UF/IFAS Researchers Pioneer Techniques to Boost Passion Fruit Production

Clint ThompsonFlorida

With Florida in peak passion fruit season, researchers are eyeing the sweet tropical fruit as a cash crop. At $3 per fruit at some supermarkets, farmers are able to receive $5 per pound for their harvest, according to Ali Sarkhosh, associate professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) horticultural sciences department. This price shows …

UF/IFAS Scientists Studying Whether Cover Crops, Compost Can Increase Tomato Efficiency

Clint ThompsonFlorida

Specialty crop producers are always looking for ways to increase their yields and boost the ability of their crops to resist pests, diseases and heat spurred by climate change. That’s particularly the case when you grow crops in a high-intensity production system, which farmers use to produce tomatoes in Florida. Such systems require a lot of water, nutrients and chemicals …

Agricultural Safety Center, UF/IFAS Release Heat-Related Illness Toolkit

Clint ThompsonFlorida

The Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS) and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have partnered to create an online toolkit to help protect agricultural workers from the summer heat. Last year’s sweltering summer temperatures convinced SCCAHS leadership that additional promotion about heat-related illness education could save lives. Even before the summer …

From Hops to Pellets: UF/IFAS Scientists Meeting Craft Brewer Demand

Clint ThompsonFlorida

Many craft brewers prefer to make their product using hops pellets because of several advantages they provide over whole cone hops. To address a request by Tampa Bay-area craft brewers, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are converting the crop they grow into pellets. “Brewers use several forms of hops to make beer, including pellets, …

Chilli Thrips Control: UF/IFAS Study Shows How Strawberry Growers Can Use Less Pesticides

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Strawberry

Florida strawberry growers can use less pesticide and save money as they attempt to control chilli thrips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research shows. An invasive pest in the southeastern United States, chilli thrips was introduced to the United States from Southeast Asia. The first report in Florida came in 1991 in Okeechobee County and …

UF/IFAS Scientists Find New Way to Keep Broccoli Fresher, Longer

Clint ThompsonFlorida

When consumers go to the grocery store, they want their produce, including broccoli, to look, feel and taste fresh. This desire compels University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher Tie Liu to study ways to keep vegetables fresh. Liu and his colleagues studied in newly published research the physiological and molecular mechanisms of two treatments: 1-Methylcyclopropene …

UF/IFAS Researchers Work to Make Beer Hops a Viable Florida Crop

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Hops

Although plenty of Florida’s craft brewers advertise their libations as brewed with state-grown ingredients, a vital ingredient – hops – is not readily available within the Sunshine State. A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) study currently underway, however, may help pave the way for a robust crop of Florida-grown hops. UF/IFAS researchers believe they have …

Mango Season Taking Shape: UF/IFAS Experts Offer Views

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Mangos

The 2023 mango season erupted with an abundance of fruit last year. Will that be the case for 2024? What can researchers tell mango devotees as the early signs of fruiting begin to show? It is a busy time for two experts at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) in Homestead, as they begin to …

Machine-Harvestable Tomatoes Available from UF/IFAS

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Tomatoes

Ever since Florida farmers have been producing tomatoes, they’ve picked them by hand or hired laborers. It’s painstaking work that might be made easier soon with machine-harvestable tomatoes developed by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers. Now that the varieties are available, growers in Florida’s $400 million-a-year industry hope they can use mechanized harvesting, but doubts …

UF/IFAS Researchers Address Issues Facing Indoor Farms

Clint ThompsonFlorida

Across the globe, people are increasingly turning to greenhouses and indoor vertical farms to grow commodities. The systems use far less land than conventional farms, reducing some environmental impacts, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers say. They also require less transportation to move the food to consumers, because they tend to be in or near urban …