Category: Horticulture

Nov. 1: One Night in the Tropics launches $180K Challenge to support future agriculture leaders

by Lourdes Mederos
September 25, 2025

Graduate students at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC) are helping solve some of the state’s most urgent issues from developing heat and pest-resilient ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, EVENTS, Farm Management, Horticulture, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agriculture, Challenge 180, Edward "Gilly" Evans, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, News, One Night In The Tropics, Pauline O. Lawrence, Pauline O. Lawrence Student Residence, South Florida, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida

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

Experts call for expansion of organic farming to meet rising demand

by Lourdes Mederos
September 4, 2025

Consumer demand for organic fresh fruits and vegetables outweighs the availability of organic farms growing the food. In fact, while certified organic U.S. land for growing crops or livestock is increasing according to the U.S. Department ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Farm Management, Food Safety, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agriculture, Dakshina Seal, Extension, Farming, Florida Economy, Florida Organic Growers, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Jeff Wasielewski, Jonathan Crane, News, Organic, Organic Farms, Organic Produce, Qingren Wang, Research, Tropical Research And Education Center, U.S. Department Of Agriculture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, University Of Florida, Vermicompost, Xiaoying Li

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

August 7: Free workshop helps farmers, ranchers master financial planning, from balance sheets to USDA loans

by Lourdes Mederos
July 29, 2025

Running a successful farm or ranch takes more than just hard work — it takes smart financial planning. From managing taxes to applying for federal loan programs, today’s agribusiness operators must be well-versed in a range of budgetary ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, Livestock, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Business Plan, Farm Service Agency, Food And Resource Economics, FSA, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, News, Ranchers, Tax And Asset Protection, Tax Management, Texas A&M, Tropical Research & Education Center, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research And Education (USDA-SSARE), UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, University Of Florida, USDA Loans

Research Report: Dr. Geoffrey Meru

by moniquescoggin
July 15, 2025

In this installment of the UF/IFAS TREC’s Research Report, you get to learn about the bounty in Dr. Geoffrey Meru’s vegetable breeding and genomics lab. The overarching goal of Dr. Meru’s program is the development of high-yielding subtropical ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Breeding And Genomics, Horticulture, Subtropical Vegetables, Tropical Research And Education Center, Tropical Vegetables, UF/IFAS

UF scientist honored with ASHS Early Career Award for genetic advances in vanilla, hibiscus and hydrangeas

by Lourdes Mederos
June 12, 2025

Xingbo Wu is a rising star in the field of horticulture sciences, as recognized by the highly acclaimed American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS), a leading organization with over a century of advancing horticultural research and education. The ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Horticulture, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: American Society For Horticultural Science, ASHS, ASHS 2025 Professional Early Career Award For Research, AskIFAS, DNA, Edis, Edward Evans, FDACS, Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services, Florida Nursery Growers And Landscape Association Endowment Fund, FNGLA, Hibiscus, Hibiscus Breeding Program, Hydrangea, Innovation And Creativity, National Institute Of Food And Agriculture, News, Nifa, Plant Breeding, Soil Conditions, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, University Of Florida, Usda, Vanilla, Xingbo Wu

UF/IFAS study: Drones, AI help farmers save money, protect the environment

by Lourdes Mederos
May 21, 2025

A new University of Florida study shows how drones can do more than just take aerial pictures and videos—they can help farmers grow better hemp by seeing the health of their crops with some artificial intelligence assistance. Researchers ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: #AI, Agriculture, Agroecology, Artificial Intelligence, Canopy, Crops, Dollar Drone Company, Drone, Fertilization, Fertilizer, Flower Production, Hemp, Hemp Canopy, Hemp Research, Nitrogen, Nutrients, Plant Health, Reflectance, Tropical Research And Education Center, Zachary Brym

UF/IFAS scientists discover sea-level rise threat to Florida’s endangered pine rocklands

by Lourdes Mederos
April 17, 2025

Pine rocklands are home to plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. They are also one of the world's most endangered habitats. Unique to South Florida, the Florida Keys and some islands in The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, these upland ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Forests, Horticulture, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Beneficial Fungi, Caicos, Conservation, DNA, Droughts, Ecosystem, Elena Karlsen-Ayala, Endangered Habitat, Florida, Florida Keys, Forest, Fungi, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Limestone Forest, Matthew Smith, Miami Dade, Molecular Ecology, Mycorrhizas, News, Pine Rocklands, Plant Pathology, Reforestation, Regeneration, Rising Temperatures, Romina Gazis, Salinity, Salt Intrusion, Sea Level Rise, Slash Pines, Symbiotic Associations, The Bahamas, Tropical Research And Education Center, Turks, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida

Student Spotlight: Tropical Hibiscus Genetics and Breeding

by moniquescoggin
March 18, 2025

About Sisi Chen is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Xingbo Wu’s Ornamental Plant Breeding and Genetics lab. Her research focuses on evaluating the genetic and phenotypic variation of tropical hibiscus. She is also developing genomic tools for breeding ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Bioinformatics, Genetics, Plant Breeding, Research, Tropical Hibiscus, Tropical Research And Education Center

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