Dr. Whitaker's Laboratory
Overview
Our strawberry varieties are developed through natural breeding processes and are grown on 13,000 acres in central Florida.
We develop varieties with marketable yields, especially in the early season; excellent fruit appearance, size and shelf life under harsh environmental conditions; consistently sweet flavor; and resistance to multiple diseases.
What we do
In our lab, a significant field breeding effort is underway, testing tens of thousands of seedlings and hundreds of advanced selections each season.
We also conduct genetic research on the inheritance of strawberry traits, gene function and molecular tools for modern breeding.
Ultimately we work with the industry to bring varieties to farmers as quickly as possible.
Impact
UF/IFAS strawberry varieties are grown on more than 85% of Florida’s 13,000 acres of strawberries, accounting for 400 million dollars in farm gate value. Our varieties are grown in more than 60 countries worldwide.
Contact
Dr. Vance Whitaker
Rm. 169
Gulf Coast Research and Education Center
14625 CR 672
Wimauma, FL 33598
813-419-6608
vwhitaker@ufl.edu
Current Lab Members
- Angel Arredondo, Lab Tech III
- Cheryl Dalid, Bio Scientist II
- Catalina Moyer, Bio Scientist II
- Taylor Sawyer, PhD
- Elissar Alam, PhD
- Xavier Tacker, PhD
- Odalis Gonzales, OPS
- Sean Perez, OPS
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MS Students' Work
Links coming soon!
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PhD Students' Work
Links coming soon!
- Dr. Whitaker's Work