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Cover Photo 

The cover photo for the 2013 Academic Program Review Self Study document features a member of the Fightin’ 

Texas Aggie Class of 2013, Michael Cook. Michael is working toward a Bachelors of Science in Horticulture, 

and will be pursuing graduate school in viticulture and enology upon graduation in May. Michael is holding a 

container of Texas maroon bluebonnets, grown by students in the TAMU Horticulture Club for their annual 

Spring Plant Fair. Texas maroon bluebonnets were developed by Dr. Jerry Parsons, retired Extension specialist, 

and have become the symbol of Aggie Horticulture. After all, what says Texas more than the Texas bluebonnet, 

and what could say Texas Aggie Horticulture better than maroon bluebonnets grown by Aggies!

Texas A&M University 

Horticultural Sciences Academic Program Review 

April 21 – 24, 2013 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The Texas A&M University Department of Horticultural Sciences has changed considerably since the last 

Academic Program Review was conducted in 2005. Administratively, a period of strong and consistent 

leadership has given way to two periods of transition. The first transition was in August, 2011 when the 

department head who led the department since 2003 took a leadership position in the Borlaug Institute for 

International Agriculture and was replaced by an interim department head for one year. In August, 2012 the 

Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs was selected as department head resulting in the filling of the 

department head position, necessitating a transition in the teaching program. The transition also affected the 

graduate program resulting in the appointment of a new Associate Head for Graduate Programs. At about the 

same time, the Associate Head for Extension Programs retired and another faculty member was appointed to take 

his place. 

On the fiscal side, Horticultural Sciences endured the same budget reductions as the University and state agencies, 

resulting in the department’s FY2013 appropriated budget being 18% less than its FY2010 budget. This loss of 

funding resulted in the elimination of two non-tenure tracked lecturer positions and the loss of all but one hardfunded 

research technical support position. 

Change has not been positive, but the response it has evoked from the Horticultural Sciences faculty has been one 

of increased effort, creative use of available resources, increased attention to competing for extramural resources, 

and a sense of getting the job done with less. 

This self-study details the faculty’s efforts and successes in dealing with fiscal adversity. The teaching load of 

instructional faculty lost to the budget cut has been assumed by those who remain, so that our student credit hours 

taught have not decreased substantially. Faculty have re-doubled their effort to obtain extramural funds to support 

their research and variety development programs, and many technical support positions have been transferred to 

soft-money. Scholarly output has increased from 2008 to 2012 in journal publications as well as in grants 

generating indirect costs returns to the unit. The Academic Analytics® faculty scholarly productivity index 

ranked Texas A&M University Horticultural Sciences faculty 5 th in 2009, 3 rd in 2010, and 5 th in 2011 compared to 

national peers in horticulture. Enrollment in our Ph. D. program has remained steady, our Masters enrollment is 

higher in 2012 than it was in 2008, and our undergraduate enrollment has increased substantially since the 

implementation of the Bachelor of Arts in Horticulture degree in 2007. Our faculty is the only horticulture 

program in the country to offer the BA degree, but it has proven to be an important addition to our offerings. 

We’re doing more with less. 

The self-study also describes the contributions Horticultural Sciences faculty are making to the twelve 

imperatives of Vision 2020 and to the Action 2015 Education First strategic plan. We are increasing the national 

standing of Texas A&M horticulture by being more competitive in the national research agenda and being 

recognized among the leaders in scholarly productivity, our faculty are engaging their peers across departmental 

and college boundaries in projects as diverse as fruit and vegetables for human health and green roof technology, 

we are enhancing the undergraduate experience by offering programs that nurture both the art and science of 

horticulture, our students are increasing their engagement in work experience and international programs, and we 

are providing broad public access to our information and programs through one of the oldest and most widely 

used public information servers, Aggie Horticulture. 

The Horticultural Sciences faculty await the Academic Program Review with eager anticipation. We are anxious 

to have a national panel of peers assess the responses we have made to change. We look forward to interacting 

with administrators at the University and College levels to help us address suggestions for program improvements 

that necessarily will result from this process.

2013 Horticultural Sciences Academic Program Review Page ii 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. INTRODUCTION 

Review Team Members and Charge 1.1 

Historical Perspective of Horticulture at Texas A&M University 1.2 

An Overview of the Major Horticultural Industry Sectors in Texas 1.2 

Departmental Administrative Organization 1.4 

Departmental Vision and Mission Statement 1.5 

Overview of Departmental Facilities 1.6 

Previous External Review and Discussion of Implications 1.6 

2. OVERVIEW OF UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS 

Student Learning Outcomes of the Bachelors Degrees in Horticulture 2.1 

Curriculum in Horticulture - Bachelor of Arts 2.2 

Curriculum in Horticulture - Bachelor of Science 2.3 

Horticultural Specializations 2.4 

Undergraduate Course Offerings 2.5 

High Impact Practices – Experiential Learning 2.9 

Undergraduate Student Enrollment Trends 2.12 

Gender and Ethnic Diversity of the Horticulture Undergraduate Student Population 2.14 

Assessment of Learning Outcomes 2.15 

3. OVERVIEW OF GRADUATE PROGRAMS 

Graduate Courses Offered in the Department of Horticultural Sciences 3.1 

A Comparison of the Horticultural Sciences To Others on a National Scale 3.3 

Demographics of Students in Graduate Horticulture Degree or Concentration Programs 3.7 

Financial Support of Students in Graduate Horticulture Degree Programs 3.7 

Course Requirements and Experiential Learning in Graduate Horticulture Degrees 3.10 

Graduate Program Evaluation Metrics 3.12 

Learning Outcomes Assessment of the Graduate Program 3.13 

Demographics and Remuneration of Faculty 3.17 

4. OVERVIEW OF TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION HORTICULUTURE 

Extension Horticulture banner programs 4.1 

Significant individual accomplishments for 2012 4.2 

5. FACULTY PROFILE AND SCHOLARLY PRODUCTIVITY 

Evaluation, Promotion, and Retention of Faculty 5.1 

Faculty Research Productivity 5.4 

Use of Academic Analytics® to Document Scholarly Productivity 5.5 

Faculty Teaching Workload 5.9 

Faculty Collaborations 5.11

2013 Horticultural Sciences Academic Program Review Page iii 

6. FISCAL RESOURCES OF THE HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT 

Changes in Appropriated Funds over Time 6.1 

Endowed Chairs, Programs and Scholarships 6.3 

7. FACULTY INFORMATION 7.1 

8. APPENDICES 

Appendix 2.1 – Bachelor of Arts Emphases 8.2 

Appendix 2.2 – Bachelor of Science Emphases 8.8 

Appendix 2.3 – Horticultural Sciences Undergraduate Student Handbook 8.18 

Appendix 3.1 – 18 Characteristics of Texas Public Doctoral Programs – TAMU Horticulture 8.34 

Appendix 3.2 – Horticulture Graduate Policy Manual 8.36 

Appendix 5.1 – Department of Horticultural Sciences Promotion and Tenure Policy 8.43 

Appendix 6 – Department of Horticultural Sciences Strategic Plan 8.68 

9. LIST OF TABLES 

Table 2.1 – Curricular requirements by categories of the BS and BA in Horticulture degrees 2.2 

Table 2.2 - Number of students in the Bachelors programs by semester and emphasis areas 2.5 

Table 2.3 – Undergraduate enrollment by year 2.12 

Table 2.4 – Horticulture undergraduate degrees awarded by year 2.12 

Table 2.5 – Standard CIP codes used to report various subdisciplines in horticulture 2.12 

Table 2.6 – Comparison of enrollment and degrees awarded to 19 peers in FAEIS database 2.13 

Table 2.7 – Degree completion and time to graduation rates from THECB database 2.13 

Table 2.8 – Gender and ethnicity of horticulture students by year 2.14 

Table 2.9 – Gender and ethnicity of horticulture students by year as percentage of total 2.14 

Table 2.10 – Gender and ethnicity of horticulture students compared to peers in FAEIS data 2.15 

Table 2.11 – Gender, ethnicity of horticulture students (%) compared to peers in FAEIS data 2.15 

Table 2.12 – Rubric used for evaluation of student eportfolios 2.18 

Table 2.13 – Evaluation of student eportfolios comparing BA and BS candidates, 2012 2.19 

Table 2.14 – Graduating senior survey summaries, spring 2009 – spring 2012 2.19 

Table 2.15 – Employer evaluation of preparedness of TAMU horticulture graduates 2.21 

Table 2.16 – Opinions of employers concerning TAMU horticulture graduates 2.22 

Table 2.17 – Comparison of employer and former student evaluations of preparedness 2.23 

Table 3.1 – Institutions participating in the national 2012 horticulture graduate survey 3.3 

Table 3.2 – Degrees offered in horticulture or plant science at peer institutions 3.4 

Table 3.3 – Graduate enrollment comparison between TAMU Horticulture and peers 3.4 

Table 3.4 – Comparison of graduate degrees awarded between TAMU Horticulture and peers 3.6 

Table 3.5 – Gender and ethnicity of TAMU graduate horticulture students (DARS data) 3.7

2013 Horticultural Sciences Academic Program Review Page iv 

Table 3.6 – Graduate student funding by source at institutions offering horticulture degrees 3.8 

Table 3.7 – Value of stipends by type in horticulture programs from 2013 national survey 3.8 

Table 3.8 – Course requirements across degree programs of 1862 landgrant and non-landgrants 3.11 

Table 3.9 – Experiential learning requirements for horticulture graduate programs 3.12 

Table 3.10 – Perceived graduate program evaluation metrics 3.12 

Table 3.11 – Distribution of faculty by rank in universities offering horticulture degrees 3.18 

Table 3.12 – Faculty salaries by rank in universities offering horticulture degrees 3.18 

Table 3.13 – FY2013 Department of Horticultural Sciences faculty salaries by rank 3.19 

Table 5.1 – Horticulture faculty with teaching, research and Extension appointments 5.3 

Table 5.2 – Research metrics for teaching and research faculty, 2008-2012 5.4 

Table 5.3 – Academic Analytics® ranking of TAMU Horticulture program, 2009 data 5.5 



Table 5.5 – Student Credit Hours (SCH) per faculty FTE by fiscal year 5.9 

Table 5.6 – Horticultural Sciences Weighted Student Credit Hours (WSCH) taught by year 5.11 

Table 6.1 – Horticultural Sciences budget from all appropriated sources, 2007 – 2013 6.1 

Table 6.2 – IEEF collected for horticulture courses by academic year 6.2 

Table 6.3 – Computer access funds and faculty workstation funds by year 6.2 

Table 6.4 – Endowed scholarships managed by the Department of Horticultural Sciences 6.4 

10. LIST OF FIGURES 

Figure 1.1 – Department of Horticultural Sciences Organization Chart 1.4 

Figure 2.1 – Historical trend of participation in study abroad and internships 2.10 

Figure 2.2 – Screen capture of the HORTfolio style template used for student eportfolios 2.18 

Figure 3.1 – Enrollment in Horticulture graduate programs between 1990 and 2012 3.5 

Figure 3.2 – Assistantship budget and CPI-adjusted budget based on 1999 U.S. dollars 3.9 

Figure 3.3 – Available teaching assistantships based on hard money budgeted funds 3.10 

Figure 3.4 – Screen captures illustrating the graduate student annual evaluation form 3.16 

Figure 3.5 – Graduate student performance assessment form to be used at final exam 3.17 

Figure 5.1 – Geographic location of Texas A&M Horticulture program faculty 5.1 

Figure 5.2 – Academic Analytics® faculty scholarly productivity index, 2009 5.7 



Figure 5.5 – SCH taught per teaching FTE in departments in College of Ag & Life Sciences 5.10

Horticultural Sciences Academic Program Review 

Dr. Sylvia Blankenship 

Professor & Associate Dean 

College of Agriculture and Life 

Sciences 

North Carolina State University 

Raleigh, NC 27695 

Dr. Ann Marie VanDerZanden 

Professor 

Department of Horticulture 

Director, ISU Center for Excellence 

in Learning and Teaching 

Iowa State University 

Ames, Iowa 50011-1100 

Dr. Marvin Pritts 

Professor and Department Chair 

Department of Horticulture 

Cornell University 

Ithaca, New York 14853 

Peer Review and Charge 

The review team is charged with examining the programs listed below and making recommendations that we may 

use to inform continuous quality improvement processes. Resources that you will have for this assessment are a 

self-study to be completed by the Department, other materials that may be provided by the Department and our 

office, information you gain through personal interactions while visiting Texas A&M University, and any 

additional information that you request. Within the broad charge of informing continuous quality improvement 

are the following specific questions that we would like you to address: 

1) While evaluating the program, please consider the resource context within which the Department operates 

(both human and fiscal) and the absolute level of support the department receives from the university. 

Please comment on the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the department’s use of these human and 

fiscal resources in pursuit of its mission. 

2) Please address the following questions about assessment of learning outcomes: 

a) Has the department identified specific learning outcomes for its educational programs? 

b) Please comment on the appropriateness of these learning outcomes for this department. 

c) Does the curriculum and instruction afford students opportunity to achieve the learning outcomes? 

d) Does the department have a written plan for assessment of its identified learning outcomes? Is that 

plan of acceptable quality? Are the metrics used for assessment appropriate and of acceptable quality? 

e) To what extent is the Department successful in achieving its learning outcomes? 

f) Does the learning outcome assessment process inform continuous quality improvement? 

3) Please share with us any strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to the current and future 

quality of each or all of these academic programs. 

4) Please comment on the scope, efficacy, and desirability of current and potential collaboration of this 

department with other departments and groups, both on campus and off. 

5) Please provide us your team’s judgment on the national ranking of this Department, as a percentile rank. 

For example, is this Department in the top 5% of programs in horticultural sciences nationally? Top 10%? 

Top 50%? 

6) Please address the department’s contributions to two guiding strategic initiatives developed by Texas 

A&M University. The first of these is a document developed in 1999, entitled Vision 2020: Creating a 

Culture of Excellence, and identifies twelve specific areas of focus for Texas A&M’s future. The other is 

the more recent Action 2015: Education First, intended to build on our gains made since the inception of 

Vision 2020. Both documents may be referenced at http://provost.tamu.edu/strategic-planning-2010. 

Summaries of both documents will be provided upon your arrival at Texas A&M University.

2013 Horticultural Sciences Academic Program Review Section 1 Page 2 

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE SELF STUDY 

This self-study document was created as part of the requirements for the comprehensive Academic Program 

Review, a process through which Texas A&M University fulfills the mandate of the Texas Higher Education 

Coordinating Board to review all doctoral programs every seven years. The University has extended the review 

process to include all aspects of departmental programs to include undergraduate and graduate programs as well 

as research, service, and engagement activities. The Department of Horticultural Sciences graduate programs 

were reviewed last in May, 2005. Except where noted otherwise, the self-study refers to the 5-year period of 

2007-2012 as directed in the Academic Program Review Guidelines document. 

Historical Perspective of Horticulture at Texas A&M University 

The practice of horticulture has been taught at Texas A&M University since its founding as the A&M College of 

Texas in 1876. Dr. Carlisle P. B. Martin, a professor of practical agriculture, taught in the Department of 

Agricultural and Scientific Courses and his subjects included chemistry, farm tillage, horticulture, arboriculture 

and care of stock. The Department of Horticulture and Botany was formed in 1892 with Robert H. Price as head, 

and the first degree in horticulture (a Master of Science) was awarded in 1898. Horticulture and Botany were 

separated in1906, and the reorganized Horticulture Department was led by E. J. Kyle, namesake of Kyle Field, 

who later became Dean of Agriculture. Guy Adriance was appointed head of the Department of Horticulture circa 

1920, and he served in that capacity until 1961. The Department of Horticulture during the Adriance era had its 

primary focus on fruit and vegetable crop production, horticultural food processing, and plant breeding for fruit 

and vegetable variety improvement. 

The study of ornamental horticulture had its roots in the Department of Landscape Art which was organized and 

led by F. W. Hensel beginning in 1925. This department was reorganized to include the study of greenhouse crop 

production and floristry into the Department of Floriculture and Landscape Art in 1950 and the new unit was led 

by A. F. DeWerth. In 1961 the name of the department was changed to the Department of Floriculture. 

In 1962, the horticulture departments (Horticulture and Floriculture) were merged with the Department of 

Agronomy and the resulting department was named Soil and Crop Sciences. Horticulture faculty retained their 

crop and commodity focus and they functioned somewhat like a section of the Soil and Crop Sciences Department. 

The very large increase in horticulture student enrollment that occurred in the early 1970s served as justification 

for the horticulture faculty, and their ardent supporters in the horticulture industry, to propose and to be granted 

the right to form their own department, the current Department of Horticultural Sciences, in 1976. The 

Horticulture/Forest Sciences Building in which the department resides today was completed in 1985. 

The Department of Horticultural Sciences executes the tripartite mission of the landgrant university. Faculty who 

teach in the undergraduate and graduate programs are all physically located on the College Station campus. 

Faculty who conduct research and mentor graduate students and postdoctoral research associates are physically 

located on campus in College Station, or at off campus research centers in Weslaco, Uvalde, El Paso, Lubbock, 

Dallas, and Overton. Extension faculty are located in College Station, Weslaco, Uvalde, El Paso, Lubbock, 

Dallas, and Fredericksburg. 

An Overview of the Major Horticultural Industry Sectors in Texas 

The horticultural sectors in Texas are significant contributors to the State’s agricultural economy. Horticultural 

crops combined are the leading agricultural sector on the crop side and are only second to the livestock sector. 

Two broad segments comprise the horticultural industry including the green industry and the produce industry. 

Each is discussed separately in this overview. 

The Green Industry Sector 

The green industry complex is comprised of wholesale nursery, greenhouse, and turfgrass sod growers; landscape 

service firms such as architects, designers/builders, contractors, and maintenance firms; retail firms such as


garden centers, home centers and mass merchandisers with lawn and garden departments, and marketing 

intermediaries such as brokers and horticultural distribution centers (re-wholesalers). There is also a substantial 

allied trade industry that supplies various production inputs to the industry. 

Total industry sales, including grower, landscaping and retailing sales increased 8.74% in 2011 for a total of $15.6 

billion in gross sales. The grower sector experienced the highest increase in growth with almost 20% for a total of 

$1.9 billion, the highest sales level recorded for the grower sector. The landscaping sector had a slight increase of 

only about 3% in 2011 for total sales over $3.5 billion. With this slight increase sales of the landscaping sector are 

still below the highest levels of 2007 and 2008 with a peak of more than $3.9 billion. Gross retail sales increased 

8.5% to a total of $10.1 billion in 2011. 

