Category: Pests & Disease

Demonstration of targeted application using Ecorobotix ARA Research Unit. Courtesy UF/IFAS Pawel Petelewicz

March 26: UF/IFAS 37th South Florida Turfgrass – Landscape Research and Expo Field Day set


March 5, 2026

  Turf professionals will get a first look at the future of weed control and sustainable turf when the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) unveils new research and pioneering technologies at the ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, EVENTS, Lawn, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, Turf, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agronomy, Archive, Artificial Intelligence, Athletic Field Managers, CEU, Commercial Applicators, Field Day, Golf, Golf Course Superintendents, Integrated Weed Management, Landscape Professionals, Lawns, Marco Schiavon, Pawel Petelewicz, Pest Control Operators, Sod Producers, Truf, Turf, Turfgrass, Turfgrass Managers, UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research Education Center, Weed Control, Weed Science, Weeds
isolated red caladium leaves with clipping path on white background banner style by closeup of vivid pink heart-shaped leaf

Cinco décadas de color: UF presenta sus caladios número 50 y 51


March 2, 2026

Creado por Brad Buck, especialista sénior en relaciones públicas para UF/IFAS.  Este año marca un hito de oro para el programa de mejoramiento de plantas ornamentales de University of Florida y la celebración se viste de colores vibrantes: ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Caladios, Caladium, Centro De Investigación Y Educación De La Costa Del Golfo En Florida, Corazón Herido, Enfermedades, Espanol, Fitomejorador, Fitomejoramiento Genético, Johan Desaeger, Lirios De Corazón, Natalia Peres, Oreja De Elefante, Ornamentales, Plantas, Plantas Ornamentales, Spanish, UF, UF/IFAS, Variedades, Zhanao Deng
A close up of a lychee tree in South Florida. Photo by Ian McGuire

Love your lychee tree? Ask IFAS bilingual resource offers guidance against a common pest


February 26, 2026

Florida-grown lychee trees offer a taste of the tropics for home growers. Their berries deliver a sweet, rose-scented fruit with vitamin C-rich pulp and a vibrant color and flavor to fruit cups, cakes, mocktails, ice cream blends ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Aceria Litchii, Archive, Ask IFAS, Berries, Bilingual Extension Document, Erinose Mite, Fruit, Invasive Species, Lychee Tree, National Invasive Species Awareness Week, Peer-reveiwed, Pests, Tropical Fruit Trees, Vitamin C
A view of a piece of wood infested by subterranean termites.

New study shows invasive termites threatening homes in Florida are spreading farther than predicted


February 4, 2026

Highlights A new study from the University of Florida has found that two highly destructive invasive termite species have spread well beyond South Florida and are now threatening homes and buildings across much of the state. Decades ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Asian Subterranean Termite, Chouvenc, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Formosan Subterranean Termite, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive Species, News, Pest Control, Spread, Study, Termites, Thomas Chouvenc, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, University Of Florida Termite Collection
a stalk of lettuce on a cutting board. An Adobe stock image.

Harnessing AI with drone imagery to detect costly celery disease before symptoms surface


January 29, 2026

University of Florida scientists are launching a new, grant-funded research project that uses artificial intelligence and drone technology to help Florida celery growers detect a damaging fungal disease before symptoms are visible — a ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Crops, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: #AI, Artificial Intellgience, Blight Disease, Celery, Crop, Disease, Early Blight Disease, Everglades Agricultural Area, Everglades Research And Education Center, Florida Agriculture, Florida Economy, Fungus, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Katia Viana Xavier, Larissa Carvallo Ferriera, News, Pests, Plant Pathology, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Weather
Close-up view of healthy green celery plants growing in rows in a cultivated field

Aprovechamiento de la inteligencia artificial y las imágenes de drones para detectar de forma temprana enfermedades costosas del apio


