Category: UF/IFAS

EPA grant to help UF/IFAS scientists restore sea sponges, improve water quality in South Florida

by Lourdes Mederos
April 21, 2026

Hidden beneath South Florida’s waves, sponges quietly clean the waters by filtering out nutrients, supporting seagrass and sustaining the region’s vibrant marine life. But after years of environmental stress and water quality decline, ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Blog Community, Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Crops, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: Algae, Ana Zangroniz, Aquaculture, Archive, Ashley Smyth, Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Bacteria, Biscayne Bay, Biscayne Bay Pilot Nursery, Biscayne National Park, Classifications, Coastal, Coastal Environments, Coastal Habitat, Coastal Health, Cycle Nutrients, Ecosystem, Ecosystem Services, Filter, Florida Keys Aquaculture Research, Florida Sea Grant, Genetic Advances, Habitat, Harmful Algal Blooms, Lower Keys, Marine, Marine Life, National Park Service, Nature’s Water Filters, Organisms, Restore Ecological Services, Restore Sponge Populations, Sea Sponge, Seagrass, Shelly Krueger, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, South Florida, Southeast Florida, Sponge Restoration Aquaculture, Sponge Restoration Species, Tropical Research And Education Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County, UF/IFAS Researchers, Viruses, Water Clarity, Water Quality, Water Quality Benefits

Miami native returns home to focus on youth, community, climate as UF/IFAS Extension director

by Lourdes Mederos
April 21, 2026

In the first 30 days as director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension Miami-Dade County, Pamela Aracena Santos has begun shaping programs to better reflect the voices and needs of the ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Amelia Earhart Park, Archive, Everglades Agricultural Area, Everglades Research And Education Center, Homestead, Marine Ecosystems, Miami, Miami-Dade’s Parks, News, Nutrition Education, Pamela Aracena Santos, Phosphorus, Plant Nutrition, Recreation And Open Spaces, Selcuk University, Soil Science, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, University Of Florida, Urban Agriculture

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

by Lourdes Mederos
April 21, 2026

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

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

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

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

$1M gift honors pioneering economist Carlton G. Davis, supports Ph.D. research to advance tropical agriculture

by Lourdes Mederos
February 2, 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

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

Experts call for expansion of organic farming to meet rising demand

by Lourdes Mederos
September 5, 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

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