Attention Avocado Growers: UF/IFAS Survey Aims to Learn More About Disease Management

Clint ThompsonFlorida

There is no shortage of consumer appetite for avocados. Frequently incorporated into appetizers and desserts, avocado demand has surged in popularity. Meanwhile, production of avocado in the United States is under constant threat from diseases like Laurel wilt (LW) and Phytophthora root rot (PRR). They can devastate orchards if left unchecked. There is still much to learn about how growers …

Threat to Vegetables: UF/IFAS Experts Provide Tips to Manage Eastern Lubber Grasshopper

Clint ThompsonFlorida

Eastern lubber grasshoppers are out in force throughout the Southeast, including some parts of Florida. They’re munching on landscape plants, citrus and vegetable crops, while gardeners and growers are trying to minimize the damage. These insects can be found from March to April to about October to November in North Florida and the state’s Gulf Coast. They can be economically …

Courtesy of UF/IFAS: Florida Blueberry Season Means Yummy Fruit for Consumers

Clint ThompsonBlueberries, Florida

Ready to pick your own blueberries or buy them at the grocery store? Florida’s blueberry season is here, so you’ll likely find a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) variety near you. When consumers travel to the supermarket, they will not find blueberries labeled as UF/IFAS varieties. Chances are, however, if you are buying Florida-grown blueberries, …

UF/IFAS Research: Nitrogen Recommendations for Evergreen Blueberries Being Studied

Clint ThompsonBlueberries, Florida

By Clint Thompson Nitrogen recommendations for evergreen blueberry production in Florida are still a relative unknown for growers. Lauren Goldsby, graduate research assistant at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), hopes to provide some clarity with research at the UF/IFAS Citra location. “We’re aware that we can produce evergreen production in the state of Florida. …

Who’s Feeling Nutty? UF/IFAS Macadamia Research Needs Volunteer Producers

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson Macadamia nuts are currently being considered as an alternative crop for Florida production in the central and southern part of the state. Whether there is a future for the nut in the Sunshine State will be largely determined by the interest level from potential producers. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are …

UF Web-Based System Launches ‘Climate Indicators Tool’ to Help Producers

Clint ThompsonFlorida

A new University of Florida (UF)-developed web-based tool will help growers reduce risks that come with climate variability. It is called the “climate indicators tool,” the newest addition to AgroClimate, a web-based platform designed 15 years ago by Clyde Fraisse, a UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) professor of agricultural and biological engineering. Growers can use the new …

UF/IFAS Extension Agent: North Florida Watermelon Acres Up At Least 10%

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Watermelon

By Clint Thompson North Florida watermelon producers have the majority of this year’s crop in the ground … and there is a lot of it following a substantial increase in acres. “I think the consensus is there is an increase in acreage in this vicinity. Exactly how much? It seems like it’s 10% more,” said Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida …

UF/IFAS Scientists Hope to Lengthen Shelf Life of Artichokes

Clint ThompsonArtichoke, Florida

It is the heart of Florida’s artichoke season. When consumers go to the grocery store, they want this favorite to be ripe and fresh. But the vegetable has a short shelf life – about two days at 62 degrees, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) experts say. UF/IFAS researchers are using genetics to preserve artichokes an …

UF Tomato Breeder Discuss New Role at GCREC

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Tomatoes

Jessica Chitwood-Brown is the new tomato breeder at the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC). Chitwood-Brown coordinates the lab where she earned Ph.D. and conducted her post-doctoral research, in the northern end of Florida tomato country. She’s taken the position of her doctoral adviser, Sam Hutton, at the GCREC.  “I really admire Sam, so I have a …

UF/IFAS Plants Grown in Space Flown Home

Clint ThompsonFlorida

ET may have phoned home, but plants from a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) experiment were recently flown home from the International Space Station (ISS). Plants, specifically Arabidopsis thaliana, grown from seeds by astronauts in the ISS were harvested, launched on a return capsule that touched down to Earth and shipped to eager researchers at …