It’s National Blueberry Month, a time to savor the fruit’s flavor, reap its health benefits — including fiber and vitamins C and K — and appreciate how it grows. For example, most blueberry farmers use pollinators, such as bees, to help their plants blossom. A…
Read More Florida Blueberry Growers Part Of National Survey On Pollinator Use
For a few years, University of Florida plant pathologist Natalia Peres has used an ultraviolet light system to thwart strawberry pathogens. Peres even published a study this year that showed the system helps control powdery mildew. Two fellow researchers with the UF Institute of Food…
Read More UF Study Gives Strawberry Growers A Ray Of (UV) Light At The End Of Their Pest Tunnel
BALM, Fla. – For two years, University of Florida scientists across the Sunshine State have studied whether hemp can serve as a viable alternative crop for Florida farmers. One of the first steps to determining the economic feasibility of any crop is managing its known…
Read More UF Finds Some Nematodes Like Hemp; First Step To Pest Control For Emerging Crop
Floridians and visitors to the Sunshine State bake during the summer. Daytime temperatures often soar well into the 90s, and the heat index hovers over 100. Heat can be so oppressive it causes death, and a new University of Florida report shows 215 people died…
Read More Unexpected Finding: People Die From Heat Year-Round In Florida; Experts Offer Tips
Pomegranates are sweet, juicy and one day they could grow abundantly in Florida. They taste good, and they’re full of nutrients, including antioxidants. “The fruit and its products such as arils and juice are rich in phytochemicals and are considered a ‘superfood,’” said Zhanao Deng,…
Read More UF/IFAS Plows Forward To Breed And Grow A ‘Superfood’ The Pomegranate
By: Brad Buck Increasingly, consumers want plants that support wildlife, such as pollinators. That’s why UF/IFAS researchers are combining hard and social sciences to ensure you get the “certifiably” wildlife-friendly plants you seek. That’s right: Six researchers across multiple academic disciplines at the University of…
Read More UF Project Hopes To ‘Certify’ Appropriate Plants As Wildlife-Friendly
As pest-eaters, Eastern bluebirds benefit Florida farmers. Not only that, they’re cute. Two good reasons Hance Ellington has started a program to preserve them. As a UF/IFAS assistant professor of wildlife ecology and conservation, Ellington started a bluebird nest-box building program. A faculty member at…
Read More University Of Florida Wildlife Ecologists Teach Public To Help Boost Bluebird Population
BALM, Fla. – Think of University of Florida scientists Nathan Boyd and Arnold Schumann a bit like surgeons. Except in this case, their operating room is a strawberry field. With their research, Boyd and Schumann hope to eventually help growers unleash surgical strikes on weeds…
Read More Robots May Eventually Help Kill Weeds That Impede Strawberry Yield
As you’re finishing your spring planting, you can use a new, free UF/IFAS tool to help them select the right native and ornamental plants and turf for a resilient, sustainable Florida landscape. The UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping ™ (FFL) program has just released a new mobile…
Read More New Florida-Friendly Plant App Guides You To The Right Plants For A Sustainable Landscape
RUSKIN, Fla. – In the battle of mosquitofish against guppies, University of Florida scientists found that the native mosquitofish won, and that’s good for our ecosystems. Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to biodiversity as they damage Florida’s ecosystems. Recent University of Florida…
Read More UF Scientists Discover How A Native Fish Prevents The Establishment Of A Globally Invasive Species