Here’s How AI Could Bring Better Fruit to Your Table
Researchers at the University of Florida envision a quicker method: exploring the natural variations in plant genetics using artificial intelligence. The applications extend far beyond blueberries, a growing sector of Florida’s $182.6 billion agriculture industry. Their brainchild, the AI Connoisseur, would not only give Florida farms an edge, but make healthy food more palatable to more people, bringing varieties with heirloom-quality flavor within everyone’s reach. All they’d have to do is teach a computer to taste.
UF Researchers Find New Sugar Substitutes in Citrus That Could Change Food and Beverage Industry
Finding natural, non-caloric sugar substitutes is desirable but challenging. However, researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have made a breakthrough — discovering new, natural sweeteners in citrus for the first time.
UF Research Shows a Step Toward Restoring Sea Urchins: ‘The Lawnmowers of Reefs’
Coral reef ecosystems are severely threatened by pollution, disease, overharvesting, and other factors. For thousands of years, long-spined sea urchins helped keep reefs intact. They eat seaweed, which can kill or seriously damage coral. Now with the urchin population diminishing, UF scientists are stepping up their efforts to enhance urchin populations.
UF Researchers Find Genes Responsible for Several Flavor Compounds in Strawberries
In their quest to improve strawberry flavor, University of Florida scientists have found the genes behind several aromatic chemicals that enhance the fruit’s taste.
UF/IFAS Scientist Develops Detection Method for Lethal Palm Disease That Saves Time, Money, Property
The fungus, Ganoderma zonatum, which causes the lethal disease known as Ganoderma butt rot of palms, shows few symptoms before you can detect something is wrong. Its mysterious nature has stunted research for decades, making early detection of the silent killer impossible – until now.
AI Helps Detect Watermelon Disease Quickly, Accurately
If you savor a juicy watermelon in the scorching summer heat, Florida farmers toil to meet your tastes. The Sunshine State leads the nation in watermelon production.
But, like all farmers, those who produce watermelons seek ways to control diseases, so they don’t lose all or part of their crops. The needs of growers drive Yiannis Ampatzidis to use artificial intelligence to detect pathogens early and accurately.
Using AI, UF Startup Companies Boost Ailing Citrus Industry
As news broke that Florida’s citrus industry ended this year’s growing season with its lowest production in eight decades, an unlikely union has formed between two University of Florida startup companies to help reverse the trend.
UF-Led Center Continues Fight Against Diseases Spread by Mosquitoes, Ticks
Established in 2016, the Southeast Regional Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease: The Gateway Program (SECVBD) will continue its work for another five years, thanks to renewed funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “The center is a team effort to help communities prevent, prepare and respond to vector-borne disease threats through applied research and education efforts. We look forward to continuing to inform these public health actions,” said Rhoel Dinglasan, the center’s director and a professor in the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine affiliated with the UF Emerging Pathogens Institute.
UF/IFAS Research on Crocodiles Provides Key Insights on Wildlife Aging
Scientists at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center (FLREC) contributed critical research over the last 40 years of American crocodiles to a global comparative study on longevity, aging and mortality in ectothermic tetrapods. The study, published in the journal Science, represents the first data compilation of its kind using 107 populations of 77 species from 98 research institutions. The study provides a comparative analysis of mortality in the wild – a missing piece of the puzzle in science until now.
UF Research Highlights Gardening as a Way To Cultivate Better Mental Health
In a study published in the journal “PLOS ONE,” University of Florida scientists found that gardening activities lowered stress, anxiety and depression in healthy women who attended twice-weekly gardening classes. None of study participants had gardened before.
