Understanding Disease Through Art

Web AdminResearch, Strawberry, Top Posts

By Madeline Dowling and Guido Schnabel What comes to mind when you think of football season? Is it the excitement of cheering on your favorite team? Good times with family and friends? Incredible food? For many people, football season is a wonderful time of the year. However, amid the excitement, it’s easy to forget how much effort each team invests …

Selecting Better Stevia

Web AdminNorth Carolina, Research

By Karla Arboleda Along with research projects by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Interregional Research Project No. 4, North Carolina State University (NCSU) plant breeders, plant pathologists and Extension agents are looking into several aspects of stevia. Todd Wehner, a professor of horticultural science at NCSU, is working on selecting better stevia plants. NICE AND SWEET“Stevia has quite …

Hemp, Hops and More Crops Highlight Florida Ag Expo

Web AdminFlorida, Florida Ag Expo, Hemp, Hops, Industry News Release, Research, Strawberry, Tomatoes

Farmers, nursery managers and others can get a glimpse of the latest and greatest University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research into tomatoes, strawberries, hemp, hops and ornamental plants at the annual Florida Ag Expo at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. Informative sessions will fill the day, with events running from 7:30 a.m. …

Updating North Carolina Research Stations With New Technology

Web AdminNorth Carolina, Research, Technology, Top Posts

By Karla Arboleda North Carolina State University (NC State) and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services are working to update research stations with new technology. Together, the two institutions will improve technology in 18 research stations across the state. Jason Ward, an assistant professor in the biological and agricultural engineering department at NC State, talked about the …

Blueberry Grower Considerations for Fall and Winter

Web AdminBerries, Research, VSCNews magazine

By Jeff Williamson As winter approaches, blueberry plants respond to the changing environment in ways that should be addressed through management practices. Shorter days and cooler nights are environmental cues that stimulate changes in blueberry plant growth and development, such as terminal bud set and the cessation of shoot extension growth, the initiation and development of flower buds, the onset …

What’s New in IR-4 Research

Web AdminAvocado, Research, Top Posts

By Karla Arboleda Inter-regional Research Project 4 (IR-4) researchers at the University of Florida (UF) recently helped to approve an herbicide for stevia. Janine Spies, the IR-4 southern region field coordinator at UF, focuses on collecting residue data in field trials for various specialty crops. In collaboration with researchers located in 13 states as north as Virginia, as west as …

New UGA Entomologist Studies Food Safety, Farming Systems

Web AdminFood Safety, Georgia, Research, Top Posts

By Karla Arboleda At the University of Georgia (UGA), research on birds and bacteria may contribute to food safety and farming systems. That’s what Bill Snyder, a professor of agro-ecology at UGA, hopes to accomplish in his latest position. After spending 20 years in the Northwest, where he worked on natural approaches to pest control, Snyder will continue to pursue …

USDA Funds $77.8 Million for Sustainable Agriculture Research, Includes NC State

Web AdminNorth Carolina, Research, Technology, Top Posts

By Karla Arboleda The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture invested $77.8 million toward efforts to support sustainable agriculture research. North Carolina State University (NC State) is one of eight universities funded for research. Chris Reberg-Horton, professor of cropping systems at NC State, and Steven Mirsky, agro-ecologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, are codirecting …

USDA Grants $3.2 Million Toward Whitefly Research

Web AdminGeorgia, Research, Top Posts, Vegetables

By Karla Arboleda After years of growers experiencing problems with whiteflies in vegetable crops, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will fund $3.2 million toward whitefly research. The grant will fund research at the University of Georgia (UGA), Fort Valley State University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service in South Carolina. Bhabesh Dutta, a vegetable Extension pathologist at UGA-Tifton, shared …

UF Research Shows Best Fungicides for Downy Mildew

Web AdminCucurbits, Research, Top Posts

By Karla Arboleda Since downy mildew can cause major destruction, a proper use of fungicides is essential to a healthy crop. Gary Vallad, an associate professor at the University of Florida (UF), described the magnitude of downy mildew disease on specialty crops at the recent Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo. “It (downy mildew) just kind of jumps from crop to …