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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. The two University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professors have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Robert Ferl, a UF/IFAS professor of horticultural …
Money set aside annually for the restoration of the Everglades and other waterways should also help end the use of septic tanks, a former House speaker suggested Monday as a panel considered potential environmental policies for Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis. Former Speaker Steve Crisafulli said the incoming governor should tap the “Legacy Florida” funding to aid conversions from septic tanks to …
By Donglin Zhang Tea (Camellia sinensis) is a native plant to China with more than 3,000 years of cultivation. Like its cousins, sasanqua and Japanese camellias, tea has been grown in the continental United States for more than 150 years. But due to the costs of processing, cultivation and labor, it has never become a large-scale cash crop. With growing …
Several growers traveled to LaBelle, Florida, on Tuesday to view research plots by Seminis, a Bayer company. The Seminis plots test new and existing varieties of produce, such as cucumber, squash, tomato, watermelon, pepper, lettuce and green bean. Emily Standley, brand communications manager for Bayer CropScience, says events like this are great for growers to exchange ideas and hear what …
The Water Resources Analysis Coalition (WRAC) held a public forum this morning along with some board members of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). Brandon Tucker, governing board member of SFWMD and WRAC facilitator, says he was happy with how the forum went and the discussions that took place. One hot topic during the forum was the Everglades Agricultural …
Seed industry members should mark their calendars for the American Seed Trade Association’s (ASTA) Vegetable and Flower Seed Conference. This event will take place Feb. 1–5, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida. Andy LaVigne, president and CEO of ASTA, says the Vegetable and Flower Seed Conference has rapidly grown over the years. “It’s becoming quite the …
By Breanna Kendrick A new trend researchers at the University of Florida are noticing is that people are spending more money eating out rather than cooking at home. The average household spends well over $3,000 per year dining out. According to Nan Jensen, an Extension agent with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in Pinellas County, …
By Breanna Kendrick According to Ali Sarkhosh, assistant professor of tree fruit at the University of Florida, peach growers in Florida should consider the leaves on their peach trees during two times of the year. The first time is after harvesting the fruit in June, July and August. He says it’s important to keep the leaves on trees during this …
By Kevin M. Folta The Andes Mountains are home to great botanical diversity and are the origin of many vegetable species consumed in North America. Worldwide mainstays such as peppers, cassava, potato and tomato all have evolutionary connections to this area, from which over 200 plant species have been domesticated. The vast diversity arises from variation in geographical features, as …
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement regarding the signing of the new trade pact, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), replacing the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): “I have often said that we live in the best neighborhood on Earth – North America – and the signing of a new trade agreement with Mexico and …
