How Do the Various Soil Types in Puerto Rico Support Different Crops?

Aug 12, 2020

Puerto Rico is just one of seven islands of an archipelago in the Caribbean. The July 22nd Sustainable, Secure Food Blog explores how farmers take advantage of the wide variety of soils to plant various crops.

Blogger Beverly Alvarez Torres explains, “about 23% of our land is well-suited to agriculture. The land on the islands varies quite a bit. All these territories formed from underwater volcanic activity. They emerged from the ocean’s surface at different geological periods and environmental conditions such as temperature and pressure.”

“One of the most notable geologic formations is the central mountain chain that crosses Puerto Rico from east to west. The landscape position of the mountains plays a very important role differentiating climate conditions from northern to southern regions on our island.”

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Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.