​At the Florida Strawberry Growers Association’s Annual Tailgate in Dover, FL on January 14th, Dr. Jason Hamm of Florida Ag Research shared current findings from field work evaluating insecticide spray programs for chilli thrips management in Florida strawberry, with a focus on thrips populations, fruit quality, and practical sampling considerations. 

Why early-season thrips management is a focal point
Chilli thrips populations can build quickly in the first third of the season. Early sprays do not always prevent damage to foliage, blossoms, and fruit, which is why the current strategy emphasizes early intervention—applications during the first month of establishment (before canopy closure) to improve coverage and delay population buildup.

Field trials are currently underway at the Dover FSGA Research Site to refine early-season application methods under real-world conditions, including examining products and modes of action targeting oviposition, eggs, and immatures.

Trial overview and what was evaluated
In this study, ‘Ember’ strawberry was planted 10/20/2025, and five treatments were compared: four rotation programs plus an untreated check (UTC).

“With my background in global development programs, patent contributions, and advancement of new chemistries, I know how critical it is for innovators to trust their data,” said Dr. Hamm. “Florida Ag Research and Ag Metrics Group are known for tight, field-grounded science and responsive client service. I’m excited to help our partners generate clear product differentiation and move new technologies efficiently toward commercialization.”
 
With Dr. Hamm’s appointment, Florida Ag Research strengthens its entomology program and position as a scientific hub for the development of crop protection and biological solutions tailored to the unique pressures of the Southeast U.S. crop production environment.

About Florida Ag Research
Florida Ag Research, an Ag Metrics Group company, is an agricultural contract research organization specializing in field and greenhouse studies under Florida’s demanding production conditions. The company conducts efficacy, residue, agronomic, and specialty research across citrus, vegetables, sugarcane, small fruits, and other high-value crops. In addition, Florida Ag Research is deeply involved with Florida grower cooperatives, keeping their science focus and significant resources directed toward helping product developers identify opportunities and understand the numerous cropping challenges of the Southeastern U.S. marketplace.
 
About Ag Metrics Group
Ag Metrics Group is a leading American agricultural consulting and contract research organization with almost five decades of successful science investigations and grower extension activities. Serving a diverse clientele that includes product manufacturers, grower cooperatives, and governmental agencies, Ag Metrics Group operates across North America through its regional centers: Pacific Ag Research, Michigan Ag Research, and Florida Ag Research. For more information, visit www.AgMetricsGroup.com or follow them on Facebook and LinkedIn @AgMetricsGroup.

Why now: With Hamlin harvest underway through January, it’s the ideal moment to design and schedule 2026 citrus studies—aligning sites, scouting pressure, and post-harvest work. Florida Ag Research runs independent, data-driven trials across lab, greenhouse, and field that translate directly to commercial decisions. ​

Why Partner with Florida Ag Research

• Citrus depth with long-running programs and collaborations; proven HLB work and broader citrus portfolio. Programs also available in California.
• Integrated teams across Plant Pathology and Entomology with advanced labs (cultures, DNA/qPCR) and greenhouse capacity.
• Independent CRO delivering decision-grade data and efficient study execution across seasons.

Next Steps (slots are limited)

• Email your draft protocol for a 48-hour feasibility check
• Reserve a trial slot and align sites/timings for 2026
• Co-design endpoints and data outputs for registration or positioning

Contact: Erin Downey or Dr. Balaji Aglave  (813) 986-5599, or reach us via the Website.

​Leaders across the banana industry are voicing a common concern: the production model that has supplied affordable fruit to consumers for decades is under real pressure.
 
On recent earnings calls and in global media, executives have pointed to a convergence of threats – aggressive diseases, changing climate patterns, and persistent economic pressures – that make it harder to maintain yield, quality, and profitability in traditional production regions. (Shah, 2025) (Abu-Ghazaleh, 2025)
 
For those of us working in crop protection and biology R&D, this moment is not just a headline. It is a signal that the industry needs scalable, field-proven solutions that can help production systems absorb stress and remain viable.
 
Why bananas are uniquely vulnerable
Bananas are a global staple and one of the world’s most traded fruits. The export supply chain depends heavily on large-scale monocultures of a narrow set of cultivars, often under warm, humid conditions that are ideal for fungal diseases. (Shah, 2025)

​The result is a system where disease outbreaks, extreme weather, or logistical disruptions can have outsized impacts on both producers and downstream customers.
 
What R&D teams need from field research
In this context, product development teams – whether working on fungicides, biologicals, soil amendments, or integrated crop management programs – need more than small-plot efficacy data in ideal conditions.
 
