Tag: crop

UF experts: Florida watermelon growers sold a bumper crop this year – and still lead the nation in production

by Brad Buck
March 18, 2026

While many of you enjoy sweet, cool watermelon as a treat or snack this summer, remember where it comes from – the sweat of farmers, and some Florida growers say they had their best season ever. The bountiful season, which ends in most ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Bob Hochmuth, Consumers, Crop, Food And Resource Economics, Growers, Harvest, Leader, North Florida Research And Education Center-Suwannee Valley, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Tara Wade, Watermelons

Postemergent Herbicide Options for Vegetable Crops

by Matt Lollar
April 9, 2026

Even though it may not feel like it, spring has arrived. Now that a number of vegetable crops are in the ground, we've pretty much lost the option to apply preemergent herbicides. Because of this, we need to focus on selective and directed ... READ MORE

Category: Horticulture
Tags: Agriculture, Contact, Crop, Fruit, Herbicide, Horticulture, Panhandle Agriculture, Postemergence, Postemergent, Preemergence, Preemergent, Selective, Systemic, Vegetable, Weed, Weeds

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

Harnessing AI with drone imagery to detect costly celery disease before symptoms surface

by Lourdes Mederos
January 29, 2026

University of Florida scientists are launching a new, grant-funded research project that uses artificial intelligence and drone technology to help Florida celery growers detect a damaging fungal disease before symptoms are visible — a ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Crops, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: AI, Artificial Intellgience, Blight Disease, Celery, Crop, Disease, Early Blight Disease, Everglades Agricultural Area, Everglades Research And Education Center, Florida Agriculture, Florida Economy, Fungus, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Katia Viana Xavier, Larissa Carvallo Ferriera, News, Pests, Plant Pathology, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Weather

Under siege: Two pests threaten Florida strawberries – but new research may bring relief

by Brad Buck
January 22, 2026

Florida’s strawberry fields may look vibrant and abundant this time of year, but beneath those glossy leaves, a quiet battle is raging. At the very moment growers hit peak production, two long-established but relentless adversaries surge onto ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture
Tags: Abigail Campos Gutiérrez, Allan Busuulwa, Biological Control, Chilli Thrips, Crop, Crop Damage, Entomology, Environment, Florida Strawberry Season, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Neoseiulus Californicus, Pesticides, Predatory Mites, Prey, Sriyanka Lahiri, Strawberries, Strawberry Growers, Twospotted Spider Mite

Media Alert: Learn all about legumes at UF/IFAS conference

by Megan Winslow
April 8, 2025

What: UF/IFAS Forage Legume Conference. When: May 1, from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Where: The UF/IFAS Extension Jackson County office, 2741 Penn Ave., No. 3, Marianna About: The UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Livestock, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agronomy, Beef Research Unit, Conference, Crop, Event, Extension, Farmer, Forage, Forage Legume Conference, Grazing, Grower, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Jackson County, James Muir, Jose Dubeux, Legume, Marianna, Megan Winslow, NFREC, North Florida Research And Education Center, Peanut, Rancher, Soil, Soil Health, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida

April 10: UF/IFAS to host free online workshop on vanilla cultivation to encourage a domestic industry

by Lourdes Mederos
March 31, 2025

Aspiring vanilla growers and seasoned agriculturalists in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are invited to a free online workshop: An Introduction to Domestic Vanilla Cultivation. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., on April 10, leading ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Events, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural Systems, Crop, Cured Vanilla Beans, Domestic Vanilla Industry, Extract, Farm, Farming, Flavor And Extracts Manufacture Association, Greenhouse, Low-maintenance Crop, Plant Breeding, Puerto Rico, Spice, Sustainability, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research And Education (USDA-SSARE), UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, USDA-SSARE, Vanilla, Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Planifolia, Vanillin, Virgin Islands, Xingbo Wu

Consumers value domestically produced vanilla – but only when they know what they’re consuming, UF/IFAS research shows

by Megan Winslow
March 5, 2025

UF/IFAS researchers are investigating the economic potential of growing vanilla in Florida with the aim of establishing an alternative – and potentially lucrative – crop to oranges. (more…) READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Crop, Economics, Extract, Food And Resource Economics Department, Horticultural Sciences Department, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Jaclyn Kropp, Magagascar, Market Research, Megan Winslow, Oranges, Panel, Papua New Guinea, Research, Samples, Sensory Panel, Study, Synthetic Vanilla, Taste, Taste Test, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Vanilla, Vanilla Beans

Consumers value domestically produced vanilla – but only when they know what they’re consuming, UF/IFAS research shows

by Megan Winslow
March 5, 2025

UF/IFAS study identifies trust in science as key for supporting AI use in agriculture

by Megan Winslow
February 11, 2025

Trust in scientific experts – even more than understanding their work – is the strongest predictor of support for artificial intelligence applications in agriculture. The finding is among conclusions reached by a new UF/IFAS study exploring ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agriculture, AI, AI-supported Agriculture, Artificial Intelligence, Center For Public Issues Education, Cheng-Xian Yang, Crop, Database, Food, Germ Contamination, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Megan Winslow, Perception, PIE Center, Policymakers, Research, Study, Survey, Technology, Trust, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida

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