Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department of Horticultural Sciences

The Ultimate Growth Experience

Horticulture Seminar Archive

SPRING 2021

Massa Seminar graphicApril 29
Dr. Gioia Massa
Life Sciences Project Scientist
Kennedy Space Center
Merritt Island, FL
Plants in Space, Veggie and Space Crop Production


April 15van Iersel seminar graphic
Dr. Marc van Iersel
Professor of Horticultural Physiology
Department of Horticulture
University of Georgia
Smart Lighting Strategies for Controlled Environment Agriculture

 

Giacomelli seminarApril 1
Dr. Gene Giacomelli
Professor, Biosystems Engineering
Controlled Environmental Agriculture Center
The University of Arizona
Nutrient Delivery Systems:  Lifeblood for Successful Plant Production

 

Harwood seminar graphicMarch 18
Dr. Ed Harwood
Chief Science Officer
AeroFarms, Newark, NJ
Little Factories

 

March 4
Dr. Chieri Kubota
Professor – Controlled Environment Agriculture
Controlled Environment Plant Physiology & Technology Lab
Department of Horticulture and Crop Sciences
The Ohio State University
Development of CEA Technology – Integration & Innovation

 

February 4
Kacira seminar title graphicDr. Murat Kacira
Director, Controlled Environment Agriculture Center
Professor, Biosystems Engineering Department
University of Arizona
Precision & Resource Use Efficient Controlled Environment Agriculture

January 21
Dr. Bruce Bugbee
Professor of Crop Physiology
Utah State University
President, Apogee Instruments, Inc.
Turning Photons into Food

HORT 681 SEMINAR STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

posters graphic

FALL 2020

August 20
Dr. Jim Giovannoni
Research Molecular Biologist,US Department of Agriculture & Boyce Thompson Research Institute, Adjunct Professor, Cornell University School of Integrative Plant Science
Texas A&M University
Insights into the Genetic Regulation of Fruit Ripening-genes to genomes… and back to fruit


September 3
Dr. Thomas McKnight
Professor and Head, Department of Biology
Texas A&M University
Comparative Transcriptomics Reveals Gene Networks Controlling Acylsugar Metabolis and Plant Defense in the Wild Tomato Solanum pennellii

September 17
Dr. Kevin Crosby
Professor of Horticulture
Texas A&M University
Pepper Breeding Program at Texas A&M University

 

 

October 1
Dr. Bhimu Patil
Professor of Horticulture, Director of the Vegetable & Fruit Improvement Center
Interim Head of Food Science and Technology
Texas A&M University
Tomato Flavor and Health Benefits – Opportunities and Challenges

 

October 15
Dr. David Francis
Professor of Horticulture, The Ohio State University
So Many Genomes, So Little Time — The Future of Plant Breeding

 

November 5
Dr. Ester van der Knaap
Professor of Horticulture and Faculty of Plant Biology, University of Georgia
A Common Mechanism Underlies Morphological Diversity in Plants

 

 

 

FALL 2015

October 27
Dr. David Byrne
Professor and Basye Endowed Chair in Rose Genetics
Department of Horticultural Sciences
Texas A&M University
Belsterling Lecture on the Rose Program and Rose Rosette Disease

Dr. David Byrne
Professor and Basye Endowed Chair in Rose Genetics
Department of Horticultural Sciences
Texas A&M University
Update on the Rose Rosette Disease Project

September 17
Dr. Umesh Reddy
Professor, Department of Biology
West Virginia State University
Institute, West Virginia
Comparative analysis of genome-wide divergence, domestication footprints and genome-wide association study of fruit traits for Capsicum annuum and Capsicum baccatum

October 1
Dr. Sadhana Ravishankar
Associate Professor, School of Animal & Comparative Biomedical Sciences
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Safer Salads: Clean & Green Approaches

October 15
Mr. Monte Nesbitt
Extension Program Specialist for Pecans/Citrus/Fruit
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Department of Horticultural Sciences
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas
An Oily Romance – – Olive Trees in Texas

Spring 2015:

Click to View Fall 2015 Horticulture Seminar Schedule

January 21
Dr. Shasha Wu
Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Fujian Province, China
Source-Sink Relationships during Growth of ‘Sorbonne’ Lily

February 5
Dr. Robert Geneve
Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture
The University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
Seed Germination in the Ancient Crop, Chia (Salvia): A Sticky Situation

March 3
Dr. John Bowman
Senior Agriculture Advisor,
USAID Bureau for Food Security (BFS),
Office of Agricultural Research & Policy (ARP),
Washington, DC
Career Opportunities in International Agriculture: Perspectives from a USAID Project Officer

April 16
Dr. Jean Ristaino
Jefferson Science Fellow, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor,
Director Global Plant Health Program, Department of Plant Pathology,
NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Emerging Plant Diseases: A Threat to Global Food Security

Fall 2014:     

Click to View Fall 2014 Horticulture Seminar Schedule

October 16
Ida Astarini
Department of Biology, Udayana University
Bali, Indonesia
Horticulture in Bali, Indonesia:  Challenges and Opportunities

November 6
Dr. Leonardo Lombardini
Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas
Sustaining the Coffee Supply Chain through Collaborative Research

November 20
Dr. Dirk Hays
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas
Beans Burrito’s and Beer!

