Category: UF/IFAS Research

Lance Osborne using an eye loupe to examine a flower in a Mid-Florida Research and Education center greenhouse.

Expert entomologist inducted into Integrated Pest Management Hall of Fame

by Stella Canfield
July 13, 2026

Lance Osborne at the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center has been inducted into the 2026 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Hall of Fame by the Southern IPM Center. As one of three selected for the honor, the award recognizes Osborne’s ... READ MORE

Category: Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Award, Biological Control, Integrated Pest Management, IPM, IPM Hall Of Fame, Lance Osborne, Southern IPM Center
Person in a blue shirt tending to variegated plants with green and white leaves.

From greenhouse to patent: Two new pothos cultivars take root

by Stella Canfield
June 4, 2026

After years of breeding and evaluation at the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC), two new pothos cultivars, Snowy Stream and Green Isle, have been patented for their distinctive foliage characteristics in one of the world’s ... READ MORE

Category: Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Breeding, Cultivars, Horticulture, Indoor Foliage, Jianjun Chen, National Horticulture Foundation, Patents, Pothos, Richard Henny

Papaya banker plant system strengthens biological control of whiteflies

by Stella Canfield
March 24, 2026

A new study finds that papaya banker plants can strengthen control of the sweet potato whitefly, one of the most damaging pests in ornamental crop production. Published in the journal “Biological Control,” the research highlights a promising ... READ MORE

Category: Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Banker Plants, Biological Control, Cindy McKenzie, Lance Osborne, Papaya, Pests, Poinsettias, Whiteflies, Whitefly
Pothos lined up in a greenhouse.

UF/IFAS Researcher Recognized for Patented Pothos Varieties

by Stella Canfield
June 11, 2025

Jianjun Chen, environmental horticulture professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, was recently recognized with a Plant Patent and Variety Protection Certificate at the Florida Agricultural Experiment ... READ MORE

Category: Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Cultivars, Environmental Horticulture, Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Research Awards Ceremony, Indoor Foliage, Indoor Plants, Jianjun Chen, National Horticulture Foundation, Pothos
Yellow Bromeliads.

Foliage, Florals and Tropics Galore: MREC at 2025 TPIE

by Stella Canfield
February 5, 2025

The Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) connected with industry professionals at the Florida Nursery, Growers, and Landscape Association (FNGLA)’s 2025 Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE) – a premier trade event showcasing ... READ MORE

Category: Events, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Alfred Huo, David Norman, Fngla, Lance Osborne, Tpie, Tropical Plant International Expo

UF/IFAS researchers work to advance grapevine health, helping California’s wine industry

by Stella Canfield
January 15, 2025

UF/IFAS researchers are tackling a critical challenge: protecting California’s $73 billion wine and wine grape industry. Grapevine red blotch disease (GRBD) and grapevine leafroll disease (GLD), caused by complex insect vector-borne viruses, ... READ MORE

Category: Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Kirsten Pelz-Stelinski, Mid-Florida Research And Education Center, MREC, National Academy Of Sciences, Ozgur Batuman, Research, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Wine

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