Tag: diseases

A scientist looks away from a microscope and toward a computer screen in a lab.

Strawberry producers nationwide rely on UF plant pathologists for fast, accurate, disease diagnoses; Fusarium wilt is latest

by Brad Buck
May 21, 2026

Strawberry growers across the country aren’t just tending fields – they’re often running a quiet race against fast-moving plant diseases. When trouble strikes, their first call is often to the plant pathologists at the Gulf Coast Research ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS
Tags: Anthracnose, Botrytis, Crown Rots, Diagnosis, Diseases, Fusarium Wilt, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Marcus Marin, Mathews Paret, Natalia Peres, Neopestalotiopsis, North Florida Research And Education Center, Plant Diagnostic Center, Plant Pathology, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Strawberries, Strawberry Advisory System, Tropical Research And Education Center

Want to grow papaya trees in your backyard? Ask IFAS bilingual resource offers top research tips for success

by Lourdes Mederos
May 19, 2026

With the right care, papaya trees thrive in Florida backyards, producing sweet fruit and flowers. Depending on the variety, this slender tree can produce more than one bright white flower in less than 12 months. Well suited to Central ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Ask IFAS, ASK UF/IFAS En Espanol, Central Florida, Diseases, English, Food Is Medicine, Harvesting, Healthy, Healthy Environment, Home, Irrigation Needs, Jonathan Crane, Landscape, Papaya, Papaya Growing, Papaya Seeds, Papaya Tree, Pests, Plants, South Florida, Superfruit, Sustainable, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center
Adobe Stock photo 129917074 of Ripe papaya on the tree.

Want to grow papaya trees in your backyard? Ask IFAS bilingual resource offers top research tips for success

by Lourdes Mederos
May 19, 2026

With the right care, papaya trees thrive in Florida backyards, producing sweet fruit and flowers. Depending on the variety, this slender tree can produce more than one bright white flower in less than 12 months. Well suited to Central ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Ask IFAS, ASK UF/IFAS En Espanol, Central Florida, Diseases, English, Food Is Medicine, Harvesting, Healthy, Healthy Environment, Home, Irrigation Needs, Jonathan Crane, Landscape, Papaya, Papaya Growing, Papaya Seeds, Papaya Tree, Pests, Plants, South Florida, Superfruit, Sustainable, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center
An image of strawberries; some read, others white.

Projected El Niño poses disease risk to Florida’s $500 million-a-year strawberry industry, but an alert system could help

by Brad Buck
May 13, 2026

Farmers in Florida’s $500 million-a-year strawberry industry recently wrapped up a season, and already the next one is casting a shadow. Scientists are predicting a good chance of a pesky strawberry disease, all due to the predicted El Niño ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Farm Management, Pests & Disease
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, AgriTech Conference, Botrytis, Diseases, El Niño, El Nino Southern Oscillation, Hurricane Season, La Niña, Moisture, Monitor, Research, Spraying, Strawberries, Strawberrry Advisory System, Vinicius Cerbaro
Close-up of strawberries in a clear plastic container and yellow trays.

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
Modern building with an angular roof and glass windows, surrounded by people and greenery.

AI center goal to put technology directly into growers’ hands to solve problems

by Brad Buck
December 2, 2025

It’s one thing to listen to a farmer describe the challenges of battling pests, unpredictable weather or dwindling resources — and quite another to hand them a tool that can tackle those problems head‑on. Imagine technology that manages ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, UF/IFAS
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Agriculture, Artificial Intelligence, Center For Applied Artificial Intelligence In Agriculture, Climate, Dana Choi, Diseases, Drones, Economy, Farmers, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticutural Sciences, Kevin Wang, Nathan Boyd, Pests, Prec-ag, Precision Spraying, Prototype, Technology, Weather
An artist's rendering of the Interior of a spacious facility with a tractor and people near large windows and tables.

Groundbreaking for AI center part of 100th anniversary celebration of UF Gulf Coast Research and Education Center

by Brad Buck
October 22, 2025

Agriculture isn’t just rows of citrus groves and fields of strawberries – it’s Florida’s second largest economic powerhouse, trailing only tourism. With more than 133,000 jobs riding on its success, farming fuels communities across the ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, SFYL Hot Topic
Tags: 100th Anniversary, Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Center For Applied Artificial Intelligence In Agriculture, Dana Choi, Digital Twin, Diseases, Economy, Environment, Farming, Food, Fruits, Groundbreaking, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, J. Scott Angle, Jack Rechcigl, Jobs, Kevin Wang, Labor, Nathan Boyd, Ornamental Plants, Pests, Plant Breeding, Prec-ag, Precision Spraying
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
Close-up of strawberries, with ripe red and unripe greenish-yellow fruit, and a white flower.

UF study traces complex history of the strawberry

by Brad Buck
June 18, 2025

If you eat fruits or vegetables, how often do you think about their history? Former University of Florida post-doctoral researcher Zhen Fan did, as he traced the strawberry back over centuries. In a new paper published in the Proceedings ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease
Tags: Chromosome, Cross, Diseases, DNA, Doug Soltis, Evolution, Florida Museum Of Natural History, Genetic Diversity, Genetics, History, Hybrid, Octoploid, Pam Soltis, Pests, Plant Breeding, Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, Species, Strawberries, Strawberry, Vance Whitaker, Zhen Fan

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