Tag: Plant Breeding

April 10: UF/IFAS to host free online workshop on vanilla cultivation to encourage a domestic industry

by Lourdes Mederos
May 18, 2026

Aspiring vanilla growers and seasoned agriculturalists in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are invited to a free online workshop: An Introduction to Domestic Vanilla Cultivation. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., on April 10, leading ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Events, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural Systems, Crop, Cured Vanilla Beans, Domestic Vanilla Industry, Extract, Farm, Farming, Flavor And Extracts Manufacture Association, Greenhouse, Low-maintenance Crop, Plant Breeding, Puerto Rico, Spice, Sustainability, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research And Education (USDA-SSARE), UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, USDA-SSARE, Vanilla, Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Planifolia, Vanillin, Virgin Islands, Xingbo Wu

White strawberry from UF/IFAS among many plant-breeding successes across southeast

by Ruth Hohl Borger
May 18, 2026

Southern U.S. agricultural researchers are improving agriculture one crop at a time. From rice and peanuts to soybeans and strawberries, plant breeders from land-grant universities across the southern U.S. are finding ways to bring new plant ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Pineapple Aroma, Plant Breeding, Southern Association Of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors, UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, Vance Whitaker, White Strawberries

Potato breeding program launches out of UF/IFAS Hastings Agricultural Extension Center

by Tory Moore
May 18, 2026

Highlights · UF/IFAS has launched a potato breeding program based out of Hastings. · These varieties will be developed to withstand Florida’s intense growing pressures including heat, humidity, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Hastings Agricultural Extension Center, Plant Breeders, Plant Breeding, Potatoes, TCAA, UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, UF/IFAS Varieties, Varieties, Variety

Say ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ with a plant – maybe even one bred by UF/IFAS

by Brad Buck
May 18, 2026

Making mom breakfast or taking her out for lunch for Mother’s Day (May 14) are both nice gestures. But if you want something that lasts long and looks good, try giving her a plant, say University of Florida experts. “A beautiful live ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Caladiums, Coleus, David Clark, Environmental Horticulture, Gift, Mother's Day, Plant Breeding, Plants, Social Interaction, Tia Silvasy, UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County, UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, Zhanao Deng

UF researchers find tomato plants resistant to devastating disease

by Brad Buck
May 18, 2026

University of Florida researchers may have found the key to developing tomatoes that can resist a catastrophic disease. Although it has been around for 50 years, target spot of tomato has become increasingly problematic during the last few ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Disease, Disease Resistance, Doctoral Student, Edgar Sierra, Fungicides, Fungus, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Horticultural Sciences, Plant Breeding, Sam Hutton, Target Spot, Tomatoes

UF/IFAS research: On the verge of developing a domestic industry for one of the world’s most valuable spices

by Lourdes Mederos
May 18, 2026

Vanilla takes the crown as the second most valuable spice (after saffron) and the world’s most popular flavor among consumers. Now, University of Florida researchers in Homestead are on the verge of developing a domestic vanilla industry, ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Agriculture, Agroforestry, Agrotourism, Domestic Vanilla Industry, Florida, IFAS NEWS, News, Plant Breeding, Puerto Rico, Research, SARE, Spice, SSARE, TREC, Tropical Research And Education Center, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research And Education (USDA-SSARE), UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, USDA, Vanilla, Vanilla At TREC, Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Planifolia, Vanilla-breeding, Virgin Islands, Xingbo Wu

South Florida leaders will honor Miami-Dade County Farmers Month at UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, Nov. 4

by Lourdes Mederos
May 18, 2026

On November 4, District 8 Miami-Dade County Commissioner Danielle Cohen-Higgins will kick off Miami-Dade Farmers Month at the 9th annual One Night in the Tropics. As title sponsor, she will join other South Florida leaders and the University ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Events, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Biotechnology, Climate Change, Crop Breeding, Danielle Cohen-Higgins, District 8 Miami-Dade County Commissioner Danielle Cohen-Higgins, Ecosystems Sustainability, Extension Programs, Invasive Plant Pests And Disease Management, Miami-Dade County Farmers Month, Miami_Dade County District 8 Commissioner, News, One Night In The Tropics, Plant Breeding, Plant Pathology, Sea Level Rise, Seal Level Rise, Soil And Water Sciences, TREC, Tropical Fruit, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, Vanilla At TREC

Prolific blueberry scientist named Horticulture Crop Breeding Endowed Chair

by Brad Buck
May 18, 2026

A veteran blueberry researcher has been named the University of Florida’s Horticulture Crop Breeding Endowed Chair, recognizing the royalties generated by the fruit varieties he’s developed for global farming and consumption. Patricio ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Blueberries, Breeding, Chris Gunter, Cultivars, Horticultural Sciences, Horticulture Crop Breeding Endowed Chair, J. Scott Angle, Patricio Munoz, Plant Breeding, Southern Highbush Blueberry

White House officials tour UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center; admire AI initiatives, tout importance of cybersecurity

by Brad Buck
May 18, 2026

Responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) holds tremendous potential to make our world more prosperous and secure, while misuse of AI can lead to cybersecurity issues. Knowing that, White House officials toured the University of Florida ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, UF/IFAS
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Center For Applied Artificial Intelligence In Agriculture, Dana Choi, Digital Twin, Florida Institute For Cybersecurity Research, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, HiPerGator, Horticultural Sciences, Jack Rechcigl, Jacob Braun, Kevin Wang, Natalia Peres, Nathan Boyd, Office Of The National Cyber Director, Plant Breeding, Plant Pathology, Precision Ag, White House

UF scientists finding new way to keep broccoli – and perhaps other vegetables — fresher, longer

by Brad Buck
May 18, 2026

When consumers go to the grocery store, they want their produce, including broccoli, to look, feel and taste fresh. This desire compels University of Florida scientist Tie Liu to study ways to keep vegetables fresh. In newly published research, ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Aging Process, Broccoli, Cold Chain, Controlled Atmosphere, Crops, Fresh, Horticultural Sciences, Jeff Brecht, Molecular Mechanisms, Plant Breeding, Postharvest, Produce, Tie Liu

Subscribe For More Great Content