Close-up portrait of a person seated at a desk in an office setting, wearing an orange collared shirt and facing the camera. A shelf with office supplies and a patterned cup is visible in the background, along with a light-colored cinder block wall.

IRREC Faculty Member Secures USDA Farm Bill Grant to Launch International Biological Control Program Targeting Cotton Jassid

by Joe McQueen
June 12, 2026

Nicole Quinn, assistant professor of entomology and nematology and expert in biological control at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC), was awarded a farm bill grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ... READ MORE

Category: Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Biological Control, Insects, Invasive Species, Pests
A person wearing glasses speaks into a handheld microphone against a plain light-colored background, with faint writing visible on the wall behind them.

IRREC Researcher Sandra Guzman Recognized with Netafim Award for Leadership in Microirrigation

by Joe McQueen
May 12, 2026

Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC), Sandra Guzmán, received the Netafim Award for Advancements in Microirrigation recently for her lab’s work on the autonomous ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, Water
Tags: Agriculture, Smart Irrigation, Water Resources
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
Canal for irrigation

Smart irrigation for lettuce: Research highlights how deficit irrigation can support growers in heat and drought scenarios

by Joe McQueen
February 18, 2026

New UF/IFAS research shows that reducing irrigation volume while increasing frequency can help lettuce growers save water, reduce production costs, and maintain crop yield, even under heat and drought stress.  Sandra Guzman, assistant professor of ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: #SmartIrrigationandHydrologyLab, Heat, IRREC, Lettuce

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