Category: Pests & Disease

Media alert: UF/IFAS to hold informational webinar on New World screwworm on July 7

by Meredith Bauer-Mitchell
July 6, 2026

What: The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will host an informational webinar on the New World screwworm to prepare stakeholders and interested parties as the invasive pest spreads. Information presented ... READ MORE

Category: Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS

Here’s what homeowners need to know about hybrid termites in Florida

by Lourdes Mederos
June 8, 2026

Alarming reports of hybrid “super” termites have fueled misinformation, while flooding news outlets across the United States for months. University of Florida scientists are stepping in to help property owners separate fact from fiction. In ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Home Management, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Asian Subterranean Termite, Ask IFAS, Coptotermes Formosanus, Coptotermes Gestroi, Entomology, Entomology And Nematology, Faith Oi, Formosan Subterranean Termite, Hybrid Termites, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Johnalyn Gordon, Nan-yao Su, News, Termite Damage, Termites, Thomas Chouvenc, UF IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida

El okra pasa de ser un alimento básico en cocinas y huertos caseros a convertirse en parte fundamental del movimiento “La Comida como Medicina” en la agricultura de Florida

by Luz Bahder
May 28, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. ¿Qué hace que el okra, conocido también como quimbombó, sea una elección inteligente para los huertos caseros, las ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultura, Alimentacion, Alimentos, Caracoles, Centro De Investigación Y Educación Tropical (TREC) De UF/IFAS, Chicharrita De Dos Manchas Del Algodón, Cultivo, Dakshina Seal, Demanda De Okra, Entomologia, Espanol, Germinación, Gusanos Cogolleros, Hortalizas, Huertos Caseros, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, La Comida Como Medicina, Manejo Integrado De Plagas, Monalisa Seaton, Mosca Blanca De Alas Plateadas, Okra, Produccion Comercial, Programa De Extensión De UF/IFAS, Pulgones, Quimbombó, Rendimientos, Salud, Saludable, Spanish, TREC, UF/IFAS, Valor Nutricional

Is okra rising from a kitchen, home garden staple to a ‘Food is Medicine’ star in Florida agriculture?

by Lourdes Mederos
May 26, 2026

What makes okra a smart choice for home gardens, healthier meals and Florida’s next great crop? University of Florida researchers from the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) say this adaptable crop illustrates how ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Antioxidants, Ask IFAS, Crop, Dakshina Seal, Digestion, Easy To Grow, Espanol, Farmers, Florida, Food Is Medicine, Gardens, Health, Health Benefits, Healthy, Heart Health, Homestead, IFAS, Invasive Pests, Kitchen, Monalisa Seaton, Nutrition, Okra, Ornamental Plants, Peyton Ecklund, Plant-based Foods, Seed-borne Diseases, Seeds, South Florida, Staple, Tropical Research And Education Center, Two-spotted Leafhopper, UF/IFAS Research, Vitamins, Xiaoying Li

¿Desea cultivar papaya en su jardín? La guía bilingüe de Ask IFAS ofrece consejos basados en investigaciones para lograrlo exitosamente

by Luz Bahder
May 19, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Con el cuidado adecuado, los árboles de papaya prosperan en los jardines de Florida y producen frutos dulces y flores ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Ask IFAS En Español, Bilingue, Cosecha, Cultivando Papaya En El Jardín De Su Hogar En Florida, Cultivo, Drenaje, Enfermedades, Espanol, Flores, Frutas, Fruto, Jardin, Papaya, Patio, Plagas, Prácticas De Mantenimiento, Productores´, Publicación Bilingüe, Residencial, Siembra, Spanish, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)

