As a child in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Carlos “Charlie” Messina knew he wanted to help people produce food worldwide, while also preserving the environment. But learning about agriculture in a big city wasn’t easy. Fortunately, his father is an agronomist, and Messina found dad to…
Read More New UF/IFAS Professor To Combine AI And Plant Breeding; Teach Tomorrow’s AI Innovators
You’re most likely to notice termites during their swarming activity, but colonies infesting trees and structures are active year-round in Florida. This puts properties at risk for costly damages and trees vulnerable to high winds. Scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and…
Read More What’s Your Termite Risk In Florida? UF Scientists Say It Depends Where You Live
Strawberry farmers worldwide may get help from new University of Florida research that shows a way to battle one of the fruit’s fiercest foes. The key: combine genomic data with phenomics. The genome amounts to all the DNA in an organism. Phenomics is the study…
Read More Strawberry Growers Globally Could Benefit From UF/IFAS Research Into Dangerous Disease
Several years ago, farmers asked University of Florida scientists to help them produce blackberries as part of an effort to test whether so-called “alternative” crops could grow in the Sunshine State. For alternative crops, think hops, blackberries, pomegranates, and others. Researchers aim to supplement producers…
Read More Tour A Florida Orchard As Part Of Inaugural UF/IFAS Blackberry Growing Conference May 25
As Mother’s Day quickly approaches, you can make mom feel special in any number of ways: Some of your options include fixing her breakfast, taking her out for dinner, and/or buying her flowers or a plant. Mother’s Day is May 8, and flora make for…
Read More Florida Say “Happy Mother’s Day” With A Plant – Maybe Even One Bred By UF/IFAS
Through a first-of-its-kind survey, UF/IFAS has shown that tropical fish farmers bring over $172 million in sales to Florida’s economy. The $172 million reflects the sales of fish by members of the Florida Tropical Fish Farmers Association (FTFFA) in 2021. That includes direct sales to…
Read More UF Survey: Florida Tropical Fish Farmers Bring State $175 Million In Sales
Consumers want to buy plants that enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship with fauna in their landscapes, preliminary University of Florida research shows. To help meet consumer demand, UF/IFAS researchers want to assure consumers that those plants are “certifiably” wildlife friendly. At the annual Urban Landscape…
Read More University Of Florida Research Verifies Consumers Want Wildlife-Friendly Plants
For years, scientists questioned the ability of stormwater ponds to keep nutrients out of lakes and rivers. Turns out, they were right to be suspicious, new University of Florida research shows. Stormwater ponds are built to prevent soil erosion and flooding. They’re also considered a…
Read More University Of Florida Study: Stormwater Ponds Do Little To Prevent Pollution In Nearby Lakes, Ponds
March brings the start of Florida’s blueberry production, harvest and shipping season. The state’s blueberry industry has grown rapidly in the past 20 years. Today, Florida farmers grow more than 5,200 acres of blueberries, producing about 20 million pounds. Dating back to the 1950s, with…
Read More Florida Blueberry Season: Top-Notch Fruit, Tools, And Knowledge From UF/IFAS Research
Soil health is an important aspect to strawberry and tomato production. Farmers often apply a type of pesticide called fumigants to the soil months before planting to manage soil health. Fumigants reduce harmful diseases such as Fusarium wilt, pests such as root-knot nematodes, and weeds…
Read More University Of Florida Scientists Receive Grant To Study Fumigation Impacts On Soil Health