BALM, Fla. (UF/IFAS) — If you savor the sights of caladium, gerbera and other ornamental plants, you can thank Zhanao Deng for developing better varieties. In his three-decade career, Deng beams with pride over new types of caladium and gerbera he’s bred that are more resistant to diseases. He’s also happy with his lantana varieties, which are genetically sterilized and …
UF/IFAS Researchers Honored for Avocado Integrated Pest Management
(UF/IFAS) — University of Florida 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 …
UF/IFAS Researchers Use AI to Take the Guesswork out of Fruit Pricing
GAINESVILLE, FL (UF/IFAS) — Pricing fruit comes down to a bit of art and some science for farmers. But new technology from the University of Florida may remove some of that guesswork. “Growers often rely on their gut to estimate a price for their crop,” said Daniel Lee, a professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the UF Institute of …
FMC Continues to Grow U.S. Biologicals Portfolio
Submits two new strains for EPA approval (FMC) — FMC Corporation has announced the submission of two new active ingredient microbial pesticide strains, RTI 301 and RTI 477, and associated formulated products to the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division (BPPD). Submissions have also been made in the EU and field work is continuing in Canada …
Rodale Launches Organic Research and Training Center in Georgia
(NAFB) — The Rodale Institute will launch a new organic research and training center in Georgia this fall. The Southeast Organic Center aims to innovate agriculture and increase healthy food access in the region, according to the organization. The regional resource center will focus on the unique challenges of farmers in the southeast United States, at Many Fold Farm, outside …
Examples of Cattle Health and Nutrition Research
Efforts among USDA research entities, land grant universities and private companies are resulting in new ways to improve cattle health and nutrition. Rod Bain has the story. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 1, 2024Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024
Northeast Florida Farms Test ‘Eyes in the Ground’ Through UF Program
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (UF/IFAS) — Farming is a business of uncertainty. Through droughts and downpours, generations of Florida farmers have continued to till the land and contribute to a multibillion-dollar industry for the state. But agricultural innovations aim to minimize that uncertainty, and among the technological advances working to improve farmers’ crop yields are soil moisture sensors, which a University of …
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 …
A One of a Kind Collection Reaches a Major Milestone
When the sample of semen from the Duroc boar—a breed of domestic pig—arrived in Fort Collins, Colorado this spring, it went largely unnoticed. But the scientists and staff at the Agricultural Research Service’s National Animal Germplasm Collection knew they had reached a milestone. The boar semen was the one millionth sample of animal germplasm to arrive at the facility, which …
Novel Watermelon Rootstock Knocks Out Disease and Pests
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA (USDA/ARS) — A new watermelon line, developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Clemson University scientists, gets to the root of the problem of a major disease and pest of watermelon crops in the southern United States. Carolina Strongback is a rootstock watermelon that is resistant to Fusarium wilt and the southern root-knot nematode, according to William “Pat” …