UF/IFAS receives multimillion-dollar investment to expand avocado production in Central Florida and combat laurel wilt

Scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have received a $5 million grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) to combat laurel wilt disease and the ambrosia beetles that transmit it. The research aims to improve control and mitigation practices for avocado production in Florida. The grant will also allow for testing of new varieties to evaluate their cold and disease tolerance. This initiative will boost the expansion of avocado cultivation beyond Miami-Dade County, promoting the growth and sustainability of the industry in the state. “Laurel wilt is the most devastating disease for avocado trees worldwide,” said Jeffrey Rollins, principal investigator and professor of plant pathology, who leads the UF/IFAS research team. “Trees infested with this pathogen die within four to eight weeks,” he said. The pathogen is transmitted to trees by four to five species of ambrosia beetles and through root grafts ...