UF/IFAS

Lipman Family Farms wanted to mitigate flood risk associated with heavy rain on their 2,000-acre farm in Naples.As general manager, Lucas Conran helps oversee seven farming operations for Lipman in Florida and other states along the East Coast. So, he asked for help from his longtime friend, Sanjay Shukla, a University of Florida hydrologist, who had just developed his “compact-bed geometry,” with state and federal funding, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Florida’s multi-million-dollar pet fish trade is skyrocketing.But in the Sunshine State, only 10% of that industry breeds salt-water fish. And yet, demand for real-life, ocean-dwelling Dorys and Nemos is greater than ever.

Florida is home to more than 500 nonnative species, more than 50 of which are reptiles. Current monitoring techniques depend on visual surveys by scientists, and this is far from an exact science because reptiles — particularly snakes — are extremely elusive. A new technique being developed by scientists at University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) can identify DNA traces of Burmese pythons — as well as northern African pythons, boa constrictors, and rainbow boas — weeks after they have left an area using soil or water samples.

When searching for a great Valentine's Day gift, you might consider the enchanting orchid.University of Florida experts say the flowers last longer than many other plants, some emit a beautiful aroma, they come in a wide variety of colors, many are affordable, and the plant can be added to a landscape tree once the blooms fade.

Florida is home to more than 500 nonnative species, more than 50 of which are reptiles. Current monitoring techniques depend on visual surveys by scientists, and this is far from an exact science because reptiles — particularly snakes — are extremely elusive. A new technique being developed by scientists at University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) can identify DNA traces of Burmese pythons — as well as northern African pythons, boa constrictors, and rainbow boas — weeks after they have left an area using soil or water samples.

Scientists urge divers, recreational charters, residents and visitors exploring the waters of South Florida to look for an invasive soft coral species that has been reported on the nearby surrounding shores of Cuba.The invasive pulse corals, a species within the Xeniidae family, are native to the Indo-Pacific and the Red seas. Several species of pulse corals have been discovered growing outside their native range into Hawaii, Venezuela, Cuba and Puerto Rico. Pulse corals reproduce rapidly, including asexually by fragmentation, and can overgrow coral reefs and seagrass meadows, with potentially devastating impacts.

A new University of Florida study reveals insights into the secret social lives of the vibrant emerald green orchid bee known as Euglossa dilemma. Among those revelations is the bees’ ability to transition from living alone to cohabiting in small groups.In the world of pollinators, orchid bees stand out for their brilliant colors, size and physical appearance to the unsuspecting person who comes across them in a garden, park or wildlife area.

Ever since Florida farmers have been growing tomatoes, they’ve picked them by hand or hired laborers. It’s painstaking work that might be made easier soon with machine-harvestable tomatoes developed by University of Florida scientists. Now that the varieties are available, growers in Florida’s $400 million-a-year industry hope they can use mechanized harvesting, but doubts remain. Large-scale trials this spring – using the new varieties -- will tell growers and scientists a lot more. The new varieties were decades in the making, said Jessica Chitwood-Brown, the tomato breeder at the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC).

They're huge, sometimes bedecked with dark green and bright yellow-orange coloration and almost always looking like something out of a Hollywood apocalypse flick."They" are the eastern lubber grasshopper. These grasshoppers seemingly on steroids are out in force throughout the Southeast, including some parts of Florida. They’re munching away on landscape plants, citrus and vegetable crops, while gardeners and growers are trying to minimize the damage.

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension is offering online workshops to teach the basics of planning, implementing and building a farm operation for newcomers venturing into agriculture. Instructors will deliver the workshops in English and Spanish.