(UF/IFAS) — A professor with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has been awarded a $500,000 grant to study how climate change is threatening subtropical grasslands and the ways they sustain agriculture, wildlife biodiversity, and ecosystems and their benefits to humans. Subtropical grasslands – such as those in Central-South Florida — are wide expanses of …
UF Scientist Finds Way to Reduce Greenhouse Gas in Soil
(UF/IFAS) — When soil gets saturated with water, the ground can produce nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that depletes the ozone, that the layer protects plants and animals on Earth from harmful ultraviolet light. For context, nitrous oxide is 310 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, another greenhouse gas that’s harmful to the ozone layer. That’s why it’s important to …
Global Group Recognizes UF/IFAS Engineer for Strawberry Spray App
(UF/IFAS) — Now that we’re knee-deep in strawberry season, many growers owe Clyde Fraisse and Natalia Peres a debt of gratitude. About a decade ago, Peres saw a need for a fungicide decision-support tool. Farmers sprayed about every week to control strawberry diseases known as anthracnose and botrytis during the growing season, which goes from November through March in Florida. …
New Peach Rootstocks for Florida’s Sweet Peach Season
Can UF scientists help farmers perfect the Florida-grown peach for consumers? Here’s what they are up to. (UF/IFAS) — Ricardo Lesmes-Vesga aims to help farmers grow peaches in Florida’s various production regions. To that end, he aims to develop peach rootstocks specific to those areas and he believes his research findings will help growers who harvest the fruit when the …
Global Gardeners Help UF Tomato Breeding Program
(UF/IFAS) — Normally, University of Florida scientists such as Harry Klee gauge the taste and aroma of their new tomatoes by letting volunteers test them at the UF Sensory Lab in Gainesville. But now, people from across the globe who grow tomatoes in their gardens can serve as citizen scientists and send flavor and growing data to Klee. In this …
AI: The Future of Farming is Happening Today
What was once the future of farming is happening today at the University of Florida/IFAS. Scott Angle, Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources, explains how UF/IFAS is using artificial intelligence (AI) to help producers be more efficient in their farming operations. “It’s a fascinating issue right now. The University of Florida wants to move into the top 5 for …
USDA, NASA Sign Agreement to Improve Agricultural, Earth Science Research
(USDA) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and NASA have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening their longstanding partnership on space-based assets benefitting life on Earth. The agreement brings together NASA’s experience with technology development and space-borne Earth science measurements and USDA’s scientific experience and knowledge of agricultural production, resource conservation, food security and safety, and forests and …
Heat Brings Out Antioxidants, Increases Red in Tomatoes
(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 …
UF Scientists Help Thwart Disease that can Ravage the Popular Gerbera Daisies
(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 Institute Shares Research on Eating Lightly Salted Peanuts
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 …