Citrus Expo Presentations Now Available

Web AdminProduce, Research, Top Posts, Vegetables

The 27th annual Citrus Expo saw great success as growers piled into the Lee Civic Center on Aug. 15–16 in North Fort Myers, Florida. Growers experienced the biggest trade show in Expo history, as well as newly added vegetables and specialty crops seminar sessions. The educational program, titled “Planting Tomorrow’s Profits,” featured presentations on the latest research from the University …

mangos

UF Researchers Seek to Develop Tastier Mangos

Web AdminFruit, Industry News Release, Mangos, Research

Mangos make for a tasty, nutritious snack or side dish. To help meet consumer demand for more flavorful mangos without grit or fibrous flesh, University of Florida (UF) scientists will try to identify superior varieties so mango producers can choose the best types of the fruit to grow in the Sunshine State. Some South Florida farmers already grow mangos, but …

scientists

UF Scientists Hope to Breed Better-Tasting Sweet Corn

Web AdminCorn, Industry News Release, Research

University of Florida (UF) scientists plan to use a $7.3 million, four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) to find the genetic traits that will make sweet corn taste even better, last longer and grow better across the nation. Mark Settles, a professor of horticultural sciences at the UF Institute of …

tomato disease

UF/IFAS Team Hopes to Fight Prevalent Tomato Disease

Web AdminIndustry News Release, Research, Tomatoes

A University of Florida (UF) scientist will lead a team of researchers trying to help battle Fusarium wilt, a major tomato disease around the world. In doing so, investigators hope to help farmers increase their tomato production. Sam Hutton, an associate professor of horticultural sciences at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), will use a new $490,000 …

Improving Orchard Soil with Cover Crops

Web AdminOrganic, Research, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Ali Sarkhosh and Danielle Treadwell Most Florida orchards display low soil fertility. The soil is highly susceptible to erosion, low in organic matter content and, therefore, low in water-holding capacity and nitrate retention. Low organic matter content in the soil is associated with sub-optimal plant development due to a reduction in annual nutrient consumption and therefore total nutrient content …

evans

UF Names Evans New Director of Tropical Research and Education Center

Web AdminIndustry News Release, Research, Tropical Fruit

Edward “Gilly” Evans, a longtime agricultural economist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), has been named director of the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead. Evans, who served as interim director for almost two years, has overseen the hiring of five new faculty members. The new hires bring expertise in everything from …

agriculture

University of Florida Has High Hopes for Hemp

Web AdminResearch, Top Posts

By Breanna Kendrick The University of Florida will be researching hemp to determine its potential to be grown as a crop in the Sunshine State. Industrial hemp is Cannabis sativa, which is the same species as marijuana. However, there is a very important difference. Industrial hemp is required to have less than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, a psychoactive substance). The …

Sneak Peek: August VSCNews Magazine

Web AdminOrganic, Research, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

Organically grown produce is climbing in popularity in the United States. The August issue of VSCNews magazine will give growers the information they need to help their organic farm thrive or to convert to organic growing. For growers looking toward growing organically, AgNet Media’s Ernie Neff and Abbey Taylor explore what it takes to become organically certified by the U.S. …

Precision Application of Dry Fertilizer in Wild Blueberry Fields

Web AdminResearch, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Arnold Schumann, Qamar Zaman, Hassan Chattha, Scott Read and Aitazaz Farooque The wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) is a perennial, shrubby, slow-growing plant that is native to northeastern North America. Commercial wild blueberry fields are developed by removing competing vegetation and debris from natural mixed forest, because they cannot be successfully planted. Establishment of a commercially productive field of wild …

Vegetable and Specialty Crop Seminars Pack a Punch

Web AdminFruit, Produce, Research, Top Posts, Vegetables

The 27th year of Citrus Expo is expected to be the biggest year yet with an added vegetable and specialty crop educational program. AgNet Media has always relied on University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professionals to help create an informative program for growers. This year, Gene McAvoy, a regional vegetable Extension agent, led the efforts in …