Category: Horticulture

Centered: Avocado grove at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research & Education Center. Overlay: Dr. Malek Hammami. Dr. Malek Hammami aims to optimize farm budgets for south Florida farmers.

Optimizing Farm Budgets for south Florida growers


June 22, 2026

In this installment of The Science Behind, we’ll explore Dr. Malek Hammami’s focus at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research & Education Center. Dr. Hammami’s research aims to understand how fruit, vegetable, and ornamental crops are grown ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Farm Management, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural Economics, Agrivoltaics, Avocado Production, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center
Background: An okra field The insert is Dr. Xiaoying LI in her lab examining edamame.

The Science Behind: production issues growing vegetables, and more.


April 13, 2026

In this installment of the TREC Research Report, we get updates on Dr. Xiaoying Li's vegetable horticulture crops lab. Dr. Li’s lab aims to introduce emerging crops to diversity production in south Florida, address production challenges in ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Alternative Crops, Department Of Plant Pathology, Horticulture, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Organic Production, Sustainable Practices, TREC, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, Vegetable Crops
Mature avocado trees in South Florida at the Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC) in Homestead, Florida. UF/IFAS photo by Tyler Jones

How Florida’s changing weather impacts tropical, subtropical fruit crops in your landscape


March 16, 2026

Do you ever wonder how things like temperature changes, overly wet soils or salty irrigation water affect your fruit trees at home? University of Florida scientists at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have those ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, , Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Alternative Fruit Crops, Ask IFAS, Avocado, Backyard, Carambola, Community Gardens, Disease Risk, Extension, Fruit Tree, Haimanote Bayabil, Hydrology, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Irrigation, Low-lying Yards, Mango, News, Orchard, Poor Drainage, Salinity, Salty Soil, Small Urban Orchards, Soil Conditions, Soil Moisture, Star Fruit, Subtropical Fruit Production, Temperature, Tropical Fruit Production, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, Water, Weaken Trees, Weather, Young Gu Her
Frozen berry on a branch after a cold snap.

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


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
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
2021 TREC Night in the Tropics on Saturday, November 6th.

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


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, Archive, 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
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is a genus of flowering plants.

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


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, Archive, 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
Harvested green bell peppers and cucumbers. Photo taken 11-02-20.

Experts call for expansion of organic farming to meet rising demand


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
Photo of papaya open on a table.

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


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

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