“Grasses do not need as much water as most people are applying,” said Jason Kruse, a UF/IFAS associate professor of environmental horticulture. "What most people do not understand when it comes to their lawns is that all of our warm-season turfgrasses can survive periods of drought.”
Researchers have figured out how a once-defeated bacterium has re-emerged to infect cotton in a battle that could sour much of the Texas and U.S. crop. And it boils down to this: A smart bacteria with a sweet tooth.
Technion researchers say a combination of metals and organic acids is an effective way to eradicate cholera, salmonella, pseudomonas, and other pathogenic bacteria. The combination also works on bacteria that attack agricultural crops.
University of Georgia researchers are part of an international team that has published the first sunflower genome sequence.
A new WCS study finds that leopards are abundant in tea-garden landscapes in north-eastern India, but that their mere presence does not lead to conflicts with people.
Waste material from the paper and pulp industry soon could be made into anything from tennis rackets to cars. Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist discovers how to make good quality carbon fiber from lignin waste.
UF/IFAS researchers have discovered that a mandarin hybrid developed by colleagues contains cellular activity – known as metabolites -- that makes it more able to fend off greening than most other types of citrus.
Does my soil have enough organic matter? Does it have a lot of clay? Is it acidic? The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) May 15 Soils Matter blog post explains simple tests you can do to know your soil better.
Scientists have found that salicylic acid — also used to make aspirin — can help the cowpea be more drought tolerant. In Brazil, the cowpea one of the main sources of protein for many people. Americans may know the cowpea by the name black-eyed pea.
“There is interest in this topic as we try to improve our decision-making tools,” said Kati Migliaccio, a UF/IFAS professor of agricultural and biological engineering and co-author of a new Extension document. “Rainfall is one of the most variable factors used in our tools -- thus determining better information or combining information may help us provide better tools.”
By understanding how they respond to toxic elements, scientists can look at how environmental changes caused by agriculture and road runoff or warming temperatures and climate change could impact populations in lakes, rivers and standing bodies of water.
Growing evidence suggests that the hybridization of Tamarix may provide variation in traits that could promote local adaptation.
Researchers studied the impact of conservation agriculture techniques over a span of 11 years on two different farms. The farms have soils that are typically challenging to keep productive.
With help from cattle producers, UF/IFAS researchers hope to develop Brahman cattle that can tolerate heat better, produce more tender meat and improve their fertility.
An optimistic book about the environment? The geologist and MacArthur Fellow's latest book explores how farming practices around the world can improve soil health, boost farmers' profits and help fight climate change.
Water table depth and groundwater flow are vital to understanding the amount of water that plants transmit to the atmosphere.
A University of Washington team has made new headway on a solution to remove beetle-killed trees from the forest and use them to make renewable transportation fuels or high-value chemicals. The researchers have refined this technique to process larger pieces of wood than ever before ― saving time and money in future commercial applications.
Dandelions are much-maligned weeds, with a paratrooper-like seed dispersal system that makes them difficult to eradicate. However, new research from an engineer at Washington University in St. Louis finds a great benefit in an unlikely place for the pesky dandelion: each of its tiny seeds can be used as a perfect pipette in the laboratory setting.
Now that we're in National Strawberry Month, UF/IFAS associate professor Vance Whitaker breeds strawberries, and UF/IFAS nutrition experts provide input on the outstanding nutrients of strawberries.
Compacted soil can be a tough problem to solve. The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) May 1 Soils Matter blog post explains why soils become compacted, and what you can do about it.
Research appearing in PLOS ONE suggests the 2006 Soy Moratorium had a larger effect in reducing deforestation in the Amazon than has been previously understood.
University of Adelaide researchers have constructed a marine food web to show how climate change could affect our future fish supplies and marine biodiversity.
Corn raised for biofuel can result in eroded soils, as all materials are removed from the field. However, using a perennial grass groundcover could preserve soil in addition to reducing costs.
Contaminated food puts humans at risk of serious illness worldwide. With that in mind, UF/IFAS researchers wanted to know how people get their information about food safety and what sources they trust.
Biologists at UC San Diego have provided the first evidence that a widely used pesticide can significantly impair the ability of otherwise healthy honey bees to fly. The study, which employed a bee “flight mill,” raises concerns about how pesticides affect honey bee pollination and long-term effects on the health of honey bee colonies.
