UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center -

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

by Lourdes Mederos
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

Cold snaps, wind burn, drought, stressing your landscape? UF experts available to help you detect, manage, recover

by Lourdes Mederos
February 10, 2026

After the recent cold fronts, violent winds and ongoing drought conditions, many Floridians are stepping outside and asking the same questions: Did my mango tree survive? My lawn is yellow, dry, and windburned. Will it survive with ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Agriculture, Commercial Horticulture, Environmental Horticulture Agent, Homeowners, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Landscapes, Master Gardener Program, News, Plants, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension Indian River County, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, UF/IFAS Extension Pasco County, UF/IFAS Extension Polk County, UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County, University Of Florida, Urban Horticulture, Urban Landscape, Weather-related Damage

$1M gift honors pioneering economist Carlton G. Davis, supports Ph.D. research to advance tropical agriculture

by Lourdes Mederos
February 1, 2026

Celebrating a lifetime dedicated to agricultural research progress, a $1 million gift launches an endowment that will empower doctoral students to continue the legacy and mission of a pioneering agricultural economist at the University of ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: $1 Million, $1 Million Endowment, 180 Challenge, Agricultural Research, Caribbean, Caribbean Fruit Fly, Carlton George Davis, Climate Conditions, Côte D'Ivoire, Dr. Carlton G. Davis Scholarship Endowment For Ph.D. Research In Tropical Agriculture, Emeritus Professor Pauline Lawrence, Food And Resource Economics, Food Insecurity, Ford Foundation International Research Fellow, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, International Collaborations, Invasive Pests, News, Scholarships, South Florida Agriculture, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Department Of Entomology And Nematology, University Of Florida

Starting Jan. 27: Learn how climate-smart living works in Florida with statewide lunch-and-learn series

by Lourdes Mederos
January 20, 2026

What does climate-smart living look like in Florida? It means adopting everyday habits, like the way residents use water and energy at home, make food choices and how they care for their landscapes, which are all guided by climate science ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, EVENTS, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Climate Literacy, Climate Masters, Climate Science, Climate Smart Floridians, Climate-smart Landscape, Ecosystem Health, Ecosystem Rescilience, Energy, Environment, Environmental Benefits, Florida Friendly Landscape, Florida Sea Grant Climate Work Action Team, Food Consumption Waste, Household-level Greenhouse Gas, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Reduce Waste, Solar, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, Water, Water Conservation

Add aromatic vanilla to your Valentine’s Day with Ask IFAS’ bilingual guide to DIY homemade vanilla extract

by Lourdes Mederos
January 13, 2026

The holidays may be behind us, but the season of celebration isn’t over. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, you may be wondering how to turn the chill of winter into something sweet, thoughtful and homemade. The University of ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Crops, Home Landscapes, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Aromatic, Ask IFAS, Beans, Capsules, Cured Vanilla Beans, Deserts, DIY, Domestic Vanilla Industry, Food, Guide, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, News, Orchid, Pods, Polination, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, University Of Florida, Valentine's Day, Vanilla, Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Planifolia, Vanilla-breeding, Vine

Pivotal study unlocks secrets of the invasive short-spined thrips

by Lourdes Mederos
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

Trailblazing entomologist’s gift creates a home for students, future scientists – and a legacy of belonging

by Lourdes Mederos
October 23, 2025

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will celebrate a milestone moment on Nov. 1 at 4:30 p.m., when the doors open to the Pauline O. Lawrence Student Residence at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Agriculture, Dormitory, Edward "Gilly" Evans, Edward Evans, Emeritus Professor Carlton Davis, Empathy, Entomology, Enviroment, First Black Female Graduate Student, Food And Resource Economics, Fruit Flies, Future Scientists, Graduate Students, Groves, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, J. Scott Angle, Miami-Dade County, Natural Resources, News, Pauline O. Lawrence Student Residence, Resilience, Richard Baranowski, South Florida, Students, TREC, TREC Dormitory Fund, Tropical Fruit, Tropical Research And Education Center, Tropical Vegetable, Tropics, UF, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, University Of Florida

EPA grant to help UF/IFAS scientists restore sea sponges, improve water quality in South Florida

by Lourdes Mederos
October 15, 2025

Hidden beneath South Florida’s waves, sponges quietly clean the waters by filtering out nutrients, supporting seagrass and sustaining the region’s vibrant marine life. But after years of environmental stress and water quality decline, ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Blog Community, Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Crops, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: Algae, Ana Zangroniz, Aquaculture, Ashley Smyth, Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Bacteria, Biscayne Bay, Biscayne Bay Pilot Nursery, Biscayne National Park, Classifications, Coastal, Coastal Environments, Coastal Habitat, Coastal Health, Cycle Nutrients, Ecosystem, Ecosystem Services, Filter, Florida Keys Aquaculture Research, Florida Sea Grant, Genetic Advances, Habitat, Harmful Algal Blooms, Lower Keys, Marine, Marine Life, National Park Service, Nature’s Water Filters, Organisms, Restore Ecological Services, Restore Sponge Populations, Sea Sponge, Seagrass, Shelly Krueger, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, South Florida, Southeast Florida, Sponge Restoration Aquaculture, Sponge Restoration Species, Tropical Research And Education Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County, UF/IFAS Researchers, Viruses, Water Clarity, Water Quality, Water Quality Benefits

Florida avocados face threat from Sunblotch Viroid

by Lourdes Mederos
October 2, 2025

Florida avocados, a signature staple in kitchens, a favored fruit tree in landscapes and a source of pride for the state’s growers, are facing a renewed threat from avocado sunblotch viroid (ASBVd). The disease can severely stunt avocado ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Agriculture, ASBVd, Avocado, Avocado Germplasm, Avocado Growers, Avocado Industry, Avocado Sunblotch Viroid, Avocado Sunblotch Viroid Guide, Avocado Sunblotch Viroid Resource Website, Budwood, Deformed Fruit., Disease, Florida Avocado, Florida’s Avocado Growers, Fruit, Grafted Avocado Tree, Groves, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, News, Nurseries, Packinghouses, Romina Gazis, Sanitation Practices, Sunblotch Infection, Symptoms, Tropical Fruit, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS TREC Plant Diagnostic Clinic, University Of Florida

Miami native returns home to focus on youth, community, climate as UF/IFAS Extension director

by Lourdes Mederos
September 29, 2025

In the first 30 days as director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension Miami-Dade County, Pamela Aracena Santos has begun shaping programs to better reflect the voices and needs of the ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Amelia Earhart Park, Everglades Agricultural Area, Everglades Research And Education Center, Homestead, Marine Ecosystems, Miami, Miami-Dade’s Parks, News, Nutrition Education, Pamela Aracena Santos, Phosphorus, Plant Nutrition, Recreation And Open Spaces, Selcuk University, Soil Science, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, University Of Florida, Urban Agriculture

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