Tag: disease resistance

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, 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

Golden anniversary, double bloom: UF unveils 50th and 51st caladiums

by Brad Buck
March 2, 2026

This year marks a golden milestone for the University of Florida’s ornamental breeding program, and the celebration comes with a splash of color -- the program’s 50th caladium cultivar. Well, make that 50th and 51st. The breeding program ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes
Tags: Caladium Bulbs, Caladiums, Color, Disease, Disease Resistance, Entomology And Nematology, Fusarium Tuber Rot, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticultural Sciences, Johan Desaeger, Landscapes, Natalia Peres, Nematode, Nematode Resistance, Ornamental Horticulture, Plant Breeding, Plant Nurseries, Plant Pathology, Pythium Rot, Zhanao Deng

UF News: Natives & Wine in Florida

by Julia Sirchia
February 3, 2026

Long before humans were around, plants grew in all kinds of places on Earth. From oceans to deserts, plants have evolved to thrive in a diverse range of habitats. It is a good rule of thumb to match a plant to the conditions in which it will ... READ MORE

Category: Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture
Tags: Citrus Greening, Disease Resistance, Exploring Florida's Natives Series, Grapes, Grapes In Florida, HLB, Muscadine, V.rotundifolia, Vitis Rotundifolia, Vitis Vinifera
Dead palm tree in an open field.

Innovative tool offers palm owners, growers new line of defense against trunk rot, protecting iconic trees

by Lourdes Mederos
November 13, 2025

Ever wonder why some palm varieties flourish while others suddenly bend at the trunk or topple over completely? From the iconic coconut palm to towering royal palms, these signature features of Florida’s landscapes are facing a silent ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Conservation, Crops, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Advancement, Biological Controls, Braham Dhillon, Canary Island Date Palms, Coconut Palm, Conservation, Date Palms, Disease, Disease Resistance, Entomology And Nematology, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Fronds, Fungicides, Germplasm Collection, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive, Leaflets, Lethal Fungus, Monica Elliott, News, Palm, Palm Landscape, Pathogens, Plant Pathology, Plant Pathology Department, Research, Resilient, Royal Palms, Thielaviopsis Trunk Rot, Trunk Rot, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research And Education (USDA-SSARE), UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, USDA, USDA-ARS, Wahingtonia Palms

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: Archive, Blackberries, Breeding, Consumers, Disease Resistance, Environmental Horticulture, Flavorful, Genome, Genome Assembly, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Plant Breeding, Thornless, Zhanao Deng

Following Hurricane Milton, Florida growers show resilience in ensuring fresh Florida strawberries are available this season

by Brad Buck
November 13, 2024

Florida strawberry growers are a resilient bunch. They’ve survived the back-to-back punches from hurricanes Helene and Milton. Through hard work and efficient problem-solving, they have planted the fruits you’ll enjoy from December through ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Archive, Cultivars, Disease Resistance, Ember, Encore, Florida Strawberry Growers Association, Hurricane Milton, Hurricanes, Kenneth Parker, Phytophthora Root Rot, Resilience, Strawberries, Strawberry Breeding, Strawberry Growers, Vance Whitaker

Microbiology Professor Appointed Chair For Developing Trees Resistant to Citrus Greening

by Ruth Hohl Borger
September 12, 2023

LAKE ALFRED, Fla. --- Working at the cell level to develop a disease- resistant citrus tree holds great promise and potential for the Florida citrus industry. Nian Wang, professor of microbiology and cell science, is one of the world’s most ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Borger, Citrus Greening Disease, Citrus Research And Education Center, CRISPR, Disease Resistance, Graves Eminent Scholar Chair In Biotechnology, Microbiology And Cell Science, Microcell, Nian Wang, Ruth-borger
tomatoes_growing_on_vine

UF researchers find tomato plants resistant to devastating disease

by Brad Buck
May 3, 2023

University of Florida researchers may have found the key to developing tomatoes that can resist a catastrophic disease. Although it has been around for 50 years, target spot of tomato has become increasingly problematic during the last few ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Disease, Disease Resistance, Doctoral Student, Edgar Sierra, Fungicides, Fungus, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticultural Sciences, Plant Breeding, Sam Hutton, Target Spot, Tomatoes

UF scientists make big stride toward greening-resistant citrus trees

by Barbara L. Edmonds
October 14, 2020

University of Florida scientists achieved a major milestone in their quest to develop a citrus greening-resistant tree by sequencing the genome of a fruit plant that’s a close cousin to citrus trees. You’d need to print 54,000 pages of ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic
Tags: Citrus Greening Disease, Citrus Research And Education Center, Disease Resistance, Environmental Horticulture, Fred Gmitter, Genome Sequencing, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticultural Sciences, Interdisciplinary Center For Biotechnology Research, Rootstocks, Trifoliate Orange, Zhanao Deng

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