Want to grow papaya trees in your backyard? Ask IFAS bilingual resource offers top research tips for success

by Lourdes Mederos
May 19, 2026

With the right care, papaya trees thrive in Florida backyards, producing sweet fruit and flowers. Depending on the variety, this slender tree can produce more than one bright white flower in less than 12 months. Well suited to Central ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Ask IFAS, ASK UF/IFAS En Espanol, Central Florida, Diseases, English, Food Is Medicine, Harvesting, Healthy, Healthy Environment, Home, Irrigation Needs, Jonathan Crane, Landscape, Papaya, Papaya Growing, Papaya Seeds, Papaya Tree, Pests, Plants, South Florida, Superfruit, Sustainable, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center

Una luz de esperanza en la batalla contra el enverdecimiento de los cítricos: tres insectos devoran los huevos del psílido

by Luz Bahder
April 21, 2026

Creado por Brad Buck, especialista sénior en relaciones públicas para UF/IFAS. Unos diminutos héroes podrían contribuir a larga lucha de Florida contra la enfermedad del enverdecimiento de los cítricos. Esta noticia resulta alentadora ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Amblyseius Swirskii, Centro De Investigación Y Educación Del Norte De Florida, Centro De Investigación Y Educación Del Suroeste De Florida, Chiches Piratas Diminutas, Citricos, Citrus Greening, Control Biologico, Crisopas, Depredadores, Dragón Amarillo, Enfermedad Del Enverdecimiento De Los Cítricos, Espanol, Espanol. Spanish, Florida, Hlb, Huanglongbing, Huanglongbing (HLB), Huertos De Cítricos, Huevos, Insecticidas, Insectos, Jawwad Qureshi, Mariquita Depredadora De Cochinillas, Mitigación A Largo Plazo Del HLB, Naranjas, Psílido, Psílido Asiático De Los Cítricos, Residentes´, Romain Exilien, Spanish, Tasas De Consumo, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Xavier Martini

Take Care with Chip Piles – Organic Dust Toxic Syndrome (ODTS)

by David Outerbridge
April 2, 2026

There is nothing quite like the burst of joy that comes with a fresh delivery of woodchips for my garden. The pile steams a columnar breath in the air; a living, breathing mound of organic potential, and working through it feels grounding, meditative. At ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Farm Management, Forests, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension,

UF/IFAS FNGLA Palm Quest 2026 to unveil next generation AI drone research tools for a changing industry on April 21-22

by Lourdes Mederos
March 26, 2026

From artificial intelligence that can diagnose palm diseases to drone technology tracking tree health from above, the Palm Quest 2026 Conference will spotlight the future of palm science when it returns to Fort Lauderdale April 21 to 22. Hosted ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: #AI, AI-driven Palm Diagnostics, Artificial Intelligence, Disease, Drones, Ecosystem, Environmental Stressors, Florida, Florida's Ecosystem, Fungal Diseases, Fungal Pathogen, Mica McMillan, Native Palms, Palm Quest 2026, Palm Trees, Palm Varieties, Pests, Plant Health, Soil, Sustainability, UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research Education Center, Urban Environments

On the edge of a breakthrough: UF/IFAS breeding disease-resistant lettuce for U.S. farms, kitchens

by Lourdes Mederos
March 24, 2026

University of Florida scientists are closer to a breakthrough that could safeguard the nation’s lettuce supply. Backed by a $500,000 federal grant, the team is working to develop disease-resistant lettuce varieties built to withstand ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Arizona, Bacterial Leaf Spot, Breeding, California, Cercospora Leaf Spot, Climates, Consumers, Crop, Cultivars, Economic Engine, Economy, Everglades Research And Education Center, Florida, Florida Economy, Freshness, German Sandoya, Harvest, Iceberg, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Leaf Lettuce, Lettuce, Lettuce Breeding, Lettuce Breeding Program, Market Demands, National Institute Of Food And Agriculture, News, Postharvest, Production, Public, Resistence, Romaine, Sandy Soils, Storage, Texture, Transportation, U.S. Department Of Agriculture, U.S. Department Of Agriculture National Institute Of Food And Agriculture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, USDA-NIFA, Varieties

Subscribe For More Great Content