They need field research that can:

1. Replicate real-world stress. Trials must be conducted under genuine disease and pest pressure, with the heat, humidity, and soil constraints that mirror production realities.
2. Connect field performance to fruit quality and shelf life. For bananas and other tropical fruits, a promising program on the plant must also protect firmness, appearance, and post-harvest performance.
3. Capture system interactions. Diseases like TR4 and Black Sigatoka do not act in isolation. Nematodes, soil health, root function, and nutrition all influence expression and severity, as well as the plant’s ability to recover.
4. Provide clear, decision-ready outputs. Development teams need statistically sound, well-documented studies that can guide go/no-go decisions, label refinement, and positioning – and that are repeatable across seasons and sites.

 
How Florida Ag Research supports banana and tropical crop resilience
Florida Ag Research, part of Ag Metrics Group, operates in a subtropical environment where high humidity, intense rainfall events, and extended growing seasons create the kind of stress that tropical crops experience in many commercial regions.

A role for independent research in a changing risk landscape
The challenges facing the banana sector are not going to disappear quickly. Climate trends suggest that disease pressure and weather variability will likely increase in key production regions. (Shah, 2025)
In that environment, independent field research organizations have an important role to play:

• Stress-testing new tools before they reach commercial scale
• Helping refine integrated programs that blend fungicides, biologicals, soil and root health approaches, and careful nutrition
• Providing unbiased, decision-focused data that growers, buyers, and brand owners can rely on as they adjust their strategies

 
At Florida Ag Research and across Ag Metrics Group, our focus is on creating the kind of multi-disciplinary trials that connect disease management, plant physiology, and fruit quality under realistic stress – so that sponsors can move promising concepts toward commercial reality with greater confidence.
 
Let’s design the next generation of disease-resilient programs together
If your team is working on solutions for banana disease management, soil and root health, or tropical fruit resilience, we would welcome a conversation about how our Florida programs can support your development plans.
 
To discuss potential trials or multi-season research, please contact the Florida Ag Research team, Dr. Balaji Aglave or Erin Downey at (813) 986-5599 or reach us through www.AgMetricsGroup.com/Contact  
 
Together, we can help ensure that future supply chains are better prepared for the biological and environmental challenges now coming into focus.
 
 
Reference List:
Abu-Ghazaleh, M. [@mohammad-abu-ghazaleh-060b05320]. (2025, October 31). Earlier today on our earnings call, I discussed the urgent challenges confronting the banana industry… [LinkedIn.  https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mohammad-abu-ghazaleh-060b05320_earlier-today-on-our-earnings-call-i-discussed-activity-7389337744302551040-smzR] 
 
Shah, S. (2025, August 18). Climate change is coming for your bananas. TIME. https://time.com/7310462/banana-supply-climate-change
 
Voora, V., Bermúdez, S., Farrell, J. J., Larrea, C., & Luna, E. (2023, March). Global market report: Banana prices and sustainability (Sustainable Commodities Marketplace Series). International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-03/2023-global-market-report-banana.pdf
​

Why now: The bloom period concentrates risk from blossom blight (Monilinia laxa) and bacterial blast (Pseudomonas syringae)—and it’s the best time to quantify performance of fungicides, foliar fertilizers, biostimulants, and biologicals under field-real conditions. Our Central Valley program is now booking plots. 

​Trial Formats (choose your path)

• Stand-Alone Trials — Full protocol control (rates, timings, rotations), designated positive control, expanded endpoints.
• Add-On Screening — Insert a single treatment into our standard program with positive & negative controls for a fast, cost-efficient read.

 
Why Pacific Ag Research for Almonds

• Almond is a core crop for our California program; our pathology team routinely runs blossom blight/brown rot and related disease studies.
• Purpose-built Central Valley access: Five Points almond plantings and infrastructure designed for on-station research.
• Backed by Ag Metrics Group’s multi-discipline platform (pathology, nematology, entomology, agronomy) with California, Florida, and Michigan stations.

Next Steps (windows are limited)

• Email your draft protocol for a 48-hour feasibility check or we can help draft a protocol for you.
• Hold a plot slot aligned to your bloom timing
• Decide format (Stand-Alone vs. Add-On) based on objectives and budget

Contact:
Brad Booker — brad@agmetricsgroup.com • (805) 471-0537 or Here 

From late fall through early spring, cool, moist coastal weather in Salinas Valley, San Luis Obispo and Guadalupe/Santa Maria reliably drives Septoria apiicola (celery late blight), enabling credible, field-real efficacy data. We’re booking plots now. 

