Tag: soil

Southern scientists use artificial intelligence to reduce costs, labor on farms

by Brad Buck
March 9, 2026

Scientists throughout the South are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help growers save labor costs and time, spray with precision, detect diseases, control food quality, maintain animal health and help grow wheat.   University of Florida ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Agroview, Arnold Schumann, Citrus Research And Education Center, Daniel Lee, Drones, Fort Valley State University, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Land-grant Universities, Nathan Boyd, Oklahoma State University, Precision Ag, Precision Agriculture, Precision Weed-spraying, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Strawberries, Tree Canopy, University Of Georgia, Variable-rate Fertilizer, Virginia Tech, Water, Yiannis Ampatzidis
Two men talking among rows of tomato plants supported by poles.

Florida farms reduce water use by 25% with simple change in crop beds

by Brad Buck
March 9, 2026

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 ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Farm Management
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Compact-bed Geometry, Environmental Stewardship, Flood Mitigation, Flooding, Labor, Lipman Family Farms, Lucas Conran, Nutrients, Sanjay Shukla, Soil, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Sowing Sustainability, Tomatoes, Water, Water Savings
A large fallen tree with Spanish moss hanging from its branches in a grassy area.

Prepare your landscape and trees for the hurricane season

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

Given the damaging impacts of hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton last year, you may want to prepare your landscape and trees for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season – and the sooner the better. “Best management practices include supporting ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Tags: Alyssa Vinson, Arborist, Bird Feeders, Claire Lewis, Damage, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Furniture, Gutters, Hurricane Debby, Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton, Hurricane Preparation, Hurricane Season, Hurricanes, Irrigation, Landscapes, Lynn Barber, Pruning, Soil, Trees
A partially flooded agricultural field with rows of green plants.

UF scientists to develop AI technology to help growers assess crop damage after hurricanes

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

Imagine using a generative AI platform similar to ChatGPT to get crop-damage information after a hurricane. That’s what University of Florida artificial intelligence (AI) scientist Nikolaos Tziolas plans to provide to farmers statewide. With ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Computers, Crop Damage, Damage Assessment, Generative AI, Hurricanes, Nifa, NIFA Grant, Nikolaos Tziolas, Prec-ag, Recovery, Satellite, Satellite Imagery, Smartphone, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Water
A satellite orbiting above the illuminated night side of Earth in space.

Thanks to NASA, farmers may ask, ‘Hey Alexa, what’s the best way to keep my soil healthy?’

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

Someday soon, farmers might use technology equivalent to Siri or Alexa to check the status of their soil’s quality. Anastasia Kritharoula, a doctoral student in the Soil Science Artificial Intelligence lab of the University of Florida, ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Anastasia Kritharoula, Artificial Intelligence, Farmers, Generative AI, Grant, NASA, Nikolaos Tziolas, Non-expert Users, Prec-ag, Soil, Soil Health, Soil Science Artificial Intelligence Lab, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Water
Dense cluster of green and yellow bamboo stalks with glossy green leaves.

From citrus to bamboo? Some growers might move to this crop with a multibillion-dollar worldwide market

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

With a global market valued at nearly $67 billion, bamboo may offer an alternative crop for some Florida growers reeling from a devastated citrus crop, says a University of Florida expert. “Bamboo is a good alternative crop to diversify ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Alternative Crops, Bamboo, Citrus, Citrus Research And Education Center, Clumbing Bamboo, Construction, Davie Kadyampakeni, Food, Furniture, Low Invasion, Michael Rogers, Pests, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Water
Natural disaster on the farm. Flooded field with seedlings of eggplant and leek. Heavy rain and flooding. The risks of harvest loss. The flood. Agriculture. Ukraine, Kherson region. Selective focus. Español. Desastre natural en la granja. Campo inundado. Lluvias intensas e inundaciones. Los riesgos de pérdida de cosecha. La inundación. Agricultura. Enfoque selectivo.

With startup, researchers plan to help growers feed more people, preserve environment

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

By commercializing their research, two University of Florida scientists are trying to get practical artificial intelligence (AI) tools into the hands of our state’s farmers. The goal is to build their business by increasing farm profitability, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Farm Management
Tags: #aiatuf, Arnold Schumann, Artificial Intelligence, Business, Citrus Research And Education Center, Commercialization, Environment, EZ Ag Innovations, Food, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Inputs, Labor, Nathan Boyd, Pesticides, Prec-ag, Precision Weed-spraying, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Startup, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Water
A sprinkler watering a green lawn, creating a mist against a blurred background of a building and vegetation.

As days grow shorter, your landscape naturally needs less water

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

Even though daily deluges of Florida’s summer rains are in the rearview mirror, your lawn still can look lush, even with less water. Irrigation accounts for more than half the average U.S. water bill, but you can preserve this precious ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: 'Skip A Week', Calibration, Deep Roots, Don Rainey, Drainage, Drought, Fall, Irrigation, Jackie Lebouitz, Julie McConnell, Laura Vásquez, Lawns, Residential, Saving, Soil, Southwest Florida Water Management Districtement District, Turfgrass, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, Water Restrictions, Winter
A field with tall reeds and clusters of large green trees under a pale blue sky.

UF research: Proper grazing-land management can increase soil carbon storage, but more research needed

by Brad Buck
March 17, 2026

Soil can store carbon, reducing greenhouse gas concentrations from the atmosphere, and managing grazing lands in the best ways can increase their ability to provide these important ecosystems services. But insufficient research into how to ... READ MORE

Category: Farm Management, Livestock
Tags: Carbon Market, Carbon Sequestration, Grazing Lands, Greenhouse Gas, Land Management, Maria Silveira, Range Cattle Research And Education Center, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Water
Rows of crops in a flooded agricultural field with dried stalks and trees in the background.

From hoops star to AI scientist, UF/IFAS researcher hopes to help Florida farmers protect their soil

by Brad Buck
March 18, 2026

Basketball took center stage for Nikos Tziolas as he grew up in Greece. It shaped him into a team player, a trait he took into his career as an agricultural engineer. His team even earned second place in the Greek adult (17-18 years old) ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Basketball, Greece, Machine Learning, Nikos Tziolas, Precision Ag, Precision Agriculture, Remote Sensing, Soil, Soil Spectroscopy, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Water

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