UF/IFAS researchers will get help from scientists at Iowa State University, the University of Wisconsin, Washington State University and the USDA to conduct the study. The grant comes from the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, which is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, an arm of the USDA.
Some tailgating foods come in the form of new fruit and vegetable varieties that grew out of years of research by UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences faculty in labs and fields across the state. Those delectable delights include Tasti-Lee® tomatoes, Valquarius® sweet oranges, Sugar Belle ® mandarins and Sweet Sensation® strawberries, among other cultivars.
Fred Gmitter and Jude Grosser, both UF/IFAS horticultural sciences professors, base their recommendations for the latest citrus varieties to plant on their cumulative knowledge from multiple trials.
Cows with shorter hair are cooler, and thus, more productive, said Raluca Mateescu, an associate professor of animal sciences at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. A calm cow is also more productive than an agitated one, Mateescu said.
Through funding from the state legislature-funded Citrus Initiative, Tripti Vashisth has found that leaves from greening-affected trees often show deficiencies in certain nutrients such as manganese, zinc, iron and more. This suggests that, because of greening, more of these are required and are critical for diseased plants’ survival.
Beginning this week, Florida citrus growers will have an updated resource to help them keep groves productive despite the ever-present threat of Huanglongbing, the bacterial malady also known as HLB or citrus greening disease.
In addition to antibiotic injections, scientists are trying to find the insect that transmits lethal bronzing to the trees. Bahder and his research team have been surveying symptomatic palms for about a year and so far, they’ve narrowed the list to two potential insects as possible conveyors of lethal bronzing.
Fernando Alferez, an assistant professor of horticultural sciences at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, leads a team of UF/IFAS researchers studying the effects of Homobrassinolides (HBr), a type of plant hormone, on greening-infected citrus trees.
For a new study, UF/IFAS researchers used nine years of data to find out whether snail kites are reproducing after they move, and how these findings might change conservation strategies.
From nutritional supplements to managing irrigation to grower outreach and education, UF/IFAS researchers are finding additional ways to support Florida citrus growers in their fight against citrus greening disease. Twelve projects were funded by the state legislature-funded Citrus Initiative program in 2017-2018 that looked at possible short- and long-term solutions that growers might implement now, that could impact fruit growth, reduce production costs and result in more HLB-tolerant trees.
By testing new technology, University of Florida scientists will work with growers to encourage their use of alternatives to fresh water by using new smart irrigation systems. This way, growers can lower their risk of transferring pathogens from water to crops, said Eric McLamore, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Pass the guacamole: July 31 is National Avocado Day, a good time to celebrate the traits of another delicious, nutrient-packed food and Florida crop, say University of Florida experts. While some people simply love the taste of guacamole, others also value the healthy traits of the fruit with which it’s made, the avocado.
In a new study, Barry Alto and his research group found yellow fever and Asian tiger mosquitoes – two abundant species in Florida -- can carry the Mayaro virus.
With the new variety, growers would be able to produce more market-ready peanuts, and consumers can get more of the protein-filled legume.
A UF/IFAS researcher has found root-knot nematodes in the hops-growing area of the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, but scientists think the nematodes can be controlled.
Laura Acosta, a registered dietitian at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, said three types of salads often come with lots of calories and are laden with fat and sodium.
While beef already provides plenty of nutrients, a University of Florida scientist and her colleagues are starting to find that some beef cattle breeds might be healthier than others.
As we celebrate July 1-7 as National Clean Beaches Week, thousands, if not millions of people will flock to Florida’s shorelines. If visitors leave garbage, local residents will rid the debris from the shorelines, and some will get help from UF/IFAS Extension agents.
Researchers are evaluating the ability of Florida and Brazilian mosquitoes to transmit chikungunya because the virus was transmitted in Florida as part of an outbreak throughout the Americas in 2014.
A University of Florida scientist will use the International Space Station to see if algae can help recycle carbon dioxide and eventually be used to help make plastics, resins and even food.
For desert, how about a scoop of ice cream flavored with vanilla from Florida’s farmers? Because so many consumers enjoy vanilla, University of Florida scientists hope to help Florida farmers grow the bean.
As we celebrate June as National Dairy Month, some UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences experts tout the benefits of dairy in the daily diet, while other UF/IFAS researchers help ensure cattle produce ample dairy to fill consumers’ needs.
In a new article published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Donald Behringer and one of his co-authors, post-doctoral researcher Jamie Bojko, both of the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, point out many ways organisms try to escape diseases.
They also want a landscape with pollinators, one that helps preserve the environment and one on which they can lie in a hammock for peace of mind, said Laura Warner, a UF assistant professor of agricultural education and communication.
Genetic improvement of food crops sometimes gets a bad rap, but University of Florida researchers plan to educate consumers so they can make more informed decisions at the grocery store.
Scientists hope to use trichoderma to supplement various pest-management methods to help control Fusarium wilt in crops including tomatoes, cantaloupes, peppers, eggplant, watermelon and strawberries.
Their goal is to make this form of ethanol less expensively than gasoline and help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
“The forests are natural draws for outdoor recreationists looking to see native Florida,” said Taylor Stein, a University of Florida professor of forest resources and conservation. Forests in Florida are home to all kinds of fascinating plants, trees and animals.