Quick Specs

• Crop/Target: Celery – Septoria apiicola (late blight)
• Region & Sites: California Central Coast; trial stations in Salinas, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Maria/Guadalupe
• Windows: Setup late fall; primary ratings through winter/early spring (weather-dependent).
• Designs: RCBD or split-plot; 3–4 reps typical; plot sizes scaled to celery beds
• Endpoints: Incidence, severity, AUDPC, marketability/trim loss; phytotoxicity screens
• Deliverables: Clean data package, photo log, summary tables/figures ready for internal use

Next Steps​ (windows are limited)

• Email your draft protocol for a 48-hour feasibility check or let us help you draft your protocol.
• Hold a plot slot for your preferred window
• Decide format (Stand-Alone vs. Add-On) based on your objectives

​Contact Brad Booker at brad@agmetricsgroup.com (805) 471-0537 or at our website to hold a plot and request a 48-hr protocol feasibility check.

Why now: From ​November-March, cool, moisture-rich conditions on the Central Coast reliably drive downy mildew, ideal for generating credible efficacy data on real farms.

Why the Central Coast Works

• Consistent pressure. Seasonal moisture + cool temps promote predictable disease development.
• Field-relevant context. Cooperating commercial farms ensure practical conditions and decision-grade data.

Trial Formats (Pick What Fits Your Stage)

1) Stand-Alone Trials
​For later-stage decisions and label-supporting evidence.

• Full protocol control (rates, timings, MOA rotations)
• Custom design and expanded endpoints
• Robust analysis package for internal milestones

2) Add-On Trials
For early signals or cost-efficient comparisons.

• Insert a single treatment into an existing program
• Shared controls (UTC and grower standard)
• Faster setup and lower cost to learn

​What You Can Expect

• Precision field execution and standardized ratings
• Transparent timelines aligned to the fall–winter cycle
• Actionable analysis, including figures/tables you can lift into internal decks

Next Steps (Windows Are Limited)

• Send your draft protocol for a 48-hour feasibility check
• Hold a plot slot for your preferred window (Nov–Dec setup)
• Decide format: Stand-Alone vs. Add-On based on your objectives

Request availability & protocol review
Contact Brad Booker at brad@agmetricsgroup.com or (805) 471-0537 or through our website

Why winter GH assays?
Greenhouse assays provide tight environmental control and reliable pathogen/nematode pressure, enabling rapid iteration on formulations, rates, and placements. Running in winter means you can refine programs now and head into spring trials with greater confidence.

Study design & execution

• Protocol development aligned to your objectives
• Randomized, replicated designs; positive/negative controls
• Validated inoculum and QC checkpoints

Data & reporting

• Interim updates with photos
• Final report with stats (ANOVA, mean separation) and visuals suitable for internal decks or investor updates

Typical timelines

• Protocol lock-in: 1–2 weeks from kick-off
• Assay run: ~6–10 weeks depending on endpoint
• Report delivery: within 1–2 weeks after last rating

Best-fit use cases

• Seed treatments, biologicals, and chemistries in lead selection
• Rate optimization prior to field testing
• Variety resistance characterization and ranking

 
Get started
Tell us your target pest/disease, product class, endpoints, and timeline. We’ll propose a right-sized design with sample sizes, controls, and reporting milestones.
 
Michigan Ag Research (Albion, MI) Contact:
Brian Cortright at (517) 857-2676
Brian@AgMetricsGroup.com

At Florida Ag Research, we are proud to support the next generation of scientists whose work is shaping the future of agriculture. That commitment was recently recognized nationally when Tanishka Aglave, daughter of our Research Director Dr. Balaji Aglave, received the ​2025 President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Her project, “Reviving Citrus, Reviving Florida,” explored an eco-friendly solution to Citrus Greening Disease (Huanglongbing, HLB) — the bacterial disease that has devastated Florida’s citrus industry. The work was carried out in Florida Ag Research’s laboratories and groves in Thonotosassa, underscoring the role our facilities play in advancing field-based science.

Promising Results for Growers
Using qPCR diagnostics, chlorophyll analysis, gas exchange measurements, and regression modeling, Tanishka’s trials demonstrated a 63% reduction in disease severity and a 95% improvement in plant vigor with a biological formulation derived from curry leaf extract (Murraya koenigii).

Research showed that this formulation could be used on its own or rotated with oxytetracycline, offering growers both a cost-effective and sustainable tool for HLB management.

Beyond the Science
The project extended well beyond the research plots. Tanishka partnered with the Citrus Research and Development Foundation’s Grove-First initiative, worked alongside USDA scientists and citrus growers, delivered presentations at grower meetings, and authored a children’s book, The Story of Oranges, to raise awareness about citrus health with younger audiences.

In Their Words

Supporting Future Innovation​
​HLB remains one of the most pressing challenges in Florida agriculture. By providing facilities, mentorship, and scientific expertise, Florida Ag Research is proud to play a role in supporting the young scientists whose ideas and innovation will help safeguard the future of citrus.

For more information about the research results, please contact Florida Ag Research at ​https://www.agmetricsgroup.com/contact  Read the full press release here: