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Recent & Revised Publications

thumbnail for publication: Understanding Metrics for Communicating the Economic Importance of Florida’s Fisheries Part III: Measuring Economic Value

Understanding Metrics for Communicating the Economic Importance of Florida’s Fisheries Part III: Measuring Economic Value

Andrew Ropicki, Edward V. Camp, Christa D. Court, and Robert Botta

Understanding the economic importance of fisheries and coastal resources is vitally important for making good management decisions that affect human communities, local businesses, and environmental and ecological sustainability. This final publication in a series of three follows Part I, an overview, and Part II, methods to quantify economic activity. Part III focuses on measures of economic value and discusses different ways to think about and estimate the economic values of Florida’s fisheries and aquatic resources.

Herbicidas para céspedes: modo de acción y manejo de resistencia

Pawel Petelewicz y J. Bryan Unruh

Este documento está diseñado como una herramienta para profesionales del césped, productores de tepes, superintendentes en campos de golf, encargados de campos atléticos y deportivos, paisajistas y especialistas en Extensión, con el objetivo de ayudar a desarrollar programas de herbicidas que reduzcan el riesgo de malezas resistentes a herbicidas en los sistemas de céspedes. Este documento es SS-AGR-394-Span, una publicación del Department of Agronomy, UF/IFAS Extension. Publicación original febrero 2025.

Lesion Mimics in Mule Palm (× Butyagrus nabonnandii)

Braham Dhillon, Lucas Altarugio, Seemanti Chakrabarti, and Kamaldeep Bansal

Palms (Arecaceae) are flowering plants with varied growth forms ranging from climbers to tree-like plants found across diverse habitats. Some palm species naturally hybridize with other species, whereas a few species can be artificially hybridized to produce new morphotypes. Mule palm (× Butyagrus nabonnandii) is an artificial hybrid that is becoming popular as a landscape ornamental because of its appearance and cold hardiness. However, hybridization among different species could lead to unintended outcomes, including lesion mimics. A lesion mimic phenotype was identified in mule palms growing across multiple farms across central and south Florida. As leaf spots are one of the most common symptoms observed during disease or nutritional deficiency, the detection of lesion mimics can sometimes be challenging. This publication documents a simple method to identify lesion mimics in palms. Correct diagnosis of lesion mimics would limit unnecessary applications of fungicides or fertilizers.

Subtropical Peach Defoliation and Chill Hours

Jonathan Clavijo-Herrera and Ali Sarkhosh

Proper foliage management is a key factor in having a healthy peach orchard and producing high-quality fruit. However, this is not an easy task for Florida growers. The warm and humid climate throughout Florida’s growing season makes it difficult to keep peach leaf rust and bacterial spot under control, which could cause premature defoliation. On the other hand, leaves tend to stay attached to the tree well into late fall, when they should start senescing and dropping to allow sufficient accumulation of chilling, a process required for buds to break the dormant status and bloom in the next season. Understanding dormancy and preparing trees for this stage is critical in subtropical peach orchards. In this publication, we will discuss peach defoliation practices for peach trees growing under the subtropical climate of Florida to provide information to county and state Extension faculty, growers, and homeowners interested in peach production in Florida.

Passion Fruit Propagation: A Comprehensive Guide

Ali Sarkhosh, Juan David Jimenez Pardo, Jonathan Clavijo-Herrera, Uzman Khalil, and Jonathan H. Crane

The climate of Florida is suitable for growing a variety of tropical and subtropical fruits, including passionfruit (Passiflora edulis). Passionfruit has a distinctive aroma and sweet-sour taste, and it has become highly appreciated in culinary and home gardening circles. The center of origin of passionfruit is South America, although it is also grown in other tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The cultivation of this fruit requires a solid understanding of effective propagation methods to ensure the availability of high-quality plant material. This guide covers various sexual and asexual propagation techniques, from traditional seed sowing to advanced methods such as tissue culture.

Sustainable Nitrogen in Livestock Systems: Forage Legumes vs. N Fertilizers

Kevin Roger Trumpp, Kalyn Waters, José Dubeux, and Cleber Henrique Lopes de Souza

Nitrogen (N) is a key element in promoting plant and livestock growth and production. The two major ways to add N in pastures are fertilizer and integrating N-fixing forage legumes. The purpose of this publication is to compare these two options for cattle producers, farmers, Extension agents, and policymakers. Written by Kevin Roger Trumpp, Kalyn Waters, José Dubeux, and Cleber Henrique Lopes de Souza, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agronomy, February 2025.

