Tag: genetics

Close-up of a strawberry plant with green leaves and red stems, set against a black covering. Ripe and unripe strawberries are visible in the background.

A $130 million drain: UF researcher looks to genetics to rein in wasteful strawberry runners

by Brad Buck
April 8, 2026

Strawberry growers pour roughly $130 million a year, nationally, into a surprisingly stubborn problem: a part of the plant that sabotages fruit production. These fast-growing offshoots – called “runners” – stretch out from the mother ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture
Tags: DNA, Doctoral Student, Fruit Production, Genetics, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Kaitlyn Vondracek, Labor, Nurseries, Seonghee Lee, Strawberries, Strawberry Runners, UF Plant Breeding Ph.D. Program
Close-up of ripe oranges on a tree with green leaves and a blue sky in the background.

Center scientists aim to solve devastating citrus greening, first, then other crop diseases

by Brad Buck
January 6, 2026

University of Florida scientists are joining forces at the Crop Transformation Center (CTC) to wage a high-tech war against pests and diseases threatening Florida’s crops – arming farmers with cutting-edge solutions to protect the state’s ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, UF/IFAS
Tags: Alfred Huo, Archive, Bioinformatics, Charlie Messina, Citrus, Citrus Greening, Citrus Research And Education Center, Crop Transformation Center, Gene Editing, Genetics, Growers, Horticultural Sciences, Huanglongbing (HLB), Michael Rogers, Mid-Florida Research And Education Center, Single Cell Sequencing, Transgenic
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: Archive, 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
Nadia Mourad, PMCB Ph.D Candidate in Dr. Koch's Maize Greenhouse in white lab coat

Graduate Student Spotlight with Nadia Mourad: Advancing Maize Genetics

by Eva Sailly
June 29, 2025

It took one elective to pivot Nadia's initial pursuit of human health research into a Ph.D. candidate in the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program. Nadia Mourad now works under the mentorship of Dr. Karen Koch, who was recently honored ... READ MORE

Category: Clubs & Volunteers, Curriculum, Professional Development, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
Tags: Corn, De Sousa, Genetics, Horticultural Sciences, Karen Koch, Koch, Maize, Nadia Mourad, Plant Breeding, Plant Molecular And Cellular Biology, PMCB, Student, Teaching
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

How Dr. Marcio Resende exemplifies the Eminent Scholar Chair

by Eva Sailly
May 21, 2025

This spring, Dr. Resende was named the new Lyle C. Dickson Chair in Plant Breeding, a prestigious appointment that recognizes not just a remarkable research career, but a deep commitment to growers, students, and innovation. Eminent Scholar ... READ MORE

Category: Horticulture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: AI, Eminent Scholar, Genetics, Horticultural Sciences, Lyle C. Dickson Chair, Plant Breeding, Potato Breeding Program, Potato Lab, Resende, Sweet Corn
Two individuals outdoors in blue shirts, smiling, with a sky and greenery in the background.

UF research into lantana earns Dissertation of the Year

by Brad Buck
May 15, 2025

Brooks Parrish has spent the past three years studying the genetics of lantana. These plants are beautiful, but if they’re not properly contained, they can escape cultivation, invade natural and agricultural lands, displace native plants, ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: #Dissertation, Archive, Brooks Parrish, Dean For Research Office, Dissertation Of The Year, Ecosystems, Environmental Horticulture, Genetic Sterilization, Genetics, Invasive, Lantana, Molecular Biology, Native, Robert Gilbert, Sandra Wilson, Sterilization, Zhanao Deng
Student Spotlight Image of Sisi Chen, a PhD student in Dr. Xingbo Wu's lab

Student Spotlight: Tropical Hibiscus Genetics and Breeding

by moniquescoggin
March 18, 2025

About Sisi Chen is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Xingbo Wu’s Ornamental Plant Breeding and Genetics lab. Her research focuses on evaluating the genetic and phenotypic variation of tropical hibiscus. She is also developing genomic tools for breeding ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Bioinformatics, Genetics, Plant Breeding, Research, Tropical Hibiscus, Tropical Research And Education Center

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