Category: UF/IFAS Research

Want to grow papaya trees in your backyard? Ask IFAS bilingual resource offers top research tips for success

by Lourdes Mederos
May 19, 2026

With the right care, papaya trees thrive in Florida backyards, producing sweet fruit and flowers. Depending on the variety, this slender tree can produce more than one bright white flower in less than 12 months. Well suited to Central ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Ask IFAS, ASK UF/IFAS En Espanol, Central Florida, Diseases, English, Food Is Medicine, Harvesting, Healthy, Healthy Environment, Home, Irrigation Needs, Jonathan Crane, Landscape, Papaya, Papaya Growing, Papaya Seeds, Papaya Tree, Pests, Plants, South Florida, Superfruit, Sustainable, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center

The Science Behind: Innovative research on tropical fruits

by moniquescoggin
May 19, 2026

In case you missed it, here's an update on research emanating from Dr. Jugpreet Singh lab. Dr. Singh's research programs aim to improve the tropical and subtropical fruit cultivars for Florida’s stakeholders and consumers. Who's Dr. Singh? ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Breeding And Genetics, Commercial Horticulture, Subtropical Fruit Production, Tropical Fruit Trees, Tropical Fruits, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center

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 27, 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

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

by moniquescoggin
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

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

$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

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