Category: Fruits & Vegetables

Avocado fruit showing characteristic avocado sunblotch viroid (ASBVd) symptoms. The fruit displays a distinct longitudinal yellow streak with sharply demarcated margins, typical of sunblotch infection. Symptoms can vary but often include irregular yellow or whitish streaks, discoloration, and deformed fruit.

Los aguacates de Florida se enfrentan a la amenaza del viroide del manchado solar

by Luz Bahder
October 6, 2025

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Los aguacates de Florida, un alimento básico en las cocinas, un árbol frutal muy apreciado en los jardines y un ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultores, Aguacate, Aguacateros, árboles, ASBVd, Crecimiento, Danos, Deformación De Los Frutos, Disminución En La Producción, Ecursos Informativos, Enanismo, Enfermedad, Espanol, Esquejes, Expansion, Frutos, Industria Del Aguacate, Infectados, Injertos, Jonathan Crane, Mancha Solar, Manchado Solar, Manchado Solar Del Aguacate, Manchas, Medidas Preventivas, Palta, Plantación, Plantaciones, Polen, Productores´, Pruebas Diagnosticas, Rayas, Romina Gazis, Semillas, Sintomas, Spanish, TREC, UF/IFAS, Viroide
tropical hibiscus flower

UF/IFAS warns of emerging pest threatening South Florida crops: Two-spot cotton leafhopper detected

by Lourdes Mederos
September 15, 2025

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is alerting growers to a new pest of concern making its mark in South Florida farms and nurseries: the invasive two-spot cotton leafhopper. Measuring ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Acarology, Alexandra Revynthi, Cotton, Entomology And Nematology, FDACS, Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services Division Of Plant Industry, Flowers, Hibiscus, Hibiscus Flowers, Home Gardens, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, News, Okra, Ornamental Hibiscus, Peanut, Plant Pathology, Potato, Soybean', Sunflower, Tropical Hibiscus, Tropical Research And Education Center, Two-spot Cotton Leafhopper, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, University Of Florida

Cómo una agente de Extensión de UF/IFAS está trabajando junto a los residentes para hacer del condado de St. Lucie un lugar más verde

by Luz Bahder
September 15, 2025

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Desde los jardines domésticos hasta los esfuerzos de conservación a nivel de condado, Sara Salgado MacDonald colabora ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Acacia, Acacia Auriculiformis, Avispa, Capacitar, Control Biologico, Ecuador, Espanol, Extensión De UF/IFAS, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Horticultura, Horticultura Urbana, Huertos De Hortalizas, Huertos Familiares, Insectos, Master Gardener, Organización Internacional Para El Control Biológico, Premio Global Al Desarrollo Profesional Temprano, Premio Robert O'Neil A La Estudiante De Doctorado Destacada En Control Biológico, Sara Salgado MacDonald, Spanish, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Condado De Saint Lucie

Can Robigus be the new crop guardian? This app tracks plant diseases globally

by Lourdes Mederos
September 8, 2025

Named after the Roman god who once guarded wheat fields from blight, Robigus is the newest tech ally in the fight against plant diseases. Developed by a scientist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agriculture, App, Braham Dhillon, Cavendish Bananas, Crops, Disease Outbreaks, Farms, Fields, First Reports, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Fruit, Fungal Pathogen, Gardeners, Global, HiPerGator, Homeowners, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Molecular Plant Pathologist, News, Nursery, Palms, Plant Disease, Plant Pathology, Plants, Robigus, Roman God, Scientists, Tropical Race 4 Of Fusarium, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, University Of Florida, University Of Florida Supercomputer, Vegetable
oranges

Researchers enlist Florida residents in the fight against citrus greening

by Megan Winslow
August 28, 2025

Most people know Florida’s citrus industry is struggling with citrus greening. The threat, however, doesn’t exist in a silo, and residential trees – where the plant disease was first detected in the state – can serve as reservoirs for ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: ACP, Asian Citrus Psyllid, Bay, Citrus, Citrus Care, Citrus Greening, Cold-hardy Citrus, Columbia, Danielle Williams, Diaphorina Citri, Educational, Entomology, Gadsden, Hlb, Huanglongbing, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Integrated Pest Management, Jefferson, Laura Warner, Lauren Diepenbrock, Leon, Management, Mesh Bags, North Florida, Orange, Pest, Plant Disease, Reflective Mulch, Research, Romain Exilien, Santa Rosa, UF, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Workshop, Xavier Martini

