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UF/IFAS scientists discover sea-level rise threat to Florida’s endangered pine rocklands

by Lourdes Mederos
April 17, 2025

Pine rocklands are home to plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. They are also one of the world's most endangered habitats. Unique to South Florida, the Florida Keys and some islands in The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, these upland ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Forests, Horticulture, NATURAL RESOURCES, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Beneficial Fungi, Caicos, Conservation, DNA, Droughts, Ecosystem, Elena Karlsen-Ayala, Endangered Habitat, Florida, Florida Keys, Forest, Fungi, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Limestone Forest, Matthew Smith, Miami Dade, Molecular Ecology, Mycorrhizas, News, Pine Rocklands, Plant Pathology, Reforestation, Regeneration, Rising Temperatures, Romina Gazis, Salinity, Salt Intrusion, Sea Level Rise, Slash Pines, Symbiotic Associations, The Bahamas, Tropical Research And Education Center, Turks, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida

Cultivating connections: Showcasing Miami-Dade’s blooming nursery industry and the need for more research on disease

by Lourdes Mederos
March 26, 2025

With a $31.4 billion economic impact, Florida leads the nation in nursery production. Miami-Dade County ranks No.1 in production nationwide, with nurseries accounting for 84% of the county's agricultural sector. It is no wonder with the ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: American Floral Endowment, American Hort Foundation Horticulture Research Institute, Dade County Farm Bureau, FNGLA, Gardenia, Hibiscus, Hibiscus Bud Weevil, Inc., Jeffrey DeMott, Miami Dade, Miami-Dade Chapter Of FNGLA, Orchids, Palms, Redland Nursery, Silver Vase, Subtropical Ornamentals, Thrips Parvispinus, Tropical Research And Education Center, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, USDA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative, Xingbo Wu

April 10: UF/IFAS to host free online workshop on vanilla cultivation to encourage a domestic industry

by Lourdes Mederos
March 25, 2025

Aspiring vanilla growers and seasoned agriculturalists in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are invited to a free online workshop: An Introduction to Domestic Vanilla Cultivation. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., on April 10, leading ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, EVENTS, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural Systems, Crop, Cured Vanilla Beans, Domestic Vanilla Industry, Extract, Farm, Farming, Flavor And Extracts Manufacture Association, Greenhouse, Low-maintenance Crop, Plant Breeding, Puerto Rico, Spice, Sustainability, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research And Education (USDA-SSARE), UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, USDA-SSARE, Vanilla, Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Planifolia, Vanillin, Virgin Islands, Xingbo Wu
Student Spotlight Image of Sisi Chen, a PhD student in Dr. Xingbo Wu's lab

Student Spotlight: Tropical Hibiscus Genetics and Breeding

by moniquescoggin
March 18, 2025

About Sisi Chen is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Xingbo Wu’s Ornamental Plant Breeding and Genetics lab. Her research focuses on evaluating the genetic and phenotypic variation of tropical hibiscus. She is also developing genomic tools for breeding ... READ MORE

Category: HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Bioinformatics, Genetics, Plant Breeding, Research, Tropical Hibiscus, Tropical Research And Education Center

UF/IFAS team secures $5M USDA grant to expand avocado production into Central Florida, combat Laurel wilt disease

by Lourdes Mederos
December 12, 2024

Scientists with the University of Florida have secured a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to combat the lethal Laurel wilt disease and the redbay ambrosia beetles responsible ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, EVENTS, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural Pests, Avocado, Avocado Cultivation, California, Climate Change, Diseases, Florida Avocado, Florida Crops, Florida Economy, Growth, Insects, Jeffrey Rollins, Jonathan Crane, Kentucky, Laurel Wilt, Mexico, Miami-Dade County, Mitigation Strategies, Nifa, Pests, Red Ambrosia Beetle, Redbay Ambrosia Beetle, Research, Sustainability, Tropical Research And Education Center, U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Usda, USDA National Institute Of Food And Agriculture, USDA-NIFA, Workshop
This image is from Adobe Stock and shows seaweed underwater.

Seeding the future: UF/IFAS and Florida Sea Grant secure $250K NOAA grant to cultivate seaweed aquaculture in Florida

by Lourdes Mederos
November 12, 2024

Atlantic subtropical seaweed is making waves among scientists who are exploring its potential for economic and environmental benefits for the Sunshine State. The University of Florida and Florida Sea Grant have secured a $250,000 grant from ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, NATURAL RESOURCES, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: And Ecosystem Sciences, Angela Collins, Aquaculture, Aquaculture Farming, Aquaculture In Florida, Ashley Smyth, Business, Climate Change, Cultivation Of Seaweed, Dail Laughinghouse, Enterprise, Extension, Farmable Products, Florida Sea Grant, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Grant, Kelp, NOAA, Nori, Seaweed Farming, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Subtropical Seaweed, Tropical Research And Education Center, Tropical Seaweed, UF/IFAS, Water

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