As temps drop, local seed research farm shields winter crops

As colder temperatures move into Southwest Florida just in time for New Year’s Eve, a local seed research farm is taking extra precautions to protect its crops.

At Sakata Seed America, growers are prepared for cold conditions. While many residents are grabbing jackets, the team at Sakata is focused on protecting a winter pepper breeding crop grown for seed research.

“These crops are extremely valuable to us for the seed value,” said Randy Johnson, station manager at Sakata Seed America. “We’re always concerned about cold weather and any sort of weather events that could damage our crops.”

Rows of peppers are already covered with bee exclusion cloth, which helps trap warmth around the plants overnight. Beneath the crops, black plastic absorbs heat during the day and slowly releases it as temperatures drop after sunset.

Johnson said the farm also plans to apply specialized sprays designed to prevent ice nucleation, the process by which ice crystals form on plant surfaces, and to strengthen the plants’ natural defenses against cold stress.

Even brief exposure to freezing conditions can be costly.

“Losing one generation is huge for what we’re doing out here,” said assistant farm manager AJ Vanpage. “Something that could happen within an hour could cause a catastrophe for us.”

Vanpage explained that frost damage can occur quickly if ice forms on leaves or fruit, interrupting plant growth and potentially forcing researchers to restart years of breeding work.

Unlike traditional farms, Sakata’s operation focuses on seed development, where each generation represents months of testing and genetic selection. Losing a single generation can delay the release of future products to farmers.

Johnson said Southwest Florida’s relatively warm climate is one reason the company operates in the region, allowing researchers to turn multiple plant generations each year. The seeds developed at the Lee County facility are used by farmers not only in Florida, but across the United States and, in some cases, around the world.

For now, managers say conditions appear manageable, but they’re not taking any chances as temperatures fall overnight.