Category: Pests & Disease

New EDIS/Ask IFAS Documents Published by Veterinary Medicine During July and August

by Amanda Quintos
September 8, 2025

Read the latest Veterinary Medicine publications for July and August 2025. In this post, you can click on the title of interest to go to the Ask IFAS page and download the document in PDF format. Stay informed about the latest contributions ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Disaster Preparation, Farm Management, Livestock, Pests & Disease, Work & Life
Tags: Ask IFAS, College Of Veterinary Medicine, Edis, Hurricane Preparation, Poultry, Small Ruminants
Here Braham Dhillon is demonstrating a new web app called Robigus. He is a molecular plant pathologist at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center and a specialist in fungal pathogens of palms, woody plants and agricultural crops. His research program combines basic and applied science to better understand how these pathogens infect and spread. the app can help detect crop threats globally with the tap of a screen or keyboard.

Can Robigus be the new crop guardian? This app tracks plant diseases globally

by Lourdes Mederos
September 8, 2025

Named after the Roman god who once guarded wheat fields from blight, Robigus is the newest tech ally in the fight against plant diseases. Developed by a scientist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agriculture, App, Braham Dhillon, Cavendish Bananas, Crops, Disease Outbreaks, Farms, Fields, First Reports, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Fruit, Fungal Pathogen, Gardeners, Global, HiPerGator, Homeowners, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Molecular Plant Pathologist, News, Nursery, Palms, Plant Disease, Plant Pathology, Plants, Robigus, Roman God, Scientists, Tropical Race 4 Of Fusarium, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, University Of Florida, University Of Florida Supercomputer, Vegetable
Florida with magnifying glass and insect

September 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
September 8, 2025

Recap of September 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector This September, we continued our tradition of kicking off another year of First Fridays webinars with a refresher on the fundamentals of invasive species. Whether you're brand ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Biosecurity, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, SeminoleCountyAg
Left to right: Larval Antlion, pupal antlion, adult antlion.

Antlion Insects as Pets?

by Caitlin Sollazzo
September 6, 2025

My Story One day on a walk, I noticed a cluster of tiny funnel-shaped pits in the sand. I knew right away who made them … an antlion larva, also called a “doodlebug.” These little predators are masters at building some of the most ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Agriculture, , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: 4-H, Antlions, Insects, Manatee County Extension
Harvested green bell peppers and cucumbers. Photo taken 11-02-20.

Experts call for expansion of organic farming to meet rising demand

by Lourdes Mederos
September 4, 2025

Consumer demand for organic fresh fruits and vegetables outweighs the availability of organic farms growing the food. In fact, while certified organic U.S. land for growing crops or livestock is increasing according to the U.S. Department ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Food Safety, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agriculture, Dakshina Seal, Extension, Farming, Florida Economy, Florida Organic Growers, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Jeff Wasielewski, Jonathan Crane, News, Organic, Organic Farms, Organic Produce, Qingren Wang, Research, Tropical Research And Education Center, U.S. Department Of Agriculture, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, University Of Florida, Vermicompost, Xiaoying Li
oranges

Researchers enlist Florida residents in the fight against citrus greening

by Megan Winslow
August 28, 2025

Most people know Florida’s citrus industry is struggling with citrus greening. The threat, however, doesn’t exist in a silo, and residential trees – where the plant disease was first detected in the state – can serve as reservoirs for ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: ACP, Asian Citrus Psyllid, Bay, Citrus, Citrus Care, Citrus Greening, Cold Hardy Citrus, Columbia, Danielle Williams, Diaphorina Citri, Educational, Entomology, Gadsden, HLB, Huanglongbing, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Integrated Pest Management, Jefferson, Laura Warner, Lauren Diepenbrock, Leon, Management, Mesh Bags, North Florida, Orange, Pest, Plant Disease, Reflective Mulch, Research, Romain Exilien, Santa Rosa, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Workshop, Xavier Martini
Photo of papaya open on a table.

Better mangoes, papayas and other tropical fruit: Breeding fruits consumers love, growers need

by Lourdes Mederos
August 27, 2025

Florida has long held a special place in America's fruit bowl. With its subtropical climate, the state remains one of the few parts of the continental United States where exotic fruits -- from mangoes and avocados to papayas and dragon fruit ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Avocado, Consumers, Crops, Cultivars, Diseases, DNA, Dragon Fruit, Exotic Fruits, Flavor, Florida, Gardens, Genetic Markers, Genetic Tools, Growers, Health, Jugpreet Singh, Laurel Wilt, Mango, Nutrition, Papaya, Papaya Ringspot, Pests, Production, Shelf Life, Subtropical Climate, Tropical Fruit, Tropical Research And Education Center

Florida’s Hidden Invaders: Invasive Plants in Our Yards Part 2

by Clarissa Chairez
August 21, 2025

In Part 1 of this series we explored several popular but invasive plants often found in Florida yards, including Mother of Millions, Wandering Dude, Mimosa Tree, Chinese Wisteria, and Common Lantana. These species may look beautiful, but their ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease
Tags: Florida Friendly, Florida Gardening, Florida Wildlife, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Floridas-hidden-invaders, Garden, Gardening, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Invasives, Landscape, Landscape Management, Native Plants, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Orange County
Monarch butterfly caterpillar feeding on a leaf

Which Milkweeds Are Truly Safe for Monarchs?

by Sara MacDonald
August 18, 2025

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been hearing the same question repeatedly: “Which milkweeds should I plant to help monarch butterflies?” It’s a great question, but the answer isn’t simple. Many gardeners want to do the right thing. Yet, ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: #ufbugs, Extension, Florida Friendly Landscape, Invasive Species, Master Gardener

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