UF researchers find wheat production models disagree under climate change scenarios

June 10, 2013

Topic(s): Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Economics, Environment, IFAS, New Technology, Research, Weather

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida researchers have found, for the first time, that crop models predicting yields for one of the world’s most important crops begin to disagree under climate change scenarios.

By knowing where those models break down, researchers will be better able to improve them. The computerized models predict crop yields for wheat, one of the world’s most-consumed foods.

Scientists use crop models to foresee which parts of the world may face the greatest food shortages, so that efforts to improve food production can be directed to those places.

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UF/IFAS expert: Promising results from papaya for parasite-plagued goats

June 4, 2013

Topic(s): Livestock, Research

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One of the world’s fastest growing agricultural industries, goat farming, is plagued by deadly intestinal parasites, particularly the barber’s pole worm – a pest that poses great danger to the goat-farming industry in the Southeastern U.S. and other parts of the world.

Improper use of commercial medicines has helped make the parasites resistant to many deworming drugs.

But recent research by the University of Florida’s Animal Sciences department may be closing in on a solution. Although researchers say it needs more study, they’ve recently found papaya seeds to be an inexpensive, alternative method for ridding goats of their parasitic passengers.

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UF helping develop insecticide to target malaria-carrying mosquitoes

May 23, 2013

Topic(s): Environment, Families and Consumers, Household Pests, IFAS, Research

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In malaria-ridden parts of Africa, mosquito netting protects people from being infected while they sleep; now, a University of Florida entomologist wants to improve the netting by coating it with insecticide toxic only to mosquitoes.

The insecticide would work by interfering with an enzyme found in the nervous systems of mosquitoes and many other organisms, called acetylcholinesterase. Existing insecticides target the enzyme but affect a broad range of species, said entomologist Jeff Bloomquist, a professor in UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute and its Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Acetylcholinesterase helps regulate nervous system activity by stopping electrical signaling in nerve cells. If the enzyme can’t do its job, the mosquito begins convulsing and dies. The research team’s goal is to develop compounds perfectly matched to the acetylcholinesterase molecules in malaria-transmitting mosquitoes, he said.

“A simple analogy would be that we’re trying to make a key that fits perfectly into a lock,” Bloomquist said. “We want to shut down the enzyme, but only in target species.”

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UF/IFAS survey reveals Floridians conflicted about immigrants, related policies

May 22, 2013

Topic(s): Research, Uncategorized

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Floridians have negative feelings about undocumented immigrants, but an overwhelming majority favor policy that would allow such immigrants a path to U.S. citizenship, a new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences survey suggests.

The survey of 507 Floridians found that although many see undocumented immigrants as threats to their economic well-being and personal safety, they still had “pockets” of sympathetic views toward those trying to establish themselves as U.S. residents, said Tracy Irani, director of the UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education, or PIE Center, the research group that led the study.

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Auxins could help crops beat heat and high salinity, UF study suggests

May 21, 2013

Topic(s): Agriculture, Crops, Environment, IFAS, New Technology, Research

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The plant hormones called auxins are well-known for stimulating development of roots and other structures, and now University of Florida scientists have shown that auxins help plants cope with environmental stresses.

The findings could lead to crop varieties that better tolerate heat and salinity, said author Bala Rathinasabapathi, a professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

“Our findings show there’s a possibility of manipulating plant stress tolerance with auxins,” Rathinasabapathi said. It may be possible to administer auxins to crops at critical stages of growth, he said, or possibly engineer new varieties that respond to auxins more efficiently.

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UF/IFAS researchers lauded for scientific study efforts

May 3, 2013

Topic(s): Research, Uncategorized

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences celebrated science at its annual Florida Agricultural Experiment Station research awards ceremony, held April 25 at the Harn Museum on campus.

It was the sixth year for the event in which dozens of faculty members and graduate students from around the state of Florida are lauded for their scientific achievements.

UF/IFAS scientists’ work includes such projects as working toward the development of a natural sweetener, the evaluation of sea-level rise and land development’s effects on an endangered mammal and the study of termites’ gut environment as an aid to improved energy production, said Jack Payne, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources.

“Every day of the year, our researchers are working toward scientific solutions to global problems, as well as those closer to home,” he said.

John Hayes, IFAS dean for research, said since becoming dean last year, he’s been constantly impressed by the quality of work he’s seen.“IFAS scientists are advancing the frontiers of science, and providing critical knowledge to help our communities and industries thrive in the face of an ever-changing world,” he said. “The breadth and creativity of their work is truly incredible.”

