Although the Florida growing region avoided a major freeze event last weekend, growers have observed some signs of plant bloom drop throughout a number of commodities which may impact volume for the end of February.

• One of the main causes of bloom (blossom) drop is poor weather that can cause stress in plants
  • Most plants can tolerate extreme temperatures for short periods of time; however, often plants often abort setting their fruit and focus on survival
  • Other reasons bloom drop occurs include lack of pollination, nitrogen levels, lack of water, and insect damage
• Tomatoes will be impacted, especially small-size fruit (6X6 and 6X7 packs) which are typically harvested from mature fields and during second and third picks
• Bell pepper, squash and eggplant yields might dip in the next two to three weeks due to pollination issues in newer, unharvested areas
• Green bean plants are more fragile; supplies are extremely tight after this past weekend
• Demand will shift to the Mexican winter growing region of Sinaloa in February

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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