Category: Crops

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
Two individuals outdoors, one operating an orange drone over crops.

University of Florida to be new host for major plant and animal breeding accelerator program

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

The University of Florida is the new home for an important partner in the effort to provide nutritious food for the nation and to keep farms competitive – a USDA-Agricultural Research Service-funded program called Breeding Insight (BI). The ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Livestock
Tags: #aiatuf, Animal Breeding, Artificial Intelligence, Breeding Insight, Crops, Damian Adams, Ecosystems, Food, Growers, High-performance Computing, Moira Sheehan, Plant Breeding, Prec-ag, Ranchers, Software, UF/IFAS Research

Global gardeners help UF tomato breeding program; will send growth, flavor data to lab

by Samantha Murray
January 15, 2021

Normally, University of Florida scientists such as Harry Klee gauge the taste and aroma of their new tomatoes by letting volunteers test them at the UF Sensory Lab in Gainesville. But now, people from across the globe who grow tomatoes in their ... READ MORE

Category: Crops, SFYL Hot Topic
Tags: Amateur Plant Breeders, Archive, Citizen Science, Data, Gardeners, Harry Klee, Production, Seeds, Taste, Tomatoes, UF/IFAS Advancement, Varieties
Modern building with an angular roof and glass windows, surrounded by people and greenery.

AI center goal to put technology directly into growers’ hands to solve problems

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

It’s one thing to listen to a farmer describe the challenges of battling pests, unpredictable weather or dwindling resources — and quite another to hand them a tool that can tackle those problems head‑on. Imagine technology that manages ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, UF/IFAS
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Agriculture, Artificial Intelligence, Center For Applied Artificial Intelligence In Agriculture, Climate, Dana Choi, Diseases, Drones, Economy, Farmers, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticutural Sciences, Kevin Wang, Nathan Boyd, Pests, Prec-ag, Precision Spraying, Prototype, Technology, Weather
Red ripening Mayhaw apples on a twig that is being held up to camera.

Suncoast Grown and Gathered: May Apple Haws! Fruitful native and ecological powerhouse!

by Forest Hecker
May 7, 2026

At the Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension Office, we've been cultivating a Food Forest to showcase the most productive, unique, and often underutilized fruits and crops suited to our distinctive southwest Florida climate. Through this ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes
Tags: Agriculture, FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Landscape, Landscaping, Nature, Pgm_HortRes, Wildlife
Ph.D. student Sameerika Mudiyanselage (left) and her advisor Samuel Martins (right) sampling mushrooms with bacterial blotch symptoms in a mushroom farm in the Southern United States. Photo credit: UF/IFAS Samuel Martins

DNA analyses uncover what is hiding under the cap plaguing the white button mushroom industry

by Lourdes Mederos
May 5, 2026

UF/IFAS researchers discovered that bacterial blotch in white button mushrooms is caused by a complex of multiple bacteria, not a single pathogen as previously believed. The disease significantly impacts mushroom growers by reducing ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Bacteria, Bacterial Blotch, Beneficial Microbes, Department Of Plant Pathology, Eco-friendly, Essential Oils, Farming, Food Is Medicine, Growers, Health Benefits, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Kitchen Staple, Microbial Communities, Mushrooms, News, Nutrient-dense Foods, Pathogen, Plant‑based, Romina Gazis, Sameerika Mudiyanselage, Samuel Martins, Specialty Crop, Sustainable Farming, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, USDA-NIFA, Vegetables
Champiñones blancos en distintas etapas de crecimiento cultivados dentro de un entorno de producción controlado.

Análisis de ADN revela el origen oculto bajo el sombrero del hongo que está afectando a la industria del champiñón blanco

by Luz Bahder
May 5, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Un estudio de University of Florida ha logrado un avance clave para comprender una enfermedad que, durante más de un ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: 17 Especies, ADN, Bacteria Patógena, Bacterias, Centro De Investigación Y Educación Tropical (TREC), Champiñones, Champiñones Blancos, Champiñones Comunes, Comunidades Microbianas, Cultivo, Cultivo Especializado, Departamento De Patología Vegetal De UF IFAS, Enfermedad, Enfermedad En Los Champiñones, Ensayos De Laboratorio, Español, Estudio, Food Is Medicine En Español, Hongo, Hongos, Instituto Nacional De Alimentos Y Agricultura USDA-NIFA, Investigacion, La Comida Como Medicina, Mancha Bacteriana, Mancha Bacteriana Del Champiñón Blanco, Manchas, Métodos De Diagnóstico, Patógenos Bacterianos, Penn State, Perfiles Químicos, Romina Gazis, Sameerika Mudiyanselage, Samuel Martins, Secuenciación De ADN, Sostenibilidad, Spanish, Subvencion, Tratamientos, UF-IFAS, University Of Delaware
Outdoor image of closely clumped cotton growing in a field

Alumni Spotlight with Dr. Finegan: Data-Driven Breeding at Bayer

by Eva Sailly
May 4, 2026

As a double Gator, Dr. Christina Finegan earned both her bachelor’s and Ph.D. through UF’s Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology program, where she honed her interests in plant genetics and breeding. Her time in research labs within the ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
Tags: Alumni, Alumni-feature, Bayer, Cotton, Harry Klee, Horticultural Sciences, Marcio Resende, Matias Kirst, Plant Breeding, Plant Molecular And Cellular Biology, RD, Student, Teaching

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