Horticultural Sciences Department

Expanding Access to Lab Automation for Plant Science and Education

by Eva Sailly
March 2, 2026

In most molecular biology labs, progress still depends on highly manual workflows. From undergraduate students to senior postdoctoral fellows, a rese archer must carefully transfer microliter volumes of liquids by hand, often hundreds ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Biofoundry, Biotechnology, BOTany Methods, Catalin Voiniciuc, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, Lab Automation, Moni Qiande, Ph.D Agronomy, Plant Physiology, Synbio, Voiniciuc Lab

Breeding Broccoli for Nutrition in a Warming World

by Eva Sailly
February 19, 2026

Broccoli is the classic example of a “healthy food”. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, it is linked to a lowered risk of chronic disease. However, as primarily a cool-season crop, broccoli is difficult to cultivate in warmer ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: AI, AI In Agriculture, Artificial Intelligence, Broccoli, Climate, Dr. Charlie Messina, Food Is Medicine, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, Melanie Cabrera, New Publication, Nutrition, Ph.D., Plant Breeding, The Crop Transformation Center

Alumni Spotlight: Connecting Communities Back to Agriculture

by Eva Sailly
February 11, 2026

Extension From Day One Madelyn Greathouse is the UF/IFAS Extension Commercial Horticulture and Integrated Pest Management Agent serving Sumter and Pasco counties. She works with a wide range of growers, from blueberry and ornamental producers ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Academics, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
Tags: Alumni, Alumni Feature, Blueberry, Cade, Gerardo Nunez, Greathouse, Horticultural Sciences Department, Pasco County, Plant Science, Plant Science Major, St, Sumner County, UF IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS CALS, Undergraduate

From Florida’s Wetlands to the Chelsea Flower Show: Behind UF/IFAS Ghost Orchid Conservation

by Eva Sailly
February 10, 2026

Leafless and ephemeral, the ghost orchid seems to float in the shadows of South Florida’s wetlands. They’re a mystery that has fueled books, films, and decades of fascination. But behind the mystique is a far more complicated reality. ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Conservation, Forests, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: Carrie Reinhardt Adams, Chelsea Flower Show, Conservation, Environmental Horticulture, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Germinate, Ghost Orchid, Horticultural Sciences Department, Michael Kane, Ph.D., Plant Breeding, Restoration And Plant Ecology

How AI Is Changing Plant Breeding: Redefining the Limits of Sorghum

by Eva Sailly
February 6, 2026

For decades, sorghum has quietly disappeared from US fields. Once grown across much of the country, the drought-tolerant grain is now concentrated primarily in the southern Great Plains, especially Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Since the ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture
Tags: #aiatuf, AI, AI In Agriculture, Alumni, Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Charlie Messina, Dr. Jasdeep Singh, Horticultural Sciences Department, New Publication, Ph.D., Plant Breeding, The Crop Transformation Center

Brewing Innovation: Developing Coffee as a Viable Florida Crop

by Eva Sailly
January 22, 2026

How UF/IFAS Is Reimagining Coffee for Florida Can coffee be reimagined as a viable crop for Florida growers? It is a seemingly simple question posed by UF/IFAS researchers, as Florida agriculture searches for resilient, high-value ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agro-Tourism, Blueberry Breeding And Genomics, Coffee, Dr. Ferrao, Felipe Ferrao, Food Science, Fruit Crops, Horticultural Sciences, Neta Foundation, Plant Breeding

Plant enzymes linked to fiber breakdown are shown to support dietary fiber biosynthesis

by Eva Sailly
January 20, 2026

Researchers in the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department have discovered that two plant enzymes, once thought to only break down fibers, are essential for sustaining the production of β-mannans, important carbohydrate polymers that help ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Biotechnology, Crop Improvement, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, New Phytologist, Plant Molecular Biology, Plant-based Products, Synbio, Voiniciuc Lab

What’s New on Ask IFAS: Horticultural Sciences (Nov.–Dec.)

by Gillian McGuire
January 9, 2026

New Publications Grower’s Guide to Identifying and Correcting Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Deficiencies in Luffa Production By Md Jahidul Islam Shohag, Qiansheng Li; Yuncong Li, Qingren Wang, and Guodong Liu. Luffa, referring ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture
Tags: Ask IFAS, EDIS Journal, Horticultural Sciences Department, Landscape Trees, Leafy Vegetables, Luffa, Muscadine, Nutrition, Postharvest And Handling, Spanish, Tropical Fruits

UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences expands as Environmental Horticulture faculty and staff join the department under a shared vision

by Eva Sailly
December 17, 2025

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is uniting faculty and staff from Environmental Horticulture with Horticultural Sciences Department, strengthening collaboration across teaching, research, and ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Agriculture, Events, Work & Life
Tags: Environmental Horticulture, Horticultural Sciences Department, One Horticulture, Plant Science, Teaching

Dr. Gerardo Nunez Named to Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under Forty Class of 2025

by Eva Sailly
December 16, 2025

Dr. Gerardo Nunez, Assistant Professor of Horticultural Sciences, has been named to the Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under Forty Class of 2025, a national recognition honoring emerging leaders who are making meaningful contributions to the specialty ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Award, Blueberry, Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under Forty, Gerardo Nunez, Horticultural Sciences, Nunez Lab, Plant Breeding, Small Fruit Horticulture Lab, Teaching, UF/IFAS CALS

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