Latest news with #UFIFAS
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Artificial intelligence to help growers assess hurricane crop damage
The Brief University of Florida scientists are developing new technology using artificial intelligence (AI) to make assessing crop damage after hurricanes faster and easier. Farmers will be able to get answers about their fields and crops by interacting with an AI assistant through a chat-based interface that will eventually work with smartphones and computers. TAMPA - University of Florida scientists are developing new technology using artificial intelligence (AI) to make assessing crop damage after hurricanes faster and easier. Imagine you're a farmer, and, unfortunately, a hurricane has just come through: How do you assess crop damage? Right now, it might be through surveys, field visits, and drones. But wouldn't it be easier, and faster, if you could just ask your phone or computer: What percentage of my field is damaged? That's the kind of technology scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) are working on right now. "The system is like ChatGPT combined with some maps," Nikos Tziolas, a faculty member at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, said. Dig deeper Known as the Gaia Bot, farmers interact with an AI assistant through a chat-based interface by typing in questions about their crops and fields. "We just ask if my crops look healthy," Tziolas explained while showing FOX 13 an example. "And in real time, (the AI system) generates this map." OTHER NEWS: Higher rain chances for Bay Area on Thursday, more heavy rain possible for July 4th Farmers type in simple questions and also respond when asked for more information about their fields and crops. Then the conversational AI system analyzes satellite imagery, weather information, and soil maps developed in UF labs before responding. "The system automatically retrieves this data without any experience from the user," Tziolas added. By quickly generating maps and data for specific fields, this technology – which is funded by a USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant -- can help tell farmers which areas saw the most flooding and how their crops are looking before and after a storm. What's next UF/IFAS scientists expect this technology to be available to farmers at no cost later this hurricane season in the fall. Agricultural losses can be costly after hurricanes. UF estimates the state saw up to $640 million in agricultural damage during Milton. The Source FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia gathered the information for this story.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Study slices and dices the complex history of the modern strawberry
If you eat fruits or vegetables, how often do you think about their history? Former University of Florida post-doctoral researcher Zhen Fan did, as he traced the strawberry back over centuries. In a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Fan, now a faculty member at Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University in China, examined the ancient origins of strawberry strawberries have eight sets of chromosomes, making them what scientists call 'octoploids.' By comparison, most species, including humans, have two sets of chromosomes: they're diploids. 'The modern strawberry has about four times as much DNA as the most ancient wild strawberries,' said Vance Whitaker, a UF/IFAS professor of horticultural sciences, Fan's former supervisor and a corresponding author of the paper. 'This happened through hybridization (crossing) of up to four distinct wild species over a long time.' 'But this history and the identity of each of these ancient species have been difficult to trace because some of them went extinct long ago, and we can't study them directly,' said Whitaker, a strawberry breeder at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. In the new study, Fan found an approach to better trace that history and, in the process, he found that, before the modern strawberry began to form, various types of ancient species crossed with each other. 'This means that the genetic background of the modern strawberry is even more complex than we thought,' Whitaker said. 'One reason this is important is that one day, we would like to reconstruct the modern strawberry from simpler species by making the crosses ourselves, and better understanding how the strawberry formed will help us do that,' Whitaker said. 'This could help us to breed better strawberry varieties in the future that are more genetically diverse and more resistant to pests and diseases.' Strawberry is kind of the opposite of a 'purebred,' Whitaker said. 'With multiple species in its background the strawberry is fun and challenging to work with for a breeder like me,' he said. Doug and Pam Soltis, distinguished professors at the Florida Museum of Natural History and co-authors on the study, put the research into an interesting historical perspective. 'Strawberry might be the opposite of a purebred, but it is typical of the complexities we see in natural populations of plants — complicated evolutionary histories of repeated hybridization, introgression and genome doubling,' Doug Soltis said. 'Solving these problems involves dedicated research — each is a story of intrigue and investigation that puts solving any murder mystery to shame.' Added Pam Soltis: 'The methods developed for reconstructing the evolutionary history of strawberries may be useful in other crops where the ancestry is also uncertain. Polyploidy (more than two sets of chromosomes) is very common in wild plants — and occurs in other organisms as well, and I look forward to applying these methods to the study of wild polyploid species for which we know almost nothing about their evolutionary history.' This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Study slices into the complex history of modern strawberry