Early Career Scientists

Twenty UF/IFAS researchers were awarded Early Career Scientist “seed funding” to support work that could help shape their careers: Barry Alto of the Florida Medical Entomology Lab-Vero Beach, for “Effects of larval competition on vectcorial capacity of Dengue vectors,” Stephanie Bohlman of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation, for “Modeling species and carbon dynamics of tropical forests at landscapes scales by integrating remote sensing and functional traits,” Randall Cantrell, Family, Youth and Community Sciences, for “Practices for accelerating behavior modification in home occupants through assessment of minor home-conservation measures,” Soonkyu Chung, Food Science and Human Nutrition, for “Effectiveness of ellagic acid on obesity: novel regulation of obesity by epigenetic modification,” Nicolas DiLorenzo, North Florida Research and Education Center-Marianna, for “Effects of chemical treatment of forages with alkali on beef cattle performance and greenhouse gas emission,” John Driver, Animal Sciences, “Natural Killer T (NKT) cell control of pandemic swine influenza infection: A novel pig model,” Robert Fletcher, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, “Large-scale land clearing and oil palm production in Borneo: Biodiversity effects and sustainability strategies,” Salvador Gezan, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, “Improving the output of breeding programs through advanced software for generating optimal experimental designs,” Erica Goss, Plant Pathology, “Understanding the evolution of the potato late blight pathogen in the Andes and its global impact,” Jiri Hulcr, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, “Understanding beetle-fungus symbioses through new technologies,” Kwang Jeong, Animal Sciences, “Underlying mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in cows with uterine diseases,” Christopher Martinez, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, “Resolving the Pan Paradox: Using evapotranspiration as an indicator of climate,” Anne Mathews, Food Science and Human Nutrition, “Using media to improve fruit and vegetable consumption in elementary school lunch programs,” Robert McCleery, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, “Biodiversity, ecosystem services and valuation of conservation in the rapidly changing landscapes of Swaziland, Africa,” Eric McLamore, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, “PhysChip: a non-invasive biochip technology for physiological sensing in agricultural sciences,” Christine Miller, Entomology and Nematology, “Social networks in an agricultural pest, the squash bug,” Mathews Paret of the North Florida Research and Education Center, for “DNA-Directed metal nanoparticles against plant pathogenic Xanthomonas perforans on tomato,” Kelly Rice of Microbiology and Cell Science, for “saNOS Regulation of Staphylococcus aureus physiology and virulence,” Stephanie Wohlgemuth of Animal Sciences for “Effect of the gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfide on cellular stress responses and its interaction with autophagy,” and Lincoln Zotarelli of Horticultural Sciences for “Alternative irrigation systems for water saving and enhanced fertilizer use efficiency for vegetable crops – an integrated approach.”

High Impact Research Publications

Eight projects were singled out as “high impact” research publications. The UF/IFAS researchers involved include: Chunxian Chen and Fred Gmitter (Human Health) for “Characterization of Furanocoumarin Profile and Interitance Toward Selection of Low Furanocoumarin Seedless Grapefruit Cultivars”; Rudolf Scheffrahn (Energy Production) for “High-Resolution Analysis of Gut Environment and Bacterial Microbiota Reveals Functional Compartmentation of the Gut in Wood-Feeding Higher Termites”; Robert McCleery, Jennifer Seavey and Susan Cameron Devitt (Ecosystem Health) for “Impacts of a Half Century of Sea-Level Rise and Development on an Endangered Mammal”; Denise Tieman, Peter Bliss, Lauren McIntyre, Adilia Blandon-Ubeda, Dawn Bies, Asli Odabasi, Mark Taylor, Charles Goulet, Melissa Mageroy, Thomas Colquhoun, Howard Moskowitz, David Clark, Charles Sims and Harry Klee (Food Quality) for “The Chemical Interactions Underlying Tomato Flavor Preferences”; Patrick Minogue, Masato Miwa, Donald Rockwood and Cheryl Mackowiak (Water Quality) for “Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus by Eucalyptus and Populus at a Tertiary Treated Municipal Wastewater Sprayfield”; Steven MacKenzie and Natalia Peres (Agricultural Sustainability) for “Use of Leaf Wetness and Temperature to Time Fungicide Applications to Control Anthracnose Fruit Rot of Strawberry in Florida”; Laurie Trenholm, Bryan Unruh and Jerry Sartain (Landscape Management) for “Nitrate Leaching and Turf Quality in Established ‘Floratam’ St. Augustinegrass and ‘Empire’ Zoysiagrass” and Luke Flory, Kimberly Lorentz and Lynn Sollenberger (Invasive Plants) for “Experimental Approaches for Evaluating the Invasion Risk of Biofuels Crops.”

Research Professor Emeritus Award

After Paul Lyrene’s retirement in 2009, he stayed on part-time to help ease the transition for his successor. He has since continued his blueberry-breeding work, including sparkleberry – a Florida native, non-commercial berry being introduced to commercial blueberry to obtain its favorable traits.

Graduate Research Awards of Excellence

Best Master’s Thesis: Jason Scott Entsminger, food resource and economics, for “Implications of Developed-Nation Standards Regimes for Agro-Food Trade and Rural Development: Case Investigations of Welfare Impacts in Vegetative Crops.” Jeffrey Burkhardt and John VanSickle co-chaired Entsminger’s supervisory committee.

Best Doctoral Dissertation: Kofikuma Adzewoda Dzotsi, agricultural and biological engineering, for “Rainfall Variability Effects on Aggregated Crop Model Predictions.” Jim Jones chaired Dzotsi’s supervisory committee.

