Category: Crops

Primer plano de una roca de basalto alcalino con textura porosa, caracterizada por pequeños orificios formados por burbujas de gas en la lava solidificada, de color gris oscuro bajo luz natural.

¿Puede la aplicación de roca volcánica mejorar los cultivos y la salud de los suelos de Florida?

by Luz Bahder
May 12, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Los suelos de Florida presentan desafíos únicos para agricultores, administradores de tierras y residentes. Aunque ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: Alabama, Arizona, Caracterización Geofísica, Carbono Forestal, Clima Tropical, Composición Del Suelo, Conservacion, David Foster, Ecológica, Economía Sólida, Enmienda, Enmiendas, Enmiendas Minerales Para Suelos, Escuela De Ciencias Forestales, Español, Estrategias De Manejo Del Suelo, Exas, Florida, Funcionalidad Del Suelo, Geocronología, Georgia, Insumos Sintéticos, Investigacion, Jardineria, Jehangir Bhadha, Luisiana, Meteorización, Meteorización Acelerada De Las Rocas, Mezcla óptima, Mineralogía, Nutrientes, Paisajismo, Pesqueras Y Geomáticas, Polvo De Basalto, Polvo De Roca Basáltica, Prácticas Agrícolas Climáticamente Inteligentes, Procesos Naturales Del Suelo, Producción Sostenible De Alimentos, Remineralización, Rentable, Reservas De Carbono, Roca Volcánica, Rosvel Bracho, Salud Ambiental, Sistemas Agrícolas Subtropicales, Sostenible, Spanish, Suelo, Suelos Orgánicos, Suelos Pobres, Sur De California, Tectónica, Termocronología, UF-IFAS, Uso Agrícola, Viveros, Zonas Agrícolas De Clima Cálido
La_Palma_volcano_DAF2.jpg Photo of a volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. UF/IFAS photo by David Foster

Can spreading basaltic volcanic rock dust improve crops and the health of Florida’s soils?

by Lourdes Mederos
May 12, 2026

Highlights: UF researchers are testing volcanic rock dust to improve soil health across the state’s sandy and organic farmlands. A $749,999 USDA-funded, four-year study aims to boost crop productivity while cutting reliance on ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural Acreage, Agroindustry, And Geomatics Sciences, Basaltic Volanic Rock, Boost Crop Growth, CALS, CLAS, David Foster, Department Of Geological Sciences, Everglades Agricultural Area, Everglades Research And Education Center, Fisheries, Grant, Improve Soil Health, Improve Soil Quality, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Jehangir Bhadha, Landscapes, Mineral Soils, News, Organic Farmlands, Reduce Fertilizers, Research, Rice, Rosvel Bracho, Soil Amendments, Sugarcane, Sustainable Agriculture, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Forest Inventory And Analysis, UF College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS School Of Forest, University Of Florida, USDA-NIFA, Volcanic Rock

Should You Water Your Trees?

by Julia Sirchia
May 7, 2026

Mature Trees   Mature trees, especially older ones, develop an extensive network of roots and can survive on rainfall exclusively. Some of these roots run very deep, which is why supplemental watering is usually unnecessary. Most mature shrubs ... READ MORE

Category: Crops, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Water
Tags: Drought, Dry Season, Efficient Irrigaiton, Home Landscape, In Times Of Drought, Irrigation, Rainfall, Shrubs, Trees, Water, Water Conservation, Water Restrictions
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 5, 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
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
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

Maintaining Landscapes and Trees in Drought Conditions

by Julia Sirchia
May 5, 2026

Ideally, the requirements of a tree/shrub (or any plant for that matter) should align with the conditions of the planting site (right plant, right place). When a plant's growing needs are matched to the environmental conditions, you may notice ... READ MORE

Category: Crops, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Water
Tags: Drought, Home Landscape, Horticulture, In Times Of Drought, Landscapes, Tree, Water, Water Restrictions
Florida with magnifying glass and insect

May 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
May 4, 2026

Recap of May 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector In May, we dove into the basics of nematodes. While many nematodes are free-living and play beneficial roles in soil ecosystems, others are parasitic and can cause significant damage ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, Nematodes, SeminoleCountyAg
close up of a bush with wet, green foliage and small white buds

How to Care for your Landscape During a Drought

by Julia Sirchia
April 30, 2026

The amount of water a plant needs depends on many things. A few factors include the plant type, age and size, the environmental conditions, and soil type. When you do water, aim for deep, infrequent waterings to encourage strong root systems. ... READ MORE

Category: Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Tags: Drought, Efficient Irrigation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscape, In Times Of Drought, Irrigation, Water Conservation, Water Restrictions

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