IFAS News
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences - University of Florida
Termites’ gut reactions show how to improve renewable fuel, UF researchers say
November 4, 2009
Topic(s): Biofuels, Economics, Entomology and Nematology, Household Pests, New Technology, Pests, Research
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Termite damage costs the U.S. more than $1 billion each year, but that same destructive power might help solve one of the nation’s most pressing economic quandaries: sustainable fuel production.
After years of genetic sequencing, University of Florida researchers are beginning to harness the insects’ ability to churn wood into fuel. That ability involves a mixture of enzymes from symbiotic bacteria and other single-celled organisms living in termites’ guts, as well as enzymes from the termites themselves.
The team from UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences spent two years dissecting and analyzing gene sequences of more than 2,500 worker termite guts. In total, they identified 6,555 genes from the termites and associated gut fauna involved in the digestive process.
As the researchers reported Oct. 15 in the online journal Biotechnology for Biofuels, they’ve begun to identify which of these genes encode for enzymes that could significantly improve the production of cellulosic ethanol, a fuel made from inedible plant material that the U.S. Department of Energy estimates could replace half of our gasoline if the production process could be made more cost effective. (more…)
Putnam to discuss the 21st Century land-grant mission at UF
October 28, 2009
Topic(s): Agriculture, IFAS
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A century and a half ago, the nation was in the midst of unparalleled change and turmoil. The Industrial Revolution had morphed American life at its most fundamental levels, and the Civil War had reduced the U.S. political system to tatters.
With that setting, on July 2, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed what was dubbed the Land Grant Act. The act created funding for a nationwide higher education system-creating a network of colleges rooted in the promise of advancing the country’s agrarian industries. The effort would not only help reunite a shattered nation, it would bolster that union’s new position of world leadership.
Today’s world may seem very different. But from the view afforded by his position in the U.S. House of Representatives, Adam Putnam sees this as a time when the land-grant mission is just as important.
On Nov. 9, Putnam will share that perspective in a lecture entitled “Green-Lighting the 21st Century Land-Grant Mission,” on the University of Florida campus. As part of the York Distinguished Lecturer series, the presentation is free and open to the public.
“Whether you’re looking at the state of Florida, the nation or the world as a whole, we’re going through radical changes that demand responsible action,” said Putnam, who has represented Florida’s 12th congressional district since 2001. “Energy, the environment, water concerns, obesity, starvation-even nutrition, aging and other fundamental health issues-these are global challenges with solutions that will come from our land-grant system.” (more…)
UF releases first citrus cultivar; Sugar Belle packs a tasty punch
October 27, 2009
Topic(s): Agriculture, Citrus, Cultivars, Extension, Nutrition, RECs
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Sugar Belle-a bold mandarin orange hybrid that ripens in time for the winter holiday market-will be the first University of Florida-created citrus variety intended for commercial production.
The mandarin hybrid-a mix of the sweet Clementine and the colorful, bell-shaped Minneola-has a rich taste and strong aroma, said UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant breeder Fred Gmitter.
The new sweet-tart fruit may be best described as a mandarin with a tangy punch.
“Many old-timers in citrus have said this is the best-tasting citrus they’ve ever had,” Gmitter said.
The fruit, which has a patent pending and is also known as LB8-9, has been in the works since 1985.
UF professor flies high in the small world of owl-pellet gathering
October 26, 2009
Topic(s): Conservation, Environment, Extension, Household Pests
Caption at bottom of the page. Click here for full image.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Dissecting owl pellets and reconstructing animal skeletons inside can be a gruesomely great educational experience for youngsters - so much so, that demand for owl pellets has spawned a cottage industry.
In Florida, one of the main suppliers is Richard Raid, a professor with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Owls can’t chew, so they rip prey apart with their beaks and swallow it in big chunks. The pellets are blobs of undigested fur and bones the birds regurgitate after a meal.
Raid gathers 3,000 to 5,000 pellets each year from farms in the Everglades Agricultural Area. He leads workshops at schools, clubs and museums where he shows children how to carefully pick apart the pellets, identify the creatures inside, and arrange the bones into complete skeletons.
The experience may sound cringe-inducing, but it teaches children about biology and predator-prey relationships, says Raid, a plant pathologist at UF’s Everglades Research and Education Center in Belle Glade. (more…)
Goodbye “R” rule? Oyster pathogen test may help make shellfish safer
October 14, 2009
Topic(s): Aquaculture, Food Safety, New Technology, Research, Uncategorized
Caption at bottom of page. Click for full image.
The oyster lover’s axiom of edibility — that this shellfish is safest to eat in any month with an “r” in it — may soon become somewhat of a culinary anachronism, thanks to a new food-safety test developed with help from the University of Florida.
Oysters are typically considered safest to eat in cooler months (September through April) because the shellfish-infecting bacteria in the genus Vibrio flourish best in warm temperatures.
Even in the “r” months, slurping an oyster opens some people to infection from these bacteria, which can cause fever, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and has even led to finger amputation when it’s given a chance to penetrate a cut or skin lesion.
However, a new quick and inexpensive diagnostic test developed by DuPont Qualicon and refined by UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences could make weeding out pathogen-loaded oysters much more practical and efficient. Oysters are a $14 million industry in the Sunshine State, according to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
NSF awards $1.4 million to UF, other institutions to study disease threatening lobsters
October 7, 2009
Topic(s): Aquaculture, Biocontrols, Conservation, Food Safety
Caption at bottom. Click here for full image.
The Caribbean spiny lobster is one of Florida’s top commercial seafood species, with an annual $27 million harvest — but a recently discovered virus is killing the crustaceans and threatening the industry.
