University of Florida experts know all too well about laurel wilt, the pathogen endangering the state’s $100 million-a-year avocado industry – and they’re trying to find ways to prevent it from spreading. Now, they’re taking their data to California to talk to scientists, growers and regulators.
UF/IFAS researchers used a baseline comparison of infection and transmission rates of Florida mosquitoes to those from the Dominican Republic, a region associated with numerous human cases. Barry Alto, an associate professor of entomology at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, led a team of UF/IFAS researchers that measured mosquito infection and transmission of the emergent strains of chikungunya -- Asian and Indian Ocean – in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.
Urban residents value their lawns through their own prisms, and those values lead to a range of efficiency in how they irrigate and fertilize, a new University of Florida study shows.
University of Florida researchers are sounding a warning bell that fresh produce may be hard to come by in the future. Scientists with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences cite changes in our climate, loss of fresh water and competition for resources as major threats in farmers’ ability to increase production of fruits and vegetables.
After colleges working at the family nursery, Dean Kopsell he got his hands dirty – in a different way -- toiling for nearly 20 years in research fields and labs and teaching plant sciences. Now, he has been named chair of the UF/IFAS department of environmental horticulture.
For the study, UF/IFAS researchers grafted seedless watermelon onto squash rootstocks to ward off soil-borne diseases such as fusarium wilt. Study results showed no loss in taste and major fruit quality attributes like total soluble solids and lycopene content, Zhao said.
In the same year the University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center celebrates its 100th anniversary, Nian Wang believes he may be close to finding the “off switch” for greening, the disease devastating Florida’s multi-billion-dollar-a-year citrus industry.
Parents serve as their children’s role models, and they buy most of the food their children eat. With that in mind, researchers from the University of Florida, Rutgers University and West Virginia University will work with a five-year, $4 million grant to try to change home eating habits to help curb obesity.
As a scientist and tropical fruit Extension specialist, Jonathan Crane has spent most of his adult life trying to help South Florida farmers grow crops in the Sunshine State’s hot, humid weather.
By letting participants eat UF/IFAS-developed blueberries and by measuring their sweet preferences, scientists at the Monell Center in Philadelphia found that children are more sensitive to slight variations in the sweetness of blueberries. In fact, children have a higher “bliss point” for the sweetness of fructose -- one of the main sugars in blueberries.
More than half the cattle in the world live in hot and humid environments, including about 40 percent of beef cows in the United States, Mateescu said. By using genomic tools, researchers aim to produce an animal with superior ability to adapt to hot living conditions and produce top-quality beef.
Sabine Grunwald likes to get her hands dirty, and in the process, try to conserve the environment.
Cows and humans have something in common: If you take better care of the mother during pregnancy, her children are likely to be healthier – and this impact should last a lifetime, a University of Florida scientist says.
Jorge Rey, director of the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, went to the nation’s capital to talk about how organizations can work together to control mosquitoes that transmit – or “vector” -- the virus.
UF/IFAS assistant professor Shinsuke Agehara said that the ‘Imperial Artichoke’ shows the most promise of growing in Florida’s warm, humid climate. Growers will need to use a natural plant hormone called gibberellic acid to maximize growth.
Among his many goals, Jason Ferrell hopes to work with state agencies and UF/IFAS Extension faculty to bridge the knowledge gap among some clientele. Some of those clients seem to have qualms about such invasive control techniques as pesticides or herbicides, Ferrell said.
A University of Florida entomologist is working with other scientists to detect the Zika virus in minutes, rather than days or weeks, allowing for faster and more targeted mosquito control practices and detection in patient samples.
Researchers say this will help growers as they try to manage pests in areas where they cause the most trouble.
We've just begun National Dairy Month, a good time to remind consumers where their milk and other dairy products come from. UF/IFAS researchers use genomic testing to ensure farmers produce the best dairy cattle.
“Basically, cow’s milk helps to meet nutrient needs, and some research suggests it may help to protect against some of the major chronic diseases,” said Gail Kauwell, a UF/IFAS professor in food science and human nutrition.
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