By taking a more holistic approach to challenging issues facing Florida, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers will share more and better information about water and land use, including farming and urban landscapes, with the establishment of a new center.
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professors Senthold Asseng and Frank Asche co-wrote an article published in the journal Science Robotics in which they say: “the farmers of the future are likely to be data scientists, programmers and robot wranglers.”
Imagine using a robotic arm to grip and puncture the trunk of a citrus tree to deliver chemicals into the vascular parts of the plant, reducing its susceptibility to the citrus greening disease.
Nian Wang, a professor of microbiology and cell science with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, will help an investigation in which researchers take the best genes from one plant and transfer them into another. With that combination, Wang and the research team believe they’ll move closer to growers’ goal of citrus that copes better with greening.
As we enter February, which is American Heart Month, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences nutrition expert gives several suggestions to help you keep your heart pumping blood as it should.
Commercial citrus growers will soon see a new seedless mandarin variety that stays on the tree longer, two traits farmers seek, say University of Florida scientists.
The research from the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences focused on using Strava, a GPS-based app, to analyze bicycling patterns in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
For years, University of Florida scientists looked for a few characteristics in a more desirable strawberry. Among those traits was a higher yield in November and December -- the early part of the Florida season when prices are highest. They also sought better fruit for the consumer. That meant a longer shelf life, better flavor, improved shape and other traits, said Vance Whitaker, an associate professor of horticultural sciences at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
In newly published research, scientists including Jamie Foster at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences studied the genome of the bobtail squid to find out how the cephalopod’s symbiotic organs evolved. Such findings give them clues about how microbes have helped shape the evolution of animals, she said.
Sandra Guzmán will lead the center’s irrigation and hydrology program.
The new person will fill a vacancy created by the retirement of internationally recognized professor Ed Gilman. Among his contributions, Gilman conducted considerable research and Extension to help the public protect trees against wind damage.
Among their many accomplishments, one may be best known for trying to grow plants in space; the other, for helping growers battle bacterial spot disease of tomato.
Not only can growers learn the newest information, they’ll find out about approaches to commercializing new citrus varieties.
Bill Thatcher won the award, one of the more than 20 scientific awards he has received during his academic career.
When he was planting rice in valley swamps in Sierra Leone many years ago, Robert Gilbert never imagined he’d be a dean at the University of Florida. But now, here he is: dean of research at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station.
When consumers buy wheat products, such as bread or pasta, they expect to get protein with their purchase. But in a warming world with high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, the genes required to keep wheat production high are the same ones that keep grain protein down, a University of Florida scientist says.
As of three years ago, about 175 macaques were estimated to live in the park. Without intervention, the population will increase to about 350 by 2022, according to a new UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study.
If lactating dairy cattle get too hot, they don’t produce as much milk, and that can add up to economic losses of more than $1 billion a year in the U.S. alone, University of Florida researchers say. This loss can easily double if dry cows -- those in late pregnancy that are not lactating -- suffer from heat stress.
Researchers with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences used the yellow fever mosquito -- known scientifically as Aedes aegypti -- to see how the nutrition of parents influences their young.
For seven years, the Healthy Gulf, Healthy Communities project helped Florida and Alabama residents recover from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and provided research opportunities for faculty members with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and collaborating institutions. Now, Healthy Gulf, Healthy Communities has been honored with a prestigious W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award, which recognizes collaborative efforts between university personnel and members of individual communities.
As we begin Farm City Week, UF/IFAS faculty are teaching food pantry clients how to make their food more nutritious
As we sit down to partake of the annual Thanksgiving feast, it’s worth noting that much of what we eat comes from Florida farmers, say University of Florida researchers. Better still, scientists with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences try to see if they can breed and grow certain crops in Florida to help growers and consumers.
As we head toward 2019, we’ll see more nutrient-loaded, lesser-known foods; an increased ability to trace food sources and more plants on your plate.
A new University of Florida-developed forecasting system could help citrus growers control postbloom fruit drop this winter, despite the predicted El Niño weather pattern that’s expected to bring more rain and moderate temperatures.
Hungry Formosan termites farm antibiotics from their homes, which they make from their own recycled fecal waste, new University of Florida research shows. These beneficial bacteria make the destructive bugs immune to natural control methods.
