IFAS News
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences – University of Florida
UF studies show promise for biological control methods against insect
February 2, 2012
Topic(s): Biocontrols, Green Living, Invasive Species, Pests
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For years, scientists have tried to use environmentally friendly fungi to control fire ant infestations.
But the ants’ social behaviors — such as hauling their dead off to what entomologists call “bone yards” in isolated spots away from the nests — have prevented commercial development of this method. The fungus can’t spread if infected ants are continually separated from healthy ones.
A new University of Florida study shows, however, that there may be a way to make insect-killing fungi a more potent weapon against fire ants and other pests. Scientists with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences modified the fungus so that it produces a peptide that helps regulate the fire ants’ nervous system. (more…)
Citrus greening costs $3.63 billion in lost revenues and 6,611 jobs, new UF study shows
January 24, 2012
Topic(s): Agriculture, Citrus, Economics, Environment, Invasive Species, Pests
Since 2006, the bacterial disease citrus greening has cost Florida’s economy an estimated $3.63 billion in lost revenues and 6,611 jobs by reducing orange juice production, according to a new study from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
The study is the first complete assessment of greening’s economic impact on Florida, said Jack Payne, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources. He called the study an important step in the fight against greening, because it quantifies damages and could show legislators and funding agencies why the invasive disease is one of the state’s biggest challenges.
“This study shows plainly just how imperative it is that we find a cure for citrus greening,” Payne said. “We have dedicated a huge amount of IFAS resources toward that end, and we are very appreciative of the significant support our research is receiving from the citrus industry. Growers are the people most obviously impacted, but the study demonstrates that many other Floridians are hurt as well—when fewer oranges are harvested, there are fewer dollars circulating in our state’s economy.”
First detected in Florida in 2005, greening causes citrus trees to drop fruit prematurely and eventually kills the trees. The disease is caused by a bacterium, and was first described in 1919 in China. The bacterium is transmitted by an invasive insect, the Asian citrus psyllid.
The study compares actual harvests of oranges used to make juice with projected harvests that would have taken place if greening had never struck Florida groves; it covers the growing seasons from 2006-2007 through 2010-2011. During those five years, the disease caused substantial crop losses, said citrus economist Tom Spreen, a professor with the UF/IFAS food and resource economics department.
New IFAS study shows corn plants help control major mite pest
November 1, 2011
Topic(s): Agriculture, Biocontrols, Crops, Entomology and Nematology, Environment, IFAS, New Technology, Pests, RECs, Research
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Add one more entry to corn’s list of abilities: helping to biologically control pests.
Already a source of food and biofuel, University of Florida researchers report in a new study that corn plants can help sustain populations of small, flying insects known as gall midges in order to control twospotted spider mites.
Spider mites are hard-to-manage, major pests of hundreds of ornamental and vegetable crops.
Mosquito threat emerges as season peaks, UF researchers report
August 30, 2011
Topic(s): Entomology and Nematology, Environment, Household Pests, IFAS, Pests, RECs, Safety
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Mosquitoes aren’t just a nuisance, they’re also an economic and health concern, say University of Florida researchers.
July, August, and September are peak months for mosquito activity in Florida, and the state spends about $151 million each year trying to control the biting insects.
Controlling mosquitoes is important for economic development and tourism, said Jonathan Day, a University of Florida medical entomology professor at UF’s Florida Medical Entomology Lab in Vero Beach.
UF researchers use acoustic tools to detect underground insects that attack grapes
August 29, 2011
Topic(s): Agriculture, Crops, IFAS, New Technology, Pests
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida researchers are finding new ways to thwart crop-devouring pests — by being good listeners.
High-tech acoustic equipment makes it possible for them to listen in as insects gnaw on grapevine roots, making it much easier for vineyard owners to know where to focus their efforts against the pest called the grape root borer.
Will Sanders, a former UF entomology graduate student, conducted much of the research and outlines the project in the current issue of Florida Entomologist. Using sound to target the pest could one day save vineyard owners money and pay off for consumers in lower costs for grapes and wine, he said. Grapes are a $20 million annual industry for Florida.
UF/IFAS scientist receives share of $6 million FNIH grant award for malaria research
August 24, 2011
Topic(s): Pests, Research, Uncategorized
Jeffrey Bloomquist, a member of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, will lead one of four projects awarded a share of a $6 million grant program for malaria control research.
The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health announced $6 million in grants awarded through its “New Insecticides for Malaria Control: Discovery Research for the Identification of New Chemical Entities for Vector Control of Malaria” program.
UF review suggests new approaches needed if biological control of termites to succeed
July 22, 2011
Topic(s): Entomology and Nematology, Environment, Families and Consumers, Household Pests, IFAS, Invasive Species, New Technology, Pests
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It sounds like a pest control technician’s dream come true—eradicating hard-to-reach underground termite colonies by introducing small quantities of a pathogen or parasite, a practice called biological control.
But after 50 years of research, scientists have yet to deliver a successful method. Researchers’ efforts have been hindered by flawed experiments and lack of field testing, according to experts with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Their findings appear in a review article published online this week by the journal Biological Control.
Papaya plants reduce the need for pesticides on tomatoes in Florida, new UF study finds
June 29, 2011
Topic(s): Agriculture, Biocontrols, Crops, Entomology and Nematology, Environment, IFAS, New Technology, Pests, RECs
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Whiteflies can be biologically controlled in Florida greenhouse tomatoes, according to a new University of Florida study, which helps reduce the need for pesticide applications.
Biological control, or biocontrol, is the mitigation of pests using natural means rather than synthetic ones. Florida is the country’s top producer of fresh tomatoes, and sales of the state’s crop for 2009-2010 exceeded $402 million.
Lance Osborne, an entomology professor and associate director of UF’s Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka, led the study that found that papaya plants can be used to host a wasp that attacks silverleaf whiteflies, an insect that is a major pest of tomatoes. The findings are published in the current issue of the journal Biological Control.
Rosemary Loria appointed chair of UF plant pathology department
May 31, 2011
Topic(s): Agriculture, Announcements, CALS, Departments, Environment, Extension, Honors and Appointments, IFAS, Invasive Species, Pests, RECs, Research
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A Cornell University professor has been selected as chair of the University of Florida’s plant pathology department, UF officials announced today.
Rosemary Loria, a plant pathology professor at Cornell University, was named to chair the department by Jack Payne, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources. She begins Aug. 19 and will also be a plant pathology professor.
Loria has been a faculty member at Cornell for more than 30 years and served as chair of Cornell’s plant pathology department for five years.
Charles Steinmetz Hall dedication
May 26, 2011
Topic(s): Announcements, Departments, Entomology and Nematology, Environment, Families and Consumers, Honors and Appointments, Household Pests, IFAS, Invasive Species, New Technology, Pests
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Charles Steinmetz, a retired pest management company owner, addresses the audience at a ceremony to rename the University of Florida’s entomology and nematology department building, at the UF main campus in Gainesville – Wednesday, May 25, 2011. Steinmetz and his wife, Lynn, recently donated $5 million to the department to support academic and research programs. In recognition of the gift, UF renamed the building Charles Steinmetz Hall. At the ceremony, Steinmetz reminisced about his undergraduate days at UF and some of his career milestones. UF/IFAS photo by Dawn McKinstry