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers use high-tech drones with exceptional vision to revolutionize how farmers grow food: 'Farmers are looking for ways to assess their crops'
A new drone-powered innovation is helping farmers grow hemp more efficiently, potentially transforming sustainable agriculture. Researchers at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have developed a method to monitor hemp crops from the air using drones equipped with cameras and supported by artificial intelligence. The breakthrough, published in an American Society for Horticultural Science journal, provides farmers with a new tool to optimize fertilizer use, saving money and reducing harmful nitrogen overfertilization that can damage local ecosystems and food supplies through nutrient toxicity, disease susceptibility, and environmental pollution. "Farmers are looking for ways to assess their crops throughout the year to make informed fertilizer decisions," said Zack Brym, UF/IFAS agronomy professor and lead researcher on the study. In Florida, where nutrients quickly move through shallow soils, over-fertilization is both costly and environmentally risky, leading to wasted resources and polluted waterways. To address this issue, Brym's team spent three years growing a hemp variety called "Wife" while applying various nitrogen levels. Using drones, they captured high-resolution images of the crop canopy a month before harvest, measuring plant size and health with near-infrared reflectance. The data revealed that moderate nitrogen rates (100-150 pounds per acre) produced the healthiest plants and the best flower yields. The final step involved AI technology, which processed the reflectance images to map plant growth and nitrogen response more precisely. While automation wasn't flawless and required manual error correction, it demonstrated the potential of combining drones and AI to guide sustainable farming decisions. "This shows that drone-based aerial imaging can effectively monitor crop growth and health in field-grown flower hemp and inform nutrient management decisions for growers," said Tamara Serrano, a co-author and former graduate student on the project. The benefits extend beyond hemp and its sustainable products, which have been utilized for centuries. Technologies like this could transform how all kinds of crops are grown, reducing fertilizer overuse, curbing pollution, and boosting crop yields. Smarter farming leads to healthier ecosystems, cleaner water, and more resilient food systems for both people and the planet. However, it's important to note that while AI plays a beneficial role here, it generally contributes to a large environmental impact due to reliance on traditional energy infrastructures. Still, this study illustrates how pairing high-tech tools with practical farming approaches can pave the way toward greener, sustainable agriculture. Recent developments like vertical farming, Jaspe straining, and cover crops are simple solutions that enhance farming efficiency and environmental friendliness — hopefully improving the quality of the food on your plate and the materials in your belongings in the near future. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Gizmodo
29-05-2025
- General
- Gizmodo
Two of the World's Worst Termites Hooked Up in Florida—and Now We're Screwed
A termite horror story a decade in the making is unfolding in South Florida. Two of the most destructive invasive termites on the planet are not only coexisting—they're mating. And now, scientists have confirmed that the populations are hybridized. In a new study published this month in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers from the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) report that the Formosan subterranean termite and the Asian subterranean termite are crossbreeding and producing viable offspring in South Florida neighborhoods. The result is a new hybrid termite population that could cause even more environmental and structural damage than its already-devastating parents. 'Unfortunately, termite colonies are very cryptic and trying to find hybrid colonies in the field is like looking for a needle in a haystack,' said Thomas Chouvenc, a researcher at the University of Florida and lead author of the study, in a university release. 'We monitored termite activity closely for more than a decade to check for the establishment of hybrid colonies in some of the neighborhoods affected by the two termite species.' Genetic testing confirmed that the strange-looking termites first spotted in 2021 were hybrids of the aforementioned species. 'At first, I could not believe it, as I was hoping to never find it,' Chouvenc said. In October 2024, the researchers discovered a full-blown hybrid colony in a Fort Lauderdale park, which had likely been active for more than five years before being detected. Chouvenc said that there are likely many more hundreds of colonies across South Florida that have not yet been found. Both parent species are prolific breeders, capable of forming massive colonies and spreading rapidly. The fact that these hybrids are swarming—and potentially just as fertile—raises major red flags. Fort Lauderdale's status as a global boating hub may accelerate the spread. 'This may be a Florida story now, but it likely won't stay just in Florida,' Chouvenc warned. Private boats have previously been implicated in termite spread across the U.S. and internationally. Termite hybridization is not just an American problem; the phenomenon has also been observed in Taiwan, suggesting that crossbreeding between the species may be unavoidable in areas where they coexist. In the meantime, Florida's latest invasive residents are combining forces to chomp their way across the state—and beyond.