Better mangoes, papayas and other tropical fruit: Breeding fruits consumers love, growers need

by Lourdes Mederos
August 27, 2025

Florida has long held a special place in America's fruit bowl. With its subtropical climate, the state remains one of the few parts of the continental United States where exotic fruits -- from mangoes and avocados to papayas and dragon fruit ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Avocado, Consumers, Crops, Cultivars, Diseases, DNA, Dragon Fruit, Exotic Fruits, Flavor, Florida, Gardens, Genetic Markers, Genetic Tools, Growers, Health, Jugpreet Singh, Laurel Wilt, Mango, Nutrition, Papaya, Papaya Ringspot, Pests, Production, Shelf Life, Subtropical Climate, Tropical Fruit, Tropical Research And Education Center
photo of people in an urban food garden

Back by popular demand: UF/IFAS Extension offers 2025 Sustainable Urban Food Production Short Course

by Lourdes Mederos
August 13, 2025

From backyard gardens to commercial-scale rooftop farms, sustainable urban food production is reshaping how we grow and access food in cities. That’s why leading scientists from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, EVENTS, Farm Management, Food Safety, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Aquaponics, Broward, Chefs, Compost, Eco-friendly, Ecofrendly Farming, Entrepreneurs, Environmental Horticulture, Food, Food Forest, Food Handling, Food Safety, Food Waste, Garderners, Harvest, Hydroponic, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Jiangxiao Qiu, Large-scale Composting, Local Food Movement, Lorna Bravo, Management Strategies, Miami Dade, Monroe, News, Nutrient-rich Soil, Organic Fruit, Palm Beach, Rooftop Farms, Rooftop Gardens, Soil Regeneration, Sustainable Agricultural, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, University Of Florida, Urban Agriculture, Urban Food Production, Vegetables

Scientists will use $1M grant to build a support system addressing sea level rise and flooding in South Florida

by Lourdes Mederos
July 17, 2025

A team of University of Florida scientists has been awarded a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to tackle one of South Florida’s most urgent environmental threats: groundwater flooding and saltwater intrusion caused ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Disaster Preparation, Farm Management, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Ashley Smith, Biochemistry, Conservation, Eban Bean, Edward Evans, Flood, Flood Mitigation, Flood Risk, Food And Resource Economics, Grant, Green Infrastructures, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Mangrove Restoration, Miami, National Science Foundation, News, Rain Gardens, Saltwater Intrusion, Sea Level Rise, Soil And Water Sciences, Soil Sciences, Southeast Florida, Stormwater, Stormwater Runoff, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Young Gu Her, Zachary Brym
Florida Gators logo

Long-time UF/IFAS Extension agent inducted into national agriculture hall of fame

by Megan Winslow
July 7, 2025

Bob Hochmuth grew up on a 1,000-acre vegetable farm on Maryland’s eastern shore. As a child, he watched his father and two uncles manage the farm, and the three men were always busy. They didn’t allow anyone to disrupt their work. Except ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agent, Agriculture, Blue Dye, Bob Hochmuth, Crops, Dave Woodward, Eric Simonne, Extension, Extension Mentor Of The Year, Extension Professional Of The Year, Farmer, Florida Farm Bureau Federation, Grower, Hall Of Fame, IFAS, Inductee, Induction, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Kevin Athearn, Live Oak, Megan Winslow, NACAA, National Association Of County Agricultural Agents, NFREC-SV, North Florida Research & Education Center – Suwannee Valley, Regional Specialized Agent, Regional Specialized Extension Agent, Research, Robert Hochmuth, Robert Miller, Scott Jensen, Support, SV Ag Update, Terri Hochmuth, Tyler Jones, UF, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Vegetable, Water Conservation, Watermelon

Composting is officially on the map in Deerfield Beach; UF/IFAS is leading the charge for a statewide model

by Lourdes Mederos
May 19, 2025

Sandwiched between International Compost Week in early May and National Composting Day on May 29, a new initiative with the University of Florida is taking shape as cities across the nation embrace composting as a sustainable solution to ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Fruits & Vegetables, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: City Of Deerfield Beach, Compost, Compost College, Compost Industry, Filthy Organics, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, International Composting Week, Landfills, Lourdes Mederos, Market Viability, May 29, Methane Emissions, Mica McMillan, Micro-composter, National Composting Day, News, Organic Waste, Organics Recycling Foundation, Sustainable Alternatives, U.S. Department Of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, UF/IFAS, Usda, USDA Composting And Food Waste Reduction Program

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