University of Florida News

MILTON—Panhandle farmers can trade in snap beans for snapdragons in a move to boost their earnings.

GAINESVILLE—Natives grumble about it all the time — the rate at which Florida land, seemingly overnight, is transformed from pasture to pavement, hammock to highway, scrubland to skyscraper.

GAINESVILLE—Methyl bromide, a soil fumigant used to control soilborne pests, is the single most important pest management tool used to produce high-value crops in Florida today, but it’s blamed for contributing to the depletion of the earth’s protective ozone layer.

GAINESVILLE — An all-points bulletin from University of Florida and state pest-control experts for the feared pink hibiscus mealybug netted a surprise.

GAINESVILLE—Echinacea, an herbal cold remedy used for centuries, does, in fact, stimulate the immune system, a University of Florida researcher has found.

LIVE OAK — The Florida vegetable industry is moving under cover.

GAINESVILLE–Gulf Coast sea oats are genetically different from sea oats on the Atlantic Coast, a University of Florida researcher has found.

GAINESVILLE—Tiny alga plants — which form green scum on ponds — are the source of a unique gene that can be transferred to crop plants, boosting yields by as much as 30 percent, according to University of Florida researchers.

TAVARES — Most Florida citrus, strawberry and vegetable growers survived the past week’s chill unscathed with the help of a University of Florida weather service.