“Housing the FDOC and CREC scientists at the same location has brought together the expertise needed to address any issue facing the Florida citrus industry, from the field to the grocery store shelf, and everywhere in between,” said Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus REC.
Scientists believe that biochar, the partially burned remains of plants, has been used as fertilizer for at least 2,000 years in the Amazon Basin. Since initial studies published several years ago promoted biochar, farmers around the world have been using it as a soil additive to increase fertility and crop yields. But a new study casts doubt on biochar’s efficacy, finding that using it only improves crop growth in the tropics, with no yield benefit at all in the temperate zone.
Decreases in river flows and frequency of flooding with future climate warming will likely shift vegetation along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon to species with more drought-tolerant traits.
Researchers in South Korea have quantitatively deconstructed what they describe as the “ingenious mobility strategies” of seeds that self-burrow rotationally into soil. Seeds maneuvered to dig into soil using a coiled appendage, known as an awn, that responds to humidity. The team investigated this awn’s burrowing and discovered how the nubile sprouts seem to mimic a drill to bury themselves. Their findings, published in Physics of Fluids, could have dramatic implications for improving agricultural robotics.
The Paris Climate Agreement soil carbon sequestration goals are unrealistic, according to scientists from The Netherlands, The United Kingdom and the United States in an opinion piece in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
An interdisciplinary teams of experts argue that world hunger and biodiversity loss can both be addressed by ensuring that women worldwide have access to education and contraception.
Edison Agrosciences has licensed technology from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to enhance its ability to identify high-value gene candidates to improve natural rubber content in crops.
A new project proposes a restructured index to build on phosphorus management efforts in farm fields in New York state and beyond. The new index structure improves upon previous approaches. It focuses on the existing risk of phosphorus runoff from a field based on the location and how it is currently managed.
The International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research (Phytobiomes Alliance) announces that the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) has joined the organization as a sponsoring partner.
A multi-institutional team used resources at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility to catalog how desert plants photosynthetic processes vary. The study could help scientists engineer drought-resistant crops for food and fuel.
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center have discovered a gene that influences grain yield in grasses related to food crops.
When spring break means a trip to the beach, it’s good to know what you’re walking on. The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) April 15 Soils Matter blog post explains what “sand” really is—and why sands can be so different!
New Mexico State University Department of Animal and Range sciences junior Josiah Brooks is creating a feed intake device for cattle, and he is working with the Aggie Innovation Space to design and develop parts for a prototype.
UF/IFAS scientists toil for years creating and enhancing many of the foods we consume and plants we enjoy. When it comes to plant breeding, UF/IFAS is a global leader. In fact, UF/IFAS is ranked as a top-10 horticulture program in the 2017 Center for World University Rankings. Many of UF/IFAS’ tastiest creations will be available for consumption or on display at this year’s Flavors of Florida event.
Many people love their avocados – not to mention guacamole dip. So it was bad enough when scientists said a beetle was ravaging avocado trees in South Florida. Then scientists found out that the redbay ambrosia beetle -- originally determined to transmit laurel wilt -- is rare in avocado groves but that six other beetle species could carry the laurel wilt pathogen.
Consumers want produce that tickles their taste buds and is easy on the eye, but they think quality fruits and vegetables are a matter of luck, according to University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers.
Recent extreme weather has put increased stress on California's aging water infrastructure and highlighted the fact that the state must invest billions to improve and repair its civil infrastructure.
Smithsonian Gardens celebrates National Garden Month with the launch of its first mobile app “Community of Gardens,” which brings stories of gardening in the United States to life.
ISU researchers are piecing together the genetic mechanisms that link plant growth and stress response. In a new paper, the research group links autophagy, an important energy recycling function, with slower growth during stress conditions. Autophagy plays a key role in animals as well as plants.
Agronomy is the study of crop and soil science – important in delivering food from farm to table. But most people don’t know the word. And most agronomists – the scientists working in the field of agronomy – find their complicated jobs hard to explain. That means there is a communication gap, and Nels Hansen wants to help solve it.
A fifteen-year study in Vermont shows that imitating old-growth forests enhances carbon storage in managed forestland far better than conventional forestry techniques.
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