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.
Experts from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences can provide insight about hurricane preparation, agricultural crops, tree damage, hurricane-proofing your home and more.
“Grasses do not need as much water as most people are applying,” said Jason Kruse, a UF/IFAS associate professor of environmental horticulture. "What most people do not understand when it comes to their lawns is that all of our warm-season turfgrasses can survive periods of drought.”
Extension experts can provide an irrigation audit, which will help you troubleshoot spots where perhaps the sprinklers are not wetting the soil uniformly. It may be tempting to run the sprinklers more often when we see dry spots in the lawn, but the problem may be more related to how uniformly the sprinkler heads are covering the lawn than to the amount of time they run.
About 13 percent of American households experienced food-insecurity in 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That is 29.1 million adults and 13.1 million children. Within that group are more than 3 million Florida residents.
UF/IFAS researchers have discovered that a mandarin hybrid developed by colleagues contains cellular activity – known as metabolites -- that makes it more able to fend off greening than most other types of citrus.
Termites may be “pretty” in the eyes of a scientist, but don’t let good looks fool you: The prettier termites are more destructive than their uglier counterparts, a University of Florida researcher says.
“There is interest in this topic as we try to improve our decision-making tools,” said Kati Migliaccio, a UF/IFAS professor of agricultural and biological engineering and co-author of a new Extension document. “Rainfall is one of the most variable factors used in our tools -- thus determining better information or combining information may help us provide better tools.”
Shortly before her retirement, UF/IFAS plant pathology professor Monica Elliott talked about the past, present and predicted future of the health of Florida palm trees. She spoke at this week's meeting of the Florida Phytopathological Society.
With help from cattle producers, UF/IFAS researchers hope to develop Brahman cattle that can tolerate heat better, produce more tender meat and improve their fertility.
Now that we're in National Strawberry Month, UF/IFAS associate professor Vance Whitaker breeds strawberries, and UF/IFAS nutrition experts provide input on the outstanding nutrients of strawberries.
Contaminated food puts humans at risk of serious illness worldwide. With that in mind, UF/IFAS researchers wanted to know how people get their information about food safety and what sources they trust.
“Housing the FDOC and CREC scientists at the same location has brought together the expertise needed to address any issue facing the Florida citrus industry, from the field to the grocery store shelf, and everywhere in between,” said Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus REC.
Wendell Porter, a senior lecturer in the UF/IFAS department of agricultural and biological engineering, offers hints to save energy: Change the temperature on your thermostat by 1 degree. Change the temperature on your hot water tank from 130 to 120. Turn off your home entertainment system overnight and while you’re at work. “Then get addicted to the habits,” Porter said. “It’s all about the money to me.”
You swish around a sip of organic wine in your mouth and it might tempt your taste buds, but that doesn’t mean you’ll pay more for it, a new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study shows.
UF/IFAS entomology associate professor Chelsea Smartt led a research team that found Zika RNA in Aedes albopictus. That’s not the species -- known as Aedes aegypti -- most often associated with Zika. But scientists have never discounted Aedes albopictus as another possible carrier of the potentially deadly virus.
UF/IFAS scientists toil for years creating and enhancing many of the foods we consume and plants we enjoy. When it comes to plant breeding, UF/IFAS is a global leader. In fact, UF/IFAS is ranked as a top-10 horticulture program in the 2017 Center for World University Rankings. Many of UF/IFAS’ tastiest creations will be available for consumption or on display at this year’s Flavors of Florida event.
Many people love their avocados – not to mention guacamole dip. So it was bad enough when scientists said a beetle was ravaging avocado trees in South Florida. Then scientists found out that the redbay ambrosia beetle -- originally determined to transmit laurel wilt -- is rare in avocado groves but that six other beetle species could carry the laurel wilt pathogen.
Consumers want produce that tickles their taste buds and is easy on the eye, but they think quality fruits and vegetables are a matter of luck, according to University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers.
This good news comes as Florida growers head into the heart of blueberry season.
Male jumping spiders will try to mate with any female, but that lack of discretion could cost them their lives, says a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher.
Environmentally, proper lawn care can help prevent nutrients from flowing into nearby waterways, said Jason Kruse, a UF/IFAS associate professor of environmental horticulture. Mowing helps increase canopy density, increases soil stability and prevents soil erosion. These changes in the lawn will help limit fertilizer and other nutrients from flowing into waterways, Kruse said.
"UF/IFAS is making a difference with our limited water resources,” said Laura Warner, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of agricultural education and communication. “Seemingly small drops in the bucket really add up when we look at the big picture across the state and over time.”
Researchers based their assessment on responses to a survey of 1,052 respondents. The poll shows 46 percent are “water considerate;” 44 percent of the participants are what researchers classified as “water savvy conservationists” and 9 percent are not concerned about water conservation.
Florida’s winters are usually dry, but the wet winter of 2015-2016 helped spread pathogens that destroyed ornamental plants in Miami-Dade County. That’s a problem in an area where the industry generated an estimated $998 million annually in sales in 2015, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers say.
According to a national survey conducted by UF/IFAS researcher Joy Rumble, consumers could be more aware of Florida's growing peach population. But Rumble also found consumers like to eat peaches as a snack, which she sees as a marketing opportunity.
Even after an insecticide bait weakens Formosan subterranean termites, a neighboring colony will invade the same area and meet the identical lethal fate, new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences research shows. The research finding is key for a pest that accounts for much of the $32 billion annual cost caused by subterranean termites worldwide.
They are known as gloomy scales, and these insects can make a red maple tree’s life downright dreary. This is because the arthropods feed and thrive on them, especially in warm and dry urban landscapes.
As we head into allergy season, you may feel less likely to grab a hanky and sneeze. UF/IFAS research shows a probiotic combination might help reduce hay fever symptoms.
Water conservation will be one of many topics at this year’s UF/IFAS Urban Landscape Conference, scheduled for March 16-17 in Gainesville, Florida. Protecting the water Floridians will need for the 15 million additional residents projected to live here 50 years from now means getting today’s 20 million Floridians to conserve water, says University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor Michael Dukes.
“We really look at this study and South Korea as information to see if we can increase younger consumers in other countries,” said Lisa House, a UF/IFAS professor of food and resource economics and a study co-author. In addition to eating grapefruit, South Koreans also use grapefruit in beer, tea and ice cream, so marketing opportunities abound.
RSS
Medicine keyboard_arrow_right
Sciencekeyboard_arrow_right
Life keyboard_arrow_right
Business keyboard_arrow_right
Journal News keyboard_arrow_right
By Location keyboard_arrow_right
Meetings, Grants, and Events keyboard_arrow_right