Total economic contributions of the Green Industry in Texas were estimated at $17.97 billion in output; 200,303 

jobs, and $10.7 billion in value added. For the production and manufacturing sectors, including nursery and 

greenhouse, lawn and garden equipment manufacturing, and metal building manufacturers, total output impacts 

were $3.7 billion; employment impacts were 32,195 jobs; and value added impacts were $1.7 billion. For the 

horticultural services sectors, including landscaping services and landscape architecture services, total output 

impacts were $7.6 billion; employment impacts were 88,824 jobs; and value added impacts were $4.1 billion. The 

largest economic impact contributions for individual sectors were landscaping services, lawn and garden stores 

and nursery and greenhouse. 

We continue to see a number of structural changes occurring in the green industry. The shakeout that started with 

the Great Recession has slowed, but nonetheless continues at all levels of the supply chain. Several more 

reputable growers, landscape service providers, and retailers have gone out of business since last year. Not all of 

this productive capacity has exited the industry, however; consolidation activity through mergers and acquisitions 

continues to shrink the number of industry participants but some of the capacity is simply being operated under a 

different name. Hypercompetitive conditions have fostered a cost-centric mindset, as firms attempt to shave as 

many costs out of their value chain as possible. 

The Produce Sector 

In Texas, the number of acres for fresh market and processed vegetables was estimated to be 73,700 acres with a 

value of $361 million (NASS, USDA 2011) and an economic impact in excess of $450 million. Crops in that 

estimate include cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, chili peppers, cucumbers, honeydew melons, spring onions, 

summer onions, spinach, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, watermelon and snap beans. Not included in that estimate 

are bell peppers, lettuce, broccoli, okra, other leafy greens (mustard, collard, turnip, kale, etc.), herbs, and potatoes. 

From regional focus workshops we have identified several economically important vegetable crops not included 

in the 2011 USDA statistics. Those are: 5,850 acres of specialty vegetables grown in the Wintergarden, Hill 

Country and Lower Rio Grande Valley (lettuce, tomato, beets, beet-tops, dandelion, parsley, cilantro, celery, 

Swiss Chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi, turnip greens, mustard greens, artichoke and habanero peppers) and 39,000 

acres in the High Plains (30,000 dry beans, 7,000 southern peas, 2,000 pumpkin). Also not included in the USDA 

statistics are 14,040 acres of fresh market-processing potatoes (High Plains, Wintergarden and LRGV). Texas 

also grows 18,000 acres of grapefruit, 8,800 acres of oranges in the LRGV, 75,500 acres of improved pecan 

(3,000 in the Wintergarden and 12,500 in El Paso), 1,320 acres of peaches (Hill Country), 3,000 of grapes, and 35 

acres of apples. Therefore the total combined area for growing vegetables, fruits, citrus, grapes and pecans was 

238,745acres in 2011. The gross value of pecan represented $80 million in 2011. 

Fruit and vegetable production is scattered across the state. However, the four major vegetable producing regions 

of Texas are the Rio Grande Valley, the San Antonio-Wintergarden corridor, the Laredo-Eagle Pass region, the 

High Plains, West and East Texas. Other producing areas within the state include the Trans-Pecos, the Coastal 

Bend, and the North Texas area along the Red River. The leading vegetable producing counties in the State are: 

Hidalgo, Starr, Cameron, Deaf Smith, Frio, Uvalde, Zavala, Webb, Hale, Castro, Lamb, and Duval. 

Historically, Texas ranked third in vegetable production behind California and Florida. Over the past decade, 

however, vegetable acreage has steadily declined to the point where Texas now ranks seventh in terms of volume


(3% of the U.S. total). The acreage decline is attributed to serious problems with insects, diseases, and drought 

conditions during this period in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, the state's major vegetable production region. 

Competition from imported sources has also increased in the last 10 years. Currently the share of consumption 

derived from imports is 25% for vegetables, compared with 8.3% in 1980 and 15.0% in 2000. On the fruit side, 

about 26% of the fruit consumed in the US was imported. That number increased to 42.4% in 2000 and to 48.8% 

in 2010. Mexico and other Latin American countries are causing a closing of market windows previously 

dominated by Texas. With respect to consumption, it is important to emphasize the new dietary guidelines 

established in 2010 with “My Plate” which involves half of the plate with fruits and vegetables. Therefore, the 

development of a strategic plan should address these trends in production factors, environmental limitations, 

marketing and nutritional health benefits of vegetable and fruits. 

Departmental Administrative Organization 

Horticultural Sciences is under the administrative leadership of a department head, and three associate heads are 

authorized for undergraduate, graduate, and extension programs. The associate head for undergraduate programs 

is currently vacant, and the department head is performing those duties. The relationships between the 

administrators and their support staff is illustrated below. 

Department Head 

R. D. Lineberger 

Systems Analyst (P. Greer) 

Senior Academic Advisor (K. Marek) 

Experiential Learning Coord. (M. Faris) 

Assistant to Dept. Head (D. See) 

Business Support 

Staff 

Associate Department 

Head for Graduate 

Programs (Mike Arnold) 


Head for Undergraduate 

Programs (vacant) 


Head for Extension 

(Larry Stein) 

Research/Teaching 

Faculty 20 FTE 

Academic Advisor I (0.5 FTE) 

(Debbie Perez) 

Research/Teaching 

Support Staff 

Extension Support 

Staff 

Extension 

Specialists 12 

FTE 

The Department of Horticultural Sciences is one of 14 academic departments in the College of Agriculture and 

Life Sciences, and the College represents the academic function of Texas A&M Agrilife (led by Vice Chancellor 

and Dean Mark Hussey). In addition to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (Alan Sams, Executive 

Associate Dean), Texas A&M Agrilife is composed of Texas A&M Agrilife Research (Craig Nessler, Director), 

Texas A&M Agrilife Extension (Doug Steele, Director), Texas A&M Forest Service (Tom Boggus, Director) and 

the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (Tammy Beckam, Director).


Departmental Committees 

Promotion and Tenure Committee 

Tim Davis (Chair), all faculty with rank of full professor 

Undergraduate Program and Curriculum Committee 

Vacant (Chair), Astrid Volder, Leo Lombardini, Bill McKinley, Terri Starman, Greg Cobb 

Graduate Program Committee 

Mike Arnold (Chair), the Graduate Program Committee functions as a “committee of the whole;” all graduate 

faculty are members 

Hort Farm Operations Advisory Committee 

Dave Byrne (Chair), Joe Masabni, Mike Arnold, George McEachern, Creighton Miller 

Greenhouse Operations Advisory Committee 

Matt Kent (Chair), Mike Arnold, Dave Byrne, Terri Starman, Fred Davies, Bhimu Patil, Kevin Çrosby 

Departmental Assessment Committee 

Dan Lineberger (Chair), Jayne Zajicek, Leo Lombardini, Mike Arnold, Greg Cobb, Astrid Volder, Katie Marek 

Scholarship Committee 

Vacant (Chair), Leo Lombardini, Bill McKinley, Creighton Miller, Dave Byrne, Trish Klein, Terri Starman 

Departmental Building and Safety Committee 

Matt Kent (Chair), Greg Cobb, Betsy Pierson 

Departmental Vision and Mission Statement 

The vision for faculty in Horticultural Sciences is that our department will be widely recognized for excellence in 

all our programs and as the best university horticulture department in the United States. This vision, taken from 

our departmental strategic plan (Appendix 6), aligns our faculty with the overall goal of the University as stated in 

the Vision 2020 statement to “enable our university to be recognized as one of the ten best universities in the 

nation by 2020 and as an invaluable resource to the state, nation and the world.” The goal of being recognized as a 

leader in our field is further amplified in the vision of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as it aspires to 

“be a world leader in agriculture, life and natural resource sciences and the many related disciplines they contain.” 

The atmosphere of striving for excellence and recognition is pervasive within our College and the University, and 

we are urged to assess honestly the programs that we provide and show quantifiable and steady progress toward 

our goals. 

The Department of Horticultural Sciences exists to improve the quality of life through teaching, research, and 

extension programs related to the aesthetic disciplines of horticulture and the production of high quality, healthful 

fruits and vegetables. Our mission is accomplished by: 

• educating students who seek careers in horticulture and related fields; 

• developing and delivering research-based knowledge upon which efficient and profitable horticultural 

crop production can be built; 

• improving the competitive position of the Texas horticulture industry; 

• increasing the quality, variety, and availability of horticultural products; 

• developing and delivering research-based knowledge related to how horticulture improves our 

environment and serves as a source of personal enrichment.


Overview of Departmental Facilities 

The Department of Horticultural Sciences is located in the Horticulture/Forest Science Building (HFSB). The 

90,000 square foot building boasts a beautiful atrium, the Benz Gallery of Floral Art, modern research and 

teaching laboratories with the latest 

scientific equipment, and a small growth 

chamber complex. Greenhouse space, 

totaling 38,000 square feet, is conveniently 

located behind the building. Adjacent to 

the building is the Holistic Garden, a space 

used for educational as well as recreational 

purposes. The Holistic Garden is in a stage 

of transition and will support the increasing 

emphasis in student experiential learning as 

it becomes the primary growing area of the 

Howdy! Farm. 

In addition to its central location in HFSB, 

the department manages facilities at several 

other locations. The Vegetable and Fruit 

Improvement Center, located in the Centeq 

Building in the TAMU Research Park, 

occupies 7,367 sq. ft. of office and lab 

space, with labs designed for identification and quantification of phytochemicals, plant tissue culture, and plant 

molecular biology. One of the labs in the Institute for Plant Genomics & Biotechnology (Borlaug Center) is 

assigned to a faculty member in Horticultural Sciences. Greenhouse, shade area, and test plots for nursery crops 

are located in Hensel Park, and the Floriculture Greenhouses located in the central campus area are studentmanaged, 

student-maintained facilities that house collections of tropical foliage plants used in the teaching 

programs of the department and in the Department of Biology. The department is moving the location of the 

horticulture farm from its current location northwest of HFSB to an area on the former dairy farm off Harvey 

Mitchell Parkway (FM2818). 

Previous External Review and Discussion of Implications 

The most recent academic program review was conducted in May, 2005 and consistent with the charge to the 

review team by then Dean of Graduate Studies John R. Giardino to “examine the doctoral programs with the 

Department of Horticultural Sciences” that evaluation included only an evaluation of the Ph. D. in Horticulture. 

Topics related to all graduate degrees (graduate assistantships, recruitment, facilities, faculty capability, etc.) 

necessarily were part of the review, but clearly the focus was on doctoral programs. 

The major decisions associated with specific issues raised in the final report from the review committee were: 

• The department adopted a more effective program for dealing with safety training of graduate students. 

• Graduate assistantship funding was evaluated to be not competitive with the national trend in our 

discipline and the department increased the annual amounts from $14,000 (Masters) and $15,000 (Ph.D.) 

to $16,000 (Masters) and $17,000 (Ph.D). 

• Departmental teaching assistantships were “uncoupled” from the faculty who teach high-enrollment, 

multiple-section courses in an attempt to recruit the most qualified graduate students and pair them with 

faculty who share their research interests. Assistantships would be assigned for one year, but would be 

renewable depending on satisfactory progress. 

• An effort was made to increase the number of graduate level courses in the department through the 

offering of several one credit hour mini-courses. 

• The uncertainty surrounding the location of the horticulture farm was deemed to be a weakness affecting 

several programs.


In later sections of this self-study, consideration will be given to the extent to which the department has made 

progress on these recommendations. Several new graduate level courses have been added (some have been 

discontinued), the policy of “uncoupling” assistantship funding from high-enrollment courses has proven to be 

problematic (not all entering students have the background or interest to teach plant identification or floral design, 

for example), and any progress we have made in increasing assistantship stipends has been eroded by cost of 

living increases and static funding for assistantships. While the location of the “new” horticulture farm has been 

decided, funding for development of the property has not been adequate to replace all facilities at the current 

location on west campus, so the transition has not been completed.

2. OVERVIEW OF UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS 

The Department of Horticultural Sciences offers two baccalaureate degrees, a Bachelors of Science in horticulture 

(BS) and a Bachelor of Arts in horticulture (BA). The BS is designed to meet the needs of students who are 

pursuing careers in a wide array of horticultural fields including fruit and vegetable crop production, landscape 

management, horticultural sales, greenhouse operations, science and biotechnology, and other pursuits typically 

associated with the discipline. Students who intend to pursue a graduate degree also are advised into the BS 

program. The Bachelor of Arts degree promotes a foundation in the arts, business, communication and language 

and is designed for students who intend careers in floral design, event planning, public horticulture, 

sociohorticulture, garden writing, or secondary education. 

Student Learning Outcomes of the Bachelors Degrees in Horticulture 

The Bachelor of Science in Horticulture graduate is expected to demonstrate a fundamental understanding of the 

theoretical and practical aspects of horticulture. When students graduate from Texas A&M University with a BS 

in Horticulture, they should possess a thorough understanding of the principles of plant growth and development, 

and a specific grasp of how these principles impact their particular specialization or commodity area. Ancillary 

knowledge of other disciplines including genetics, entomology, plant pathology, soil science, plant physiology 

and landscape management should also be demonstrated. Specific outcomes of the program are: 

• Graduates will demonstrate core science-based horticultural knowledge in the areas of plant growth, 

development, propagation, and culture. 

• Graduates will demonstrate their ability to communicate core horticultural knowledge orally and in 

writing. 

• Graduates will demonstrate competency in using electronic technology (e.g. computer, software). 

• Graduates will demonstrate their critical-thinking ability in using core horticultural knowledge to 

diagnose and solve practical horticultural problems. 

• Graduates will become responsible citizens of their respective communities and exhibit leadership skills, 

interest in life-long learning, an appreciation for cultural diversity, and have tolerance for different beliefs 

and perspectives. Our graduates will demonstrate a high level of professionalism and ethical behavior. 

• Students will gain experience in working as a member of a team in the process of completing class 

exercises, designs, projects and extracurricular activities. 

• Students will be exposed to the importance of continuing their education and skills development and the 

role it has in their professional growth. 

• Graduates will demonstrate an awareness of the global dimensions of horticulture and the impact that 

internationalization plays in the US horticultural enterprise. 

The Bachelor of Arts in Horticulture graduate should demonstrate a sound grasp of the principles of the basic 

plant sciences, achieve both practical and fundamental mastery of horticultural science, and possess strength in 

the fundamentals of the student’s selected minor. The defining element of the Bachelor of Arts degree is that, in 

addition to the elements in common with the Bachelor of Science, when students graduate from Texas A&M 

University with a BA in Horticulture, they should demonstrate an appreciation and mastery of the basic principles 

related to business, the arts and/or the human association with plants depending on their area of emphasis. 

Possible areas of interest include floral design, the installation and management of public gardens, business, and 

horticultural education. The specific outcomes of the BA are identical to the BS with the addition of the 

following: 

• Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of how plants impact people, including an awareness of the 

social, cultural, aesthetic and functional uses of landscape and floral designs 

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree was approved in 2007 to meet the needs of students pursuing careers in the art 

or humanistic dimensions of horticulture. Upon graduation, these students may enter the fields of floral design or 

event planning, public gardens management or education, sociohorticulture, or landscape design. With the design 

and implementation of the BA program, the faculty recognized that the educational background and skills 

required of the “art” dimension of horticulture are different than the “science” dimension, and these differences 

are reflected in the program requirements.


The two degrees share many common elements including the entire required horticulture core courses, most of the 

university core, and some of the supporting field courses. BA students do not usually take soil science, genetics, 

plant physiology, or organic chemistry, but are required to take two additional courses in foreign language and 

must specify a minor or the Professional Event Management Certificate. 

Table 2.1 Curricular requirements by categories of the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts in 

Horticulture degrees. 

Category Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Arts 

University core 

43 hrs 

communication elective 

Horticulture core 9 hrs 9 hrs 

20 hrs 

Support courses-required 

soils, organic chem, genetics, plant 

Entomology, Plant Path 

physiology 

Horticulture specialization 

requirements 

Support courses-directed 

electives 

18 hrs 

Fruit & vegetable, nursery/floral crops, 

landscape management, science & 

biotech 

30 hrs 

typically production-based, agronomy, 

business, ag eng, ento, plant path, etc. 

43 hrs 

public speaking specified 

16 hrs 

foreign language (2), technical 

writing 

18 hrs 

urban horticulture, floral design, 

landscape design 

34 hrs 

specified minor (15-18 hrs), or 

PEM Certificate; minors include 

business, social sciences, 

communications, education 

Free electives 0 0 

Total semester hours 120 120 

Curriculum in Horticulture - Bachelor of Arts 

This degree blends traditional horticulture with the benefits derived from the human association with plants. This 

degree offers students the option of pairing a horticulture degree with electives in social sciences, business, 

education, art and design. Creative opportunities range from planning gala events, to designing tranquil gardens, 

to constructing educational programs for school gardens to pursuing advanced degrees. Graduates may find 

themselves working in exciting environments including botanical gardens, international flower markets or upscale 

resorts. 

UNIVERSITY CORE CURRICULUM 

Required course (Th-Pr) Credit 

BIOL 101 Botany 

or 

4 

BIOL 111 Introductory Biology I 

CHEM 101 and 111 Fundamentals of Chemistry I and Lab. 4 

COMM 203 Public Speaking (3-0) 3 

ENGL 104 Composition and Rhetoric (3-0) 3 

POLS 206 American National Government (3-0) 3 

POLS 207 State and Local Government (3-0) 3 

History electives 1 6 

Humanities elective 1 3 

Mathematics electives 1 6 

Social and behavioral sciences elective 1 3


Visual and performing arts elective 1 3 

* KINE 198 Health and Fitness Activity (0-2) 1 

* KINE 199 Required Physical Activity (0-2) 1 

43 

HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES CORE COURSES 


HORT 101 Concepts of Horticultural Science (1-0) 1 

HORT 201 General Horticulture (3-0) 3 

HORT 202 General Horticulture Laboratory (0-3) 1 

HORT 326 Plant Propagation (2-3) 3 

HORT 481 Seminar (1-0) 1 

9 

SUPPORT COURSES 


ENTO 201 General Entomology (2-2) 3 

ENGL 210 Scientific and Technical Writing 

or 

(3-0) 3 

ENGL 301 Technical Writing 

PLPA 301 Plant Pathology (3-0) 3 

PLPA 303 Plant Pathology Laboratory (0-2) 1 

Language 2 6 

Directed horticulture electives 3 18 

Directed electives 4 34 

68 

NOTES: 

total hours 120 

1. To be selected from the University Core Curriculum. 

2. Student must successfully complete a two-course sequence of a foreign language. 

3. Hours to be selected based on the emphasis area chosen in consultation with the student’s academic advisor. 

Hours to be selected with approval by the student’s academic advisor and the associate department head from 100–400-level courses in: 

ACCT, AGCJ, AGEC, AGLS, SCSC, ALEC, ANTH, ARTS, BESC, COMM, ECON, ENDS, ENTO, EPSY, FINC, FRSC, GENE, GEOG, 

HLTH, HORT, INFO, INST, KINE, LAND, MEPS, MGMT, MKTG, NUTR, PSYC, RENR, RLEM, RPTS, SAED, SEFB, SOCI, SPAN, 

SPED, STAT, WFSC. No more than 15 hours can be used from HORT. 

