Tag: Gulf Coast Research and Education Center

Spots on the lefaf of a tomato plantl

Scientists try to limit nasty tomato disease from spreading via grower spraying

by Brad Buck
July 7, 2026

Bacterial spot disease isn’t just a nuisance for tomato growers – it’s a relentless, weather-powered villain that can ruin a field of promising fruit, threatening farm profits. When warm rains roll in and humidity hangs in the air, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS
Tags: Aerosol, Airborne, Bacterial Spot Disease, Fungicides, Gary Vallad, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Plant Pathologist, Renzo Ramírez, Spraying, Tomato Plants, Water
Farm laborers workiing in the field next to a farm machine.

UF experts help farmers use web-based tools to predict strawberry, tomato yields faster, more accurately

by Brad Buck
June 16, 2026

To make a successful return on their investment, growers need to accurately predict how much crop they might grow in a given season. University of Florida researchers are developing web-based tools that incorporate artificial intelligence to ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Farm Management
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Crops, Forecasting, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, HiPerGator, Images, Jessica Chitwood-Brown, Kevin Wang, PhenoSeg, PhenoSnap, Shinsuke Agehara, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Vance Whitaker, Wael Elwakil, Web Tools, Yield
People observing an agricultural machine processing plants in a field.

Florida hops research offers a bright spot as craft beer market slows

by Brad Buck
June 10, 2026

Despite a recent softening in demand for craft beer, University of Florida experts say there’s reason for optimism – especially as researchers supply Florida-grown hops to the state’s brewers. At the June 2 Hops Field Day at ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness
Tags: Aroma, Brewers, Craft Beer, Flavor, Florida-grown Hops, Food And Resource Economics, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Hops, Market, Nathan Palardy, Plants, Production, Shinsuke Agehara, Trial
A scientist looks away from a microscope and toward a computer screen in a lab.

Strawberry producers nationwide rely on UF plant pathologists for fast, accurate, disease diagnoses; Fusarium wilt is latest

by Brad Buck
May 21, 2026

Strawberry growers across the country aren’t just tending fields – they’re often running a quiet race against fast-moving plant diseases. When trouble strikes, their first call is often to the plant pathologists at the Gulf Coast Research ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS
Tags: Anthracnose, Botrytis, Crown Rots, Diagnosis, Diseases, Fusarium Wilt, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Marcus Marin, Mathews Paret, Natalia Peres, Neopestalotiopsis, North Florida Research And Education Center, Plant Diagnostic Center, Plant Pathology, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Strawberries, Strawberry Advisory System, Tropical Research And Education Center
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 a green artichoke with surrounding leaves.

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
Person in a green polo shirt surrounded by vibrant red and green leaves.

Golden anniversary, double bloom: UF unveils 50th and 51st caladiums

by Brad Buck
March 2, 2026

This year marks a golden milestone for the University of Florida’s ornamental breeding program, and the celebration comes with a splash of color -- the program’s 50th caladium cultivar. Well, make that 50th and 51st. The breeding program ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes
Tags: Caladium Bulbs, Caladiums, Color, Disease, Disease Resistance, Entomology And Nematology, Fusarium Tuber Rot, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticultural Sciences, Johan Desaeger, Landscapes, Natalia Peres, Nematode, Nematode Resistance, Ornamental Horticulture, Plant Breeding, Plant Nurseries, Plant Pathology, Pythium Rot, Zhanao Deng

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
Two men examining plants in a field with agricultural machinery in the background.

First graduates of UF’s plant-breeding Ph.D. use genetics to help growers boost yields, improve shelf life, more

by Brad Buck
January 21, 2026

About four years ago, a small cohort of ambitious young scientists stepped into uncharted territory as the first students in the University of Florida’s new plant breeding Ph.D. program in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, part ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Agronomy, Ali Babar, Anandi Karn, Blueberries, College Of Agricultural And Life Science, Elissar Alam, Estafania Flores, Esteban Rios, Forage, Fusarium Wilt, Graduates, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticultural Sciences, Jessica Chitwood-Brown, Manuel Gastelbondo, Pablo Sipowicz, Patricio Munoz, Ph.D., Plant Breeding Ph.D. Program, Samuel Ipinyomi, Strawberries, Sudip Kunwar, Tomatoes, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, Vance Whitaker, Vanilla, Wheat, Xingbo Wu
Close-up of teal plastic net berry boxes containing strawberries, blueberries, and possibly a mango or an apple.

What’s New on Ask IFAS: Food and Resource Economics (Nov.–Dec.)

by Susan Gildersleeve
January 9, 2026

Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs: A Quick Reference Guide Candace Lantz, Nathan Palardy, Derek Farnsworth, Alena Poulin. This quick reference guide to federal, state, and county agricultural conservation easement acquisition programs ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs, Blueberry, Citrus, Consumer Behavior, Consumer Preferances, Cover Crops, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Mid-Florida Research And Education Center, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center

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