heat

Heat Brings Out Antioxidants, Increases Red in Tomatoes

Dan Field Crops, Florida, Fruits, Industry News Release, Research, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

(UF/IFAS) — Turn up the heat, and get more nutrition from your tomato, University of Florida researchers say. Furthermore, when you buy a tomato, it will be about as red as it can be, thanks to the UF/IFAS methods deployed for the study. The findings are crucial to an industry in which Florida ranks second to California in tomato production …

gerbera daisies

UF Scientists Help Thwart Disease that can Ravage the Popular Gerbera Daisies

Dan Florida, Industry News Release, Nursery Crops, Research, Specialty Crops

(UF/IFAS) — Gerbera daisies are popular worldwide for their wide array of brightly colored flowers. They also make great plants for the garden, and their blooms yield long-lasting cut flowers. Many newlyweds use cut gerbera flowers to decorate their wedding ceremonies. Gerbera daisies also are increasingly used as garden, bedding, patio and indoor plants. Cut flower gerberas in the United States …

peanut market

Peanut Institute Shares Research on Eating Lightly Salted Peanuts

Dan Peanuts, Research

The Peanut Institute, the company put together by the American Peanut Shellers to do peanut research, is sharing research conducted on people eating lightly salted peanuts and how a medical condition may be reversed. This research was conduted by researchers at Harvard. The study is the first of its kind to look at the affects of peanut consumption on a …

florida

Vanilla DNA Mystery Uncovered by Latest UF/IFAS Research in S. Florida

Dan Florida, Industry News Release, Research, Specialty Crops

(UF/IFAS) — University of Florida scientists have developed a tool to unlock the genetic traits that pinpoint the vanilla variety that produces an abundance of beans, grows efficiently and sustainably, with consumer-approved taste. As part of their breeding program, scientists with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) believe their work is an essential tool that will be …

bees

Blueberries and Bees, UF Scientists Play Matchmaker

Dan Florida, Fruits, Industry News Release, Pollinators, Research, Specialty Crops

(UF/IFAS) — Chew on this the next time you eat a blueberry: Every single blueberry is the result of a flower that was pollinated by a bee. In other words: no buzz, no berry. With that in mind, it’s no wonder blueberry growers bring in hives of honey bees or bumble bees when their blueberry bushes are in flower. “We …

sheep study

Treatment Introduced by Researchers to Prevent Parasites in Sheep

Dan Industry News Release, Research, Sheep-Goats, USDA

(USDA/ARS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service (ARS) announced a groundbreaking treatment that prevents anemia, weight loss, poor wool and meat production, and even death in sheep. ARS researchers partnered with Virginia Tech and the University of Massachusetts’ Medical School to solve H. contortus parasite infection, which also happens to be the number one health problem in the U.S. sheep industry. …

control

UF/IFAS Study Shows Less Need for Pesticides to Control Pests

Dan Florida, Fruits, Research, Specialty Crops

It’s harvest season for Florida’s $300 million-per-year strawberry season, so those who grow this fruit need help to control pests such as the tiny (up to 2-millimeters long), destructive chilli thrips. Farmers often use pesticides to control thrips, but they would like to use minimal chemicals. University of Florida scientists may have found a good reason to use pesticides at …

What’s in Store for 2021? UF/IFAS Experts Predict Food and Garden Trends

Dan Economy, Florida, Fruits, Industry News Release, Nursery Crops, Organic, Research, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

(UF/IFAS) — No one could have predicted the kind of year 2020 has been. But in late 2019, when UF/IFAS experts were asked to predict the top food and garden trends for the coming year, they made some startlingly accurate predictions. Today, these trends are no longer forecasts but facts of life in a year characterized by a global pandemic …

New UF/IFAS App to Identify Toxic Plants

Dan Cattle, Florida, Industry News Release, Livestock, Research

(UF/IFAS) — Some livestock, pets and even children occasionally nibble on poisonous plants, presenting a potential pitfall to the animals and youth. Now, a new, free app designed by UF/IFAS researchers and Extension faculty helps you identify toxic plants. Not only is this the first app to identify strictly Florida plants, it’s also the first to distinguish between toxic weeds. …

White strawberry

White Strawberry One of Two New UF/IFAS Varieties Ready for Harvest Season

Dan Florida, Fruits, Industry News Release, Research, Specialty Crops

(UF/IFAS) — A white strawberry? Not red? Yes, you “read” that right. And it smells a little like a pineapple. It’s also novel in that it’s the first white strawberry to go to market in the United States. Just in time for the west-central Florida strawberry harvesting season, which runs from now until the end of March, UF/IFAS is releasing …