Category: UF/IFAS

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

IRREC Aquaculture Program Donates Locally Raised Fish to Jones Pier Interpretive Center

by Joe McQueen
April 8, 2026

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center’s (IRREC) aquaculture program, directed by Cortney Ohs, donated locally raised fish to the Jones’ Pier Interpretive ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Coasts & Marine, UF/IFAS, Water
Tags: #aquaculture, Aquarium, Fisheries

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

The Hidden Fungi That Could Transform How We Protect Crops

by Joe McQueen
January 30, 2026

Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center’s (IRREC) Entomopathogenic Fungi Research Laboratory are investigating fungal endophytes and their potential ... READ MORE

Category: Crops, Farm Management, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: #citrusgreening, #EPF #EntomopathogenicFungi

Harvest underway at UF/IFAS Millennium Block, providing new hope for Florida’s citrus future

by Meredith Bauer-Mitchell
January 22, 2026

Highlights: UF/IFAS launches harvest for the Millennium Block, a seven-year, 5,000-tree research project in Fort Pierce designed to identify citrus varieties and rootstock combinations that show tolerance to citrus greening, which devastates ... READ MORE

Category: Crops, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Citrus, Millennium Block

Fort Pierce research center to host open house; Indian River Lagoon and citrus production to be featured

by Meredith Bauer-Mitchell
October 15, 2025

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) will host its annual open house on Nov. 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2199 South Rock Road in Fort Pierce, offering ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research

UF intern spends summer growing skills in plant pathology

by Meredith Bauer-Mitchell
September 2, 2025

Ryan Cantrell, an undergraduate student at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, hasn’t been spending his summer soaking up the Florida sun. Instead, ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS

University of Florida professor and his mentee named to international science society

by Robin Koestoyo
September 23, 2024

FORT PIERCE, Fla. —A revered professor and his esteemed graduate student accepted invitations to join Sigma Xi, an elite “international honor society whose members are scientists and engineers.” Sigma Xi Lorenzo Rossi, associate professor ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Professional Development, UF/IFAS,

An interview with Dr. Matthew Thomas, leader of the UF/IFAS Invasion Science Research Institute

by Robin Koestoyo
March 3, 2023

A Question and Answer format interview with Dr. Matthew Thomas, who leads the young UF/IFAS Invasion Science Research Institute Q: In your presentation, “Introduction to the Invasion Science Research Institute,” you stated that you will ... READ MORE

Category: Invasive Species, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Biological Control, Dr. Carey Minteer, Dr. Matthew Thomas, Dr. Nicole Quinn, Invasion Science Research Institute, Norman C. Hayslip Biological Control Research And Containment Laboratory

UF/IFAS tests olives in Florida to determine possible commercial industry

by Robin Koestoyo
February 2, 2023

FORT PIERCE, Fla. --- Most of the world’s olives grow in southern European countries, such as Spain and Italy. In the United States, California has more than 30,000 acres dedicated to the commodity. But Florida may be the next agricultural ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research,
Tags: FAMU Partnership, Jay, Lorenzo Rossi, Olives

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