Tag: DNA

Asian Swamp eels Courtesy USGS

Researchers create DNA detection tool to stop spread of invasive Asian swamp eels, bullseye snakeheads

by Lourdes Mederos
February 24, 2026

Highlights University of Florida researchers have developed a DNA-based test that detects invasive species using only the genetic traces left behind in water. The newly published breakthrough gives wildlife conservationists a powerful ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Invasive Species, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Amphibian Decline, Aquatic Invasives, Archive, Asian Swamp Eel, Bahder Vector Ecology Lab, Brian Bahder, Bullseye Snakehead, Croc Docs Wildlife Research Lab, Crustacean Decline, DNA, Ecological Threat, EDDMaps, EDNA, Environmental DNA, Everglades Restoration, Grant, Invasion Ecology, Invasive Species, IveGot1, Melissa Miller, National Invasive Species Awareness Week, SEEDIT, SEEDIT Grant, Sergio Balaguera-Reina, South Florida Water Management District, Support For Emerging Enterprise Development Integration Teams, U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers, UF IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Wildlife Conservationists
A man speaks into a microphone in front of strawberry research posters at an outdoor event.

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 ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Horticulture
Tags: Archive, 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
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: Archive, 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
Dr. Xingbo Wu at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC). Photo taken 0717-24.

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
Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park and Campground, Miami, Florida. An example of a pine rockland habitat and one of the sampling sites in this study. South Florida slash pine are the keystone trees in this habitat. Photo Credit: Elena Karlsen-Ayala

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
Baskets of red tomatoes on white shelves.

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: Archive, 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

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