 

Fall 2013:

Sept 26
Hong Gu Kang, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
Molecular Clues to the Function of CRT1/MORC1 Family in Plant Immunity

Oct 10
Ernest Wertheim, Landscape Architect,
Principal in Wertheim, van der Ploeg & Klemeyer
San Francisco, CA


December 5
Ockert Greyvenstein
Are EARTH-KIND® Roses “Earth-kind”?
Report on High Temperature Tolerance

Xiaoya Cai
Are EARTH-KIND® Roses “Earth-kind”?
Report on Salt Tolerance 

Spring 2013

January 17
Caren Walton, Extension Program Specialist, Junior Master Gardener Program
Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service
‘Improving the Health and Academic Success of Children through the Junior Master Gardener Program’January 31

Dr. Larry Stein, Associate Department Head and Professor and Extension Horticulturist
Texas A&M University
‘The Transformation of the Texas Spinach Industry’February 14

Dr. Marco Palma, Associate Professor and Extension Economist, Department of Agricultural Economics
Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service
 ‘Economic Outlook and Trends in the Horticulture Industry’February 28Dr. Paul Pare, Professor, Department of Chemistry& Biochemistry

Texas Tech University
*Program title to be announcedMarch 28

Jim Kamas, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist – Pomology & Viticulture, Texas Pierce’s Disease Program Outreach Coordinator
Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service
Applied Research & Extension Programming at the Hill Country Viticulture & Pomology Lab

April 11
Dr. Genhua Niu, Associate Professor
Texas A&M Agrilife Research & Extension Center at El Paso
Impact of Bio-containers on Nursery Production and Landscape Performance

April 17
Dr. Charlie Hall, Professor and Floriculture Chairholder, Department of Horticultural Sciences
Texas A&M University
*Program title to be announced

April 25
Dr. John daGraca, Professor and Citrus Center Director
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
*Program title to be announced

FALL 2012:

November 1
Nancy Duran, Agriculture & Life Sciences Librarian
Texas A&M University
‘TAMU Libraries ‘What we do for You’
Watch the Seminar (Windows Media video)

November 15
Dr. Tim Davis, Professor & Senior Scientist, Regional Director – Asia
Borlaug Institute of International Agriculture & Department of Horticultural Sciences
‘Role of Horticulture in the Conservation and Utilization of Biodiversity’
Watch the Seminar (Windows Media video)

FALL 2011:

October 20
Dr. Alex Thomasson, Professor, Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Texas A&M University
“Precision Agriculture:  Site-Specific Crop Mangement?”

October 26 (Wednesday, 3 pm)
Bill McKinley, Senior Lecturer
Benz Endowed Chair in Floral Design
Director of the Benz School of Floral Design
Texas A&M University
“Shrinking the Distances – Strengthening the Connections”

November 3
Dr. Julien Levy, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Department of Horticultural Sciences
Texas A&M University
“A Tale of Two Symbioses – Arbuscular Mycorrhizae and Zebra Chip”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

November 17
Dr. Candace Seeve, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Department of Horticultural Sciences
Texas A&M University
“Instant Messaging:  Response to Environmental Signals through Transcriptional Regulation”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

December 1
Dr. Carlos Bogran, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
Department of Entomology
Texas A&M University
“Developing Phytosanitary Treatments to Facilitate Trade of Greenhouse and Nursery Products”

SPRING 2011:

January 27
Dr. Brent Pemberton, Professor, Texas AgriLife Research
Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center
Overton, Texas 75684-0200 USA
“The Texas Superstar Program – Where have we been? – Where are we going?”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

February 17
Dr. Fred Davies, Regents Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences
“The Biology of Growing Plants Under Low Pressure (Hypobaric) Systems for NASA — Challenges in Lunar and Martian Agriculture”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

March 3
Dr. Leo Lombardini, Associate Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University
“Going Nuts:  Future Directions and Strategies for Pecan Research at Texas A&M”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

March 24
Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos, Associate Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences
“Oxidative Stress:  In Search of a Link between Plants and Humans”

