Plant Breeders And Growers Head To South Florida To Turn New Crops Into Commercial Hits
Plant Breeders And Growers Head To South Florida To Turn New Crops Into Commercial Hits
Billy Adams Fri, October 23, 2026 at 9:03 PM UTC
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Xingbo Wu, middle, teaches students at UF/IFAS TREC to examine a new hibiscus variety for healthy conditions. UF/IFAS Photo.
Plant breeders, commercial growers, and horticulture leaders will gather at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden next month to tackle one of the industry’s biggest hurdles: getting new plant varieties out of research plots and into garden centers and grocery stores.
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is hosting the 11th Independent Plant Breeders Conference from Nov. 16 to Nov. 18. Organized by the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC) in Homestead, the three-day event brings together independent and academic breeders, nursery professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers, and students.
The sessions will center on specialty crops, nursery plants, and floriculture, giving attendees a chance to build business partnerships and move newly developed plants toward commercial markets.
Independent breeders play a distinct role in this pipeline by focusing on plants that large-scale agricultural programs often pass over, according to organizers.
“Independent breeders can respond quickly to emerging consumer and grower needs, particularly in niche specialty crops that may not be a priority for large breeding programs,” said Xingbo Wu, an assistant professor of tropical plant breeding and genetics at TREC. “They are an important source of new crops and varieties, helping drive innovation and diversify the marketplace while meeting the demands of the public.”
Wu, who uses traditional breeding methods alongside modern genomic tools to develop new tropical and ornamental plants, noted that the industry is navigating several shifting pressures at once.
Ali Sarkhosh, UF/IFAS assistant professor of horticultural sciences, examines grapes in a research field. Courtesy, Ali Sarkhosh.
“Horticulture businesses face a changing marketplace shaped by consumer preferences, environmental challenges, invasive pests, labor costs and the need for sustainable production practices,” Wu said. “New plant varieties can help businesses respond to these challenges while creating opportunities to differentiate their products and reach new customers.”
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Wu added that bringing breeders and commercial operators together speeds up that process. “New plant varieties create new markets, increase grower profitability, support propagation and production businesses, and expand consumer choice,” he said. “Stronger connections between breeders and industry partners can accelerate the development, commercialization and adoption of innovative plant varieties.”
Holding the event in South Florida puts the discussion squarely in a major nursery hub. TREC director Edward “Gilly” Evans noted that the facility’s location plays directly into the mission of the gathering.
“TREC is well positioned to convene these conversations because of its location in Miami-Dade County, one of the nation’s most important nursery and horticultural production regions, where tropical and subtropical plants play a significant role in the agricultural economy,” Evans said.
Event details and registration forms are available through the 11th Independent Plant Breeders Conference website.
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Plant Breeders And Growers Head To South Florida To Turn New Crops Into Commercial Hits
Source: “AOL Money”
