Tag: genetics

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
March 6, 2026

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
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
March 6, 2026

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
Close-up of strawberries in a clear plastic container and yellow trays.

Florida strawberry season bursts with sweetness

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

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
Close-up of ripe and unripe strawberries with a white flower among green leaves.

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

by Brad Buck
March 18, 2026

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
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
March 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, 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

UF/IFAS awarded 1st Ph.D. plant breeding program in Florida, one of few in USA

by Brad Buck
April 13, 2026

Working in labs and fields across Florida, a new generation of students will start earning a Ph.D. in plant breeding from the University of Florida – the first program of its kind in Florida and one of a few in the nation. The UF/IFAS College ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Citrus, College Of Agricultural And Life Sciences, Corn, Crops, Elaine Turner, Environmental Benefits, Fiber, Forage, Gene Editing, Genetics, Global Food Security, Hunger, Lettuce, New Program, Peanuts, Ph.D., Plant Breeding, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Vance Whitaker
Close-up of ripe red tomatoes with green stems.

An aromatic tomato could be looming – a la heirloom varieties, say UF scientists

by Brad Buck
April 8, 2026

You can scarcely find a tasty, heirloom tomato in the grocery store. But University of Florida scientists helped discover a way to enhance tomato smell and taste. Breeding efforts over the last half century have emphasized traits that are important ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Aroma, Biochemical Pathway, Denise Tieman, Flavor Compounds, Genetics, Harry Klee, Horticultural Sciences, Nitrogen, Nitrogenous Volatiles, Taste, Tomatoes
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
Hands holding a bunch of ripe strawberries with green leaves.

UF researchers find genes responsible for several flavor compounds in strawberries

by Brad Buck
April 1, 2026

In their quest to improve strawberry flavor, University of Florida scientists have found the genes behind several aromatic chemicals that enhance the fruit’s taste. These findings will help UF/IFAS researchers Vance Whitaker and Seonghee ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness
Tags: Aroma, Compounds, Consumers, Flavor, Genetics, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Plant Breeding, Seedlings, Strawberries, Taste, Vance Whitaker, Zhen Fan
Close-up of ripe blueberries with a powdery surface.

From U-pick to the grocery store, Florida’s blueberries make for a tasty treat

by Brad Buck
March 30, 2026

As we enter the heart of Florida’s blueberry harvesting season, you can now enjoy the yummy fresh fruit during its finest hours, say University of Florida experts. For about 80 years, many Florida-grown blueberries have been developed ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Blueberries, Blueberry Season, Doug Phillips, Genetics, Grocery Store, Harvest, Horticultural Sciences, Patricio Munoz, Taste Panels, U-pick, UF/IFAS Plant Breeding

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