April 7
Dr. Alan Pepper, Associate Professor, Department of Biology
“The Streptanthoid Complex:  A Supermodel for Plant Adaptation to Extreme Environments”

April 21
Dr. Juan Carlos Melgar, Assistant Professor, TAMU-Kingsville Citrus Center
“Stress Physiology in Citrus”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

May 5
Dr. Don Henne, Assistant Professor, Texas Agrilife Research Center, Vegetable IPM Lab, Weslaco, TX
“Zombie Fire Ants, Decapitating Flies, and the Little Shop of Entomological Horrors”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

FALL 2010:

September 9
Dr. Hisashi Koiwa, Associate Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU
“Multitasking and work-sharing for sustaining growth and coping with hardships/deficits: Arabidopsis RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain phosphatases.”

September 10
Dr. Tim Davis, Professor and Head, Department of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU”Opportunities for Horticultural Collaboration with Zamorano University, La Escuela Agricola Panamericana”
NOTE SPECIAL DATE & TIME: Friday, September 10, noon, 203 HFSB
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)
View the PowerPoint Presentation

September 23
Amy McFarland, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU
“Growing minds: An overview of research in people/ plant interactions.”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

Amit Vikram, Ph.D. candidate, Dept of Horticultural Sciences & VFIC, TAMU
“Citrus bioactives as quorum quenchers”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

October 7
Dr. Villas A. Tonapi, Principal Scientist, ICAR, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500 030, Andhra Pradesh, India
“Essential derivation of vegetable & flower varieties: problems, prospects and global perspectives.”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

October 21
Dr. Ming-Han Li, Associate Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, TAMU
“Use of vegetation in stormwater management.”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

November 4
Matsuo Uemura, Cryobiologyfrontier Research Center, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan
“Plant Adaptation to Low Temperatures: physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

Nuria Pascual Seva, Visiting Ph.D. student, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia
“Productive response of different irrigation and planting strategies for Yellow Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus)”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

Min Lin, M. Sc. candidate, Dept of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU
“Environmental control during or after vernalization to achieve year-round flowering for hybrid nobile dendrobium orchids.”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

November 18
Dr. Jianhua Zhu, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland
“Genetic analysis of salt tolerance determinants in plants.”

December 2
Dr. Michael Arnold, Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU
“Refrigerators, Eskimos, and translational landscape research.”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

SUMMER 2010:

June 9
Dr. Tim Davis, Professor and Head, Department of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU
“Research and Education Opportunities in Indonesia and Singapore”

June 14
Dr. S. B. Dandin, Vice-Chancellor, University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India
“Horticultural Strengths of Karnataka for Nutrition and Health”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

SPRING 2010:

January 21
Dr. Joe Novak, Senior Lecturer, Department of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU
“The Garden: Its Many Forms, Supporting Industry, and Professional Career Opportunities”
February 4
Dr. Jules Janick, James Troop Distinguished Professor in Horticulture, Dept Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
“Cupid and Psyche: Fables, Festoons, and Genetic Diversity in the Renaissance”
February 18
Dr. Erik S. Runkle, Associate Professor & Floriculture Extension Specialist, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
“Flowering Physiology of Herbaceous Ornamental Crops”

March 4
Dr. Michelle Jones, D.C. Kiplinger Chair in Floriculture, Floriculture/ Molecular Biology, Horticulture and Crop Science Dept., The Ohio State University/ OARDC, Wooster, OH
“The Molecular Regulation of Flower Senescence and Postproduction Decline in Petunias”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

March 15
Dr. Trine Hvoslef-Eide, Associate Professor in Applied Biotechnology, Dept of Plant & Environmental Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), Ås, Norway. Presently a Fulbright Scholar in the Department of Horticultural Science, University of Minnesota
“Combining Growers’ Priority on Research with Basic Studies on Abscission Using Poinsettia as The Model Plant”
March 25
Dr. Rosana Moreira, PE, Professor of Food Engineering, Assistant Department Head & Graduate Coordinator, Dept Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
“Understanding E-beam Irradiation: The Case of Fresh Produce”
hortsciences.tamu.edu 
April 1
Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith, W.K. Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow, County Director, University of California Cooperative Extension & County of Ventura Farm Advisor, Ventura, CA
“From Victory Gardens to Urban Agriculture: Join the Garden Revolution” Will also give a Mar 31 lecture on: “Sowing the Seeds of Victory: The History of America’s Wartime Gardening Movements and How They Can Inform Our Work Today” “
April 15
Dr. Hiro Nonogaki, Associate Professor, Dept of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
“Molecular Mechanisms of Seed Germination – Repression at the Protein and mRNA levels”
April 29
Dr. Betsy Pierson, Associate Professor (Plant-Microbe Interactions), Dept of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU
“Understanding Plant-microbe Interactions and Their Utility for Biological Disease Control and Management”

FALL 2009:

September 3
Dr. Joe Masabni, Extension Vegetable Specialist, Assistant Extension Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU
“One Year at Texas A&M: What Became of My Plans to Change the Face of the Vegetable Industry in Texas?”
September 17
Dr. Rolston St. Hilaire, Professor, Dept. Plant & Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruses, NM
“Managed Landscapes: Are They The Key to Future Water Security?”

