Category: Home Landscapes

DNA analyses uncover what is hiding under the cap plaguing the white button mushroom industry

by Lourdes Mederos
May 5, 2026

UF/IFAS researchers discovered that bacterial blotch in white button mushrooms is caused by a complex of multiple bacteria, not a single pathogen as previously believed. The disease significantly impacts mushroom growers by reducing ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Bacteria, Bacterial Blotch, Beneficial Microbes, Department Of Plant Pathology, Eco-friendly, Essential Oils, Farming, Food Is Medicine, Growers, Health Benefits, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Kitchen Staple, Microbial Communities, Mushrooms, News, Nutrient-dense Foods, Pathogen, Plant‑based, Romina Gazis, Sameerika Mudiyanselage, Samuel Martins, Specialty Crop, Sustainable Farming, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, USDA-NIFA, Vegetables

Setting the table: UF/IFAS ‘Food is Medicine’ farm shows how culturally relevant crops can strengthen agriculture

by Lourdes Mederos
April 28, 2026

In South Florida, a new University of Florida initiative is bringing the concept of “Food is Medicine” to life by helping farmers grow nutrient-dense, culturally relevant crops that reflect the region’s diverse consumer preference. That ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, EVENTS, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Alternate Crops, Asian, Caribbean, Community Engagement, Consumer Demand, Cover Crops, Crops, Culturally Relevant Crops, Food Is Medicine, Growers, Harvest, Homestead, Latin American, Nutrient-dense, Producers, Production Systems, South Florida, Sustainable Farming, Sustainable Farming Practices, Tropical Research And Education Center, U-pick, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, Vegetable Garden

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

by Lourdes Mederos
April 21, 2026

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

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

by moniquescoggin
April 14, 2026

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

Can two native wasps help regulate invasive leafhopper populations attacking Florida’s crops?

by Lourdes Mederos
March 19, 2026

Most people retreat at the sight of a wasp, yet University of Florida researchers’ discovery of two newly identified tiny native wasps targeting an invasive pest that threatened Florida agriculture may be a hopeful sign for growers. In ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Acarology, Agriculture, Alexandra Revynthi, Anagrus Sp. Near Vulneratus, Anagrus Vulneratus, Beneficial Pests, Biocontrol, Biological Control, Chemical Inputs, Cotton, Eggplant, Entomology And Nematology, High-value Crops, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Integrated Pest Management, News, Okra, Ornamental Entomology, Pest, Roselle, Spanish, Sunflower, Tropical Hibiscus, Two-spot Cotton Leafhopper, UF/IFAS, Wasp

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

by Lourdes Mederos
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

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

by Lourdes Mederos
March 1, 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

Pivotal study unlocks secrets of the invasive short-spined thrips

by Lourdes Mederos
February 19, 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

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

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

Subscribe For More Great Content