturing the
While Miami-Dade County should continue to
carbon we emit?
plant trees, a long-term urban forest
A total of 31.97 million of equivalent tons of CO2 were emitted in Miami-Dade County in 2005 (http://www.miamidade.gov/derm/library/ air_quality/CO2_Reduction_Final_Report.pdf); this is about 15 times more than the emissions in Gainesville, FL (https:// govconnect.alachuacounty.us/committees/ECSC/ Strategies/Shared%20Documents/GRU%20% 20Interim%201605%20b%20GHG%20report% 20rev%2041.pdf). Both of these reports indicate that the largest emissions were from transportation and electrical usage in both cities. Urban forests in Gainesville have greater tree densities, store more carbon, and present lower per-tree sequestration rates compared to MiamiDade as a result of climate, environmental conditions, and urbanization patterns. Areas characterized by undeveloped, natural pine-oak forests, mangroves and stands of highly invasive Melaleuca quiquinervia were most apt at sequestering CO2.
management plan that helps preserve existing trees—as well as a resilient, equitable, and effective urban forest structure—is very important. Care should be taken in selecting species in any tree planting program. While increasing tree cover will ultimately lead to an increase in environmental benefits to the community, some species and urban forest structure characteristics might also have less favorable effects, “right plant in the right place” is the correct way to structure the urban forest. An urban forest management plan should
recommend planting trees in sites where urban forest structure is most needed, such as
underserved neighborhoods, transportation corridors and industrial sites. Urban forest
managers must plan for impacts of climate and changing municipal budgets (i.e., future hurricanes and sea level rise; http:// edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr176). Although overall tree cover in an urban area is an important indicator of urban forest health and efficacy, the number and size, composition, 9
(Continued from page 9)
condition, and location of individual tree and
groups of trees, forested wetlands and
groups of trees and associated vegetation are just
conservation areas, and all associated vegetation
as important. Planning that accounts for the
(palms, shrubs, grass), will provide for maximum
needs and desires of the community and its urban
benefits and the long-term sustainability of this
forest, which is to say all the trees, public and
resource.
private alike, including individual trees as well as
What’s New at Miami-Dade Extension To use our Extension Calendar, please visit our website http://miami-
dade.ifas.ufl.edu and scroll through
the calendar. There, you will find all event information including how to register.
This newsletter is edited by Jeff Wasielewski and Cassandra Weston-Hainsworth. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at
[email protected] or
[email protected]
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What is Cooperative Extension?
The Cooperative Extension Service is the liaison
ADMINISTRATION:
Teresa Olczyk, M.S. County Extension Director HORTICULTURE:
Adrian Hunsberger, M.S.
Urban Horticulture
John McLaughlin, Ph.D Urban Horticulture Program Assistant
COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE & LANDSCAPES:
E. Vanessa Campoverde, M.S. Commercial Ag/Ornamentals
Henrique Mayer, M.S.
Commercial Urban Horticulture
Jeff Wasielewski, M.S.
Commercial Tropical Fruit
Qingren Wang, Ph.D.
Florida and other universities and end users in
Miami-Dade County. Our clientele includes growers
(agricultural and horticultural), homeowners, youth, people interested in family issues or food and nutrition, and marine industries.
The University of Florida/IFAS Miami-Dade County
Extension receives direct funding from the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences (IFAS) and Miami-Dade County’s Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department,
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the third partner in this cooperative agreement.
Commercial Vegetable & Pesticide Trainer
The Miami-Dade County offices are part of a
Morgan Hopkins, M.S.
education offered by county governments and land-
FLORIDA YARDS & NEIGHBORHOODS (FYN):
nationwide system of information, outreach, and
FYN
grant educational institutions in each state.
Urban Conservation Unit Program Assistant
Contact Us:
Barbara McAdam
ADMINISTRATION, COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE ,
Jesus Lomeli
FYN Program Assistant
Laura Vasquez FYN Coordinator
FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCE (FCS), FAMILY NUTRITION PROGRAMS (FNP) AND EXPANDED FOOD & NUTRITION PROGRAM (EFNEP):
Sandra Canales, M.S.
EFNEP/FNP
Monica Dawkins, M.S. EFNEP
Jacquelyn Gibson, M.S. FCS- Food, Nutrition & Family Finance
Evelyn Muñiz Rodríguez , BS, DT 4-H:
between research conducted at the University of
FNP
HORTICULTURE,
AND
FYN
18710 SW 288 Street th
Homestead, FL 33030
Phone: 305-248-3311, Fax: 305-246-2932 FNP & EFNEP
300 East 1st Avenue, Suite 113
Hialeah, FL 33010
Phone: 786-391-0539 (Monica) 786-391-0540 (Sandra)
4-H & FCS 401 E. 65th Street
Cassandra Weston-Hainsworth Youth Development
Jeramy Smith Youth Development
Hialeah, FL 33013
Phone: 305-769-4050, Fax: 305-769-4052 SEA GRANT
4600 Rickenbacker Causeway Miami, FL 33149
SEA GRANT:
Lisa Krimsky, Ph.D
Sea Grant/Marine
Phone: 305-421-4017
Visit Us: http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Employment Opportunity – Affirmative Action Employer authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap or national origin.. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, IFAS, FLORIDA A. & M. UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PROGRAM AND BOARDS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COOPERATING For sign language interpreters or materials in accessible format or other ADA Accommodations please call our office at least five days in advance