Curriculum in Horticulture - Bachelor of Science 

This degree is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed for production, management 

and marketing of horticultural and floriculture crops. Each degree also offers students with strong interests in 

science and/or technology opportunities in research related fields including graduate studies. Career prospects 

range from producing specialty herb crops for upscale restaurants, to managing landscape businesses for growing 

communities, to marketing fruits and vegetables for healthier lifestyles. Many former students are self-employed, 

owning their own greenhouse, nursery or landscape operation. Others work in upper management of large 

corporations or travel the world developing future horticultural crops. 


Required courses (Th-Pr) Credit 

BIOL 101 Botany 

or 

(3-3) 4 

BIOL 111 Introductory Biology I 

CHEM 101 and 111 Fundamentals of Chemistry I and Lab. 3 

ENGL 104 Composition and Rhetoric (3-0) 3 

POLS 206 American National Government (3-0) 3


POLS 207 State and Local Government (3-0) 3 

Communication elective 1 3 

History electives 1 6 

Humanities elective 1 3 

Mathematics electives 1 6 

Social and behavioral sciences elective 1 3 

Visual and performing arts elective 1 3 

* KINE 198 Health and Fitness Activity (0-2) 1 

* KINE 199 Required Physical Activity (0-2) 1 

43 

HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES CORE COURSES 


HORT 101 Concepts of Horticultural Science (1-0) 1 

HORT 201 General Horticulture (3-0) 3 

HORT 202 General Horticulture Laboratory (0-3) 1 

HORT 326 Plant Propagation (2-3) 3 

HORT 481 Seminar (1-0) 1 

9 

SUPPORT COURSES 


CHEM 222 Elements of Organic and Biological Chemistry 3 

ENTO 201 General Entomology (2-2) 3 

GENE 310 Principles of Heredity 

or 

GENE 315 Genetics of Plants 

3 

or 

GENE 320 Biomedical Genetics 

MEPS 313 Introduction to Plant Physiology (3-0) 3 

PLPA 301 Plant Pathology (3-0) 3 

PLPA 303 Plant Pathology Laboratory (0-2) 1 

SCSC 301 Soil Science (3-2) 4 

Directed horticulture electives 2 18 

Directed electives 3 30 

68 

total hours 

NOTES: 

4. To be selected from the University Core Curriculum. 

5. Hours to be selected based on the emphasis area chosen in consultation with the student’s academic advisor. 

Hours to be selected with approval by the student’s academic advisor and the associate department head from 100–400-level 

courses in: ACCT, AGEC, SCSC, AGSM, ALEC, BESC, BICH, BIOL, CHEM, COSC, ECON, ENTO, FINC, FRSC, GENE, 

HLTH, HORT, INST, JOUR, LAND, MEPS, MGMT, MKTG, NUTR, PHYS, PLPA, RENR, RLEM, RPTS, SPAN, STAT, WFSC. 

No more than 15 hours can be used from HORT. 

Horticultural Specializations 

The concept of “horticultural specializations” is used as an advising tool to further delineate the undergraduate 

degree programs into tracks that help students begin to focus their career interests. The BA program currently has 

3 specializations (floral design/event planning, landscape design, and urban horticulture) (Table 2.2, Appendix 

2.1). The horticultural therapy track in the BA was discontinued 2 years ago because of loss of a faculty member 

critical to that area. The low numbers of students expressing an interest in hortitherapy did not justify continuing 

this option. The BS program has 4 tracks (nursery/floral production, landscape management, fruit and vegetable 

production, and science and biotechnology) (Table 2.2, Appendix 2.2). 

120


Specializations within the BA degree are predominantly in floral design/event planning or landscape design. The 

number of students in floral design/event planning has more than doubled since 2007; the number of students 

tracking in landscape design have likewise increased dramatically, and the overall enrollment in the BA program 

now outnumbers the BS program. A concomitant decrease in the enrollment in the BS landscape management 

program accompanied the dramatic increase in students electing the BA landscape design specialization (Table 

2.2). 

Table 2.2 Number of students declared in the Bachelors of Horticulture programs by semester and by 

the various emphasis areas (8 March 12). A, C refers to the spring and fall semester, 

respectively. 

Bachelor of Arts 

Floral design Land design Urban Hort therapy 

TOTAL 

BA 

2007C 21 8 2 1 32 

2008A 20 16 3 0 39 

2008C 35 27 9 0 71 

2009A 32 31 9 1 73 

2009C 26 27 7 1 61 

2010A 29 25 7 1 62 

2010C 30 23 8 1 62 

2011A 40 21 10 2 73 

2011C 55 26 9 1 91 

2012A 54 22 5 1 82 

Bachelor of Science 

Nursery/floral 

Landscape 

TOTAL 

Fruit/Veg Science/biotech 

Mgmt 

BS 

Undecided *Total 

2007C 17 32 7 6 62 59 153 

2008A 16 19 5 5 45 80 164 

2008C 22 25 9 13 69 24 164 

2009A 17 13 12 13 55 37 165 

2009C 17 17 10 9 53 49 163 

2010A 14 15 14 9 52 51 165 

2010C 20 13 14 7 54 67 183 

2011A 22 18 21 9 70 49 192 

2011C 21 17 23 12 73 26 190 

2012A 19 15 21 14 69 40 191 

*Total derived from departmental records; slightly higher that the official university number from DARS, as our total 

includes students who are double majors or are pursuing two degrees. 

Undergraduate Course Offerings 

Faculty in Horticultural Sciences offer a diverse and comprehensive array of basic and advanced courses in 

horticulture including such specialties as floral design, ornamental plant identification, viticulture and enology, 

fruit and vegetable production, plant breeding, and nut culture. Several of our courses meet the requirements of 

the various university core areas including HORT 201 (science core), HORT 203 (humanities and performing arts 

cores), HORT 225 and 315 (writing intensive courses), and HORT 481 (communication intensive course).


101. Concepts of Horticultural Science. (1-0). Credit 1. Introduction to the many facets of horticulture in 

Texas and the United States including organization, history and nature of the industry; discussion of 

professional development and identification of career opportunities. 

201. Horticultural Science and Practices. (3-0). Credit 3. Structure, growth and development of horticultural 

plants from a practical and scientific approach; environmental effects, basic principles of propagation, 

greenhouse and outdoor production, nutrition, pruning and chemical control of growth, pest control and 

branches of horticulture. (Transfer equivalents AGRI 1315, 1415, 1301, 1401) 

202. Horticultural Science and Practices Laboratory. (0-3). Credit 1. Methods and practices related to 

production of horticultural crops; practical exercises in greenhouse and field. Prerequisite: HORT 201 or 

registration therein. 

203. Floral Design. (2-2). Credit 3. Principles of design illustrated with the use of floral materials; floral 

design elements and techniques including color, form, line and texture; history and utilization of floral art 

in society. 

223. Flower Quality Standards. (0-2). Credit 1. Judging quality standards for flowers and potted plants for 

retail flower shops. Intercollegiate flower judging team chosen from this class.*Course 

Descriptions/Horticultural Sciences 699 

225. Horticulture Learning Community. (1-0). Credit 1. Understanding the personal and professional 

competencies that should develop during college career; determine learning style; develop oral and written 

communication skills, teamwork and leadership characteristics, analytical and critical thinking, research 

and problem solving skills; exposure to current critical issues in horticulture and science. Prerequisite: 

Horticulture or floriculture major.* 

291. Research. Credit 1 to 3. Research conducted under the direction of faculty member in horticulture. May 

be repeated 2 times for credit. Prerequisites: Freshman or sophomore classification and approval of 

instructor. 

301. Garden Science. (3-0). Credit 3. Identification, propagation, soil management, fertilization, growth 

control and protection of common garden plants: indoor ornamentals, landscape ornamentals, fruits and 

vegetables; special topics include home landscaping, container gardens, bonsai, herbs and medicinal plants 

and hobby greenhouse management. The effects of organic and non-organic practices on the garden 

ecosystem. 

302. Garden Science Lab. (0-3). Credit 1. Practical activities in identification, propagation, fertilization, 

media preparation, soil management, irrigation and protection of indoor ornamentals, landscape ornamentals, 

fruits and vegetables common in gardens in Texas. Organic and non-organic methods. 

306. Woody Ornamental Plants. (2-2). Credit 3. Better known woody ornamental trees and shrubs; identification, 

morphology, classification, nomenclature and adaptability for use in landscape environments. 

Prerequisite: BIOL 101 or HORT 201 or approval of instructor. 

308. Landscape Plant Materials. (2-2). Credit 3. Identification and use of indigenous and introduced 

landscape plants; plants for special uses in urban environments; emphasis on plants’ ornamental attributes, 

cultural requirements, and adaptability in urban and suburban environments. Prerequisite: HORT 201 or 

HORT 306 or BIOL 101 or approval of instructor. 

309. Interior Plants. (2-2). Credit 3. Identification, selection and maintenance of interior foliage plants; 

emphasis on design solutions for commercial and private facilities. Prerequisites: HORT 201; junior or 

senior classification. 

311. Principles of Food Processing. (2-3). Credit 3. Principles and practices of canning, freezing, dehydration, 

pickling and specialty food manufacture; fundamental concepts of various techniques of preparation, 

processing, packaging and use of additives; processing plants visited. Cross-listed with FSTC 311. 

315. Issues in Horticulture. (3-0). Credit 3. Analysis of contemporary economic, technological, environmental, 

human resource, and regulatory issues that impact the way global horticultural firms compete; 

emphasis on problem recognition and analysis of managerial decisions by firms throughout the entire 

horticultural supply chain. Prerequisites: HORT 201 and HORT 202. 

319. Fruit and Nut Production. (2-3). Credit 3. Rootstocks, cultivars, identification, site selection, pollination,


pruning, fruit thinning, dormancy, orchard culture management, irrigation, pest control, harvesting and 

post harvest physiology of temperate fruit and nut species. Prerequisite: HORT 201.* 

325. Vegetable Crop Production. (2-3). Credit 3. Origin, nutritive value, economic importance, botany and 

cultural practices of the major vegetable crops. Lab activities include organic and non-organic production 

of major vegetable crops. 

326. Plant Propagation. (2-3). Credit 3. Principles, practices and techniques followed in the sexual and 

asexual propagation of horticultural plants: seed technology and seed propagation, rooting and propagation 

of cuttings, graftage and budding systems, layering and propagation by specialized plant structures, 

biotechnology and tissue culture systems for micropropagation. 

332. Horticulture Landscape Graphics. (1-2). Credit 2. Graphic representation of landscape design; 

demonstrations of technique; examination of drawing examples and drawing production; basic hand 

graphics techniques for visual-thinking and presentation-quality landscape drawings. Prerequisite: Junior 

or senior classification. 

335. Sociohorticulture. (3-0). Credit 3. Horticulture as a therapeutic medium for special populations; use of 

horticulture in urban development and community garden programs. Prerequisite: Junior classification. 

400. Field Studies in Horticulture. Credit 1 to 3. Field trip to observe operation of horticultural businesses, 

governmental agencies affecting horticultural programs, and public and private institutions active in 

horticulture in the U.S. and other countries; usually arranged during spring break, between semesters or 

during the summer; may be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: HORT 201 or HORT 301 and approval of 

instructor.* 

404. Plant Breeding. (2-2). Credit 3. Application of genetics and other sciences to breeding and improvement 

of horticultural crops; methods and special techniques employed. Offered in even numbered years. 

Prerequisite: GENE 301. Cross-listed with GENE 404. Credit cannot be given for both HORT 404 and 

SCSC 304.* 

418. Nut Culture. (3-0). Credit 3. Orchard management, native grove development, cultivars, fruit setting, 

soils, nutrition, propagation, pest control, harvesting, shelling, storage and marketing of temperate tree nut 

crops grown in the U.S. with major emphasis on pecans. Offered in odd numbered years. Prerequisite: 

HORT 319 or approval of instructor.* 

419. Viticulture and Small Fruit Culture. (3-0). Credit 3. Classic winegrape culture in Europe and U.S. are 

taught; influence of climate, soil, cultivar, rootstock, canopy and management is presented; nutrition, water, 

spacing, trellis, pruning, IPM and harvest are integrated for quality yields; culture of muscadines, berries, 

figs and persimmons are taught. Offered in even numbered years. Prerequisite: HORT 319 or approval of 

instructor. 

420. Concepts of Wine Production. (3-0). Credit 3. Classic wine grapes of the world and where they are 

produced; evaluation of wine style and quality through formal laboratory tastings. Prerequisites: HORT 

201, HORT 319, HORT 419 or HORT 446 or FSTC 201; must be 21 years of age; junior or senior 

classification. 

421. Enology. (2-3). Credit 3. Provides a basic understanding of each step of the wine making process; 

emphasis on home and small scale commercial wine production as related to Texas conditions. 

Prerequisites: Must be 21 years of age; junior or senior classification.* 

422. Citrus and Subtropical Fruits. (3-0). Credit 3. Various types of citrus: identification, culture, processing, 

marketing, and economic future; prepares students to function in a continuously changing production 

environment in production areas. Offered in even numbered years. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.* 

423. Tropical Horticulture. (3-0). Credit 3. Production, processing and marketing of coffee, bananas, cacao, 

mango, cashew, pineapple, coconut and root and tuber crops; recent significant developments in plant 

breeding and cultural practices. Offered in odd numbered years. Prerequisites: HORT 201 or approval of 

instructor. 

425. Landscape Maintenance and Construction. (2-3). Credit 3. Principles and practices of grading, 

drainage and construction of residential and small commercial landscapes; cost and bid estimation; soil 

preparation; transplanting operations; control of landscape diseases and pests; maintenance of landscape


areas. Prerequisite: HORT 201 or approval of instructor. 

426. International Floriculture Marketing. (2-2). Credit 3. Importance, cost, and opportunities in marketing 

floral products, fresh cut flowers, flowering potted plants, foliage plants, and bedding/garden plants; topics 

include: world production areas, economic value, species grown, marketing channels, retail environments, 

current/future consumers, postharvest handling, promotion/advertising, perceived/added value, marketing 

trends and employment opportunities. Prerequisites: HORT 201; junior or senior classification. 

427. Fall Greenhouse Crops. (0-2). Credit 1. Hands-on lab for growing and managing fall greenhouse crops 

including fall bedding plants, cut flowers, foliage, poinsettias and other flowering potted plants. 

428. Greenhouse Operation and Management. (2-2). Credit 3. Principles of greenhouse operation and 

management for production of horticultural crops; construction and operation of greenhouse structures and 

systems; regulating and controlling the environment and applying cultural practices as they affect plant 

physiological processes and influence plant growth and development; management of a greenhouse 

business. Prerequisite: HORT 201.* 

429. Floriculture Crop Production. (2-2). Credit 3. Production of floriculture crops in the greenhouse 

environment; scheduling and controlling crop growth for target market periods; specific flowering crops 

will be used as models to demonstrate potted flowering plant, cut flower, and garden plant production 

systems; hands-on crop production experience in lab. Prerequisite: HORT 201.*Course 

Descriptions/Horticultural Sciences 

431. Nursery Production and Management. (2-2). Credit 3. Container, field and protected culture production 

of ornamental nursery plants (shrubs, trees, ground covers, bedding plants and herbaceous perennials); 

retail and wholesale nursery-site selection and development, financing, niche-marketing, personnel and 

labor management; wholesale nursery production cycles and systems, storage and shipping.* 

432. Horticulture Landscape Design. (2-2). Credit 3. Application of the principles and elements of design to 

planning and developing both exterior residential landscape designs and interior commercial designs. 

Prerequisites: HORT 203; HORT 332; HORT 306 or HORT 308 or approval of instructor. 

435. Urban Horticulture. (3-0). Credit 3. Introduction to urban horticulture and its role in community 

development and well-being; emphasis on career opportunities and the roles of the urban horticulture 

programmer. Offered in odd numbered years. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification. 

440. International Horticulture. (3-0). Credit 3. Examines the source of horticultural commodities; shows 

how geography, culture, politics, and history influence our markets, gardens and refrigerators; educates 

students on interpreting different garden styles; offered in even number years. Prerequisite: Junior or 

senior classification. 

442. Horticulture Landscape Design II. (2-2). Credit 3. Introduce computer-aided-drafting (CAD) to produce 

site layout, grading and planting plan, and construction details for small-scale landscape design; advanced 

design principles and practices in their historical context, includes design and drafting of hardscape details, 

manipulation of earth forms, ecological urban park design to traditional garden design. Prerequisites: 

HORT 203, HORT 308 and HORT 432 or approval of instructor; junior or senior classification. 

445. Horticultural Therapy. (2-3). Credit 3. Principles and practices of horticultural therapy; planning and 

implementing horticultural programs for persons with special needs. Offered in odd numbered years. 

Prerequisites: HORT 335 or HORT 435 or approval of instructor; junior or senior classification.* 

446. Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Processing. (2-3). Credit 3. Pilot plant and laboratory operations 

pertaining to processed fruits, vegetables and beverages; new product development emphasized via 

individual laboratory projects. Offered in even numbered years. Prerequisite: FSTC 311. Cross-listed with 

FSTC 446. 

451. Retail Floristry. (2-3). Credit 3. Principles of floral design in a commercial shop enterprise; aspects of 

design in vase arrangements, personal flowers, sympathy flowers and flowers for special occasions; 

production costs and profit analysis, selling techniques and customer relations; term project required. 

Prerequisite: HORT 203 or approval of instructor. 

452. Floral Design: Weddings and Personal Flowers. (2-3). Credit 3. Basic principles of floral design as 

applied to wedding work; design principles and mechanics as applied to corsages, headpieces, hand


bouquets and ceremony and reception decorations; history of wedding traditions; selling and pricing 

weddings. Prerequisite: HORT 203 or HORT 451 or approval of instructor. 