October 1
Dr. Gary Stutte, Senior Scientist/Plant Physiologist, Dynamac Corp., Kennedy Space Center, FL
“Plants in Space: A Horticultural Perspective “
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

October 15
Dr. Mani Skaria, Professor of Plant Pathology, Texas A&M Research & Extension Center, Weslaco, TX
“Micro-budded Citrus: A New Commercial Citrus Production System for Profitability and Disease Management”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

October 29
Dr. Rick Jones, NAFTA Onion Breeding Lead, Monsanto (Seminis) Vegetable Seeds, and Adjunct Professor of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
“Commercial Vegetable Breeding in the New Century: Challenges and Opportunities”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

November 5
Dr. Dave Byrne, Professor, Basye Chair in Rose Genetics, Assoc. Dept. Head , Dept of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU
“The Basye-Moore Rose Legacies”

November 19
Dr. Kevin Ong, Associate Professor & Extension Plant Pathologist Director – Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, College Station, TX
“Vigilance for Plant Health: The Role of the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab at The University System, State and Federal-Level”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

December 3
Dr. Astrid Volder, Asst. Professor Horticultural Landscape Ecology, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, TAMU
“Studying Urban Ecology, Climate Change, and the Rhizosphere Using Physiological Methods”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

SUMMER 2009

June 12

SPRING 2009:

February 5
Dr. Bhimanagouda Patil, Professor and Director, VFIC, Dept Horticultural Sciences, TAMU, College Station, TX
“Bioactives in Fruits and Vegetables: Where are We?”

February 19
Dr. Mark Williams,Associate Professor, Landscape Horticulture and Weed Management, Dept Horticulture, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
“Evolution of the University of Kentucky Sustainable Agriculture Teaching and Research Program”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

March 5
Dr. Sarah Reichard, Associate Professor, College of Forestry Resources & Center for Urban Horticulture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
“Contributions of Horticulture to Invasion Biology”
Watch the seminar (Windows Media video)

March 26

Dr. Peter Schuerman, Senior Licensing Manager, TAMU Office of Technology Commercialization, College Station, TX
“Intellectual Property Management and Industry Alliances”
April 2
Dr Arnold J. Bloom, Chair & Professor, Department of Vegetable Crops, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA
“Climate Change, Photorespiration, and Nitrogen: Myths and Misdemeanors”
April 16
Dr. Marco Palma, Assistant Professor and Extension Economist-Horticultural Marketing, Dept. Agricultural Economics, TAMU, College Station, TX
“Economic Outlook of the Horticulture Industry in the US”
April 30
Dr. James P. Syvertsen, UF Research Foundation Professor, University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center, Lake Alfred, FL
“Salinity Stress, Citrus Rootstocks and Benefits of Drought for Mechanically Harvested Citrus”

FALL 2008:

September 4
Dr. John Clark, Professor of Horticulture, University of Arkansas
“Good Things Happening–ASHS, University of Arkansas Fruit Breeding, Intellectual Property Rights, and No Telling What Else”
September 18
Dr. John Jifon, Associate Professor of Plant Physiology, Texas AgriLife Research Center, Weslaco, TX.
“Sustainable Bioenergy Feedstock Production: Opportunities for Horticulture”
October 2
Elizabeth Pappenfort, Garden Manager, Southern Botanical, Inc., Dallas, TX
“Perspectives of a Recent Graduate – Advantages of Student Involvement in Professional Associations (PLANET, ASHS, TNLA, IA, AIFD) – Education, Networking, and Certification”
October 16
Dr. Clay Carter, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN
“Floral Nectaries and Nectar: A Molecular Functional Analysis”
October 30
Dr. Terri Starman, Associate Professor of Floriculture, Dept of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU
“What’s Hot and What’s Not – In the World of Floriculture”
November 6
Dr. Steve King, Associate Professor of Plant Breeding, Dept of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU
“The Successes and Failures of Watermelon Grafting in the US”
November 20
Dr. Paul Fisher, Associate Professor, Environmental Horticulture Dept., University of Florida, Gainesville FL
“pH, Fertilizer and Water Management for the Greenhouse Industry”