Agricultural and Life Sciences (IFAS)
Begcy Lab
Led by Kevin Begcy · Microbiology and Cell Science
What we study
The Begcy Lab studies how plants adapt to stresses like heat or disease, using molecular and genomic tools to improve crop resilience. They explore genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in plant development.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Computational
- Plants
- Coding helps
- Projects
- 3
- Papers
- 5
What we're looking for
“The Begcy Lab is regularly recruiting undergraduates who wish to gain hands-on experience in epigenetics, molecular biology and bioinformatics.”
Current projects
Molecular mechanisms of stress tolerance
Investigating how plants survive environmental stresses to improve crop performance.
Female and male gametophyte development
Exploring genetic control of germline cells to enhance crop resilience.
Show 1 more projectsShow fewer
Developmental transitions
Studying molecular mechanisms that control the progression from vegetative to reproductive development.
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Lettuce Performance under Heat Stress in Two Soil Systems and Implications for Genetic Improvement
2026 · Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science
Tests whether lettuce can grow well in hot Florida soil by checking germination and yield in different soil types.
- Characterization of Senescence-associated Genes in Lactuca sativa With Respect to Shelf Life
2026 · Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society
Studies genes linked to lettuce shelf life to extend its freshness.
Show 3 more papersShow fewer
- Regeneration, genetic transformation, and gene editing in Vaccinium species: current progress and future directions
2026 · Horticulture Research
Reviews progress in breeding and genetic editing for Vaccinium crops.
- Pesticide Contamination of Pollen in Container-Grown Blanket Flower
2026 · Horticulturae
Finds pesticide residues in blanket flower pollen from treated gardens.
- Time and Dosage Related Kinetics of Cannabinoid and Flavor Extraction in Dry-Hemped Beer
2026 · Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists
Tests how hemp extracts cannabinoids and flavors in beer over time.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Kevin Begcy hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.