Research News

Two faculty members in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UGA Cooperative Extension were named to the Fruit and Vegetable 40 under 40 Class of 2023. The award ceremony will be held during the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

For Dean Kopsell, newly appointed associate dean for academic affairs for the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, moving to Athens is like coming home. Currently professor and chair of the Environmental Horticulture Department at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Kopsell, a two-time UGA alumnus and devoted Georgia Bulldog fan, is eager to return to the Classic City and excited about the opportunity to serve his alma mater and the students of CAES.

For more than a century, generations of researchers in the University of Georgia's Department of Plant Pathology have been at the leading edge of knowledge and innovation. As these researchers pass down their knowledge, their foundational scientific exploration helps safeguard crops, advance agricultural practices and ensure food security, not only in Georgia but far beyond its borders.

A dozen 4-H’ers from around Georgia were the first explorers to experience Georgia 4-H’s newest summer program — Natural Resources Exploration Camp — and learn about wildlife, forestry, fisheries and other natural resources from University of Georgia faculty.

State governments are asking people to be on the lookout for an invasive insect pest called spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). University of Georgia experts say vigilant prevention strategies, early detection and timely interventions can help keep them from spreading into Georgia and elsewhere. While they do not bite or sting humans or animals, spotted lanternflies feed on host plants including grape vines, hardwoods, and ornamental and fruiting trees.

While peach production in Georgia peaked in 1928 at nearly 8 million bushels, production has slowly dwindled ever since, and the blueberry industry, which started taking root in the state in the 1960s, has captured the top spot among the Peach State’s fruit crops. While Georgia ranks third nationally for both blueberry and peach production, the blueberry far outstrips it’s fuzzy cousin.