Tag: Strawberries

Close-up of a textured green leaf with a small pale orange insect.

UF study shows how strawberry growers can use less pesticide to control destructive chilli thrips

by Brad Buck
March 11, 2026

Florida strawberry growers can use less pesticide and save money as they try to control a mighty pest known as chilli thrips, University of Florida research shows. An invasive pest in the southeastern United States, chilli thrips was introduced ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Chilli Thrips, Entomology And Nematology, Field-border, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Pest Control, Pesticides, Spray, Sriyanka Lahiri, Strawberries

Southern scientists use artificial intelligence to reduce costs, labor on farms

by Brad Buck
March 9, 2026

Scientists throughout the South are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help growers save labor costs and time, spray with precision, detect diseases, control food quality, maintain animal health and help grow wheat.   University of Florida ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Agroview, Arnold Schumann, Citrus Research And Education Center, Daniel Lee, Drones, Fort Valley State University, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Land-grant Universities, Nathan Boyd, Oklahoma State University, Precision Ag, Precision Agriculture, Precision Weed-spraying, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Strawberries, Tree Canopy, University Of Georgia, Variable-rate Fertilizer, Virginia Tech, Water, Yiannis Ampatzidis
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
Hands holding ripe red strawberries above green strawberry plants.

Following Hurricane Milton, Florida growers show resilience in ensuring fresh Florida strawberries are available this season

by Brad Buck
March 9, 2026

Florida strawberry growers are a resilient bunch. They’ve survived the back-to-back punches from hurricanes Helene and Milton. Through hard work and efficient problem-solving, they have planted the fruits you’ll enjoy from December through ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Cultivars, Disease Resistance, Ember, Encore, Florida Strawberry Growers Association, Hurricane Milton, Hurricanes, Kenneth Parker, Phytophthora Root Rot, Resilience, Strawberries, Strawberry Breeding, Strawberry Growers, Vance Whitaker
A person kneeling in a strawberry patch surrounded by green plants and ripe strawberries.

Two UF/IFAS-bred strawberries better at resisting nasty pest

by Brad Buck
March 9, 2026

Chilli thrips plague farmers worldwide, but new research from the University of Florida has found two strawberry varieties that show less harm from these pests. The finding comes through research funded in part by the USDA National Institute ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops
Tags: Chilli Thrips, Cultivars, Entomology And Nematology, Florida Brilliance, Florida Strawberry Growers Association, Host Plant Resistance, Integrated Pest Management, Kenneth Parker, Lovely Adhikary, Sriyanka Lahiri, Strawberries, Sweet Sensation, UF/IFAS Strawberry Breeding, Vance Whitaker
A partially flooded agricultural field with rows of green plants.

Hurricanes can bring crop diseases, but plant clinics help farmers quickly and accurately battle pathogens spread by storms

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

Last fall, strawberry fields in the Tampa Bay region and at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) were riddled by colletotrichum crown rot disease, which was spread by winds and rain from Hurricane Milton. The Category ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Crops, Crown Rot, Disease Control, Diseases, Florida Strawberry Growers Association, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Hurricane Milton, Hurricanes, Kenneth Parker, Marcus Marin, Mathews Paret, Mid-Florida Research And Education Center, Natalia Peres, North Florida Research And Education Center, Pathogens, Plant Diagnostic Clinic, Plant Diseases, Plant Pathology, Rapid Diagnosis, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Soybean Rust, Strawberries, Tropical Research And Education Center
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
Strawberries at different ripeness stages with a white flower on a dark background.

UF Digital Twin technology simulates strawberry farm, boosts AI tools and cuts costs

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

While strawberry production runs from November through April in Florida, digital twin technology lets scientists simulate the growth of the fruit year-round, allowing research to proceed year-round. Digital twins are virtual replicas of objects, ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Dana Choi, Digital Twin, Fruit Detection, Fruit Diameter, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Prec-ag, Robotics, Simulation, Strawberries, Technology, Virtual, Year-round Research, Yield Prediction

AI could help strawberry growers find, remove ‘runners,’ reducing labor and saving time

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), farmers may soon find it easier to remove strawberry runners, which could save time and labor, new University of Florida research shows. Growers need all the help they can get to reduce production ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Artficial Intelligence, Detection, Drones, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Harvest, Images, Kevin Wang, Labor, Phenomics Lab, Prec-ag, Smart Agriculture Lab, Strawberries, Strawberry Runners
Natural disaster on the farm. Flooded field with seedlings of eggplant and leek. Heavy rain and flooding. The risks of harvest loss. The flood. Agriculture. Ukraine, Kherson region. Selective focus. Español. Desastre natural en la granja. Campo inundado. Lluvias intensas e inundaciones. Los riesgos de pérdida de cosecha. La inundación. Agricultura. Enfoque selectivo.

With startup, researchers plan to help growers feed more people, preserve environment

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

By commercializing their research, two University of Florida scientists are trying to get practical artificial intelligence (AI) tools into the hands of our state’s farmers. The goal is to build their business by increasing farm profitability, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Farm Management
Tags: #aiatuf, Arnold Schumann, Artificial Intelligence, Business, Citrus Research And Education Center, Commercialization, Environment, EZ Ag Innovations, Food, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Inputs, Labor, Nathan Boyd, Pesticides, Prec-ag, Precision Weed-spraying, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Startup, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Water

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