University of Florida (UF) officials recognized a team of research scientists with a High Impact Research Publication award for an article published in the May 2018 edition of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, an international scholarly science journal. The publication, “Identification of the Achilles heels of the laurel wilt pathogen and its beetle vector,” introduces new pest management tactics for South …
UF/IFAS Hosts First Muscadine Grape Field Day in Citra
By Karla Arboleda On July 16, growers visited the University of Florida’s (UF) Plant Science Research and Education Unit to hear about the future of the muscadine grape industry in Florida. About 130 attendees listened to presentations on cultural practices, potential health benefits and production methods for muscadine grapes. The native Florida crop has been gaining more popularity among growers …
UF/IFAS Vice President to Retire in 2020
By Karla Arboleda After serving nearly 10 years as the senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), Jack Payne announced he will retire next year. His last day with UF/IFAS will be July 1, 2020. Payne has overseen Extension offices across Florida and its 12 research and …
Farm Bureau Leader: UF/IFAS Analysis Shows the Destructive Effects of Mexican Farm Imports
Gainesville, Fla. (FFBF) – A new economic analysis conducted by a University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) team has confirmed that Mexican imports have significantly harmed fruit and vegetable producers in the Sunshine State. A steadily increasing surge of Mexican products has entered the U.S. domestic market during Florida’s peak winter seasons since the North American Free Trade …
Industrial Hemp A Featured Topic at UF/IFAS Ag Policy Conference Feb. 26 in Balm
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Industrial hemp may soon be a financially significant crop in Florida, and an expert with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities related to this fledgling industry at the fourth annual Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference in Balm. The conference happens 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. …
UF/IFAS Turfgrass Specialist Gets International Extension Award
As a child in Dodge City, Kansas, Bryan Unruh grew up in 4-H. During his first year in the organization, he attended a lawn mower safety school taught by the county agriculture agent. That summer he mowed three lawns every week. In fact, he calls himself “a product of the Cooperative Extension Service.” In high school, Unruh envisioned himself as …
UF/IFAS Experts: Growers Ready for Freezes
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When the next frost threatens Florida’s crops, growers will do their best to make sure your favorite foods are protected from the potentially crippling chill, say University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences experts. For example, citrus growers use wind machines and micro-sprinklers to ensure freezing temperatures don’t ruin the fruit, said Chris Oswalt, a …
Two UF/IFAS Researchers Earn Prestigious Honor
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 …
UF/IFAS Earns Record $166 Million for Research to Help Solve Critical Issues
Funding for research projects from federal, state and private sources at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences hit a record $166 million in fiscal year 2017-2018. Grant support underwrites programs that include feeding a hungry world, improving nutrition among at-risk populations and ensuring sufficient safe water for a growing global population. As just a few examples …
UF/IFAS-led Study May Lead to More Heat-Tolerant Rice
Rice, the most widely consumed food crop in the world, takes a beating in hot weather. To combat the high temperatures, a global group of scientists, led by a University of Florida researcher, has found the genetic basis to breed a more heat-tolerant rice cultivar. “The productivity of rice, one of the three major cereal grains feeding the world, is …