(UF/IFAS) — A plant breeder and a food scientist, both with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), will join a $12.8 million, multistate research grant to broaden the nation’s blueberry breeding capabilities. For the project, Patricio Muñoz, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of horticultural sciences and Charlie Sims, a UF/IFAS professor of food science and human …
Finger Limes for the Specialty Produce Market
By Manjul Dutt, Edward “Gilly” Evans, Jude Grosser and Aditya Singh Finger limes are 2- to 4-inch, finger-shaped, cylindrical fruits belonging to the citrus family. They taste like limes but are generally less sour. Finger limes are native to the Australian rainforests. The trees are found growing wild in the coastal regions of western Australia and have been used for …
Kevin Folta Receives 2019 American Agri-Women’s Veritas Award
(UF/IFAS) — Kevin Folta, a University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences horticulture professor with a distinguished career in strawberry genetics, was honored with the Veritas award by American Agri-Women (AAW) at their recent convention in Tigard, Oregon. The Veritas award is the highest award given by AAW to a non-member. It is presented annually to a person who …
Watermelon Institute Meeting Focuses on Disease Management
By Karla Arboleda Faculty and staff at University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) focused on disease management at the 2019 Suwannee Valley Watermelon Institute meeting on Dec. 3. Among the attendees were growers, trade show exhibitors and UF/IFAS employees. The event included a disease management workshop and updates on the watermelon industry. WATERMELON DISEASES Nicholas Dufault, …
Research Addressing Hemp Production Challenges
Future growers of industrial hemp in Florida will have the advantage of research being conducted now by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services expects Florida farmers will be allowed to legally plant industrial hemp in 2020. Zach Brym, agronomist at the Tropical Research and Education Center in …
UF Researchers Developing Combinations of Fumigants to Fight Nutsedge
By Karla Arboleda Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) are developing fumigant combinations to fight nutsedge. Nathan Boyd, an associate professor of horticulture at UF/IFAS, said options are limited when trying to control the weed. “Nutsedge is a problem because it’s the only weed that punctures the plastic mulch that we use,” Boyd …
Pumpkin, Calabaza Breeding Program Set to Carve Out New Niche Market for Growers
(UF/IFAS) — Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Shultz yielded popularity to an almighty pumpkin in the 1966 animated TV Special “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.” Today, pumpkin popularity for holiday decor, healthy snacking, and scrumptious recipes during fall and winter months has given rise to innovative research led by Geoffrey Meru, assistant professor of vegetable breeding, genetics and genomics at …
Hemp Helps Draw Record Crowd at Florida Ag Expo
By Ernie Neff and Tacy Callies A record crowd of almost 1,000 filled the seminars and trade show at Florida Ag Expo (FAE). The event took place on Nov. 21 in Wimauma at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC). The number of growers attending also set a record …
Tropical Research and Education Center to Host Open House
(UF/IFAS) — On Dec. 4, the South Florida community has an opportunity to engage in innovative, high-tech research at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC) open house. The center, located at 18905 Southwest 280th Street in the heart of Homestead, is a hub of research and development that helps South Florida be one of the world’s leading agricultural and …
New Bed Design Can Save Growers Money
(UF/IFAS) — From Florida to Virginia, farmers are enjoying the fruits of Sanjay Shukla’s labor. His compact-bed geometry system allows growers to plant crops in tall soil beds, and the result is thousands of dollars in annual savings. New research by Shukla and his team shows that with savings of up to $102,000 per crop, annually, for a typical, 250-acre …