Now, scientists with the University of Florida and several other institutions have been awarded a three-year, $1.4 million National Science Foundation grant to research transmission of the virus, known as PaV1.
The research should answer many lingering questions about the spread and geographic distribution of the pathogen, and could lead to management strategies and new methods for identifying infected lobsters, said Don Behringer, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
One of the main issues to be investigated: whether the virus is dispersed long distances by lobster larvae, which float hundreds of miles during their first months. Infected spiny lobsters have been found in far-flung places, including the Florida Keys and parts of Mexico, Belize and St. Croix. (more…)
Establishing healthy shrubs not the water-consuming task many think, UF research shows
September 24, 2009
Topic(s): Extension, Florida Friendly, Green Living, Lawn & Garden
Caption at bottom. Click here for high resolution image
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Good news for your utility bills and the environment: New University of Florida research shows that landscape shrubs need much less water to establish healthy roots than you might expect.
“We finally have our irrigation recommendations for establishing shrubs backed up with science. We need less irrigation than many people think,” said Ed Gilman, a UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences environmental horticulture professor who led the research study.
The six-year study’s objective was to determine how best to irrigate shrubs during “establishment” — the 20- to 28-week period when shrubs’ roots grow until the plant can survive without irrigation.
The research examined irrigation frequency and volume on the quality, survival and growth rates of three-gallon, container-grown shrubs. Plants were examined in Fort Lauderdale, Balm, Apopka and Citra, locations that span three water management districts in Florida and have varied growing conditions.
Some of the state’s most popular ornamental shrubs were evaluated, including both native and non-native species, such as yaupon holly and gardenia.
“One of the results that we noted was that there are no differences between native and non-native species for amount of water required for establishment, “Gilman said. “This often surprises people, but it emphasizes that the Florida-friendly principle — right plant, right place — is worth following.”
Florida-friendly gardening means planting that accounts for site conditions, maintenance needs and local climate. Such landscapes may use both native and non-native plants, as long as the non-native plants aren’t an invasive species. (more…)
House-infesting brown dog tick becoming resistant to common pesticides, UF experts say
September 23, 2009
Topic(s): Entomology and Nematology, Household Pests, Pests
Cutline at bottom, click here for high resolution image
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It’s bad enough that the Southeast is bedeviled by a tick that doesn’t mind taking up residence inside homes.
But now researchers say they believe the brown dog tick has developed resistance to the treatments most commonly used to fight it.
University of Florida researchers Phil Kaufman and Faith Oi will work with USDA tick expert Robert Miller to test the ticks’ resistance to permethrin, a chemical found in many pesticides and repellents, and fipronil, found in Frontline. Both are sold in pet stores.
A $171,000 grant from the USDA’s Southern Region Integrated Pest Management Center will support the researchers’ three-year study. When it ends, they hope to know the tick’s level of resistance to both chemicals and to have an array of materials aimed at teaching the public how best to guard against infestations and what to do if they face one.
The brown dog tick has been invading homes across the Southeast for years, Kaufman said, but its resistance to chemical foes seems to have been building the last five to eight years. This study will be the first to document the ticks’ resistance in the U.S. (more…)
Statewide study shows algae toxin a minor threat, say UF experts
September 22, 2009
Topic(s): Environment, Pollution
Cutline at bottom. Click here for high resolution image.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A toxin produced by freshwater algae has garnered plenty of media coverage in recent years, but a new University of Florida study shows there’s little cause for concern about its presence in Florida lakes.
Researchers analyzed water taken from 187 lakes in 38 counties during a one-year period, and found that almost three-quarters of the samples had no detectable levels of the chemical microcystin. Only 7 percent of the samples exceeded the World Health Organization guidelines for drinking water, which is one microgram of microcystin per liter.
The results should reassure swimmers, boaters and anglers, said Dan Canfield, a professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and an author of the study, published in the current issue of Lake and Reservoir Management. (more…)
New water-depth evaluation system will aid Everglades research, UF study shows
September 17, 2009
Topic(s): Environment, Research
Caption at bottom. Click here for high resolution image
Multimedia available: http://news.ufl.edu/2009/09/17/eden-multimedia/
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When scientists discuss Everglades restoration, one phrase pops up again and again — “getting the water right.”
It refers to the importance of water depth — making sure the proper areas are dry or marshy or submerged. For decades, experts had to take their own water-depth measurements or get data from multiple agencies.
In March 2005, things got easier. A modeling system called the Everglades Depth Estimation Network, or EDEN, went online. Developed by the U.S. Geological Survey working with the University of Florida and Florida Atlantic University, the system provides daily estimates of water depth and other information for most of the Everglades.
Now, a UF study verifies that EDEN’s estimates are accurate.
As reported in the current issue of Ecohydrology, researchers with UF, FAU, the University of Connecticut and the South Florida Natural Resources Center took water-depth measurements at 24 locations and compared them with EDEN’s estimates. Most estimates matched the measurements within 2 inches.
Frank Mazzotti, an associate professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, says now that the system has been verified, he hopes it will gain popularity with scientists who assess the progress of Everglades restoration efforts, which aim to restore natural water flow throughout the region and support populations of indigenous animals and plants.
“We’ve never had a tool like this,” said Mazzotti, one of the study authors. “The idea is to make it freely available.”
Already, experts with UF and other Florida institutions have used EDEN to investigate populations of wading birds, invasive plants, fish and amphibians.
The system uses more than 200 monitoring stations throughout the Everglades that measure water depth. That information, along with geographic data, is then interpreted by computer software. The system generates water-depth estimates for the entire freshwater portion of the greater Everglades, broken down into quadrants measuring about 1,300 feet by 1,300 feet. (more…)
