Tag: growers

DNA analyses uncover what is hiding under the cap plaguing the white button mushroom industry

by Lourdes Mederos
May 5, 2026

UF/IFAS researchers discovered that bacterial blotch in white button mushrooms is caused by a complex of multiple bacteria, not a single pathogen as previously believed. The disease significantly impacts mushroom growers by reducing ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Bacteria, Bacterial Blotch, Beneficial Microbes, Department Of Plant Pathology, Eco-friendly, Essential Oils, Farming, Food Is Medicine, Growers, Health Benefits, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Kitchen Staple, Microbial Communities, Mushrooms, News, Nutrient-dense Foods, Pathogen, Plant‑based, Romina Gazis, Sameerika Mudiyanselage, Samuel Martins, Specialty Crop, Sustainable Farming, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, USDA-NIFA, Vegetables

Setting the table: UF/IFAS ‘Food is Medicine’ farm shows how culturally relevant crops can strengthen agriculture

by Lourdes Mederos
April 27, 2026

In South Florida, a new University of Florida initiative is bringing the concept of “Food is Medicine” to life by helping farmers grow nutrient-dense, culturally relevant crops that reflect the region’s diverse consumer preference. That ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Alternate Crops, Asian, Caribbean, Community Engagement, Consumer Demand, Cover Crops, Crops, Culturally Relevant Crops, Food Is Medicine, Growers, Harvest, Homestead, Latin American, Nutrient Dense, Producers, Production Systems, South Florida, Sustainable Farming, Sustainable Farming Practices, Tropical Research And Education Center, U-pick, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, Vegetable Garden

Setting the table: UF/IFAS ‘Food is Medicine’ farm shows how culturally relevant crops can strengthen agriculture

by Lourdes Mederos
April 27, 2026

A ray of hope in the battle against citrus greening: Three bugs eat the eggs of the psyllid

by Brad Buck
April 21, 2026

A few tiny heroes may help fight Florida’s long-running battle against citrus greening disease. That’s good news for commercial growers as well as to residents who plant citrus trees in their yards at home, say University of Florida scientists. Researchers ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Home Landscapes, UF/IFAS
Tags: Asian Citrus Psyllid, Biocontrol, Biological Control, Citrus, Citrus Greening Disease, Dooryard Citrus, Eating, Eggs, Entomology, Field Testing, Growers, Home Citrus, Huanglongbing (HLB), Jawwad Qureshi, Laboratory, Larvae, North Florida Research And Education Center, Predator, Romain Exilien, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Xavier Martini

Welcome Our New Commercial Horticulture Program Specialist

by Jackie Lebouitz
April 10, 2026

At UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, we work closely with residents, volunteers, and professionals on a wide range of topics in horticulture, with a focus on promoting plant health through best management practices (BMPs) in the landscape ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Business, Commercial, Featured, Garden, Greenhouse, Growers, Horticulture, Nursery, Pgm_Chemicals, Plants, Professional

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

From field to fork: UF scientists uncover the artichoke’s health power

by Brad Buck
March 24, 2026

Are you craving a nutrient-packed bite to eat? The artichoke might just be your new super-snack, a University of Florida researcher says. “Artichokes are not only a tasty vegetable, but they are also rich in nutrients that are good for ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Antioxidants, Artichoke Field Day, Artichokes, Bioactive Compounds, Consumers, Fiber, Food Is Medicine, Gardeners, Gibberellic Acid, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticultural Sciences, Plant Hormone, Shinsuke Agehara, Tie Liu

Blueberry growers work to bounce back after a chilly winter, deliver sumptuous fruit to consumers

by Brad Buck
March 11, 2026

After a winter that hit harder than anyone expected, freezing blossoms and fruit, and bruising hopes, Florida blueberry growers are working to recover from this chilly season. They’re coaxing every bit of sweetness they can from the surviving ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Antioxidant, Blueberries, Blueberry Breeding Program, Blueberry Season, Cultivars, Doug Phillips, Food Is Medicine, Freeze, Growers, Harvest, Josh Payne, Nutirents, Nutrition, Patricio Munoz, Production, Recovery, Registered Dietitian, UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County

Under siege: Two pests threaten Florida strawberries – but new research may bring relief

by Brad Buck
January 22, 2026

Florida’s strawberry fields may look vibrant and abundant this time of year, but beneath those glossy leaves, a quiet battle is raging. At the very moment growers hit peak production, two long-established but relentless adversaries surge onto ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture
Tags: Abigail Campos Gutiérrez, Allan Busuulwa, Biological Control, Chilli Thrips, Crop, Crop Damage, Entomology, Environment, Florida Strawberry Season, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Neoseiulus Californicus, Pesticides, Predatory Mites, Prey, Sriyanka Lahiri, Strawberries, Strawberry Growers, Twospotted Spider Mite

Pivotal study unlocks secrets of the invasive short-spined thrips

by Lourdes Mederos
January 6, 2026

Highlights Short-spined thrips are devastating ornamentals and crops worldwide, thriving in South Florida’s warm climate and spreading fast. In a novel study, UF/IFAS researchers mapped the pest’s biology life cycle, reproduction ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, , Crops, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Acarology, Alexandra Revynthi, Beans, Beneficial, Beneficial Bugs, Beneficial Nematodes, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Eggplants, Entomology And Nematology, Gardenias, Gardens, Growers, Hibiscus, Homeowners, Integrated Pes Management, Invasive, Invasive Insect, IPM, Mandevillas, Nematodes, News, Nurseries, Ornamental, Ornamental Entomology, Ornamental Plants, Peppers, Plant Pathology, Sanitation, Sanitation Practices, Short-spined Thrips, Thrips, Thrips Parvispinus, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida

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