Tag: tomatoes

Tomatoes ripening on vines in a greenhouse.

UF scientists plan to study whether cover crops or compost can increase the efficiency, resiliency of tomatoes, other produce

by Brad Buck
March 11, 2026

Growers are always looking for ways to maintain or increase their yields and boost the ability of their crops to resist pests, diseases and heat brought on by climate change. That’s particularly the case when you grow crops in a high-intensity ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Climate, Compost, Cover Crops, Fertilizer, Fumigation, Grant, High-intensity Production System, National Institute Of Food And Agriculture, Sarah Strauss, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Tomatoes
Two men examining plants in a field with agricultural machinery in the background.

First graduates of UF’s plant-breeding Ph.D. use genetics to help growers boost yields, improve shelf life, more

by Brad Buck
January 21, 2026

About four years ago, a small cohort of ambitious young scientists stepped into uncharted territory as the first students in the University of Florida’s new plant breeding Ph.D. program in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, part ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Agronomy, Ali Babar, Anandi Karn, Blueberries, College Of Agricultural And Life Science, Elissar Alam, Estafania Flores, Esteban Rios, Forage, Fusarium Wilt, Graduates, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticultural Sciences, Jessica Chitwood-Brown, Manuel Gastelbondo, Pablo Sipowicz, Patricio Munoz, Ph.D., Plant Breeding Ph.D. Program, Samuel Ipinyomi, Strawberries, Sudip Kunwar, Tomatoes, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, Vance Whitaker, Vanilla, Wheat, Xingbo Wu
Baskets of red tomatoes on white shelves.

Citizen scientists help UF researchers find best-tasting tomatoes

by Brad Buck
March 9, 2026

People with a green thumb for growing tomatoes are giving University of Florida scientists good data to help them find tastier tomatoes. Through a citizen science program, Denise Tieman, a UF/IFAS research associate professor of horticultural ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Citizen Science, Cultivars, Denise Tieman, DNA, Flavor, Florida Tomato Conference, Gardeners, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticultural Sciences Department, Jessica Chitwood-Brown, Tomato Breeding, Tomatoes
Close-up of ripe tomatoes in various shades of red, orange, and yellow.

Herbicide plus fertilizer equals fewer weeds and, thus more tomatoes

by Brad Buck
March 9, 2026

A combination of herbicide and fertilizer can prevent the nasty nutsedge weed from harming tomatoes, new University of Florida research shows. That, in turn, should mean more of the fruit going to the grocery store and your kitchen. An increase ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, UF/IFAS
Tags: Control, Fertilizer, Herbicide, Horticultural Sciences Department, Nutsedge, Plastic Mulch, Pre-emergence Herbicide, Ramdas Kanissery, Ruby Tiwari, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Tomatoes, Vegetables, Weed Scientist
Close-up of red bell peppers on a plant with green leaves.

AI may help kill weeds, preserve peppers, tomatoes

by Brad Buck
March 9, 2026

First, University of Florida scientists developed technology to kill weeds, instead of strawberries. Now, UF/IFAS researchers are designing a machine that can surgically eliminate weeds while preserving the tomatoes and peppers around them, ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Algorithm, Computer Vision, Detection, Doctoral Student, Peppers, Plastic Beds, Precision Ag, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Tomatoes, Vinay Vijayakumar, Weed Sprayer, 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
Close-up of green leaves with brown spots indicating damage.

UF-led research reveals tomato disease spreading rapidly across continents

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

Tomatoes represent a $1.9 billion annual crop, nationwide. They’re planted on 330,000 acres across 18 states, but diseases such as bacterial spot can ravage the popular crop. Bacterial diseases pose significant threats to food security ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease
Tags: Bacterial Spot, Bacterial Spot Disease Of Tomato, Continents, Erica Goss, Florida, Gary Vallad, Genes, Genetic, Genetic Variation, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Pathogen, Plant Breeders, Plant Pathology, Spread, Tomatoes, Travel, Xanthomonas Euvesicatoria Pathovar Perforans
Cherry tomato plants with ripe and unripe fruit on reflective plastic sheeting.

UF/IFAS scientist uses AI to target weeds — not nearby tomatoes – saving 70% of herbicide

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

Targeted weed-spraying can save tomato farmers 71% of the herbicide they use, new University of Florida research shows. It also cuts input costs related to weed management for growers by 75%. The results mean that targeted spray technology ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, UF/IFAS
Tags: Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticultural Sciences, Machine Learning, Nathan Boyd, Nutsedge, Plastic Mulch, Plasticulture, Prec-ag, Spraying, Technology, Tomatoes, Vegetables, Weed Sprayer, Weeds
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

Citizen science project leads volunteers to live healthier lifestyles

by Brad Buck
March 19, 2026

Citizen scientists help researchers collect valid data. But University of Florida scientists wanted to know how citizen-science projects change the volunteers. In a newly published study, a project involving urban gardening led participants ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Alachua County, Broward County, Catherine Campbell, Citizen Science, Eat Healthy, Family, Orange County, Tomatoes, Urban Gardening, Youth And Community Sciences

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