Category: Fruits & Vegetables

When the Garden Wakes Up, So Do the Insects: A Spring Story About Pests, Predators, and Paying Attention

by Ashley Ellis
April 5, 2026

On a warm spring morning in Southwest Florida, the garden doesn’t just grow—it hums. If you pause long enough, you’ll notice it. A leaf that wasn’t chewed yesterday now carries a series of holes caused by cabbageworm. Ants move steadily ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Pgm_HortRes
Primer plano de varias lechugas, incluyendo variedades de color verde claro, borgoña oscuro y verde medio, mostrando diferentes texturas y colores.

Al filo de un gran avance: UF/IFAS desarrolla variedades de lechuga resistentes a enfermedades para fincas y cocinas de Estados Unidos

by Luz Bahder
March 24, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Científicos de University of Florida están próximos a un avance que podría proteger el suministro nacional de ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Apariencia, Byron Manzanero, Centro De Investigación Y Educación De Everglades De UF/IFAS En Belle Glade., Cercospora, Comportamiento Poscosecha, Compra, Consumidor, Demanda, Enfermedad, Ensayos, Español, Experimentos, Fitomejorador, Fitomejoramiento, Fitomejoramiento Genético, Genetico, German Sandoya, German Sandoya Miranda, Iceberg, La Textura, Lechuga, Líneas, Mancha Foliar Bacteriana, Mancha Foliar Por Cercospora, Muestreos, Spanish, Tipos, Variedades, Variedades De Lechuga, Venta
A view of several lettuce varities. Español: múltiples variedades de lechuga

On the edge of a breakthrough: UF/IFAS breeding disease-resistant lettuce for U.S. farms, kitchens

by Lourdes Mederos
March 24, 2026

University of Florida scientists are closer to a breakthrough that could safeguard the nation’s lettuce supply.  Backed by a $500,000 federal grant, the team is working to develop disease-resistant lettuce varieties built to withstand ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Arizona, Bacterial Leaf Spot, Breeding, California, Cercospora Leaf Spot, Climates, Consumers, Crop, Cultivars, Economic Engine, Economy, Everglades Research And Education Center, Florida, Florida Economy, Freshness, German Sandoya, Harvest, Iceberg, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Leaf Lettuce, Lettuce, Lettuce Breeding, Lettuce Breeding Program, Market Demands, National Institute Of Food And Agriculture, News, Postharvest, Production, Public, Resistence, Romaine, Sandy Soils, Storage, Texture, Transportation, U.S. Department Of Agriculture, U.S. Department Of Agriculture National Institute Of Food And Agriculture, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, USDA-NIFA, Varieties
big blue sign that says Orange County University of Florida IFAS Extension Education Center with an UF/IFAS logo and an Orange County logo. there are green trees and blue sky in the background.

Fresh Picks: The Month’s Classes

by Chris Weber
March 18, 2026

April is a great time to put knowledge into action. Our April lineup features classes on gardening and sustainability, financial education, and healthy living, along with hands-on opportunities to learn from Extension agents and volunteers. Explore ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Agriculture, Blog Community, Events, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Food Safety, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Money Matters, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Work & Life
Tags: Classes, Events, Extension Education, Learning, Ocextension, Orangecountyfl, UFIFASExtension
Mangos en árboles.

Cómo el clima cambiante de Florida influye en los cultivos de frutas tropicales y subtropicales en diferentes paisajes

by Luz Bahder
March 16, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. ¿Sabe cómo los cambios de temperatura, el suelo encharcado o el agua de riego salada afectan a los árboles frutales ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agua Subterránea, Arbol, árboles Frutales Tropicales Y Subtropicales, Cambios Estacionales, Centro De Investigación Y Educación Tropical De UF/IFAS, Clima Variable, Cultivos Frutales, Drenaje, Enfermedades, Español, Estres, Haimanote Bayabil, Hidrología E Ingeniería Agrícola, Lluvias, Producción Frutal, Rangos De Temperatura, Riego, Riesgos Hídricos Locales, Salinidad, Sequías, Spanish, Suelos, Temperaturas, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Young Gu Her
Mature avocado trees in South Florida at the Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC) in Homestead, Florida. UF/IFAS photo by Tyler Jones

How Florida’s changing weather impacts tropical, subtropical fruit crops in your landscape

by Lourdes Mederos
March 16, 2026

Do you ever wonder how things like temperature changes, overly wet soils or salty irrigation water affect your fruit trees at home? University of Florida scientists at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have those ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, , Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Alternative Fruit Crops, Ask IFAS, Avocado, Backyard, Carambola, Community Gardens, Disease Risk, Extension, Fruit Tree, Haimanote Bayabil, Hydrology, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Irrigation, Low-lying Yards, Mango, News, Orchard, Poor Drainage, Salinity, Salty Soil, Small Urban Orchards, Soil Conditions, Soil Moisture, Star Fruit, Subtropical Fruit Production, Temperature, Tropical Fruit Production, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, Water, Weaken Trees, Weather, Young Gu Her
A close up of Dr. Jose Chaparro examining the first flowers from a cold-hardy avocado cultivar.

Cold-hardy avocados aimed at transforming Florida’s future fruit industry

by Lourdes Mederos
March 12, 2026

Highlights: University of Florida scientists proved their cold‑hardy avocado lines can survive the January 2026 freeze, enduring temperatures as low as 17 degrees, which is far colder than commercial varieties like Hass can tolerate. ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agriculture, Anthracnose, Avocado, California, Central Florida, Cold Resistance, Cold-hardy, Cultivar, Disease Resistance, Florida, Florida Agriculture, Florida Avocado, Florida-grown Avocado, Food Is Medicine, Freeze Resistant, Hass, Horticultural Sciences, Horticulture, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Jose Chaparro, Laboratory, Laurel Wilt, News, North Florida, Soil, South Florida, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, University Of Florida, Water

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