agriculture

Florida Commercial Hemp Production Not Yet Approved

Web AdminHemp, Top Posts

By Karla Arboleda and Abbey Taylor Industrial hemp could be the next cash crop in Florida. However, there are many details to complete and hoops to jump through before growers can get their hands on the hemp. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Hemp Pilot Program strives to give growers the answers they need regarding …

UF Eyes Butterfly Pea as Natural Food-Color Source

Web AdminFlorida, Horticulture, Industry News Release, Research

It provides a natural food coloring. It gives nurseries another ornamental to grow and sell, and it might provide health benefits to those who eat it with their food. It is the Butterfly Pea, and University of Florida researchers are studying the flower to see if it will grow in Florida. Much of what we eat every day contains added …

Battling Silk Flies in South Florida Sweet Corn

Web AdminCorn, Pests, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Julien Beuzelin South Florida sweet corn growers continue to face two major insect problems: fall armyworms and corn silk flies. The two pests can be devastating, but corn silk flies are more challenging to manage than fall armyworms under current production practices. Three silk fly species have been reported to cause the majority of the damage: Euxesta eluta, Euxesta …

Experiencing the Flavors of Florida

Web AdminFlorida, Produce, Top Posts

Every year, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) welcomes agriculture industry leaders to the UF campus in Gainesville to experience Flavors of Florida. The annual event took place on April 11 in the Champions Club overlooking Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The event kicked off with some short comments from Jack Payne, UF/IFAS senior vice president, …

Suppress the Weeds, Not the Crop

Web AdminTomatoes, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

Understanding herbicide injury in tomatoes can help growers protect their investment. By Ramdas Kanissery, Nathan Boyd and Camille McAvoy Herbicides are designed to control undesired plants within a cropping system. Crop injury can occur when herbicides are applied incorrectly. For example, injury can be the result of drift, volatilization, runoff, tank contamination or misapplication of a product. INJURY SYMPTOMS Injury …

Smart Sprayer Technology for Better Weed Control

Web AdminProduce, Research, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Arnold Schumann, Nathan Boyd, Shaun Sharpe and Jialin Yu Most vegetable and strawberry crops in Florida are grown on raised, fumigated soil beds covered with plastic mulch and fertigated with drip tape. Fortunately, the plastic mulch suppresses most weeds that would otherwise grow rapidly and outcompete the crops in Florida’s warm subtropical climate. The open holes that are punched …

seeds

UF Researchers Develop Model to Help Keep Crop Seeds Healthy

Web AdminFlorida, Industry News Release, Research, Seeds

Working with international researchers, University of Florida scientists have developed a model that will help protect good seeds, which are necessary to plant healthy crops and determine what areas are at higher risk for unhealthy seeds. In many parts of the world, people lack adequate access to nutritious food because there aren’t enough quality seeds for food production, said Karen …

strawberries

It Could Be Lights Out for Some Diseases and Pests in Strawberries

Web AdminFruit, Industry News Release, Research, Strawberry

Natalia Peres envisions a day when light from a machine that resembles a spacecraft helps prevent powdery mildew from causing much damage to strawberries. Peres, a professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, works with a global group of scientists studying how to use ultraviolet light to suppress plant pathogens. Powdery mildew …

Farm Bureau Gears Up to Fight for Florida Ag

Web AdminFlorida, Legislative, Top Posts

The Florida legislative session begins next week, and Florida Farm Bureau (FFB) is ready for a busy session. Adam Basford, FFB legislative affairs director, is gearing up to fight for Florida agriculture. Every year, FFB has multiple priorities to bring to legislators. For this session, one of the biggest focus points will be on the damage caused by Hurricane Michael, …

The Pepper Weevil Problem

Web AdminPests, Top Posts

By Ernie Neff University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomologist Hugh Smith says the pepper weevil is a major challenge to growers because it’s “a primary pest that directly attacks the marketable part of the fruit.” Smith, associate professor at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma, says the pepper weevil attacks all types …