Tag: Xavier Martini

tractor spray

Study: White clay spray mix repels major crop pest

by Kirsten Romaguera Rabin
May 15, 2026

QUINCY, Fla. --- Tomatoes are big business in Florida, the nation’s top producer of the popular fruit, but an insect no bigger than a grain of rice threatens growers’ fields each season. The whitefly prefers the underside of leaves, enjoying ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Entomology, Josh Freeman, Kaolin, Mathews Paret, North Florida Research And Education Center, Pest Control, Plant Pathology, Tomato, Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl, Whiteflies, Whitefly, Xavier Martini
oranges

Researchers enlist Florida residents in the fight against citrus greening

by Megan Winslow
May 15, 2026

Most people know Florida’s citrus industry is struggling with citrus greening. The threat, however, doesn’t exist in a silo, and residential trees – where the plant disease was first detected in the state – can serve as reservoirs for ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: ACP, Asian Citrus Psyllid, Bay, Citrus, Citrus Care, Citrus Greening, Cold Hardy Citrus, Columbia, Danielle Williams, Diaphorina Citri, Educational, Entomology, Gadsden, HLB, Huanglongbing, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Integrated Pest Management, Jefferson, Laura Warner, Lauren Diepenbrock, Leon, Management, Mesh Bags, North Florida, Orange, Pest, Plant Disease, Reflective Mulch, Research, Romain Exilien, Santa Rosa, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Workshop, Xavier Martini
Person gardening with a shovel in a backyard with small fruit trees and a screened patio in the background.

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

by Brad Buck
May 15, 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
Imagen macro en primer plano de un psílido asiático de los cítricos (Diaphorina citri) posado sobre una hoja verde, mostrado de perfil. El diminuto insecto presenta un cuerpo moteado en tonos beige y marrón, alas translúcidas con patrones oscuros salpicados que se pliegan en forma de techo sobre su dorso y una postura ligeramente inclinada. Destaca su ojo compuesto de color rojizo y sus delgadas patas se aferran a la superficie de la hoja, sobre un fondo verde suave y desenfocado.

Una luz de esperanza en la batalla contra el enverdecimiento de los cítricos: tres insectos devoran los huevos del psílido

by Luz Bahder
May 15, 2026

Creado por Brad Buck, especialista sénior en relaciones públicas para UF/IFAS.  Unos diminutos héroes podrían contribuir a larga lucha de Florida contra la enfermedad del enverdecimiento de los cítricos. Esta noticia resulta alentadora ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Amblyseius Swirskii, Centro De Investigación Y Educación Del Norte De Florida, Centro De Investigación Y Educación Del Suroeste De Florida, Chiches Piratas Diminutas, Citricos, Citrus Greening, Control Biologico, Crisopas, Depredadores, Dragón Amarillo, Enfermedad Del Enverdecimiento De Los Cítricos, Español, Espanol. Spanish, Florida, HLB, Huanglongbing, Huanglongbing (HLB), Huertos De Cítricos, Huevos, Insecticidas, Insectos, Jawwad Qureshi, Mariquita Depredadora De Cochinillas, Mitigación A Largo Plazo Del HLB, Naranjas, Psílido, Psílido Asiático De Los Cítricos, Residentes´, Romain Exilien, Spanish, Tasas De Consumo, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Xavier Martini
Partially submerged alligator with plants on its head and body

Kaolin and Limonene as Repellents for Whitefly Management In Vegetables

by Craig Frey
September 23, 2025

Dr. Xavier Martini Department of Entomology UF/IFAS North Florida REC Insecticide Resistance Due to the development of insecticide resistance and difficulties in whitefly management with conventional insecticides, significant agricultural ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Commercial Vegetable Production, Craig Frey, Entomology, Extension, Insecticides, Kaolin, Limonene, Pest Management, Pesticides, Tomato, UF-IFAS, Vegetable Production, Vegetable Research Highlights, Whitefly, Xavier Martini

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