453. Floral Art. (1-2). Credit 2. Advanced study of floral design as an art form in contrast to a commercial 

florist operation; interpretive expression of design principles and color stressed along with international 

design styles. Prerequisites: HORT 203; HORT 451 and/or HORT 452. 

454. Special Event Design and Production. (1-2). Credit 2. Role of event planners, production managers, 

designers, and decorators within traditional event management practices; analyze how artistic components 

are used in visual styling to achieve a specific purpose; impact of collaborative planning, effective research, 

and strong communication skills, social psychological and economic influences as they relate to event 

planning. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification. 

481. Seminar. (1-0). Credit 1. Review of current research literature in field of horticulture presented by senior 

students; transition from college to work environment, including professional development and career 

advancement; required of all senior students in horticulture. 

484. Internship. Credit 1 to 4. On-the-job experience program in the student’s area of horticultural specialization. 

Must be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. May be taken three times. Prerequisites: Sophomore, 

junior or senior classification; approval of instructor; 2.0 GPR in major and overall. 

485. Directed Studies. Credit 1 to 4. Special problems and projects in any area of horticulture. Prerequisite: 

Junior or senior classification or approval of department head. 

489. Special Topics in... Credit 1 to 4. Selected topics in an identified area of horticultural science. May be 

repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.* 

491. Research. Credit 1 to 3. Research conducted under the direction of faculty member in horticulture. May 

be repeated 2 times for credit. Registration in multiple sections of this course are possible within a given 

semester provided that the per semester credit hour limit is not exceeded. Prerequisites: Junior or senior 

classification and approval of instructor. 

NOTE: Undergraduate floriculture courses are taught under the horticulture designation. 

*Field trips required for which departmental fees may be assessed to cover costs. 

High Impact Practices – Experiential Learning 

Texas A&M University is committed to providing high-impact learning experiences to all students at all levels, 

across the whole curriculum. Also known as experiential learning, the concept can be defined as learning that 

takes place when students are actively engaged in the educational process, when their learning goes beyond the 

classroom to be applied in their lives. In a high-impact learning experience, students actively pose and solve 

problems, work collaboratively in a community of peers, experience real-world applications of knowledge, and 

reflect on their learning processes. (http://us.tamu.edu/Students/High-Impact-Practices/High-Impact-Practices- 

Defined ) 

In 2011, the Department of Horticultural Sciences began promoting high impact practices in earnest. 

Departments in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences were asked to write proposals toward the goal of 

having 100% of our undergraduate population complete a high impact learning experience by the year 2015 (in a 

program named Activity 2015). 

Drawing from historical student participation and focusing on desired future learning outcomes for the 

undergraduate student population, the Department decided to center its efforts on three primary experiential 

learning activities: internships, study abroad/international experiences, and undergraduate research, while 

allowing for other significant experiences to be included as well. Target ranges for participation in activity types 

are as follows: 

Internships – 50%-60% of all Horticulture majors; 

Study Abroad/International Experience– 20%-25% of all Horticulture majors; 

Undergraduate Research/Directed Studies – 15-20% of all Horticulture majors; and 

*Other high-impact experiences – 5-15% of all Horticulture majors.


*Other high impact experiences may include service learning, honors coursework, and significant/measurable 

participation with a university club or organization. 

Funding from the Activity 2015 grant was used to hire a half-time experiential learning coordinator, provide funds 

to support faculty travel to facilitate international programs and studies abroad, and provide small grants to help 

faculty defray the cost of supplies associated with mentoring student researchers in their labs. 

With no official requirement built-in to the curriculum, the Department focuses on presenting appealing high 

impact learning opportunities drawn from a wide range of sources and encouraging students to take the initiative 

to participate in one or more of them in the course of their undergraduate studies. The departmental Website 

(http://hortsciences.tamu.edu ) features opportunities prominently as does the student news and events blog 

created for this purpose (http://whatsupaggiehort.blogspot.com/ ). Advisor newsletters and departmental bulletin 

boards are also employed in the interest of reaching the greatest number of students. 

Results 

A single year has passed since the Department of Horticultural Sciences began its coordinated efforts at 

increasing student participation in high impact areas. Year 1 results showed an increase in the number of students 

participating in an internship or study abroad program above historical levels. However, additional years’ 

reporting will help us determine if our outreach and promotion efforts are consistently increasing student 

participation. 

Figure 2.1 Historical trend in horticulture student participation in study abroad/international experience 

and for credit internship programs (HORT 484). 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

Study Abroad/ 

International 

Experience 

Internships (for 

credit) 

Studies abroad and HORT 484 internships have increased markedly during the first year of the grant. 

In addition to the emphasis on studies abroad and internships, we have begun to formalize and quantify 

participation in other experiential learning activities, most notably, participation in the on-campus,


student-run vegetable crop production enterprise, the Howdy! Farm. 

Study Abroad 

Two faculty-led study abroad programs are available in the Department of Horticultural Sciences including 

International Horticulture in Italy led by Dr. Leo Lombardini and Season Extension Horticulture in China led by 

Dr. Mengmeng Gu. 

Undergraduate Research and Directed Studies 

Several opportunities exist for students to gain high impact experience under the tutelage of departmental faculty. 

Dr. Astrid Volder offers HORT 485 credit for students interested in working on the TAMU Green Roof project. 

Dr. Koiwa, Dr. Arnold, Dr. Byrne, Dr. Lombardini, Dr. Starman, and Dr. Patil have each offered undergraduates 

the opportunity for undergraduate research experience and/or directed studies. However, no central system 

currently exists to direct students into programs and not all faculty members offer such opportunities each 

semester, leaving room for improvement to facilitate connections between interested students and available 

faculty in these areas. 

Honors Coursework 

Currently, Dr. Patricia Klein offers an honors version of HORT 201, but the course does not always make. Due to 

low participation, the 201H option will likely be discontinued. Horticulture majors are able to participate in 

honors coursework in other departments. 

Service Learning 

While not officially sanctioned by the University as a service-learning course, Dr. Jayne Zajicek offers 

opportunities and incentives for students in HORT 335 (Sociohorticulture) to engage in course-related volunteer 

opportunities. 

Internships & Student Employment 

The Department of Horticultural Sciences establishes and maintains successful partnerships with many industry 

employers. Each spring for the past 14 years, the Department has hosted a Career Fair enabling employers and 

students the opportunity to connect. In addition, the Department maintains an active and free job posting board, 

http://aggies-for-hire.tamu.edu/. Non-profit institutions and nationally-recognized retailers and horticulture firms 

regularly communicate with the department’s staff to advertise opportunities to students on the departmental 

bulletin boards, newsletters to students, and the student news and events blog. 

Student Organizations and Clubs 

The Howdy Farm - The Howdy Farm is a student-led sustainable farm operated by a University-recognized 

student group, the Sustainable Agriculture Student Association. The Howdy Farm has grown in prominence and 

popularity over the five years since its inception. The recipient of two Aggie Green Fund grants, the Howdy Farm 

is currently undertaking the procurement of a ‘portable sustainability demonstration module’ with this funding to 

be located behind the horticulture demonstration gardens south of the Horticulture/Forest Science Building. The 

structure will be ‘off the grid’ and demonstrate micro-sustainability practices and technologies including the use 

of reclaimed building materials, solar capture and storage, and rainwater harvesting and filtration. The Howdy 

Farm offers students internships for credit, funds student workers through its seasonal CSA program, and has a 

robust volunteer labor force that draws students across the University. 

TAMU Horticulture Club - The Texas A&M Horticulture Club is the campus affiliate of the Association of 

Collegiate Branches of the American Society for Horticultural Science. The Hort Club travels to the regional and 

national meetings of ASHS where students participate in the commodity judging contest, undergraduate paper 

competition, and other activities associated with the ACB. The Club was the national outstanding club in 2010 

and 2011, and won the commodity judging competition in 2010 and placed second in 2012. Our students often 

are elected to leadership positions in the national organization. Taylor Paine served as national president in 

2010-11, and Yessica Garcia is national president for 2012-13. The Hort Club supports its participation and travel 

to meetings through an aggressive fund-raising program including growing and selling containers of bluebonnets, 

bedding plants, vegetable transplants, and foliage plants at their annual Spring Plant Fair.


SAIFD (Student American Institute of Floral Design) - The TAMU SAIFD is a student group associated with 

the Forsyth Chapter of the national organization, the American Institute of Floral Design (AIFD). The Texas 

A&M group is led by Mr. Bill McKinley, Endowed Chair and Director of the Benz School of Floral Design. 

SAIFD acts as an on-campus flower design/event planner while strengthening student members’ design skills. 

From the University President’s banquets before Aggie football games and scholarship banquets to Muster and 

alumni functions, student members of the organization have many opportunities to gain hands-on experience in 

floral design. The organization also offers funds for an annual trip to the AIFD Symposium for selected student 

members where they participate in competitions and attend seminars taught by nationally-known floral innovators. 

Pi Alpha Xi - The national horticulture honorary annually initiates approximately twenty outstanding juniors and 

seniors who are nominated by faculty for their outstanding academic achievements. 

Undergraduate Student Enrollment Trends 

The student enrollment records maintained by the department 

includes both double major and double degree-seeking candidates and 

therefore are at a slight variance from the numbers reported by the 

official university headcount reported by Data and Research Services. 

The most recently available data indicates a total undergraduate 

enrollment, including double major/double degree candidates to be 

187 students (Table 2.3). 

Bachelors degrees awarded by the department have increased by 17% 

since 2008 (Table 2.4). This increase is due to an increase in the 

number of BA degrees, and the number of BS degrees awarded has 

decreased slightly over the same period. 

Comparison to Peer Institutions 

Many of the aspects of our departmental vision (as well as that of the 

College and University) require that we compare our programs and 

performance with that of our peers. We used the FAEIS (Food and 

Agricultural Education Information System) database to compare 

enrollments and student demographics to those of our peers among 

the landgrant university system. 

Table 2.3 Undergraduate Enrollment 

by Year 

UG* 

UG** 

FY 2008 163 170 

FY 2009 155 163 

FY 2010 172 186 

FY 2011 177 190 

FY 2012 175 187 

* Data from Fall 12th day headcounts, DARS 

** Data from departmental records including 

double degrees/double majors 

Table 2.4 HORT Degrees by Year 

BA BS UG Total 

FY 2008 14 34 48 

FY 2009 19 36 55 

FY 2010 19 22 41 

FY 2011 27 29 56 

Table 2.5 Standard CIP codes used to report various subdisciplines in horticulture 

CIP Code 

Discipline 

01.0601 Applied Horticulture/Horticultural Operations, General 

01.0603 Ornamental Horticulture 

01.0604 Greenhouse Operations and Management 

01.0605 Landscaping and Groundskeeping 

01.0606 Plant Nursery Operations and Management 

01.0608 Floriculture/Floristry Operations and Management 

01.0699 Applied Horticulture/Horticultural Business Services, Other 

01.1103 Horticultural Science


For the sake of these comparisons, we defined our peer institutions as the following: 

Auburn University, Colorado State University, Cornell University, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, 

Louisiana State University, Michigan State University, Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University at 

Raleigh, Oregon State University, Purdue University, The Ohio State University, The Pennsylvania State University, 

University of California, Davis, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Missouri, University of 

Nebraska- Lincoln, University of Wisconsin- Madison, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Washington 

State University 

The discipline of horticulture is reported under several CIP codes (classification of instructional programs) in the 

FAEIS database, and many institutions do not report their statistics by subdiscipline, often deferring to report in 

the inclusive CIP 01.1103, horticultural science (Table 2.5). The FAEIS data summary presented results from 

searching all the CIP codes listed, and summing the student numbers in each subdiscipline. We then compared 

our combined enrollment and number of degrees awarded (BA + BS) over time to the FAEIS data to get a sense 

for how our enrollment compared to the mean of our peer institutions (Table 2.6). 

Table 2.6. Comparison of baccalaureate enrollment and degrees awarded in the TAMU Horticulture 

programs to the mean of 19 peer institutions reporting to the FAEIS database. 

Peer Institution Average (19 peers reporting) 

TAMU Horticulture 

Baccalaureate Enrollment # Graduates Baccalaureate Enrollment # Graduates 

2007 110 35 154 56 

2008 108 35 170 48 

2009 105 31 163 55 

2010 111 30 186 41 

2011 122 28 190 56 

2012 - - 187 64 

The Texas A&M horticulture program has a higher undergraduate enrollment than the mean of the 19 peer 

institutions reporting to the FAEIS. Additionally, in the 2011 reporting year (the last year for which data are 

available), our programs graduated twice the mean number of baccalaureate students compared to the peer mean 

(Table 2.6). Factors that may explain a higher graduate/enrollment ratio (29% vs 23%) could include the fact that 

more of our students arrived in the department as transfers than as new freshmen (decreasing their time in our 

program) or that we have less egress from our programs resulting in a higher percentage of our students actually 

graduating in our department. 

Measurements of Student Retention and Degree Completion 

In 2011, nearly 80% of the students who entered the horticulture degree programs completed their degree in our 

program (Table 2.7). The success rate climbs to nearly 85% when those who transfer to another program prior to 

graduation are considered. 

Table 2.7. Degree completion rate and time to graduation of students entering the TAMU horticulture baccalaureate 

programs annually from 2009 – 2011. Cohort Data from THECB Database 

Fiscal 

Year 

CIP 

Code 

Completion Rate of Juniors After 4 

Years 

Number in 

Cohort 

Same 

Program 

Other 

Program 

Time to Degree 

Average 

No. of 

Semesters 

Average 

No. of 

SCH 

Baccalaureate Graduate Success 

Employed 

Enrolled 

in 

Graduate 

or 

Prof. Prog. 

Employed 

and 

Enrolled in 

Graduate or 

Prof. Prog. 

2009 0106 54 87.00% 3.70% 10.64 145.61 65.15% 6.06% 1.52% 

2010 0106 53 83.00% 7.50% 10.56 143.79 65.75% 5.48% 2.74% 

2011 0106 78 79.50% 5.10% 10.91 146.32 59.26% 11.11% 1.85%


Students complete their degrees in just under 11 semesters, and most enroll in between 24 and 26 more than the 

120 hours required for graduation. The percentage of students employed has fallen from 65% to 59% from 2009 

– 2011, reflective of the overall economic conditions nationally (Table 2.7). 

Gender and Ethnic Diversity of the Horticulture Undergraduate Student 

Texas A&M University and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences value ethnic and gender diversity in the 

student population as well as among the faculty. Diversifying and globalizing the Texas A&M community is one 

of the twelve imperatives (imperative number 6) of Vision 2020 at the University level and is the first goal in the 

College and Life Sciences strategic plan: “Enhance and broaden the students’ educational experience to make 

them better understand the world around them and how different perspectives contribute to its strength.” 

The Horticultural Sciences undergraduate student population has become increasingly female during the period of 

2008-2012 (Table 2.8, 2.9). Presently, 70% of our undergraduates are female (Table 2.9). In 2010 our population 

was over 18% Hispanic, but that level of diversity has not been maintained. 

Table 2.8 Gender and ethnicity of TAMU undergraduate horticulture students during spring semester of 

indicated year 

Female Male Total Caucasian Hispanic Asian 

American African Not 

Indian American Reported 

2008 95 69 164 141 16 4 1 2 

2009 106 59 165 134 22 4 3 2 

2010 105 60 165 131 30 2 2 0 

2011 131 61 192 153 31 1 4 0 3 

2012 137 59 196 161 29 1 5 0 0 

Table 2.9 Gender and ethnicity of TAMU undergraduate horticulture students during spring semester of 

indicated year as percentage of total 

American African 

Female Male Caucasian Hispanic Asian 

Indian American 

2008 57.9 42.1 86.0 9.8 2.4 0.6 1.2 

2009 64.2 35.8 81.2 13.3 2.4 1.8 1.2 

2010 63.6 36.4 79.4 18.2 1.2 1.2 0.0 

2011 68.2 31.8 79.7 16.1 0.5 2.1 0.0 

2012 69.9 30.1 82.1 14.8 0.5 2.6 0.0 

Other underrepresented minorities account for a very small percentage of our undergraduates. 

Gender and Ethnic Diversity of TAMU Horticulture Undergraduate Population Compared to Peers 

The undergraduate student populations in our baccalaureate horticulture programs have a much higher percentage 

of women than the 19 peer institutions reporting in the FAEIS database (70% compared to 40%, respectively) 

(Tables 2.9, 2.11). Additionally, the percentage of Hispanic students is much higher than the national norm 

(14.8% compared to 4.7%, respectively). The enrollment of other underrepresented minorities is quite low at 

TAMU as well as at our peer institutions.


Table 2.10. Gender and ethnicity of undergraduate horticulture students by year from 19 peer 

institutions (FAEIS database, 25 Feb 2013) 

Female 

Male 

Total 

(M+F) 

Caucasian Hispanic Asian 

American 

Indian 

African 

American 


Total (all 

groups) 

2007 638 1261 1899 1720 50 19 13 21 250 2073 

2008 628 1231 1859 1668 54 28 12 26 242 2030 

2009 611 1191 1802 1587 60 33 15 26 261 1982 

2010 686 1195 1881 1505 53 42 17 73 392 2082 

2011 928 1396 2324 1857 108 30 12 32 242 2281 

Table 2.11. Gender and ethnicity of undergraduate horticulture students in indicated year from 19 peer 

institutions as percentage of total (FAEIS database, 25 Feb 2013) 

Female Male Caucasian Hispanic Asian 

American 

Indian 

African 

American 

2007 33.6 66.4 83.0 2.4 0.9 0.6 1.0 12.1 

2008 33.8 66.2 82.2 2.7 1.4 0.6 1.3 11.9 

2009 33.9 66.1 80.1 3.0 1.7 0.8 1.3 13.2 

2010 36.5 63.5 72.3 2.5 2.0 0.8 3.5 18.8 

2011 39.9 60.1 81.4 4.7 1.3 0.5 1.4 10.6 


Assessment of Learning Outcomes 

Annual assessment of the baccalaureate programs in horticulture was started in the 2008-2009 academic year. 

The undergraduate assessment plan was developed over the course of more than a year of workshops, faculty 

meetings, and interaction with colleagues at peer institutions. The planning activity culminated in the 

appointment of the departmental assessment committee in June, 2008 which was charged with the finalization of 

the learning outcome statements, formulation of achievement targets, development of outcome measures, and 

oversight of annual report preparation and entry into the Texas A&M University assessment and planning 

management system, WeaveOnline (http://assessment.tamu.edu/weave/weave_index.html). 

