Tag: genetics

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
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

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

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

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, 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

Genomics: Transforming the Beef Industry

by aubreypearce
September 20, 2023

By Raluca Mateescu, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida Genomics is the field dedicated to exploring DNA's structure, function, evolution, and genetic composition in animals. It encompasses the entirety of genes and genetic ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Livestock, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Animal Genetics, Animal Science, Animal Sciences, Ans, Beef Cattle, Cattle, Genetics, Research, UF Animal Science
bright red strawberries held in the palm of two hands

UF scientists see bright future as they seek savory strawberries – and high yield

by Brad Buck
June 8, 2023

Strawberry consumers love the fruit’s sweet flavor, and University of Florida scientists are trying to meet that desire, while also helping growers produce high yields. But genes and volatile compounds that control flavor are difficult ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: AI, Aroma, Artificial Intelligence, Flavor, Genetics, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Kevin Wang, Mark Porter, Plant Breeding Ph.D. Program, Precision Ag, Seonghee Lee, Strawberries, Strawberry Breeding, Strawberry Genome, Taste Panels, Vance Whitaker

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