Agricultural and Life Sciences (IFAS)
Alferez Lab
Led by Fernando Alferez · Horticultural Sciences
What we study
The Alferez Lab studies citrus health and productivity, focusing on Huanglongbing (HLB) management, including Individual Protective Covers (IPCs) and brassinosteroids. They test strategies like fruit drop alleviation and psyllid exclusion to improve yield and quality.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Plants
- Projects
- 2
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Psyllid exclusion to maintain trees healthy and productive
Tests whether covering trees with mesh keeps psyllids, the insects that spread citrus greening, away so trees stay healthy and productive.
Fruit drop alleviation to harvest more fruit
Tests ways to reduce fruit falling early from citrus trees infected with citrus greening (HLB), so more fruit reaches harvest.
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Initial Observations on Finger Lime Grown at Three Different Locations in Central and South Florida
2026 · Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society
- Improved Yield and Quality of Citrus Fruit Under Individual Protective Covers (IPCs)
2026 · Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society
Evaluates IPCs on citrus yield and HLB progression.
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- Combining Individual Protective Covers and Homobrassinolide Treatment Prolongs Tree Health and Increases Fruit Yield in Young Tango Mandarin Trees Under Endemic HLB
2026 · Agronomy
Tests IPCs and HBr to protect citrus trees from HLB.
- 3-Chlorophenoxypropionic Acid as a Plant Growth Regulator in Fruit Crops: A Critical Review of Crop-Specific Responses and Unresolved Mechanisms
2026 · Agriculture
Reviews 3-CPA’s effects on growth in peach, pineapple, grape, and pecan.
- Individual Protective Covers Differentially Affect Citrus Varieties While Protecting Young Trees against Huanglongbing
2025 · Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science
Assesses how IPCs affect different citrus varieties.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
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