The primary measures used to assess the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs are the same because 

the fundamental learning outcomes of the programs are so similar. Differences between the two programs are 

accounted for when the assessment committee evaluates the selected transcripts and eportfolios considering the 

degree program in which the students are enrolled. For example, the visual expectations and artifacts presented in 

a portfolio from a student with an emphasis in floral design/event planning (BA) are expected to be different from 

those expected of a student with an emphasis in fruit and vegetable production (BS). 

Not all measures are collected every year. The frequency of use of the measures and the outcomes which they are 

designed to assess are indicated below: 

1. Academic transcript review (annually; outcome assessed 1*) 

Academic transcripts of 20 randomly selected students (grouped by major and specialization) are 

reviewed by the Departmental Assessment Committee using a common rubric. These records are 

examined for overall performance, with special attention given to courses in which students appear to be 

performing either above or below expectations. Problems in student performance are noted and


recommendations on how to correct these deficiencies are proposed to the department head. 

2. Portfolio review (annually; outcomes assessed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9) 

Students demonstrate their grasp of computer technology, writing skills, organization, and graphic 

communication by the sample projects included in their portfolios. The portfolio contains examples of 

computer graphic/landscape design projects, photographs of floral designs, photographs of other special 

projects, sample presentations (either as slide sets or video recordings), or other examples that 

demonstrate the students’ competence in using technology to construct and communicate project work. 

The portfolios of 10 randomly selected students graduating in each degree program are reviewed and 

evaluated by the assessment committee using a common rubric. 

3. Employer survey (2009-2010 year; outcomes assessed 1, 5, 7) 

Employers who hire students for university-sponsored internships and full-time positions are asked to 

complete a Web-based survey evaluating students' aptitude in general plant knowledge, specific 

horticultural knowledge, and other fundamental plant science knowledge (soils, plant pathology, 

entomology, etc.). Employer surveys are summarized and examined for any general trends that impact the 

perception of "job readiness" of our students. 

4. Graduating senior survey (annually; outcome assessed 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9) 

Graduating students are asked to complete a Web-based survey designed to determine perceptions of how 

well they were prepared for the job they accepted. The survey is administered when the students took 

HORT 481, Senior Seminar. Students were asked to self assess their competency, skills, abilities and 

attitudes related to horticulture in general in and specific, society and their interaction with others. 

5. Alumni self-assessment survey (2008 – 2009; outcomes assessed 5, 6, 7, 8) 

Students who graduated in horticulture were asked to complete a Web-based survey designed to 

determine perceptions of how well they were prepared for the job they accepted. They also were asked to 

self assess their competency, skills, abilities and attitudes related to horticulture in general in and specific, 

society and their interaction with others. 

6. Critical thinking assessment test (2009-2010 year; outcome assessed 5) 

Students enrolled in HORT 481, Senior Seminar, in the fall, 2009 class served as a test group to 

determine the usefulness of using the CAT (Critical Thinking Assessment test) to gauge the critical 

thinking ability of students in the programs. 

7. Participation in leadership activities (annually; outcomes assessed 6, 7) 

Participation of our students in extracurricular activities such as pre-professional clubs, judging contests 

and attendance at professional meetings such as the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS), 

Southern Region ASHS, American Instutute of Floral Designers, etc. are used to estimate preprofessional 

training and leadership development. 

*Abbreviated outcome statement (refer to full statement on page 2.1) 

1. Demonstrate science-based knowledge 

2. Demonstrate knowledge of how plants impact people 

3. Communicate core horticultural knowledge 

4. Competency in using electronic technology 

5. Demonstrate critical-thinking ability 

6. Graduates will become responsible citizens 

7. Students will gain experience in teamwork 

8. Graduates will become lifelong learners 

9. Graduates will demonstrate awareness of global horticulture 

Examples of Assessment Tools and Findings 

The assessment of student eportfolios as indicators of learning is receiving increased emphasis at a number of 

peer institutions (notably Virginia Tech and Clemson) because they allow evaluation of a number of different 

skills and abilities, as well as an overview of the level of the student’s comprehension of concepts, their ability to 

express themselves in written and graphic form, their ability to manage computer technology, and their ability to 

reflect on the learning experiences to which they have been exposed. Texas A&M University has evaluated, and 

is implementing a module within Blackboard Learn, the eCampus Portfolio, that will facilitate campus-wide


adoption of eportfolios in the near future. 

We have used a number of different systems to create the eportfolios (ex. the TAMU student Webspace on 

people.tamu.edu) but we have now settled on Googlesites as a convenient platform. Googlesites are free and the 

students can “carry their eportfolio Website” with them after graduation, and have them evolve into a site that can 

be used in their later professional careers. A starter template with a graphic presentation similar to the standard 

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Web template has been created to give students a quick start into the 

process since very little instructional time is devoted to teaching the process of Website creation. An example of 

the HORTfolio template is presented below. 

Students are introduced to the eportfolio project briefly in HORT 101 and more extensively in the learning 

community, HORT 225. Ideally, we will progress to the point where the eportfolios are all started in HORT 101,


will serve as a collecting point for artifacts of learning throughout the students’ undergraduate programs, and will 

be completed during HORT 481, Senior Seminar. 

The five-member departmental assessment committee evaluates the eportfolios annually using a standard rubric 

(Table 2.12). 

Table 2.12 Rubric used for evaluation of student eportfolios. Scale extends from “unacceptable = 1” 

to “exceptional” = 5). 

Case Identifier: 

Assessor: 

Date: 

Academic Program: 

Evaluation Criterion 

Portfolio Website created and serving 

Website responds to address provided, graphics of template provided or 

optional template complete, images all present, links to sections work, 

sections representing resume, projects, writing samples, designs (as 

appropriate), contact info, and about me are present 

1 2 3 4 5 

UA A EX 

Website presents evidence for technological competence 

Website has orderly appearance; links to documents and attachments all work; 

images load quickly; images are of appropriate resolution and proper 

proportionality; documents as artifacts are PDF and not proprietary format; 

documents present evidence for understanding of technology 

Portfolio exhibits adequate disciplinary strength 

Work presented exemplifies excellent grasp of fundamentals of academic 

emphasis area (ex. Quality of designs, complexity of projects, summaries of 

research); adequate number of artifacts presented to assess; 

Portfolio exhibits professionalism 

Overall impression gained from portfolio is that it represents the work of a 

well-educated horticultural professional 

Communication elements in portfolio satisfactory 

Student uses the correct terminology of the field; portfolio is free of spelling 

and grammatical errors; reflective statements are adequate in number and in 

complexity of thought; layout and overall appearance are creative, pleasing, 

and effective 

Comments: 

The sample portfolios evaluated in 2012 from students in the BA program were rated substantially higher on all 

criteria than those in the BS (Table 2.13). While the program learning outcomes assessment reports do not 

specifically compare the performance of BA and BS students (each program report is independent of the other), 

this year’s evaluation did raise concerns among the assessment committee members. The eportfolios of BS 

students were “below expectations,” ie., means less than 3.0, in 4 of the 5 evaluation criteria. The rubric was 

revised in 2012, and some on the committee thought this might have been a factor. Additionally, since the sample 

eportfolios were selected at random, and since the number of samples was very small (only 10 portfolios per 

degree program), it is possible that one year’s results may not be conclusive. The committee has elected to track 

the portfolio evaluations for another year before taking any definitive action. This discussion is an excellent 

example of insuring that the data, in fact, are real. If, for example, students in the BS program are evaluated as 

having not met expectations in the areas of technological competence, disciplinary strength, professionalism, or


communication skills, while those students in the BA have met expectations, then clearly some definitive action 

to modify the curriculum is warranted. 

Table 2.13 Evaluation of student portfolios in 2012 comparing performance of BS and BA candidates. 

Scores in columns are means of 55 observations (5 evaluators x 10 students per program) 

Evaluation Criterion BS BA 

Portfolio Website created and serving 3.0 3.8 

Website presents evidence for technological competence 2.6 3.4 

Portfolio exhibits adequate disciplinary strength 2.5 3.3 

Portfolio exhibits professionalism 2.6 3.3 

Communication elements in portfolio satisfactory 2.4 3.1 

Students are surveyed in the year in which they are graduating, and asked their perceptions of their preparedness 

in areas ranging from plant problem recognition to their ability to perform mathematical calculations. Our survey 

was based on the survey implemented for outcomes assessment at Iowa State University with minor modification. 

For annual assessment reporting, survey data are collected and analyzed on a academic year basis. For the 

purposes of this discussion, however, data from academic years 2009 – 2012 were merged and analyzed to 

increase the sample size and to create a longer-range snapshot of student perceptions. 

Our students report less satisfaction with their preparedness in areas that involve an integrated systems approach 

(recognizing plant problems, management of plant growth in artificial media, horticultural production strategies, 

laws and regulations, horticultural practices used in other parts of the world) and the perceptions differ between 

the BA and BS degree programs as would be expected (Table 2.14). 

Table 2.14 Graduating Senior Survey Summary, Spring 09 - Spring 12 

BA BS 

(mean of 64) (mean of 62) 

DIFF 

How satisfied were you with each of the following aspects of your educational program at Texas A&M 

University? 

Overall quality of education within your major 4.46 4.55 -0.09 

Usefulness of skills and knowledge taught 4.43 4.58 -0.15 

Quality of instruction by faculty in your major 4.54 4.68 -0.14 

Quality of instruction by faculty outside of your major 4.14 4.15 -0.01 

Personal contact with faculty in your major 4.58 4.74 -0.16 

Appropriateness of courses in your major 4.37 4.5 -0.13 

Variety of courses in your major 4.35 4.39 -0.04 

Quality of academic advising 4.37 4.63 -0.26 

Quality of quality of facilities and resources 4.46 4.61 -0.15 

What is your feeling about your competence in the following areas? 

Apply basic horticulture knowledge 4.28 4.48 -0.2 

Understand horticultural terminology 4.34 4.43 -0.09 

Have a basic understanding of technical principles (nutrition, 

planting, propagation, etc.) 

4.14 4.52 -0.38


Implement horticulture production strategies (harvest, quality, 

storage, etc) 

3.92 4.03 -0.11 

Recognize plant problems 3.77 3.83 -0.06 

Understand management of soil-based and artificial substrates 3.47 3.98 -0.51 

Plant identification 3.98 3.96 0.02 

Have general knowledge of horticultural practices used in other 

parts of the world 

3.67 3.81 -0.14 

Have an integrated concept of the ecosystem 3.84 4.19 -0.35 

Understand basic business concepts 4.22 3.69 0.53 

What is your feeling about your skill level in the following areas? 

Present an oral report 4.23 4.23 0 

Write a concise report 4.34 4.3 0.04 

Debate issues 3.92 4 -0.08 

Motivate and organize others when problem solving 4.45 4.27 0.18 

Work as part of a team 4.61 4.56 0.05 

Effective use of technology in the workplace 4.41 4.24 0.17 

Define problems and propose solutions 4.54 4.43 0.11 

Analyze and interpret data 4.36 4.17 0.19 

Seek out opportunities for continued education 4.28 4.1 0.18 

Use resources such as libraries, journals, and electronic sources 4.4 4.05 0.35 

Network with others in your profession, including other former 

students, university faculty and extension professionals 

4.38 4.31 0.07 

Perform mathematical calculations 3.6 3.74 -0.14 

Interpret laws and regulations 3.95 3.91 0.04 

What is your feeling about your capabilities in the following areas? 

Possess an awareness of rural and urban influences of horticulture 4.25 4.26 -0.01 

Recognize moral, legal, and ethical conflicts 4.56 4.4 0.16 

Appreciate the individual's role in sustainable management 4.47 4.47 0 

Possess high standards of achievement 4.58 4.52 0.06 

Appreciate cultural differences 4.61 4.45 0.16 

Tolerate different beliefs 4.58 4.39 0.19 

Application of economic and social science concepts to human 

interactions and organizations 

4.45 4.28 0.17 

Have professional resume and interview skills 4.55 4.46 0.09 

Did you register for and complete successfully HORT484, Internship Experience? 

yes 9 12 -3 

no 52 40 12 

Numerical scale values: 5 - Very satisfied; 4 – Satisfied; 3 – Neutral; 2 – Dissatisfied; 1 - Very dissatisfied; 

NA - Not Considered 

During the 2012-13 academic year, a similar version of the survey was revised and presented to members of the 

horticulture industry to gauge their satisfaction with the preparedness of our students as they performed in fulltime 

jobs or in internships. On almost all of the criteria, employers report a satisfaction higher than 70 on a scale 

of 0 to 100, indicating a very positive perception of students from our programs. Two areas in the 70 or below 

range (ability to diagnose plant problems, general knowledge of the global dimensions of horticultural business)


were also identified by graduating seniors as areas potentially needing improvement, so the faculty need to 

examine the way we prepare out students in these areas and develop more effective alternatives. 

Table 2.15. Responses of horticultural employers when asked for their opinions of the preparedness 

of graduates from the Texas A&M horticulture baccalaureate programs. 

Min 

Value 

Max 

Value 

# 

Responses 

Mean 

Please rate the importance of each of the following indicators of experience in your consideration for 

hiring a new employee: 

Obtained four-year degree in horticulture 1 100 23/24 67.3 

Completed an internship 0 91 19/24 44.2 

Worked for another firm similar to yours 0 85 20/24 37.4 

Completed an international/study abroad experience 0 65 15/24 14.9 

Able to speak Spanish 0 92 20/24 38.6 

Based on your experience with Texas A&M Horticulture graduates, please rate your satisfaction with 

their competence in the following areas: 

General horticultural knowledge 62 100 21/24 86.0 

Technical knowledge of horticultural practices 19 100 21/24 75.5 

Ability to recognize a problem and independently find 

information to address it 

40 100 21/24 80.2 

Communication ability 61 100 21/24 83.7 

Leadership potential 52 100 21/24 79.4 

Ethical behavior 50 100 21/24 93.3 

Based on your experience with Texas A&M Horticulture graduates, please rate your satisfaction with 

their ability to perform the following tasks: 

Present and oral report 0 100 20/24 72.4 

Write a concise report 0 100 19/24 75.2 

Thoughtfully formulate and present position on issues 0 91 19/24 72.3 

Motivate and organize others when problem-solving 0 91 19/24 74.3 

Use technology effectively in the workplace 0 100 19/24 84.1 

Ability to diagnose plant problems 0 100 19/24 70.0 

Based on your experience with Texas A&M Horticulture graduates, please rate the degree to which 

you think they conform to industry expectations in regard to the following character traits: 

Work as part of a team 0 100 20/24 83.2 

Possess high standards of achievement 0 100 20/24 83.0 

Have general knowledge of the global dimensions of 

0 100 20/24 68.7 

horticultural business 

Recognize moral, legal, and ethical conflicts 0 100 20/24 81.3 

Appreciate the individual’s role in sustainable management 0 100 19/24 76.1 

Appreciate cultural differences 0 100 19/24 78.8 

Tolerate and respect different beliefs and opinions 0 100 20/24 81.1 

Application of economic and social science concepts to 

human interactions and organizations 

0 100 19/24 75.4


Data from the 2010 survey of horticultural employers indicate that a majority of employers consider our graduates 

much better or better than other employees hired with similar degrees, and almost all would hire another TAMU 

graduate. Sixty-eight percent of the respondents consider our students well prepared for an entry level position in 

the industry (Table 2.16). 

During the 2010 assessment cycle horticulture industry employers and former students who graduated from our 

programs were surveyed with instruments that contained similarly stated questions, and those responses were 

compared (Table 2.17). Areas of particular interest (those in the 3-4/5 range) are highlighted in Table 2.17, and 

those of particular interest are ones in which the employers and former students perceptions differ markedly. 

Former students (as a whole, and with acknowledgement of the small sample sizes!) have a higher perception of 

their technical knowledge of horticultural practices and their ability to solve/diagnose problems. Both groups 

agree that our graduates’ preparedness to participate in the global dimensions of horticultural business are less 

well developed than most of their other capabilities. 

Survey data such as those illustrated have been used by the faculty as justification for the renewed emphasis on 

formal internships and increased attention to studies abroad and international programs, the two cornerstones of 

our Activity 2015, high-impact, experiential learning program. We need to increase the breadth of the 

horticulture industries responding to our surveys, as our sampling now is very heavy from the green industry. As 

more of our students enter careers in events management, wine tourism, sustainable production, and commercial 

sales, so too must our outreach for advice and evaluation of our programs. 

Table 2.16. Opinions of horticultural employers concerning graduates from the Texas A&M 

horticulture baccalaureate programs. From 2010 assessment survey data; n=30. 

How do graduates of the Texas 

A&M University Horticulture 

program compare to other 

employees you or your firm have 

hired with similar degrees? 

Would you hire another graduate 

from the Texas A&M Horticulture 

Program? 

much better than 

others 

better than 

others 

about the 

same 

not as 

capable 

don't 

know 

4 13 6 1 4 

definitely 

probably 

probably not 

definitely 

not 

don't know 

17 11 1 0 

Do you consider graduates from the 

Texas A&M Horticulture Program 

adequately prepared for an entrylevel 

position in the workforce? 

definitely probably probably not 

definitely 

not 

19 5 3 1 

don't 

know


Table 2.17. Responses of horticultural employers and former students when asked for their opinions of 

the preparedness of graduates from the Texas A&M horticulture baccalaureate programs. 

From 2010 assessment survey data. 