January 29, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Científicos de University of Florida están poniendo en marcha un nuevo proyecto de investigación, financiado mediante ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: 26 De Febrero, Agricultores, Agricultura, Agricultura Inteligente, Apio, Área Agrícola De Los Everglades, Cámaras Multiespectrales, Centro De Investigación Y Educación Everglades (EREC), Clima, Cultivo, Detección Temprana De Enfermedades, Drones, Ecosistema, Enfermedad Del Tizón Por Cercospora, Enfremedad, Espanol, Especialistas De Extensión De UF/IFAS, Everglades, Everglades Agricultural Area, Experimentos De Campo, Fumigacion, Fungicidas, IA, Imágenes, Inteligencia Artificial, Investigacion, Jornada De Campo, Katia Viana Xavier, Lechuga, Monitoreo, Productores´, Programa De Investigación Y Educación En Agricultura Sostenible Del Sur, Riesgo De Enfermedades, Salud De Las Plantas, Señales Sutiles De Estrés, Sistema De Drones, Southern SARE, Spanish, Subvencion, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is a genus of flowering plants.

Pivotal study unlocks secrets of the invasive short-spined thrips


January 6, 2026

Highlights Short-spined thrips are devastating ornamentals and crops worldwide, thriving in South Florida’s warm climate and spreading fast. In a novel study, UF/IFAS researchers mapped the pest’s biology life cycle, reproduction ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, , Crops, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Acarology, Alexandra Revynthi, Beans, Beneficial, Beneficial Bugs, Beneficial Nematodes, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Eggplants, Entomology And Nematology, Gardenias, Gardens, Growers, Hibiscus, Homeowners, Integrated Pes Management, Invasive, Invasive Insect, Ipm, Mandevillas, Nematodes, News, Nurseries, Ornamental, Ornamental Entomology, Ornamental Plants, Peppers, Plant Pathology, Sanitation, Sanitation Practices, Short-spined Thrips, Thrips, Thrips Parvispinus, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida
A closeup of an iguana in South Florida

’Tis the season for courting iguanas: Ask IFAS unwraps bilingual guide with timely tips


December 2, 2025

Just in time for the holiday season — and the start of the iguana mating period — the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has unwrapped a bilingual resource for living with one of Florida’s most ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Home Landscapes, Home Management, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Ask IFAS, Ask IFAS En Español, Bilingual, Damage, Florida Law, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Green Iguanas, Herbivores, Homeowners, Iguana, Invasive, Legal Considerations, Mating Period, News, Non-native, Personal Property, Plants, Resources, South Florida Landscape, Species, Spiny-tailed Iguanas, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Unprotected
A bunch of dark purple grapes resting on a yellow bin, with a close-up of a hand picking up one of the clusters.

La primera cosecha exitosa de uvas resistentes a una enfermedad da esperanzas de un renacimiento del vino en Florida


November 13, 2025

Creado por Meredith Bauer, especialista sénior en relaciones públicas para UF/IFAS. En un hito para la agricultura de Florida, investigadores han cultivado y cosechado uvas para vino resistentes a la principal enfermedad bacteriana que ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Ali Sarkhosh, Bodega De Vino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Château Le Coeur, Consumo De Vino, Enfermedad De Pierce, Espanol, Florida, Industria, Infección Bacteriana, Investigacion, John Choquer, Mercado, Merlot, Muscadinia, Resistencia A Enfermedades, Sauvignon Blanc, Spanish, UF/IFAS, Uva Resistentes A La Enfermedad De Pierce, Uvas, Vid, Vides, Vinifera, Vitivinicola
Dead palm tree in an open field.

Innovative tool offers palm owners, growers new line of defense against trunk rot, protecting iconic trees


November 13, 2025

Ever wonder why some palm varieties flourish while others suddenly bend at the trunk or topple over completely? From the iconic coconut palm to towering royal palms, these signature features of Florida’s landscapes are facing a silent ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Advancement, Biological Controls, Braham Dhillon, Canary Island Date Palms, Coconut Palm, Conservation, Date Palms, Disease, Disease Resistance, Entomology And Nematology, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Fronds, Fungicides, Germplasm Collection, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive, Leaflets, Lethal Fungus, Monica Elliott, News, Palm, Palm Landscape, Pathogens, Plant Pathology, Plant Pathology Department, Research, Resilient, Royal Palms, Thielaviopsis Trunk Rot, Trunk Rot, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research And Education (USDA-SSARE), UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Usda, USDA-ARS, Wahingtonia Palms

Subscribe For More Great Content

IFAS Blogs Categories