UF Scientists Are Trying to Prevent the Next “Coronavirus” in Florida
University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers, Kwang Cheol Jeong, Ph.D., and Samantha Wisely, Ph.D., are looking at the zoonotic potential of feral swine. These animals carry the pathogen that causes brucellosis, the most frequent wildlife disease that infects humans. If they also carry disease that can spread to domestic pigs or […]
Entomologist to Present History of Vegetable Pests, Points to Collaboration
About the time Hugh Smith was a graduate student in entomology and nematology at the University of Florida, his academic department was housed on the top floor of McCarty Hall in Gainesville. Steinmetz Hall, the department’s current location, was a construction site. Now, about 30 years later, Smith is a vegetable entomologist for UF/IFAS, and […]
UF/IFAS Highlights Precision Agriculture During Gator Day at the Capitol
As orange and blue blanketed the Capitol for Gator Day, folks from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) presented about advancements in agriculture technology to the Senate Agriculture Committee. IFAS also provided free samples of various oranges and orange juice, along with a new grapefruit that has been taste-tested to […]
USDA Awards Grant to UF for Food Safety in Shared-Use Kitchens
The U.S Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced 28 grants to address the needs of new farmers, small to mid-sized farms, small processors and small fresh fruit and vegetable wholesalers. NIFA’s Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) facilitates the integration of the Food Safety Modernization Act food safety guidelines into […]
Scientists Close In on Explaining Confounding Predator-Prey Cycle
Scientists have long known that snowshoe hare populations follow a 10-year boom and bust cycle. But what drives this cycle has fascinated ecologists for more than a century. In a new study, scientists from the University of Florida and other institutions in the United States and Canada analyzed four decades of field data to reveal […]
Florida Strawberry Festival’s Featured Fruit Comes From UF/IFAS Research
When you hear the words “Plant City,” what comes to mind? Strawberries, probably. As thousands of people come here for the annual Florida Strawberry Festival in February, many will eat various types of the fruit. They may be surprised to learn that University of Florida scientists toil in nearby labs and fields to develop the […]
UF Researchers Link Gene From Ancient Virus With Plant Stature
A new study from the University of Florida links the ability of plants to grow to great heights to a 500-million-year-old interaction between a virus and a type of algae. Daniel Conde, a postdoc in the Forest Genomics Laboratory who co-authored the new study with Cíntia L. Ribeiro, a recent graduate of the UF/IFAS Plant […]
UF Hemp Pilot Project Gains Sponsorships and Success
The UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ Industrial Hemp Pilot Project has proven successful in its research and fostering relationships within the agriculture industry. The purpose of the hemp pilot project is to see if growing hemp commercially is feasible. It is a two-year project that identifies which hemp varieties and management practices function […]
A Case for Durational Research: Space Plants Co-Investigators Robert Ferl and Anna-Lisa Paul
University of Florida co-investigators Robert Ferl and Anna-Lisa Paul are no strangers to suborbital research. They’ve been conducting plant research in microgravity since the late 1990s—first on the Space Shuttle and then on the International Space Station (ISS) and parabolic flights, many of which have been facilitated by Flight Opportunities. More recently, the pair have […]
Feed the Future – UF Researcher Featured on Cade Museum Podcast
Technology and farming always have mixed well in the United States, but in many other countries, particularly in the underdeveloped world, it’s a different story. Why does it matter, and what can be done about it? Richard Miles, Radio Cade host, interviews University of Florida researcher Adegbola Adesogan, Ph.D., director of the Livestock Systems Innovation […]