Employer 

n=30 

Former Student 

n=83 

*Please rate the importance of each of the following indicators of experience in your consideration for hiring a new 

employee: 

Obtained four-year degree in horticulture 4 

Completed an internship 3 

Worked for another firm similar to yours 2.7 

Completed an international/study abroad experience 1.4 

Able to speak Spanish 2.64 

**Based on your experience with Texas A&M Horticulture graduates, please rate your satisfaction with their 

competence in the following areas: 

General horticultural knowledge 4.17 4.58 .41 

Technical knowledge of horticultural practices 3.61 4.5 .89 

Ability to recognize a problem and independently find 

information to address it 

4.07 - 

Communication ability 4 - 

Leadership potential 3.93 - 

Ethical behavior 4.41 4.26 .15 

**Based on your experience with Texas A&M Horticulture graduates, please rate your satisfaction with their ability 

to perform the following tasks: 

Present and oral report 4 4.31 .31 

Write a concise report 3.96 4.25 .29 

Thoughtfully formulate and present position on issues 4.13 3.95 .18 

Motivate and organize others when problem-solving 3.81 4.33 .52 

Use technology effectively in the workplace 4.23 4.39 .16 

Ability to diagnose plant problems 3.56 4.07 .51 

**Based on your experience with Texas A&M Horticulture graduates, please rate the degree to which you think 

they conform to industry expectations in regard to the following character traits: 

Work as part of a team 4.26 4.56 .30 

Possess high standards of achievement 4.22 4.66 .44 

Have general knowledge of the global dimensions of 

horticultural business 

3.45 3.44 .01 

Recognize moral, legal, and ethical conflicts 4.23 

Appreciate the individual’s role in sustainable 

management 3.58 4.17 

.59 

Appreciate cultural differences 4 4.51 .51 

Tolerate and respect different beliefs and opinions 4.11 4.42 .31 

Application of economic and social science concepts to 

human interactions and organizations 3.78 3.97 

.19 

How do graduates of the TAMU Horticulture program compare 

to other employees you or your firm have hired 2.83/4 

Would you hire another grad from the TAMU Hort Program? 3.55/4 

Do you consider grads from the TAMU Hort Program well 

prepared for an entry-level position in the workforce? 3.5/4 

*5=Required 4=Critically Important 3=Somewhat Important 2=Slightly Important 1=Not Important NA=Not Considered 

**5=Completely 4=Mostly 3=Somewhat 2=Slightly 1=Not at all NA=Not Observed 

Diff

3. OVERVIEW OF GRADUATE PROGRAMS 

The Department of Horticultural Sciences offers two Masters degrees (Master of Science, Master of Agriculture) 

and the Doctor of Philosophy in Horticulture. A cooperative doctoral program with faculty at Texas A&M 

University at Kingsville is offered as a component of the Ph. D. in Horticulture. Faculty in Horticultural Sciences 

participate in several interdisciplinary programs (Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences (MEPS; formerly 

Plant Physiology), Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Food Science and Technology. 

Graduate Courses Offered in the Department of Horticultural Sciences 

Advanced work in horticulture may be conducted with areas of specialization in fruit production, nut production, 

vegetable production, ornamental horticulture and nursery crops, and fruit, nut and vegetable processing. 

Supporting work may be required in several of the related fields such as chemistry, botany, plant pathology, plant 

physiology, entomology, soils, genetics, nutrition and agricultural engineering. The specific objective of the 

individual student will guide his or her committee in the choice of courses from the departments mentioned above 

and others in special cases. 

Programs of study leading to the Master of Agriculture, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees are 

available. 

601. Nutrition of Horticultural Plants. (3-3). Credit 4. Principles of nutrition related to horticultural plants; 

micro- and macronutrients; root uptake; short- and long-distance transport; management practices of fruit, 

nut, ornamental and vegetable plants; development of skills in nutrition research. Prerequisite: MEPS 313 

or approval of instructor.* 

604. Applied Physiology of Horticultural Crops. (3-0). Credit 3. Chemical, biological and environmental 

factors in growth and differentiation and their application to ornamental, fruit and vegetable crops; growth 

kinetics; source-sink relations; fruit development; seed development and germination; juvenility; apical 

dominance; growth retardants; pruning; photoperiodism; flowering; sex expression; and senescence. 

Prerequisites: MEPS 313 or approval of instructor. 

605. Internet Applications for Horticulture. (2-2). Credit 3. Internet applications for horticulture presents the 

theory and practice of computer networks and networking so that the information and educational content 

(not the hardware) is the key; the focus is on the World Wide Web and creating Web materials for teaching, 

research and extension applications. Prerequisite: Graduate classification. 

608. Plants for Landscape Design. (3-2). Credit 4. Identification and use of indigenous and introduced plants 

in landscape designs; plants for special uses in commercial and residential developments; emphasis on 

ornamental attributes, identification, cultural requirements, limitations and adaptability in urban and 

suburban environments for important taxa; discussion of current issues, research, and trends in selection, 

marketing, and utilization of plants for landscape design. Prerequisite: HORT 201 or HORT 308 or BIOL 

101, or approval of instructor, not open to students with previous credit for HORT 306.* 

609. Plants for Landscape Design II.(3-2). Credit4. Identification and use of indigenous and introduced 

landscape plants; plants for special uses in urban environments; emphasis on plants’ ornamental attributes, 

cultural requirements, and adaptability in urban and suburban environments. Not open to students who have 

completed HORT 308. Prerequisites: BOTN 101, HORT 201, HORT 306, HORT 608, or approval of 

instructor. 

610. Physiological and Molecular Basis for Plant Stress Response. (3-0). Credit 3. Provide the student with 

tools to understand the molecular and physiological consequences caused by environmental factors (abotic 

and biotic) on plant growth and development and the mechanisms of stress adaptation to stress. 

Prerequisite: MEPS 313 or equivalent. Cross-listed with MEPS 610. 

611. Ecology of Urban Landscape. (3-0). Credit 3. Basic concepts and current topics in ecology or urban


landscapes. Role of plants in urban and fragmented ecosystems ranging from individual plant responses to 

changes in ecosystem function. Students will discuss recent literature in the field of urban plant ecology. 

Prerequisite: An undergraduate or graduate class in plant biology or plant ecology is recommended. 

618. Root Biology. (3-0). Credit 3. Basic concepts and current topics in root-soil ecology; managed and natural 

ecosystems including grasslands, cropping systems and forests; role of roots in the rhizosphere, the effects 

of soil, nutrient and water stress and climate change in C and N cycling and carbon sequestration; 

participate in discussions and critique recent literature. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor. Cross-listed 

with MEPS 618. 

622. Citrus and Subtropical Fruits. (3-0). Credit 3. Various types of citrus; identification, culture, processing, 

marketing, and the economic future; prepares students to function in a continuously changing production 

environment in production areas. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor. 

626. International Floriculture Marketing. (2-2). Credit 3. Importance, cost and opportunities in marketing 

floral products, fresh cut flowers, flowering potted plants, foliage plants, and bedding/garden plants; topics 

include world production areas, economic value, species grown, marketing channels, retail environments, 

current/future consumers, postharvest handling, promotion/advertising, perceived/ added value, marketing 

trends and employment opportunities. Prerequisite: Graduate classification. 

630. Post-Harvest Biology, Physiology and Genetics of Plants. (3-0). Credit 3. Overview of biological, 

physiological and genetic mechanisms which impart phenotypes associated with quality and value of plant 

products; current emphasis in areas of ripening, senescence, fruit and flower development, and relevant 

applications of biotechnology will be focus of course. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor. Cross-listed with 

MEPS 630. 

640. Phytochemicals in Fruits and Vegetables to Improve Human Health.(3-0). Credit3. Current scientific 

knowledge about the role of phytochemicals in their diet; increase the knowledge and awareness of 

successful, cost effective, public and private integrated approaches to reduce the health and economic 

burden of chronic diseases; provide instructional curricular resources media for dissemination through 

conventional and distance education technology. Prerequisite: Approval of Instructor. 

644. Food Quality. (3-0). Credit 3. Physical, chemical and biological properties of foods; fundamental attributes 

of flavor, color, odor and texture; esthetic, ethnic and nutritional requirements; role of additives; regulatory 

standards and quality control regimes; current techniques in food investigations.* 

645. World Agriculture and International Plant Breeding. (1-0). Credit 1. Evolution of world agriculture; 

plant breeding and improved varieties; international agricultural research centers and green revolution; 

population growth; environmental challenges; IPR; role of plant breeding and biotechnology in meeting 

world food needs. Prerequisite: SCSC 304, HORT 404 or approval of instructor. Cross-listed with SCSC 

645. 

681. Seminar. (1-0). Credit 1. Student and staff participation in review of literature and reporting on current 

developments in research on production and processing of horticultural crops. Required of all graduate 

students in horticulture and floriculture. 

684. Professional Internship. Credit 1 to 4. Program planned to provide professional training in student’s 

particular field of interest. Faculty and employer will supervise the activity. Work-study planned as a part of 

the Master of Agriculture degree program in fruit, ornamentals or vegetable production, processing and 

handling or landscape or garden design and maintenance. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor. 

685. Directed Studies. Credit 1 to 4 each semester. Individual problems of research or scholarly activity not 

pertaining to thesis or dissertation, or selected instruction not covered by other courses. Final 

documentation of directed study is required. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.


689. Special Topics in... Credit 1 to 4. Selected topics in an identified area of horticulture. May be repeated for 

credit. Prerequisite: Approval of department head. 

690. Theory of Research. (1-0). Credit 1. Design of research experiments in various fields of horticulture and 

floriculture and evaluation of results with the aid of examples taken from the current scientific literature. 

May be repeated for credit. 

691. Research. Credit 1 or more each semester. Research in horticultural problems for thesis or dissertation. 

693. Professional Study. Credit 1 to 9. Approved professional paper undertaken as the requirement for the 

Master of Agriculture. May be taken more than once, but not to exceed 3 hours of credit towards a degree. 

Prerequisite: Graduate classification. 

Comparison of the Texas A&M University Department of Horticultural Sciences’ Graduate Horticulture 

Degrees With Others on a National Scale 

After a period of interim leadership of the Department, a new Department Head was appointed in late August 

2012 and a new Associate Head for Graduate Programs was appointed on October 1. One of the first tasks was to 

assess the current state of our academic programs and to determine how we were performing in relation to peers 

on a national level in preparation for the Academic Program Review. Initial meetings to address immediate needs 

for advancing and updating graduate program policies were initiated. Also, on October 11, 2012 a survey of U.S. 

and Canadian universities that offer graduate degree programs with majors in horticulture or concentrations in 

horticulture within broader based related plant science majors was initiated. The goal of this effort was to 

determine demographics related to our sister (and competing) programs nationally; determine how a variety of 

programmatic requirements and procedures were handled; determine the types of graduate programs and support 

provided by other departments; determine how our student demographics compared with those of our peer 

institutions; determine how departments were financing students and what types of training they were providing; 

and to document demographics associated with the faculty at peer institutions (Table 3.1). 

Table 3.1 Institutions participating in the national 2012 horticulture graduate survey. 

Land Grant University Respondents 

State/Prov. University Respondents 

University of Arkansas University of Minnesota Sam Houston State University 

Kansas State University North Carolina State University Western Kentucky University 

University of Tennessee Utah State University University of Guelph 

Cornell University University of Nebraska at Lincoln Southern Illinois University 

Oklahoma State University North Dakota State University Texas Tech University 

Auburn University 

West Virginia University 

Virginia Tech University University of Delaware 

Iowa State University 

Michigan State University 

Louisiana State University The Ohio State University 

Mississippi State University Penn State University 

Florida Environ. Horticulture Texas A&M University 

Characterization of Horticulture Degree or Concentration Programs 

Among 1862 land grant universities, 36% of horticulture graduate programs were in stand-alone horticulture 

departments and 50% were in blended units with one or more related disciplines. Only 14% were in general plant 

science departments and none were in general agriculture or life sciences units. In contrast horticulture programs 

at state or provincial universities were all housed in either general plant science departments or general 

agriculture/life sciences units. The number of programs offering horticulture-oriented graduate degrees at land


grant institutions was similar to that reported in 2005 (Arnold et al.), although considerably fewer non-land grant 

institutions responded to the current survey (five versus thirteen previously). 

Ph.D. programs were about evenly split between those with a horticulture major and those with concentrations in 

horticulture within a broader plant science major (Table 3. 2). However, enrollment in the plant science major 

was approximately twice that of horticulture-only programs and was the only option offered in state/provincial 

Ph.D. programs. Slightly more M.S. thesis and non-thesis programs had horticulture only majors than were 

present as concentrations within plant science M.S. programs, although as with the Ph.D. programs about twice as 

many students were present in the plant science than in the horticulture majors (Table 3.2). 

Table 3.2. Degrees offered in residence by units offering either degree programs with a horticulture 

major or those with a more generalized plant science type major with some type of 

specialization in horticulture. 2012 national survey data. 

Programs 

Students enrolled 

Land State / Land State / TAMU 

grant Province grant Province Hort. Sci. 

Degree (#) (#) (#) (#) (#) 

Ph.D. Horticulture 12 x 0 x 10.6 y 0.0 y 15 x 

Ph.D. Plant Science 11 3 21.3 17.2 3 z 

M.S. Horticulture (thesis) 17 3 10.8 8.2 9 

M.S. Plant Science (thesis) 10 2 21.6 19.6 5 z 

M.S. Horticulture (non-thesis) 14 2 4.2 4.0 2 

M.S. Plant Science (non-thesis) 6 2 11.5 3.6 0 z 

Other 5 2 16.3 5.6 1 

x Number of programs indicating they offered this type of program are indicate in this column. 

y Mean number of students reported enrolled across institutions offering that particular degree program are indicated in 

this column. 

z The plant science programs associated with these three values only under the TAMU Horticultural Sciences column 

represent the students adloced to the Department, but enrolled in interdisciplinary programs including genetics, 

molecular and environmental plant physiology, plant breeding, and food sciences. 

An additional source of comparative data for enrollments in horticulture graduate programs is the FAEIS database. 

The reported enrollments do not match exactly (likely as a result of differences in program titles reported, ie. 

differences in CIP codes), however, examination of the trends supports the conclusions derived from the national 

survey (Table 3.3). 

Table 3.3 Comparison of graduate enrollment in the TAMU Horticulture programs to the mean of 

21 peer institutions reporting to the FAEIS database. CIP codes are as reported for 

undergraduate students. 

Peer Institution Average (21 peers reporting) 


Masters Enrollment Doctorate Enrollment Masters Enrollment Doctorate Enrollment 

2007 11.7 10.2 

2008 12.1 10.1 14 20 

2009 10.6 9.8 21 18 

2010 13.4 13.3 24 18 

2011 14 14.3 20 18 

2012 19 20


Interestingly, the graduate program enrollment in the TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences was opposite 

of this with a much greater proportion of the students enrolled in the degree programs in horticulture rather than 

the interdisciplinary programs listed in Table 3.2 in the plant science rows. 

The largest reduction in graduate enrollment over last two decades within the Department has been at the expense 

of the number of Masters students (Fig. 3.1) and students enrolled in the interdisciplinary graduate degrees. This 

trend is likely to continue as potential changes to enrollment requirements for viable Ph.D. programs changes at 

the State Higher Education Coordinating Board level and Departments are forced to concentrate their resources in 

maintaining minimum graduation rates in their Ph.D. programs. Enrollment in the horticulture Ph.D. program 

within the Department has remained more stable in enrollment than the other graduate degree programs within the 

Department (Fig. 3.1, Table 3.3). 

Students (# enrolled per degree) 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

3 3 3 

3 

3 3 

3 

B Ph.D. H M.Ag. 3 Total 

J M.S. F NDS 

3 3 3 

3 3 3 3 

3 3 

3 3 3 3 3 3 

J 3 

J 

J J J J 

B B J B B B B B B B 

J 

B B B J 

B B B B B B B B J J J B B 

J B 

J J 

J J J J J J 

J J 

H 

0 

F 

H H H H 

H H H H H H H F 

H H H H H H H H F H 

F H H 

F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F 

1990 

1991 

1992 

1993 

1994 

1995 

1996 

1997 

1998 

1999 

2000 

2001 

2002 

2003 

2004 

2005 

2006 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 

2011 

2012 

Year 

Figure 3.1 Enrollment in various degree programs offered through the TAMU Department of 

Horticultural Sciences from 1990 – 2012. 

Compared to 2005, enrollment in land grant programs in horticulture at both the Ph.D. and Masters levels were 

similar to current levels, but enrollment in the horticultural emphasis in the more generalized plant science 

programs has increased (Arnold et al., 2005). Although the proportions are still small, the enrollment in nonthesis 

horticulture Masters programs has increased compared to 2005 levels (Arnold et al., 2005). When “other” 

was listed, it was frequently mentioned as either non-degree seeking students or those in some sort of postgraduate 

certificate program. 

No responding institutions offered a Ph.D. program in horticulture or with a horticulture concentration at a 

distance. The TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences does participate in a new plant breeding 

interdisciplinary degree in cooperation with the TAMU Department of Soil and Crop Sciences that is offered at a 

distance, but this program is so new it has no graduates yet. Six Masters level programs in horticulture or in plant 

science with a horticulture emphasis were offered at a distance, four by land grant schools and two by non-land


grant schools. Only one institution offered a thesis option M.S. in plant science with a horticultural emphasis at a 

distance, all other available Masters programs were non-thesis degrees. Participation in distance courses within in 

residence programs was still done by a minority of students, but appeared to be a growing course option compared 

to the previous horticulture graduate program survey (Arnold et al., 2005). Participation in courses offered at a 

distance average from 10.7% for non-thesis M.S. programs to 16.5% of thesis requiring M.S. programs. 

Graduate programs in horticulture produce few degree candidates on an annual basis, ranging between 3 and 5 

students at both the Masters and Doctorate levels (Table 3.4). The problematic issue in that regard at Texas A&M 

is that the Texas Higher Coordinating Board requires a minimum of 10 doctoral degrees be awarded over a 5 year 

period for all doctoral programs. Programs below that level are labeled “low producing” programs and are 

subject to elimination. An additional complication is the fact that the THECB is actively considering raising the 

minimum production to 15 degrees/5 years, and if that happens, the doctoral degree in horticulture would be in 

the “low producing” category. 

Table 3.4 Comparison of graduate degrees awarded in the TAMU Horticulture programs to the mean 

of peer institutions reporting to the FAEIS database. CIP codes are as reported for 

undergraduate students. 

Peer Institution Average (# peers reporting) 


Masters Degrees (20) Doctorate Degrees (19) Masters Degrees Doctorate Degrees 

2007 3.6 2.3 2 5 

2008 4.3 2.7 3 1 

2009 4.7 2.3 2 3 

2010 4 2.4 6 0 

2011 4.9 2.2 5 3 

2012 3 4 

More than half of both land grant (57.1%) and non-land grant (66.7%) units permitted direct admission to Ph.D. 

programs without a prior M.S. degree. However, all (100%) of the land grant programs required the identification 

of a faculty member willing to serve as the student's advisor prior to admitting the student to the program. A 

majority (60.0%) of non-land grant schools also required that a faculty advisor be identified prior to admitting the 

student. No schools reported using a lab rotation system during admissions procedures for either land grant or 

non-land grant horticulture graduate programs. A majority (60.0%) of non-land grant schools indicated other 

admissions criteria, with a visible means of support being mentioned. 

Admissions criteria were fairly consistent across programs with 100% of both non-land grant and land grant 

schools including prior grade point averages or ratios in the process. All (100%) programs included an English 

language proficiency measure for international students who's native language was not English. Recommendation 

letters were required by 100% of land grant programs and 80.0% of non-land grant institutions. 

