Farmers, nursery managers and others can get a glimpse of the latest and greatest University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research into tomatoes, strawberries, hemp, hops and ornamental plants at the annual Florida Ag Expo at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. Informative sessions will fill the day, with events running from 7:30 a.m. …
Growers Should Manage Tomato Bacterial Spot While Seedlings Are in Transplant Facilities
New findings from University of Florida scientists could help tomato growers nationwide in their battle against a damaging disease. With 37,000 acres, Florida’s tomato industry is a $520 million-a-year crop, so it’s critical to find sources of diseases so growers can avoid or treat them to sustain their yields. But a bacterium called Xanthomonas can cause bacterial spot in tomatoes, …
Dorian’s Swing Threatens 770,000 Acres of Ag Land in Florida East Coast Counties
GAINESVILLE, FL (UF/IFAS) — Hurricane Dorian began its much-anticipated northward swing Tuesday morning and is now expected to skirt Florida’s Atlantic coast, threatening a dozen coastal counties that are home to 9 million residents and more than 770,000 acres of agricultural land. Though most agricultural production in these counties occurs 10 miles or more inland, crops could be lost to …
UF/IFAS Researchers Close in on a Tastier Tomato
GAINESVILLE, FL (UF/IFAS) — In their quest for a tastier tomato, University of Florida scientists are finding traits they believe will tempt consumers with flavor that triggers their senses even more. They’re making significant progress on improving the UF-developed Tasti-Lee™ tomato – and it will feature improved flavor and aroma. “Modern tomato cultivars typically have poor flavor as compared to …
UF/IFAS Vegetable Production Handbook Debuts at Citrus Expo
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (UF/IFAS) — Last year, the Citrus Expo event broke new ground by adding a day-long program devoted to vegetables and specialty crops, curated by experts with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. This year, when the program returns to Citrus Expo Aug. 14-15 at the Lee County Civic Center in North Fort Myers, organizers …
UF/IFAS Researchers Honored for Avocado Integrated Pest Management
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 …
Beneath the Earth, the ‘Black Box’ of Soil Holds a Key to Crop Growth
IMMOKALEE, Fla. (UF/IFAS) — Like much of what lies just beneath the earth’s surface, soil microbes present a mystery. University of Florida scientist Sarah Strauss seeks to help untangle the web of intrigue surrounding soil microbes to improve agricultural production in Florida and globally. “There are microbial activities going on that we don’t exactly understand. It’s known as the ‘black …
Industrial Hemp Growing in Florida for First Time in Decades
University of Florida pilot project plants seeds for new Florida crop GAINESVILLE, Fla. (UF/IFAS) — The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) industrial hemp pilot project has passed a critical milestone towards understanding the potential of growing hemp throughout Florida. Hemp plants have been planted at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead Florida …
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 …
UF Researchers Develop Model to Help Keep Crop Seeds Healthy
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 …