“Between a bouquet that lasts one or two weeks at most and an orchid that can stay in bloom for three months and live up for 15 years or longer, orchids are definitely a winner for any mom’s heart,” said UF/IFAS environmental horticulture professor Wagner Vendrame, an orchid expert.
The Department of Defense wants to know as far in advance as possible when and where these mass migrations are likeliest to happen. That way, the federal government can know when and where to deploy military force and where to send humanitarian aid, as just two possible examples.
Chelsea Smartt said her study’s finding supports that the mosquito species, known scientifically as Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes, can contain live Zika virus in saliva. To date the mosquito species Aedes aegypti is considered the primary carrier of Zika virus.
More than one in five fawns of white-tailed deer – the most economically important big-game mammal in the United States – can contract a malaria parasite, making fawns susceptible to diseases and death, a new study co-authored by a University of Florida researcher shows.
As a citizen scientist, Debbie Goad documents horseshoe crabs on beaches during specific times and days – for example, high tides and full moons. She and her colleagues also count breeding pairs. With Earth Day coming on April 22, Goad serves as an example of the many lay people who participate in the citizen science projects coordinated by UF/IFAS faculty.
UF/IFAS researchers are exploring all sorts of crops, including hops, artichokes, pomegranates, blackberries, olives and more.
Home and property owners often enhance their landscapes with the beautiful lantana, but some of the plant’s varieties may escape yards, spread to areas where they shouldn’t go and cross-pollinate Florida’s native lantana. Bloomify™ Rose and Bloomify™ Red are beautiful – so they will continue to enhance landscapes – but they don’t produce fruit and seeds, don’t spread and don’t cross-pollinate Florida’s native lantana, Lantana depressa, said Zhanao Deng, a professor of environmental horticulture at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
World-renowned University of Florida entomologist Nan-Yao Su came up with the idea for a termite-baiting system when he was a graduate student. Now, his peers in the pest management industry are recognizing Su for the global success of his invention, known as Sentricon®.
UF/IFAS researchers like Fred Gmitter saw some of the fruits of their labor consumed at this week’s Flavors of Florida event in Gainesville, Florida.
For some, the thought of a tarantula makes their skin crawl. Not Keara Clancy, a student in the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The more exotic the critter, the more she embraces it. From the time she was about 5, Clancy recalls collecting millipedes as pets at her school playground.
Imagine sinking your teeth into a fat, bright red tomato, whose aroma promises a tantalizing treat. Instead, you realize you got a great looker, but not a great taster. That’s because the consumer has been left out of the breeding process. For 20 years, Harry Klee, a professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, has been using genetics to improve flavors and smells in tomatoes and other produce that induce the consumer to buy more of them.
The guidelines cover everything from planning, design and construction of the courses to water quality and quantity used. They also cover nutrition, integrated pest management, pollinator protection and energy management, said Bryan Unruh, a UF/IFAS professor of environmental horticulture.
Not only can these invasive termites kill pine trees, they also hollow out the trunk of many other trees, including oak trees, making them structurally fragile and susceptible to hurricanes.
In the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, University of Florida researchers surveyed people in Gulf coast communities, representing 930 household members, to learn patterns of seafood consumption. A key element needed for this effort was a tool to help survey participants accurately report how much Gulf seafood they actually eat. Anne Mathews, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of food science and human nutrition, led research that examined how accurately people could report their seafood intake, based on photographs of different portion sizes of cooked seafood.
Some waters are so shallow, they're susceptible to boat propellers scarring the seagrass beds in them.
When most people walk into a grocery store, the shelves are stocked year-round with all the food they want, so they might not consider the origins of their food. Jack Payne, University of Florida senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, said it’s critical to know the origins of our food supply, and not just the sake of being aware.
Pumpkins and their seeds are good for you. For example, the flesh of the fruit is a good source of many vitamins and fiber, and its seeds provide unsaturated fats that help reduce cholesterol, among their other health benefits.
UF/IFAS faculty are working with scientists campus-wide and across the globe to help improve the nutrition of children in Ethiopia and other nations with malnourished children.
When you go online, do you want a flowery review of groceries, or do you want a write-up that’s more straightforward and factual? A new University of Florida study shows consumers find the “just-the-facts” approach more useful.
For years, scientists have argued about whether managing both nitrogen and phosphorus – versus managing strictly phosphorus or just nitrogen – would control harmful algal blooms.
The Florida torreya is the most endangered tree in North America. And it may soon disappear entirely. But scientists such as the University of Florida’s Jason Smith are ready to fight for the species, which is a critical part of its native ecosystem in the Florida Panhandle. That’s why he and other leading researchers and conservationists from across the country are headed to the Torreya Tree of Life event next week to develop a rescue plan.
About 25 years ago, University of Florida scientist Nan-Yao Su set out to develop a bait to kill termites. He came up with Sentricon™ and found it worked better than any other termite-killing method to date. Now, scientists know more about why the bait works so efficiently and how to improve it to kill termite colonies faster.
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