Nearly all (95.5 %) land grant schools considered GRE scores in the admissions process and the majority (60.0) 

of non-land grant schools also incorporated GRE scores in the matrix of admissions criteria. None of the 

responding institutions reported any specialized entrance examinations beyond the GRE. Several (40.9%) of the 

land grant schools indicated other criteria were also involved in the admissions process with an essay or statement 

of purpose being the most frequently cited measure. No additional criteria were indicated by non-land grant 

schools. The Texas A&M University Department of Horticultural of Horticultural Sciences includes all of the 

above criteria except a specialized admissions exam in determining admission to our programs.


Demographics of Students in Graduate Horticulture Degree or Concentration Programs 

Domestic students constituted the majority of the enrollment in both land grant and non-land grant programs, but 

domestic students (65.2%) were a smaller majority of the population than in non-land grant programs (80.6%) 

with international students making up 34.8% of the land grant horticulture graduate students versus only 19.4% at 

non-land grant schools. Interestingly, the proportion of domestic versus international students has remained 

nearly unchanged since the 2005 survey (Arnold et al., 2005). The TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences 

has an even greater international representation (46%) to our student body with only 54% domestic graduate 

students. The largest ethnic population of students in the survey was non-Hispanic whites (Caucasian) at both 

land grant (63.6%) and non-land grant (75.0%) programs. 

Table 3.5 Gender and ethnicity of TAMU graduate horticulture students during fall semester of 

indicated year as percentage of total. Data from TAMU DARS report. 

Female Male Caucasian Underrepresented minority Total minority 

2008 64.7% 35.3% 38.2% 2.9% 61.8% 

2009 56.4 43.6 46.2 2.6 53.8 

2010 45.2 54.8 38.1 2.4 61.9 

2011 52.6 47.4 42.1 5.3 57.9 

The TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences had a minority non-Hispanic white population (42%) when all 

domestic and international students were considered (Table 3.5). The second largest ethnic/racial group at land 

grant schools (14.0%) was Asian (other than Indian/Pakistani) and was tied for second most populous in non-land 

grant schools at 9.0%. At non-land grant schools Indian / Pakistani student enrollment (9.0%) was tied for second, 

but this was only 4.9% of students at land grant schools. At land grant schools the third most frequent 

ethnic/racial group was Hispanics (6.9%) while this was only the sixth largest group at non-land grant schools 

(1.3%). Hispanics were the second largest group of domestic students at the TAMU Department of Horticultural 

Sciences. Black students represented 3.0% of students at land grant schools, but only 2.3% of student in non-land 

grant degree programs. Black enrollment at 1862 land grant horticulture programs has remained steady since 

2005, while that at non-land grant schools has declined substantially (Arnold et al., 2005), perhaps due to the fact 

that none of the 1890 land grant schools responded to the current survey (Table 3.1) whereas several did respond 

to the 2004 survey (Arnold et al., 2005). Native American enrollment was small in both groups, but greater 

(2.5%) in non-land grant institutions than in land grant (0.3%) programs. Native American enrollment has 

increased from nearly none at these types of institution in the 2005 survey (Arnold et al., 2005). The ethnic/racial 

category of other was not reported for non-land grant institutions, while it constituted 6.1% of the reported 

enrollment at land grant programs. Other was often noted to include those indicating no racial or ethnicity group 

or to include international students if they were not included in one of the other reported groups. Students of Arab 

or Middle Eastern decent were also a group noted under other by some institutions. 

Financial Support of Students in Graduate Horticulture Degree or Concentration Programs 

At land grant schools, on average 83.1% of graduate students received institutional support, whereas at non-land 

grant schools only 66.1% of graduate students were funded (Table 3.6). The largest single funding source for 

students was research assistantships, particularly at land grant institutions. Research grants were often mentioned 

by participants as funded by grants rather than internal institutional dollars. 

At the TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences research assistantships are the predominant funding source at 

77.0 % of the students, of which 100% is from soft money (grants contracts, temporary bridge funds, other 

external funds, etc.). The second largest source of funding for graduate students was teaching assistantships for


non-land grant schools (Table 3.6). While teaching only assistantships constituted a smaller proportion of funding 

sources for graduate students at land grant schools, when merged with combined responsibility assistantships, the 

proportionate funding source (17.0%) was similar to that of teaching assistantships at non-land grant schools 

(17.4%). 

Table 3.6. Graduate student funding (by source) at landgrants and state/province institutions in 

horticulture. 

Category Landgrant (%) State/province (%) TAMU HORT (%) 

Fellowships 7.5 3.0 0 

Teaching Assistantships 8.3 17.4 17 

Research Assistantships 60.7 44.8 77 

Extension Assistantships 0.5 0 0 

Combination Assistantships 8.7 0 0 

Home Country 5.0 5.5 0 

None/self-funded 11.9 28.4 12 

Teaching assistantships at the TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences was also about 17% (our only hard 

money assistantship source). Although a relatively small proportion of the overall funding, fellowships were 

about twice as much of the funding sources at land grant schools as at non-land grant schools (Table 3.6). On 

average, both land grant and non-land grant institutions had about 5% of the horticulture graduate students funded 

by their home (non-U.S.) country (Table 3.6). The TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences currently has no 

students funded by their home countries. Approximately 12% of the fulltime TAMU Department of Horticultural 

Sciences graduate students were not funded in Fall 2012, with a few additional non-funded part-time students. 

This was within a few percent of the mean for land grant schools (Table 3.6). The proportion of non-funded 

students increased at non-land grant schools compared to 2005, but decreased for land grant institutions over the 

same time span (Arnold et al., 2005). 

Mean fellowship stipends at land grant institutions ranged from a mean minimum of $19,265 to a mean maximum 

of $21,160. These stipends have increased substantially in comparison to those offered by both types of schools 

in 2005 (Arnold et al., 2005). The greater value of fellowships is not surprising as they are frequently used to lure 

top candidates to the positions. Absolute minimum / maximum ranges for fellowship stipends were from $1,100 

to $40,000 encompassing the widest range of variation in stipends for any of the sources of funding. Research 

assistantship stipends had an absolute range of $4,368 to $31,000 per year while teaching stipends had an absolute 

range of $6,825 to $26,700. Assistantship stipends typically ranged at land grant institutions from a mean 

minimum research stipend of $16,568 to a mean maximum extension assistantship stipend of $23,380 (Table 3.7). 

Our Departmental minimum assistantship stipend average of $16,500 ($16,000 Masters, $17,000 Ph.D.) is 

comparable to the land grant mean minimum assistantships. 

Table 3.7 Value of graduate stipends by type in horticulture programs from a 2013 national survey. 

1862 Landgrants State/province 

Funding type: Minimum ($/year) Maximum ($/year) Minimum ($/year) Maximum ($/year) 

Fellowships $19,265 y $21,160 $17,300 $40,000 

Teaching assist $16,863 $18,343 $10,448 $12,997 

Research assist. $16,568 $21,349 $15,303 $23,440 

Extension assist. $19,429 $23,380 ---- ---- 

Combination assist. $16,728 $18,678 ---- ---- 

y Values represent means of those reported as minimums or maximums at individual institutions 

Tuition/fees In-state Out-of-state In-state Out-of-state 

Cost / year $10,227 z $18,963 $10,103 $15,204 

z Values represent means of those reported at individual institutions


The lowest minimum research assistantship offered was $4,368, while the greatest was $26,700. Non-land grant 

institutions offered substantially lower mean minimum assistantship stipends in teaching and research, especially 

with teaching assistantships (Table 3.7). Time commitments for fellowships were lower than for most 

assistantship classes, with most assistantships requiring in the range of 10 to 20 hours of service. 

Remuneration in the form of stipends was offered by 95.5% of land grant programs and 80.0% of non-land grant 

programs. In addition, 95.5% of land grant programs provided out of state tuition waivers, with 60.0% of nonland 

grant programs following suit. A vast majority (90.9%) of land grant programs offered in-state tuition 

waivers, whereas only a minority (40.0%) of non-land grant programs offered in-state tuition waivers. Most 

(59.1%) land grant programs offered medical insurance but only 20.0% of non-land grant programs provided it. 

Few land grant (13.6%) or non-land grant (20.0%) institutions also paid student fees. Other forms of remuneration 

were provided by 4.5% of land grant programs, but no non-land grant programs offered additional benefits. 

Mean yearly costs of in-state tuition were similar at land grant ($10,227) compared to non-land grant institutions 

($10,103) (Table 3.7). However, out-of-state tuition was on average considerably greater ($18,964) at land grant 

institutions than at non-land grant institutions ($15,204). Teaching assistantships in-state ($6,348) and out-ofstate 

($12,666) tuition are considerably below the means for land grant institutions. However, for the majority of 

schools offering out-of-state and in state tuition waivers, this may nearly double the cost of funding a student 

compared to the actual amount of the stipend. Along with the cost of health insurance, social security, etc. the 

cost can easily be $30,000 or more per year to the Department or principal investigator. 

One phenomenon this has created is that it is often more cost effective to hire a technician or post-doc than to hire 

graduate students. Considering a mean stay of 3.9 (with prior M.S.) to 4.6 (without prior M.S.) years for Ph.D. 

students these numbers can easily translate into an investment of well over a $100,000 in just direct salary and 

benefits for a single Ph.D. student, not including the costs of actually conducting the experiments, travel to 

meetings for presentations, etc. Ph.D. programs took a similar 3.5 and 5.0 years time frames, respectively, at nonland 

grant schools. Master of Science degrees took a mean of 2.4 years at land grant and 2.1 years at non-land 

grant institutions. Times were nearly reversed for non-thesis Masters programs at land grant schools which were 

completed more quickly, with a mean of 2.1 years, while at non-land grant schools non-thesis Masters programs 

took longer, 2.5 years. Mean time to completion for students with a prior M.S. at the TAMU Department of 

Horticultural Sciences was 3.7 years, slightly below the mean for other land grant institutions. 

Figure 3.2. Actual assistantship budget and consumer price index (CPI) adjusted budget based on 1999 U.S. dollars.


Hard money funded assistantships from internal institutional support remains at the same absolute dollar amount 

in the TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences as it was in 2002 at approximately $100,379 per year (Fig. 

3.2). Applying the consumer price index calculations to the hard money graduate assistantship funds, this amount 

has steadily eroded to an adjusted value of $78,653. 

Compounding the eroding value of the funds is the need to increase stipend levels which has resulted in a loss of 

about one-third of our previously available assistantship slots (Fig. 3.3). The only saving factor was the provision 

of in-state tuition waivers for all internally funded Ph.D. and most internally-funded Masters students beginning 

in 2005. Unfortunately, these in-state tuition waivers do not apply to students who are funded on external funds, 

so this must be factored into grant requests, possibly decreasing the likelihood of the grant being funded. 

Figure 3.3. Available teaching assistantships based on hard money budgeted funds divided by the mean minimum 

assistantship stipend in effect at that date. 

Course Requirements and Experiential Learning in Graduate Horticulture Degree or Concentration Programs 

Total course and credit hour requirements were slightly greater at land grant institutions for horticulture 

concentrations within a plant science program than in horticulture only degree programs, however minimum 

research hours requirements were slightly greater in the Ph.D. in horticulture programs (Table 3.8). Ph.D. 

programs at non-land grant schools required on average fewer total credit hours and fewer research/internship


hours, but far more formal course work hours (Table 3.8). Requirements were surprisingly uniform among thesis 

requiring M.S. in horticulture and M.S. in plant science with emphasis in horticulture programs, varying only 

slightly in requirements within a given category of courses (Table 3.8). A similar degree of uniformity was 

present for most categories of requirements for non-thesis Masters programs, with the exception of research or 

internship hours which were much greater in land grant than in non-land grant non-thesis Masters programs in 

plant science with a horticulture concentration (Table 3.8). When available, on-line degrees were reported by all 

institutions to have the same requirements as in residence degrees. 

Table 3.8. Course requirements across degree programs among 1862 land grant and non-land grant 

institutions. 

Land State / TAMU 

grant Province Hort. Sci. 

Degree Requirement (#) (#) (#) 

Ph.D. Horticulture Total hours 66.5 z ----- 64 

Formal courses 28.5 ----- 16 

Research/internship 28.0 ----- ̃20 

Ph.D. Plant Science Total hours 73.8 60.0 ----- 

Formal courses 37.3 51.0 ----- 

Research/internship 26.4 9.0 ----- 

M.S. Hort. (thesis) Total hours 30.1 34.5 32 

Formal courses 20.6 24.0 13 

Research/internship 7.8 9.0 ̃10 

M.S. Plant Science (thesis) Total hours 30.2 33.0 ----- 



M.S. Hort. (non-thesis) Total hours 32.3 36.5 36 

Formal courses 29.3 32.0 13 

Research/internship 3.0 4.3 3 

M.S. Plant Science (non-thesis) Total hours 33.0 36.5 ----- 



z All values are converted to semester hours. The total hours represent that required presuming the student already holds a 

Masters degree. Note that formal and research/internship hours do not equal the total hours as these represent minimum 

requirements in those areas and some programs leave a large proportion of the credit hours flexible at the graduate 

committee’s discretion. Where available on-line degrees had the same requirements as in residence. 

Emphasis on high impact or experiential learning has increased recently in undergraduate programs at Texas 

A&M University and so we were interested in documenting some of these activities required in horticulture 

graduate programs. The surveyed institutions were asked to indicate whether additional experiences beyond 

normal classes were required in areas other than research, specifically teaching, extension/outreach, internships, 

or other. Teaching experiences were the only experiential learning requirement for most horticulture graduate 

degrees outside of the typical research experiences for most programs (Table 3.9). Aside from teaching 

experiences, only internships in M.S. non-thesis programs at land grant institutions were required by more than 

10% of the programs as additional experiential learning requirements among horticulture graduate programs 

(Table 3.9).


Table 3.9. Experiential learning requirements for horticulture graduate programs beyond the normal 

research experiences required for thesis or dissertation based programs. 

Ph.D. M.S. (thesis) M.S. (non-thesis) 

Land State / Land State / Land State / 

Grant province grant province grant province 

Experience (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) 

Teaching 41.0 z 0.0 36.3 20.0 18.2 0.0 

Extension 9.1 0.0 9.1 0.0 4.5 0.0 

Internship 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 13.6 0.0 

Other 4.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.5 0.0 

z Percentage of institutions requiring experiential learning in this area in addition to basic course work or thesis / 

dissertation research. 

Graduate Program Metrics Employed in Evaluation of Horticulture Degree or Concentration Programs 

Increasing scrutiny of educational programs for accountability at all levels has led to strong motivations for the 

development of evaluative metrics to determine the efficacy of graduate programs in meeting institutional goals. 

A variety of metrics are being employed at various institutions and the emphasis placed on these metrics likely 

differs among institutions and perhaps over time within an institution. Ten metrics commonly mentioned to us in 

preliminary conversations were included in the survey (Table 3.10). A category of other with encouragement to 

write in the measure(s) under other was also included. 

Table 3.10. Ranking of selected program metrics among 1862 land grant programs and state or 

provincial non-land grant programs by which horticultural graduate programs perceive 

themselves to be evaluated. 

Land grants 

State / provincial 

Ranked 

Ranked 

Rank in top 3 Rank in top 3 

Metric (mean) (% units) (mean) (% units) 

Total number of graduate students 4.2 x 90.9 y 4.3 x 100.0 y 

Number of Ph.D. students 3.5 77.3 1.7 20.0 

Peer reviewed publications 2.8 45.5 4.0 80.0 

Student awards 1.9 40.9 3.3 80.0 

Student scientific presentations 1.4 27.3 2.8 80.0 

Course/student contact hours 1.1 18.2 2.5 40.0 

GRE entrance scores 0.9 13.6 1.8 60.0 

# Graduate courses taught 0.8 9.1 3.3 60.0 

Students involved in teaching 0.7 9.1 2.0 60.0 

Students’ GPR/GPA 0.5 4.5 2.8 80.0 

Other z 1.2 18.2 0.0 0.0 

x Greater number within the column indicates greater importance in metrics. Highest ranked metric was keyed as a five to 

lowest ranked keyed in the analysis as a one. Unranked metrics were assigned a zero weight for that evaluator. The 

mean rank scores are presented. 

y Values represent the mean proportion of the programs in which this metric was ranked within the top three metrics for a 

given program. 

z Graduation rates and time to degree were most frequently commented under other.


Among land grant institutions the highest ranked metrics by far were the total number of graduate students 

enrolled in the program and secondarily the number of Ph.D. students enrolled in the programs (Table 3.10). 

These measures were also the most frequent metrics to appear in the top three metrics for a given land grant 

program. Two measures of student’s academic proficiency in the form of student publication of peer reviewed 

publications and student awards were the third and fourth ranked metrics, respectively, at land grant programs. 

These were also the next most frequently cited metrics in a given program’s top three metrics. The fifth and sixth 

highest ranked metrics were other and course or student contact hours, respectively. The two most frequently 

mentioned metrics under the other category by respondents that were not directly asked on the survey were 

graduation rates or numbers and time to degree completion. All other measures were ranked of low importance 

on average and were included in less than 15% of the units surveyed top three metrics. The relative importance of 

the various metrics seemed to be much more variable among institutions at non-land grant schools. The number 

of Ph.D. students and other category were of much less importance to non-land grant institutions than at land 

grant programs. Also, in contrast to land grant programs, non-land grant schools placed a much higher rank on 

the number of graduate courses taught, students’ involvement with teaching, students’ grade point averages or 

grade point rations, and GRE entrance scores (Table 3.10). 

Learning Outcomes Assessment of the Graduate Program 

Texas A&M University mandates that graduate programs be subjected to learning outcomes assessment in a 

manner analogous to the undergraduate academic program. To that end, departments were directed to develop 

assessment plans to address the following university level learning outcomes: 

University Masters Learning Outcomes 

http://catalog.tamu.edu/pdfs/Master'sOutcomes-1pg.pdf 

A student who graduates from Texas A&M University with a master’s degree will: 

• Master degree program requirements, including 

• theories, concepts, principles, and practice; 

• develop a coherent understanding of the subject matter through synthesis across courses and experiences; 


• apply subject matter knowledge to solve problems and make decisions. 

• Use a variety of sources and evaluate multiple points of view to analyze and integrate information and to 

conduct critical, reasoned arguments. 

• Communicate effectively. 

• Use appropriate technologies to communicate, collaborate, conduct research, and solve problems. 

• Develop clear research plans and conduct valid (data‐supported), theoretically consistent, and institutionally 

appropriate research. 

• Choose ethical courses of action in research and practice. 