With the updated technology, a laser shoots infra-red energy pulses at citrus tree leaves. That energy cracks the cuticles on the leaves and increases the penetration of agrochemicals – including bactericides -- into the leaves by more than 4,000 percent.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef and one of Australia's top tourist destinations, but its coral colonies have been dying at a startling rate in recent years and scientists believe that high levels of nitrogen in reef waters have played a role in the crisis.
Several Panhandle counties are facing similar circumstances to that found in Jackson County, said Judy Biss, director of UF/IFAS Extension Calhoun County.
Preliminary research results suggest that young, HLB-affected trees benefit most from a “full ration” of water, a finding that surprised researchers.
Grant support underwrites programs that include feeding a hungry world, improving nutrition among at-risk populations and ensuring sufficient safe water for a growing global population.
The Gulf Sea Grant oil spill science outreach team -- which includes Monica Wilson of UF/IFAS -- -- received the National Superior Programming Award for its work synthesizing research results related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Rice, the most widely consumed food crop in the world, takes a beating in hot weather. To combat the high temperatures, a global group of scientists, led by a University of Florida researcher, has found the genetic basis to breed a more heat-tolerant rice cultivar.
Lauren Diepenbrock works as the lead citrus extension entomologist focused on integrated pest management (IPM) programs at the Citrus Research and Education Center.
Millions of pine trees dot the southern landscape, and they’re susceptible to many diseases, including pitch canker.
Not only are pumpkins cool as a front porch decoration, they're healthy to eat, especially they're seeds.
The state of Florida spent $365 million on springs’ restoration over the last seven years, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Given the value Florida puts on its springs, Xiang Bi led a study in which she and her colleagues wanted to estimate the recreational benefits for springs’ users.
Formosan and Asian subterranean termites are responsible for most of the $32 billion in economic damage to structures worldwide, UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers say.
While crayfish are known as those little, lobster-like crustaceans eaten by some as a delicacy in soups, bisques and étouffées and are used by others as fish bait, Lindsey Reisinger and her team want to use the crayfish as a model for how animals’ behavior changes the environment and vice-versa.
The University of Florida’s pilot research program to explore the potential to grow industrial hemp across the state is advancing, with the engagement of an inaugural private partner. The initiative was supported and encouraged by the state but was not appropriated any funding. To move forward, the project needs sponsorships from private industry. Green Roads Inc. has invested $1.3 million to sponsor the first phase of the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences research program.
Start spreading the news – and the peanut butter! From Oct. 1 to Nov. 21, you can donate unopened jars of peanut butter to hungry Panhandle families through the Peanut Butter Challenge, a project coordinated by UF/IFAS Extension faculty and volunteers.
University of Florida scientists are finding that by covering new citrus trees with mesh, they can keep disease-carrying insects from harming the plants. That could be a big step toward stemming the deadly citrus greening disease, UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers say.
A system designed to protect citrus trees from the deadly greening disease withstood the ravaging winds of Hurricane Irma last year, University of Florida scientists say. With reinforcements installed after the storm, they’ll likely withstand even more dangerous storms. Using Citrus Under Protective Screening, or “CUPS,” growers can keep the Asian citrus psyllid away from their trees.
Consumers say they’ll pay more for strawberries grown in a manner that is sustainable, the research shows. Researchers defined “sustainable” as production methods that help keep the ecosystem healthy. More specifically, researchers described five sustainable practices: less fertilizer, less pesticide and fewer negative impacts on air, soil and water quality.
The podcast, “All in for Citrus,” will launch the last week in September and will feature short interviews with scientists working to find solutions to citrus greening and other devastating citrus diseases.
Unusually high levels of mosquito-borne virus transmission to sentinel chickens, horses and humans have been reported so far this summer.
Low crop production can grow into a national and global security issue, said Jim Anderson, director of the UF/IFAS Institute for Sustainable Food Systems.
To help meet consumer demand for more flavorful mangos without grit or fibrous flesh, University of Florida scientists will try to identify superior varieties so mango producers can choose the best types of the fruit to grow in the Sunshine State.
Findings Suggest Rootstock Choice May Be One Key to Optimizing Yields and Tree Health
Sam Hutton, an associate professor of horticultural sciences at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, will use a new $490,000 federal grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to find ways to develop improved varieties that contain genes to help tomatoes thwart Fusarium wilt.
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