Tag: Strawberries

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
An image of strawberries; some read, others white.

Projected El Niño poses disease risk to Florida’s $500 million-a-year strawberry industry, but an alert system could help

by Brad Buck
May 13, 2026

Farmers in Florida’s $500 million-a-year strawberry industry recently wrapped up a season, and already the next one is casting a shadow. Scientists are predicting a good chance of a pesky strawberry disease, all due to the predicted El Niño ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Farm Management, Pests & Disease
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, AgriTech Conference, Botrytis, Diseases, El Niño, El Nino Southern Oscillation, Hurricane Season, La Niña, Moisture, Monitor, Research, Spraying, Strawberries, Strawberrry Advisory System, Vinicius Cerbaro
Three persons evaluating strawberries for decay and damage

Postharvest Lab Research Targets Strawberry and Blueberry Fruit Quality and Shelf Life

by Joe McQueen
April 13, 2026

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center’s (IRREC) Postharvest Technology lab, led by Mark Ritenour, is researching how to reduce decay in strawberries and blueberries ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Food Safety, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Blueberries, Fruit Quality, Postharvest, Strawberries
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

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
A man speaks into a microphone in front of strawberry research posters at an outdoor event.

From 5,000 strawberries to DNA breakthrough: Doctoral grad sweetens the future of fruit

by Brad Buck
December 18, 2025

As we enter the height of Florida’s strawberry production season, many consumers crave the taste and aroma of the fruit. That’s part of what compels Mark Porter to try to enhance those qualities. For his doctoral dissertation, Porter ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Horticulture
Tags: Aroma, Consumers, DNA, DNA Test, Doctoral Dissertation, Flavor, Genome, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Mark Porter, Ph.D., Plant Breeding, Plant Breeding Ph.D. Program, Seonghee Lee, Sour, Strawberries, Strawberry Breeding, Sweet, Taste
Close-up of strawberries in a clear plastic container and yellow trays.

Florida strawberry season bursts with sweetness

by Brad Buck
December 3, 2025

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
Pablo Agustin Boeri determining water infiltration rates of plots at the West Florida Research and Education Center (WFREC). Photo taken 08-24-22.

What’s New on Ask IFAS: UF/IFAS Gulf Coast REC (Sept.–Oct.)

by Amanda Quintos
October 31, 2025

Using Banker Plants as an Additional Tool in Strawberry Integrated Pest Management Allan Busuulwa, Lovely Adhikary, and Sriyanka Lahiri. The invasive Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is currently the most significant pest ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Pests & Disease
Tags: Banker Plants, Flowering Plants, Integrated Pest Management, Irrigation, Strawberries, Turfgrass And Lawncare Industry

MEDIA ALERT: Breaking ground on a future rooted in AI – at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center

by Brad Buck
October 30, 2025

WHAT: University of Florida administrators, faculty, fruit and vegetable growers and dignitaries will break ground on the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture on November 7 at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. The ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, SFYL Hot Topic
Tags: #aiatuf, Artichokes, Blackberries, Centennial, Center For Applied Artificial Intelligence In Agriculture, Field Tour, Groundbreaking, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Hops, J. Scott Angle, Jobs, Joe Glover, Prec-ag, State Rep. Lawrence McClure, Strawberries, Tomatoes, U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, Vegetables

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