Richard L. Jones New Faculty Research Award

Vance Whitaker of the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center is the 2013 Richard L. Jones New Faculty Research Award winner for his work to improve strawberry breeding. His recent work includes development and release of the new strawberry cultivar Winterstar.™

Plant Patents

Brent Harbaugh, Zhanao Deng, caladium ‘UF 331’; Jose Chaparro, peach tree ‘UFSHARP’; Richard Henny, Jianjun Chen, aglaonema ‘UF-808-4’; Paul Lyrene, blueberries ‘C97-41’ and ‘C00-09.

Utility Patent

Barry Tillman and Dan Gorbet, peanut ‘UFT113.’

American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) Fellows

James Jones, Agricultural and Biological Engineering; Karen Koch, Horticultural Sciences, and Lena Ma, Soil and Water Science

National Academy of Sciences

Harry Klee, Horticultural Sciences

Wetland Lifetime Achievement Award

Ramesh Reddy, Soil and Water Science

University of Florida Research Foundation Professors

Fredy Altpeter, Agronomy; David Clark, Environmental Horticulture; Matias Kirst, School of Forest Resources and Conservation; Bill Pine, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; Max Teplitski, Soil and Water Science; Alan Wright, Soil and Water Science

Contacts

Writer: Mickie Anderson, 352-273-3566, mickiea@ufl.edu

Source: John Hayes, 352-392-1784, hayesj@ufl.edu

Photo cutline: UF/IFAS Dean for Research John Hayes addresses the audience at the 2013 F,lorida Agricultural Experiment Station awards ceremony, held April 25 at the Harn Museum on campus. (Photo by Tyler L. Jones)

UF Oyster Recovery Team issues findings: Drought and salinity major issues, not oil

April 25, 2013

Topic(s): Agriculture, Aquaculture, Conservation, Cultivars, Economics, Environment, Extension, IFAS, New Technology, Pests, Pollution, Research, Weather

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — There is no evidence that pollutants from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill contributed to the “unprecedented” decline in recent Apalachicola Bay oyster populations, according to a report this week by the University of Florida.

Instead, the report by UF’s Oyster Recovery Team cites drought, insufficient rainfall and increased salinity in the bay as factors contributing to the dramatic drop-off in oyster landings beginning in September 2012 and continuing through the year, said Karl Havens, task force leader and director of Florida Sea Grant.

“There was a whole chain of circumstances that led to this situation, some of which are beyond human control,” Havens said. “Our report makes recommendations for many things that can be done to help the oyster population through management and restoration.”

Havens and other recovery team members discussed the report and findings with a crowd of about 60 residents and seafood workers Wednesday at the Apalachicola Community Center.

The full report and a summary are available at the UF/IFAS Franklin County Extension office or its website, http://franklin.ifas.ufl.edu.

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Study: UF/IFAS weed science program ranks high for research publishing

April 15, 2013

Topic(s): Agriculture, Crops, Economics, Environment, Honors and Appointments, IFAS, Invasive Species, New Technology, Research

Pigweed, pictured here, poses one of Florida’s biggest weed-management challenges. UF/IFAS photo by Thomas Wright

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Integrated weed management, or IWM, is a management option for crop producers who want to fight weeds using every available technology; it involves three activities – scouting, prevention and control – coordinated to discourage weeds from growing in the first place.

Producers have been slow to adopt IWM, but a team of scientists with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences say it can be a sustainable, affordable choice.

In fact, the team publishes so much research on the subject that they earned UF several top five results in a recent study that assessed the productivity of weed science teams worldwide.

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UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation sets Spring Celebration for April 5-6

April 4, 2013

Topic(s): Agriculture, Announcements, Biocontrols, Biofuels, CALS, Conservation, Crops, Entomology and Nematology, Environment, Extension, Forestry, IFAS, Invasive Species, New Technology, Research

UF/IFAS file photo of Austin Cary Forest palmetto and pine, by Dawn McKinstry

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — This spring, the University of Florida’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation has two reasons to celebrate:

One is the annual SFRC Spring Celebration on April 5-6. Here, alumni and friends of the School reconnect, recreate and learn about SFRC’s latest achievements.

The other reason: This year’s celebration includes a special milestone — groundbreaking for the new Austin Cary Forest Learning Center at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 6.

Dignitaries speaking at the groundbreaking include UF President Bernie Machen and UF Senior Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources Jack Payne.

“This groundbreaking marks a huge step forward for the School of Forest Resources and Conservation,” Payne said. “Thousands will benefit from activities on-site at the new Learning Center, and many programs taught here will be offered via distance education to audiences statewide and beyond.”

The 7,800 square-foot building will facilitate education and outreach events at Austin Cary Forest. It’s larger and better-equipped than the conference center it replaces, said Tim White, director of the School. That facility fell victim to a fire in July 2011.

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UF researchers improve process to create renewable chemicals from plants

April 3, 2013

Topic(s): Agriculture, Biofuels, Crops, IFAS, New Technology, Research

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