Tag: consumers

From 5,000 strawberries to DNA breakthrough: Doctoral grad sweetens the future of fruit

by Brad Buck
December 18, 2025

As we enter the height of Florida’s strawberry production season, many consumers crave the taste and aroma of the fruit. That’s part of what compels Mark Porter to try to enhance those qualities.For his doctoral dissertation, Porter led ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Horticulture
Tags: Aroma, Consumers, DNA, DNA Test, Doctoral Dissertation, Flavor, Genome, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Mark Porter, Ph.D., Plant Breeding, Plant Breeding Ph.D. Program, Seonghee Lee, Sour, Strawberries, Strawberry Breeding, Sweet, Taste

Florida strawberry season bursts with sweetness

by Brad Buck
December 3, 2025

Florida’s late fall and winter don’t just bring cooler, less humid weather. The seasons bring the sweet burst of locally grown strawberries. Juicy, vibrant and fresh from the fields, these Sunshine State gems are waiting for you at your ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS
Tags: Aroma, Consumers, Diseases, Ember, Encore, Flavor, Florida Strawberry Season, Genetics, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticultural Sciences, Pests, Pineberry, Plant Breeding, Strawberries, Strawberry Breeder, Strawberry Season, Vance Whitaker

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

New UF research unlocks the nutritional value and shelf-life potential of passion fruit

by Brad Buck
July 15, 2025

With passion fruit, you get more than just a tasty drink or snack. It’s packed with nutrients like vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants, making it a popular choice for healthier eating. It’s also important to farmers in tropical and subtropical ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, SFYL Hot Topic
Tags: Ali Sarkhosh, Aroma, Biochemical Markers, Brazil, Citrus Research And Education Center, Consumers, Doctoral Sutdent, Ellen Garcia, Flavonoids, Flavor, Fresh, Juice, Metabolomic, Nutrition, Orange Passion Fruit, Passion Fruit, Plant Science Research And Education Unit, Postharvest, Purple Passion Fruit, Raquel Miranda, Snack, Tie Liu, Universidade Federal Do Ceará, Vitamin C, Yu Wang

Decoding blackberry DNA: UF study paves the way for enhanced breeding strategies and better berries for Florida farmers and consumers

by Brad Buck
April 28, 2025

Disease-resistant and tastier blackberries could be on the horizon — thanks to new genetic research from the University of Florida. New University of Florida blackberry varieties could provide a boon for Florida farmers looking to rebound ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS
Tags: Blackberries, Breeding, Consumers, Disease Resistance, Environmental Horticulture, Flavorful, Genome, Genome Assembly, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Plant Breeding, Thornless, Zhanao Deng

In the battle against citrus greening, consumers will tell growers their perceptions of genetic editing

by Brad Buck
March 26, 2025

With the citrus industry at a crossroads, growers are looking for any solution to cope with the deadly citrus greening disease. Scientists see genetic editing – and in particular CRISPR technology -- as one potential avenue to rescue Florida’s ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Health & Nutrition
Tags: Bachir Kassas, Biotechnology, Citrus, Consumers, CRISPR, Crop Transformation Center, Food And Resource Economics Department, Gene Editing, Genetic Modification, Growers, Orange Juice, Preferences, Study, Survey

Blueberries: A healthy, tasty snack from Florida farmers

by Brad Buck
March 19, 2025

As we head into the heart of Florida blueberry harvest season – March through May -- growers are shipping the fruit to market to meet statewide and national consumer demand. You can find Florida-grown berries in stores, farmer’s markets ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Health & Nutrition
Tags: Anthocyanin, Blueberry Breeding Program, Blueberry Season, Consumers, Doug Phillips, Grocery Stores, Growers, Harvest, Horticultural Sciences, Joshua Payne, Nutrition, Patricio Munoz, Registered Dietitian, Snack, Statewide Blueberry Extension Coordinator, U-pick, UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County

Savor the flavor, pack in some nutrition this Florida strawberry season

by Brad Buck
February 4, 2025

You can taste them now – sweet, succulent strawberries. February and March mark the peak time for Florida strawberry production, and University of Florida experts point to several reasons consumers gobble up the juicy fruit. “Strawberries ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition
Tags: Andrea Nikolai, Charles Sims, Consumers, Flavor, Florida Strawberry Season, Food Science And Human Nutrition, Harvest, Hillsborough County, Joshua Payne, Manatee County, Nutrition, Polk County, Storage, Strawberries, Strawberry Season, Strawberry Shortcake, UF Sensory Lab, Vitamin C

When pricing produce to sell directly to consumers, farmers urged to know their costs

by Brad Buck
August 14, 2024

Instead of taking what the broker or retailer feels like paying, small- and medium-sized farmers who sell directly to consumers should track costs, determine what they want to earn and set their own produce prices, University of Florida experts ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, UF/IFAS
Tags: Consumers, Costs, Customers, Farmers, Farmers Markets, Jessica Ryals, Kim Morgan, Marketing, Mid-sized Farmers, Niche Market, Price, Retail, Small Farmers, Social Media, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS Extension Collier County

Survey shows growers, consumers want ‘wildlife-friendly’ plants, but UF researchers say education needed to recognize such flora

by Brad Buck
October 17, 2023

Growers want to produce wildlife-friendly plants, and consumers want to buy them, at least in theory, new University of Florida research shows. While consumers say they’re eager to purchase wildlife-friendly plants, some aren’t sure they ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Adam Dale, Agricultural Education And Communication, Caroline Nickerson, Consumers, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Florida Museum Of Natural History, Growers, Jaret Daniels, Laura Warner, Nurseries, Pesticides, Pollinators, Survey, University Of Florida Biodiversity Certified Plants, Wildlife-friendly Plants

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