Category: Pests & Disease

Exterior view of the Pauline O Lawrence Residence Hall finished.

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
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is a genus of flowering plants.

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
Raw green organic Florida avocados.

Student Spotlight: Saving Florida’s avocados- a potential biocontrol

by moniquescoggin
July 16, 2025

Marielle de Moraes Berto is a fourth year PhD candidate in Dr. Daniel Carrillo’s tropical fruit entomology lab at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research & Education Center (TREC). Marielle is a native of Piracicaba, Brazil where she studied Biological ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Fruits & Vegetables, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Acarology, Avocados, Biological Control, Entomology, Tropical Fruits

UF/IFAS scientists confirm hybrid termites established in Florida

by Lourdes Mederos
May 21, 2025

Scientists confirm that two of the world’s most destructive invasive termite species are not only spreading in the United States but also hybridizing – the process of two different species crossbreeding to produce a hybrid. This raises ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Home Management, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Asian Subterranean Termites, Biology, Entomology And Nematology, Formosan Subterranean Termites, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Genetic, Hybrid, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasion, Invasion Science, Invasive, Lourdes Mederos, News, Proceedings Of The Royal Society B, Structural Damage, Termite Soldier, Termites, Thomas Chouvenc

Cultivating connections: Showcasing Miami-Dade’s blooming nursery industry and the need for more research on disease

by Lourdes Mederos
March 26, 2025

With a $31.4 billion economic impact, Florida leads the nation in nursery production. Miami-Dade County ranks No.1 in production nationwide, with nurseries accounting for 84% of the county's agricultural sector. It is no wonder with the ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: American Floral Endowment, American Hort Foundation Horticulture Research Institute, Dade County Farm Bureau, FNGLA, Gardenia, Hibiscus, Hibiscus Bud Weevil, Inc., Jeffrey DeMott, Miami Dade, Miami-Dade Chapter Of FNGLA, Orchids, Palms, Redland Nursery, Silver Vase, Subtropical Ornamentals, Thrips Parvispinus, Tropical Research And Education Center, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, USDA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative, Xingbo Wu

UF/IFAS team secures $5M USDA grant to expand avocado production into Central Florida, combat Laurel wilt disease

by Lourdes Mederos
December 12, 2024

Scientists with the University of Florida have secured a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to combat the lethal Laurel wilt disease and the redbay ambrosia beetles responsible ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, EVENTS, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural Pests, Avocado, Avocado Cultivation, California, Climate Change, Diseases, Florida Avocado, Florida Crops, Florida Economy, Growth, Insects, Jeffrey Rollins, Jonathan Crane, Kentucky, Laurel Wilt, Mexico, Miami-Dade County, Mitigation Strategies, Nifa, Pests, Red Ambrosia Beetle, Redbay Ambrosia Beetle, Research, Sustainability, Tropical Research And Education Center, U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Usda, USDA National Institute Of Food And Agriculture, USDA-NIFA, Workshop

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