Tag: DNA

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

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

UF scientist honored with ASHS Early Career Award for genetic advances in vanilla, hibiscus and hydrangeas

by Lourdes Mederos
June 12, 2025

Xingbo Wu is a rising star in the field of horticulture sciences, as recognized by the highly acclaimed American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS), a leading organization with over a century of advancing horticultural research and education. The ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Horticulture, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: American Society For Horticultural Science, Ashs, ASHS 2025 Professional Early Career Award For Research, AskIFAS, DNA, Edis, Edward Evans, FDACS, Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services, Florida Nursery Growers And Landscape Association Endowment Fund, FNGLA, Hibiscus, Hibiscus Breeding Program, Hydrangea, Innovation And Creativity, National Institute Of Food And Agriculture, News, Nifa, Plant Breeding, Soil Conditions, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, University Of Florida, USDA, Vanilla, Xingbo Wu

UF/IFAS scientists discover sea-level rise threat to Florida’s endangered pine rocklands

by Lourdes Mederos
April 17, 2025

Pine rocklands are home to plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. They are also one of the world's most endangered habitats. Unique to South Florida, the Florida Keys and some islands in The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, these upland ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Forests, Horticulture, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Beneficial Fungi, Caicos, Conservation, DNA, Droughts, Ecosystem, Elena Karlsen-Ayala, Endangered Habitat, Florida, Florida Keys, Forest, Fungi, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Limestone Forest, Matthew Smith, Miami-Dade, Molecular Ecology, Mycorrhizas, News, Pine Rocklands, Plant Pathology, Reforestation, Regeneration, Rising Temperatures, Romina Gazis, Salinity, Salt Intrusion, Sea Level Rise, Slash Pines, Symbiotic Associations, The Bahamas, Tropical Research And Education Center, Turks, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida

Citizen scientists help UF researchers find best-tasting tomatoes

by Brad Buck
September 11, 2024

People with a green thumb for growing tomatoes are giving University of Florida scientists good data to help them find tastier tomatoes. Through a citizen science program, Denise Tieman, a UF/IFAS research associate professor of horticultural ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Citizen Science, Cultivars, Denise Tieman, DNA, Flavor, Florida Tomato Conference, Gardeners, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticultural Sciences Department, Jessica Chitwood-Brown, Tomato Breeding, Tomatoes

UF scientists may have found a way to more efficiently apply genome editing to plant breeding

by Brad Buck
May 19, 2022

New research led by a University of Florida scientist shows a development regulator can help plants grow. In the bigger picture, the study’s results also may help genome editing and as a result, plant breeding. Development regulators are ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Alfred Huo, Development Regulator, DNA, Genome Editing, Horticultural Sciences, Mid-Florida Research And Education Center, Petri Dish, Plant Breeding, Snapdragons, Tomatoes

UF scientists sequence genome of the supersweet corn you’ve nibbled for 20-plus years

by Brad Buck
February 23, 2021

Sweet corn, a food favorite for many consumers, serves as a major crop for Florida. Earlier research by UF/IFAS scientists led to an even sweeter sweet corn dubbed “supersweet” because it has more sugar than other types of the staple crop. Now, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops
Tags: Breeding, DNA, Genome Sequencing, Horticultural Sciences, Marcio Resende, Production, Supersweet Corn, Sweet Corn, Taste

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