Qualitative Inquiry in Practice: Introduction to Qualitative Research

Dharmendra Kalauni, Arati Joshi, Caitlin E. Lunzmann, Sebastian Galindo, and Shane T. Michael

This publication provides a brief overview of qualitative research to a broader audience including Extension professionals, students, early-career researchers, educators, and many others. Details on the sampling process, research methods, and data analysis process in qualitative research will be explained in the upcoming Ask IFAS publications in the Qualitative Inquiry in Practice series. Written by Dharmendra Kalauni, Arati Joshi, Caitlin E. Lunzmann, Sebastian Galindo, and Shane T. Michael, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, March 2025.

Body Condition Scores Before and After Calving Modulate Pregnancy Success of Beef Cows in Florida

Philipe Moriel, Vinicius Izquierdo, and Joao Vendramini

This publication was developed to help beef cattle producers understand the impacts of cow body condition score (BCS) before and after calving on cow and calf productive performance in Florida. Written by Philipe Moriel, Vinicius Izquierdo, and Joao Vendramini, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Animal Sciences, February 2025.

Regulatory Requirements to Operate Spraying Drones

Wenhao Liu and Yiannis Ampatzidis

This article aims to present and discuss regulatory requirements for UAS for agricultural spraying applications to students, research scientists, Extension agents, growers and allied industry, consulting companies, and state agency personnel. It explores the FAA regulations and presents the application procedure to receive a license to operate spraying drones. Written by Wenhao Liu and Yiannis Ampatzidis, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, February 2025.

Diamondback Moth Management in Cole Crops

Purity K. Muthomi, Dakshina Seal, and Oscar E. Liburd

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus), is a significant pest of cole crops such as cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, radish, carinata, turnips, and watercress. Globally, the annual cost of managing the DBM is estimated to be USD 4 to 5 billion. The pest originated in Europe but is now widely distributed wherever cole crops are extensively grown. DBM has become widespread due to its high dispersal ability, multiple generations per year, and potential to develop resistance to most commonly used insecticides. DBM management is heavily reliant on chemical control, but DBM is notorious for developing resistance to many classes of insecticides, so frequent pesticide applications can lead to insecticide resistance, ineffective pest suppression, and yield losses. Therefore, to manage DBM, a good integrated pest management (IPM) strategy is critical.

Chrononutrition: Optimizing Individualized Nutrition with Circadian Rhythm

Kaylyn Koons, Maria Beyer, Ana Caggiano, Madalyn Gernstenfeld, Sophie Giangrosso, Li-Ying Kuo, Emily McNulty, Presley Pettit, and Wendy J. Dahl

In optimizing metabolic health and overall well-being, the timing of meals is gaining recognition as a critical factor. Chrononutrition, an emerging field, explores how aligning meal times with our body's natural circadian rhythms can positively influence metabolic processes and promote positive health outcomes. With a target audience of nutrition educators, this publication describes the circadian rhythm system, chrononutrition, and chrononutrition behaviors and differentiates these behaviors from those of intermittent fasting.

Managing Conflicts with Wildlife: Living with Alligators

Steve A. Johnson, Harry J. Dutton, Allan R. Woodward, William M. Giuliano, and Holly K. Ober

As one of the largest reptiles in North America, alligators are situated at the top of the food chain. In general, alligators do not pose a threat to people. However, alligators can pose potential dangers to people in some situations. In this publication, we present some facts about alligators, describe their potential threats to people and pets, and provide suggestions on how to cope with these risks. Our target audience includes anyone living in or visiting the geographic range of American alligators.

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25,000 to 30,000

# of bees needed to survive the winter

A healthy colony consisting of 25,000 to 30,000 bees is an adequate size for overwintering success.

95°F

Proper Temperature for Baby Chicks

Newly hatched chicks need to be maintained at 95°F for the first week of their lives. After the first week, chicks can tolerate temperatures 5°F cooler for each week until they are four weeks old.

13% of people

Food Insecure in the U.S.

Urban agriculture provides diverse benefits and support to local communities. However, there are also limitations to developing or expanding operations and programs.

65,479

U.S. residents have their identity stolen each day

This publication is based on the insights of individuals who have been through this experience, researched it in depth, and have attempted to break it down into understandable segments.

$4.09 per lb. of N

Value of Denitrification

Based on the average wastewater treatment cost of N removal for Florida Counties. One of the ecosystem functions of Living Shorelines is enhanced denitrification.

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