UF/IFAS SWFREC

Huge congratulations to Dr. Ute Albrecht for being named a 2026 @UF Research Foundation Professor! More: news.ufl.edu/2026/04/ufrf-p… #SWFREC #UFProud #Research #AgScience #Horticulture

New hope for Florida’s citrus groves! UF/IFAS researchers, including Dr. Jawwad Qureshi, have identified 3 "good bugs" that eat up to 97% of citrus-greening-carrying psyllid eggs. Wink report: youtube.com/watch?v=owZfOD… #SWFREC #CitrusGreening #Entomology @SWFREC @UF_IFAS

Join @SWFREC for the 2026 Citrus Field Day! April 30, 2026, 8:00 AM – 1:30 PM FREE (CEUs available!) Register: swfrec-citrusfieldday.eventbrite.com Event Website: swfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/events/Citrus-… #SWFREC #AgResearch #FloridaCitrus #CitrusFieldDay

Huge congratulations to Dr. Sanjay Shukla on being named a 2026 ASABE Fellow! This prestigious honor recognizes his world-class contributions to agricultural & biological engineering. We’re lucky to have his expertise at @UF_IFAS @SWFREC #SWFREC #AgEng #WaterResources #ASABE #UF

Huge congratulations to Dr. Jawwad Qureshi of @SWFREC for winning the 2026 ESA Southeastern Branch Distinguished Achievement Award in Horticultural Entomology! His work on pest management and citrus greening is making a difference for growers. #SWFREC #Entomology #Agriculture

Big news! Dr. Ampatzidis & colleagues' paper on improving soil moisture prediction using #DeepLearning has been named a High Impact Publication by @UF_IFAS! A major win for #PrecisionAg and sustainable water management. Read it here: doi.org/10.1016/j.comp… #SWFREC #AgTech #AI

From the lab to the field! The Soil Micro Lab joined 4th graders from Collier County for the annual AgVenture field trip. Outreach is at the core of our mission to serve the public and inspire the next generation of #Ag science leaders. #SWFREC #UFIFAS #SoilScience #AgVenture

Dr. Alferez recently joined the kick-off for Prometeo-INTEGRANT, a global project funded by the Valencian Regional Government in Spain. By combining genomics, biotechnology, and AI, they are finding new ways to make citrus crops more resilient to stress. #SWFREC #Citrus #AgTech

A recent publication co-authored by Dr. Yiannis Ampatzidis has been selected as a High Impact Publication by UF/IFAS! Congratulations to Dr. Ampatzidis and the entire research team for this well-deserved recognition. doi.org/10.1016/j.comp… @SWFREC @PrecAgSWFREC

Join us for our upcoming Zoom Citrus Seminar, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 11 Speaker: Dr. Ute Albrecht, Associate Professor in Plant Physiology, UF/IFAS SWFREC More Info: swfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/events/ Coordinator: Dr. Mongi Zekri, maz@ufl.edu @SWFREC

Soil Microbiology Lab Team Showcases Research at Florida branch meeting for the American Society for Microbiology. Dr. Sarah Strauss presented an overview on fumigation, soil microbiome, and crop production. #FLASM2026 #SoilMicrobiology #SWFREC #CoverCrops #SoilHealth

Soil Microbiology Lab Team Showcases Research at Florida branch meeting for the American Society for Microbiology. Emma Dawson presented cover crop impacts on the rhizosphere microbiome of citrus and guava plants. #FLASM2026 #SoilMicrobiology #SWFREC #CoverCrops #SoilHealth

Soil Microbiology Lab Team Showcases Research at Florida branch meeting for the American Society for Microbiology. Laura Cano Castro presented her preliminary data using a bioreactor to inoculate biochar. #FLASM2026 #SoilMicrobiology #SWFREC #CoverCrops #SoilHealth

Soil Microbiology Lab Team Showcases Research at Florida branch meeting for the American Society for Microbiology. Elizabete Lourenco da Costa presented a poster on plant growth promoting bacteria isolated from fumigated tomato fields. #FLASM2026 #SoilMicrobiology #SWFREC

Soil Microbiology Lab Team Showcases Research at Florida branch meeting for the American Society for Microbiology. Brittney Monus presented a poster on cover crops in organic pepper systems. #FLASM2026 #SoilMicrobiology #SWFREC #CoverCrops #SoilHealth

Soil Microbiology Lab Team Showcases Research at Florida branch meeting for the American Society for Microbiology. Jasmine de Freitas presented a poster on cover crops and compost in tomato systems. #FLASM2026 #SoilMicrobiology #SWFREC #CoverCrops #SoilHealth

Soil Microbiology Lab Team at Florida branch meeting for the American Society for Microbiology.#FLASM2026 #SoilMicrobiology #SWFREC #CoverCrops #SoilHealth

SWFREC Team Shares Key Research at Fruiting Vegetable Grower Meeting in West Palm Beach, FL

Congratulations Nithin Batthula! Nithin received the Outstanding Weed Science Graduate Student Award at the Florida Weed Science Society (FWSS) Conference, held March 16–17, Apopka, Florida. Well deserved! #WeedScience #FWSS #GraduateResearch #Achievement #SWFREC