Faculty, staff and students at University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) welcomed 65 seventh graders Tuesday from Tomlin Middle School in Plant City on Tuesday. The annual tour provides the students exposure to labs, greenhouses, fields and up-close demonstrations of techniques and research at the center. The morning began with …
Anthracnose Awareness: UF/IFAS Encourages Growers to be Wary of Disease
By Clint Thompson Incidences of anthracnose are on the rise in cucurbits in the Southeast. They’ve already impacted production in Georgia. Experts in Florida want producers to be wary of the disease. While this past season’s dry spring spared Florida production, anthracnose is still a concern for Gary Vallad, professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida Institute of …
UF Faculty Part of National Team Awarded $7.5 Million USDA-NIFA Grant
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – A University of Florida plant pathologist is part of a national team studying ambrosia beetles in fruit trees and woody ornamental crops, thanks to a $7.5 million federal grant. University of Florida (UF) plant pathologist Romina Gazis, who studies fungal-associated diseases affecting many types of tropical and subtropical crops, and her colleagues received a grant from the …
UF Researcher: Cover Crops Replenish Soil
By Clint Thompson Johan Desaeger, Assistant Professor of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, believes in cover crops so much he quotes the United States’ first president in making his argument. “We’ve got to take care of our soils. George Washington, he was a farmer, …
Federal Funding: UF Citrus Faculty Secure Resources in Fight Against Citrus Greening
LAKE ALFRED, Fla — Three USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program grants totaling more than $2.2 million will help University of Florida citrus researchers in their fight against citrus greening disease. In addition, UF/IFAS researchers are serving in leadership roles in two other multi-million-dollar grants awarded to other research institutions across …
UF Researchers Identify Broccoli Genes That Impact Freshness
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The clock is ticking. As soon as a head of broccoli is harvested, an internal freshness clock starts the countdown. Eventually, that crisp, green broccoli crown wilts and yellows. A study published in the journal Postharvest Biology and Technology from a team of scientists at the University of Florida, Kansas State University and Virginia Tech offers new …
Blueberry Gall Midge: UF/IFAS Scientists Studying Insect’s Behavioral Patterns
By Clint Thompson University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are studying one of blueberries’ main pests to provide better management options for Florida growers. The blueberry gall midge has become more problematic for blueberry growers in the past two decades. Its larvae feed on southern highbush blueberry and rabbiteye floral and vegetative buds. Severe feeding …
Hops Research: UF/IFAS Scientist Discusses Challenges, Advancements of Crop
By Clint Thompson Hops research at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is still in its infancy, but progress has been made. In fact, the main hurdle for hops to become a sustainably viable crop is for investment into a processing facility, says Shinsuke Agehara, UF/IFAS assistant professor of horticulture. “Even if we find a …
Biological Control: UF Research Testing New Measures for Mites in Blueberries
By Clint Thompson Biological applications may be Florida blueberry growers’ best management strategy for long-lasting control of mites. Oscar Liburd, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Professor and Fruit and Vegetable IPM Program leader, said resistance concerns are forcing researchers to consider alternative control measures. “One of the problems is that if we continue using the …
Citrus Q&A: UF/IFAS CREC to Host Open House, Field Day
LAKE ALFRED, Fla. — University of Florida (UF) Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) researchers want to answer questions citrus growers may have to produce a crop successfully and safely amid citrus greening disease. Citrus farmers can get those questions answered during a UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) open house and field day on Tuesday, Nov 16. …