University Doctoral Learning Outcomes 

http://catalog.tamu.edu/pdfs/DoctoralOutcomes-1pg.pdf 

A student who graduates from Texas A&M University with a doctoral degree will: 

• Master degree program requirements, including 

• theories, concepts, principles, and practice; 

• develop a coherent understanding of the subject matter through synthesis across courses and experiences; 


• apply subject matter knowledge to solve problems and make decisions. 

• Apply a variety of strategies and tools, use a variety of sources, and evaluate multiple points of view to analyze 

and integrate information and to conduct critical, reasoned arguments. 

• Communicate effectively. 

• Develop clear research plans, conduct valid, data‐supported, theoretically consistent, and institutionally 

appropriate research and effectively disseminate the results of the research in appropriate venues to a range of 

audiences. 

• Use appropriate technologies to communicate, collaborate, conduct research, and solve problems. 

• Teach and explain the subject matter in their discipline. 

• Choose ethical courses of action in research and practice.


Departmental assessment plans are reviewed by a committee of peers and administrators at the College-level and 

evaluated for compliance with reporting guidelines. The Horticultural Sciences graduate program assessment was 

found to be “under development,” indicating that it needs to be revised to be in full compliance. Several of the 

University level outcomes are not assessed by our measures. 

Departmental Ph. D. Program Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan 

The Ph.D. program in horticulture exists to provide an advanced science-based education for students through 

teaching and directed horticultural research experience. 

Outcomes 

• Outcome 1. Graduates will have an understanding of the scientific method, statistical methodology, and 

ability to apply these to solving horticultural research problems 

• Outcome 2. Graduates will be able to find, critically evaluate, and communicate, both orally and written; 

plant science literature and the results of horticultural research. 

• Outcome 3. Graduates will develop strong problem-solving and management skills related to research 

and development 

Measures 

• Research proposal (outcome assessed, 1) 

Timely (12-24 months) and successful completion of research proposal 

• Dissertation (outcome assessed, 1) 

Timely (36-48 months) and successful presentation (exit seminar) and defense of thesis. 

• Presentations (outcome assessed, 2) 

Presentations of research study in meetings: Scientific Meetings, Student Research Week, Industry, etc. 

• Publications non-refereed (outcome assessed, 2) 

Publications accepted in non-referred journals or magazines. Abstracts are included in this category. 

• Publications refereed (outcome assessed, 2) 

Publications in referred journals. 

• Recognition (outcome assessed, 2) 

Awards for presentations at scientific meetings, intercollegiate awards, departmental recognition. 

• Employment (outcome assessed, 3) 

At this point in the assessment this objective is to gather information to see what targets and actions plans 

are feasible. One possibility is the target of 75% job placement upon graduation from the program. 

Masters of Agriculture Learning Outcomes 

The Masters of Agriculture degree program exists to provide an advanced education for students through teaching 

and directed horticultural research experience- in the form of internships. 

Outcomes 

• Outcome 1. Graduates will have proper exposure and experience involving assessment of horticultural 

problem solving. They should have understanding regarding scientific method, statistical methodology, 

and experience solving horticultural problems as it relates to their specific field of horticulture. 


plant science literature and the results of horticultural research and experiences as it relates to their 

specific field in horticulture 

• Outcome 3. Graduates will develop strong problem-solving and management skills related to industry, 

research, horticultural experiences. 

Measures 

• Internship (outcome assessed, 1) 

Completed Horticultural Internship 

• Professional paper (outcome assessed, 1) 

Student's completion of their professional paper regarding a critical analysis of their internship 

opportunity and experience. 

• Presentations (outcome assessed, 1, 2)


Presentation of internship responsibilities, experiences, learning targets to department 

• Publications (outcome assessed, 1, 2) 

Publication in consumer magazine, extension newsletter, newspaper, etc. 

• Employment (outcome assessed, 1,3) 

Employment in industry leadership position. 

Masters of Science Learning Assessment Plan 

The Masters of Science degree program exists to provide an advanced science-based education for students 

through teaching and directed horticultural research experience. 

Outcomes 

• Outcome 1. Graduates will have an understanding of the scientific method, statistical methodology, and 

ability to apply these to solving horticultural research problems 


plant science literature and the results of horticultural research. 

• Outcome 3. Graduates will develop strong problem-solving and management skills related to research 

and development 

Measures 

• Research proposal (outcome assessed, 1) 

Timely (12-18 months) and successful completion of research proposal 

• Thesis (outcome assessed, 1) 

Timely (24-36 months) and successful presentation (exit seminar) and defense of thesis. 

• Presentations (outcome assessed, 2) 

Presentations of research study in meetings: Scientific Meetings, Student Research Week, Industry, etc. 

• Publications non-refereed (outcome assessed, 2) 

Publications accepted in non-referred journals or magazines. Abstracts are included in this category. 

• Publications refereed (outcome assessed, 2) 

Publications in referred journals. 

• Recognition (outcome assessed, 2) 

Awards for presentations at scientific meetings, intercollegiate awards, departmental recognition. 

• Continuation (outcome assessed, 2) 

Number of graduates that go on to a Ph.D. program. 

• Employment (outcome assessed, 3) 

Employment in academic, industry research/education/leadership positions. 

We recognize that we need to improve our assessment data collection and interpretation. To that end four 

processes have been initiated to revise/refine our graduate program learning objectives. First, a series of graduate 

faculty meetings have been initiated to revise our graduate program policy manuals and to bring them up to date 

and in compliance with University and College. Second, after recognizing that we were having difficulty 

accumulating key progress and achievement data on our graduate students, we put in place an annual review 

system for each graduate student, a copy of which is included as Fig. 3.4.


Figure 3.4. Screen captures illustrating the graduate student annual evaluation form. 

Third, we will support and ask our faculty and students to participate in a new series of evaluation instruments to 

be administered upon completion of the final defense for their degrees that will capture additional information 

needed for program assessment (Fig. 3.5). Fourth, we have conducted the current study to determine how our 

program compares with its sister programs at other institutions and to determine what programmatic metrics are 

being applied at other institutions. As these data become available, our intention is to form a new assessment 

committee for the graduate program to recommend revisions to the learning outcomes and objectives in light of 

what we have learned about our program and that of our peer institutions.


Figure 3.5. Graduate student performance assessment form to be used at final exam. 

Demographics and Remuneration of Faculty in Graduate Horticulture Degree or Concentration Programs 

Although departments were larger in land grant institutions than in non-land grant schools, the distribution of 

faculty among ranks was similar at both types of institutions (Table 3.11). The one difference was a slightly 

smaller proportion of professors at non-land grant schools and a bit greater proportion of lecturers, but these 

differences were minor. The largest sector of faculty are the Professors, with Associate Professors constituting 

the second largest proportion. The typical faculty consisted of 32.7 members at land grant schools, but was 

smaller at non-land grant schools with an average of 21.2 members. Professorial rank faculty made up 95.4 % of 

the faculty at land grant schools. Most of these faculty were at mid to late career stages (Professor and Associate 

Professors). Early career stage faculty (Assistant Professors) consisted of only 18.3 to 18.9 % of the faculty at 

land grant and non-land grant institutions, respectively. This suggests that the horticulture faculty is an aging 

population. Our faculty at the Texas A&M University Department of Horticultural Sciences is even more senior 

as we have no Assistant Professors in our on campus teaching/research positions, and only three extension 

specialists and one off-campus researcher who are Assistant Professors. Presuming a level or increasing number 

of positions in horticulture programs in the future, this would suggest that there would be an increase in the 

demand for new Ph.D. students in the coming years as this aging population reaches retirement ages.


Table 3.11. Distribution of faculty by rank in North American land grant and non-land grant 

universities which offer graduate programs in horticulture or emphasis in horticulture 

within plant science graduate programs. 

Land grant 

______State / Province 

Rank: (# / unit) (% in unit) (# / unit) (% in unit) 

Professor 15.9 y 48.6 z 9.3 y 43.9 z 

Associate Professor 9.0 27.5 6.3 28.3 

Assistant Professor 6.3 18.3 4.0 18.9 

Senior Lecturer 1.0 3.1 0.8 3.8 

Lecturer 0.5 1.5 0.8 3.8 

y Values within a column represent mean number of faculty at a given rank. 

z Values within a column represent mean percentage of the total unit’s faculty at a given rank. 

Most (66.5%) of the faculty at land grant schools are still in full year (11/12 month) appointments, while slightly 

more than half (54.3%) of faculty at non-land grant schools were in similar appointments. Most of the remaining 

faculty (19.3% land grant, 32.5 % non-land grant) were in academic year (9/10 month) appointments with the 

opportunity to obtain external summer funding. A small proportion of the faculty were in academic year 

appointments with internal sources of summer funding, 4.0% for land grant schools and 13.2 % for non-land grant 

programs. The remaining were on academic year appointments with no options for summer funding internally or 

externally through the universities, 8.4% at land grant units and 9.3% at non-land grant programs. 

One of the most surprising changes in salary structures from the 2005 survey (Arnold et al., 2005) to present is 

that the salaries for senior faculty (Professors and Associate Professors) at non-land grant schools have gone from 

trailing those of their land grant counter parts to surpassing them in the current survey (Table 3.12). Salaries at 

the Assistant Professor level were similar at both types of institutions. Salaries for lecturers at non-land grant 

schools lagged behind those of their land grant counterparts which was a similar situation as in the 2005 survey. 

Table 3.12. Faculty salaries at surveyed 1862 land grant and state/provincial universities in units with 

horticulture degree programs. All salaries were asked to be submitted at a full year 12 

month basis for equal comparisons. 

Means reported for land grants Means reported for state/provincial units 

Minimum Average Maximum Minimum Average Minimum 

Rank: ($/yr) ($/yr) ($/yr) ($/yr) ($/yr) ($/yr) 

Professor 94,349 116,028 z 158,430 z 109,196 117,426 z 150,087 z 

Associate Professor 79,129 91,105 106,122 87,344 94,460 108,213 

Assistant Professor 75,923 80,570 85,068 75,158 80,030 87,496 

Senior Lecturer 69,337 75,030 80,722 46,079 46,079 46,079 

Lecturer 50,283 53,280 64,580 18,135 26,458 33,750 

z Mean average and in particular mean maximum salaries are probably under estimated as several schools noted that 

their data did not include unit head or other administrators salaries in their reported figures. 

Salaries in the TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences on the whole are below the national averages 

(compare Tables 3.13 and 3.12). The average salaries of the professors was slightly above that of professors at 

peer institutions (both landgrants and sate/provincial institutions), but associate and assistant professors were both 

below the peer average. Direct comparison of faculty compensation is complicated by the fact that some of our 

faculty are on 10 month appointments and contribute two months salary from grants and contracts. The data we 

report is only the budgeted salary exclusive of any supplement from grants or contracts. While we do have 

faculty in lecturer positions, we have only one individual at each rank so those salaries cannot be reported without


listing the person’s salary. The national survey did not include an equivalent to the program specialist position, a 

rank that is exclusive to some of our Texas A&M Agrilife Extension personnel. 

Table 3.13. Budgeted faculty salaries for FY2013 in the Horticultural Sciences Department. Does not 

include any additional salary paid for months 11-12 if on 10 month appointment. 

Rank Lowest ($/yr) Highest ($/yr) Average ($/yr) 

Professor 86,173.00 170,001.00 126,358.15 

Associate Professor 63,634.00 99,659.00 87,725.00 

Assistant Professor 74,256.00 81,456.00 77,237.33 

Program Specialist 40,378.00 70,380.00 55,043.25 

The Department faces several challenges regarding faculty salaries: first is in light of essentially flat or decreasing 

take-home pay for the past four years, how do we reward and retain top performers? Secondly, salary 

compression is impacting several of the senior faculty. Both of these issues have the potential to seriously impact 

morale and retention. The wide disparity in senior faculty salaries further contributes to these potential morale 

issues. The threat of forced compression to fewer month appointments with subsequent loss of salary, as has 

occurred in several of sister Departments in the College, further complicates the problem and would likely impact 

the more senior faculty who were hired on mostly 12 month appointments more so than the less senior faculty 

who have been increasingly hired on 9/10 month appointments over recent years. Another alarming trend is the 

provision of salary increases as merit pay only, with the increases awarded as either “add to base” or “one time” 

adjustments. A relatively high “one time” adjustment (as was provided to many of our high performing full 

professors for FY2013) does not permanently alter the individual’s base salary since it is the equivalent of a onetime 

bonus. Over time, salaries erode as the cost of living increases. 

Overall the TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences graduate program is similar to or slightly larger than 

that of our peer institutions. Although internal support funds have drastically eroded over recent years, the 

enrollment of Ph.D. students in the horticulture degree program remains strong and there is evidence to suggest 

that there will be increasing demand for graduates in the future. Faculty have been successful at mentoring 

quality students as evidenced by their awards and frequent placement in faculty positions soon after graduation.

4. OVERVIEW OF THE TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICE HORTICULTURE PROGRAM 

Extension Horticulture has been reduced in size during the last decade. Programmatically, the unit currently 

consists of 45 professionals, including: 16 Extension Specialists/Program Specialists, 20 County Extension Agent 

– Horticulture positions, an Extension Assistant, a Web Administrator, and 6 partially Extension-funded support 

staff professionals. 

Extension Horticulture Banner Programs 

Small Acreage Horticultural Crop Outcome Program – Extension horticulturists with food and nursery crop 

production expertise have combined efforts to create a Small Acreage Horticultural Crop Outcome Program for 

implementation by CEAs. In 2009, a Website was established including 9 online training modules and 32 crop 

guides/budgets. An outcome evaluation instrument was designed for use by CEAs and specialists. Webinars and 

face-to-face educational events are conducted. Outcome evaluation data for educational events and online 

materials are tabulated and stored in the Aggie Horticulture database and reported via the TExAS Reporting and 

Strategic Plan System. Educational events with outcome evaluation metrics conducted include the Pecan and 

Fruit Orchard Management Short Courses and the Nursery Management and Marketing Webinars. 

Earth-Kind ® Environmental Stewardship – Extension Horticulture specialists 

continue to serve as educational and programmatic resources for CEAs by 

adopting Earth-Kind ® Environmental Stewardship as a unit-wide program. 

Extension specialists and CEAs have developed and implemented Earth-Kind ® 

outcome plans to obtain program impacts measuring knowledge gained, intent to 

adopt practices, and anticipated economic impacts. Evaluation data are stored in a 

database within the Aggie Horticulture Website and reported via the TExAS 

Reporting System. Earth-Kind programs include multiple Earth-Kind landscape 

workshops during 2013, an Earth-Kind short course held in College Station in 

December, 2012, and the delivery of Earth-Kind training materials and publications through Aggie Horticulture. 

Junior Master Gardener ® (JMG) Program – Created, trademarked, and administered within the Department, this 

international youth gardening 4-H program enrolls more than 200,000 Texas children annually (representing 1/5 

of Texas 4-H annual enrollment) through over 300 registered groups. The program continues to expand with JMG 

groups in all 50 states; 36 land-grant universities are registered/licensed JMG program partners; and 10 foreign 

countries, from Guatemala, Honduras, to South Korea, have JMG programs. Much focus in 2013 will be toward 

activities associated with the $5 million USDA-AFRI grant secured by an interdisciplinary team led by Judy 

Warren and Lisa Whittlesey. The title of the grant is "Using Family Focused Garden, Nutrition and Physical 

Activity Programs to Reduce Childhood Obesity." 

Texas Master Gardener Program – The Texas program continues to be the largest Master Gardener program in 

the nation with over 5,164 Master Gardeners contributing over 454,942 hours of volunteer service. This service 

equates to 112 full-time employees and an economic benefit of $10.5 million to the citizens of Texas. In 2013, a 

new volunteer reporting system will be implemented to more accurately document the service of the Master 

Gardeners. 

Aggie Horticulture ® Website – Aggie-Horticulture.tamu.edu remains the most 

accessed Website in Texas A&M AgriLife, serving over 6 million unique visitors, 9.7 

million user sessions, and 39.4 million page views for the time period of January 1, 

2012 – December 31, 2012. Much time, effort, and expertise is required to actively 

manage and continually update the site. Aggie Horticulture contains over 100,000 

documents providing Internet access to every topic in the art and science of 

horticulture. Of the 171 Websites reporting to the Texas AgriLife Extension Web 

Stats database system, Aggie Horticulture served 58% of the total pages viewed and 

57% of the total unique visitors of AgriLife Extension Websites during the past fiscal 

year. According to the Alexa Traffic Rankings, for the past 6 months, Aggie Horticulture is the 3rd most active 

Website in the tamu.edu domain serving 68.7% of all traffic across websites in the domain. Aggie Horticulture is


also the number two Website under the category of Horticulture (out of 679 sites) and the number ten Website in 

the overarching category of Agriculture (out of 3378 sites) worldwide, according to Alexa Traffic Ranking. 

Commercial Horticulture Outreach – Extension Horticulture educational programs and applied research serve 

horticultural food crop production and the green industries. Regularly scheduled educational events include the 

Pecan Orchard Management Short Course, Better Process Control School, Great Vineyards Program, Pierce’s 

Disease Symposium, and High Plains Vegetable Conference. 

Significant Individual Accomplishments for 2012 

Bill Welch published 12 articles in the Texas issue of Southern Living Magazine (600,000 readership) as well as 

one article (August) for the entire Southern Living readership which is about 7 million readers. He also published 

Heirloom Gardening in the South, 7000 copies, and completed a new edition of Perennial Garden Color, 50,000 

copies. 

Lisa Whittlesey led the Junior Master Gardener program in working with academic, community, 

and governmental partners to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate two Extension-developed 

interventions for 3rd graders: 1) the Junior Master Gardener (JMG) curriculum, and 2) Walk Across Texas 

(WAT). The research was organized as a group-randomized factorial design with four conditions: Coordinated 

School Health (CSH) alone, CSH with JMG, CSH with WAT, and CSH with both JMG and WAT). Initial pilot 

testing for the research project was conducted during the fall and spring of 2011-12 at Evans Elementary in 

Corpus Christi, TX. The pilot study results indicate that an increase in fruit and vegetable intake, decrease in 

sugar sweetened beverages, increased gardening activities with families at home, and ability to reduce the number 

of children classified as overweight or obese was due to the JMG and WAT curriculum. 

Juan Anciso’s most significant accomplishment in 2012 was being a grants review panel member for the USDA- 

SCRI grants in Washington D.C. The grants panel consists of 15 individuals mainly researchers from various 

universities and some horticulture industry participants. However, he was the only full-time Extension 

representative on this grants panel that reviews multi-million dollar grants. 

Russ Wallace’s accomplishments for 2012 included two manuscripts published from his efforts with a Specialty 

Crops Research Initiative grant and a multi-state high tunnel project; one in HortScience, Deterioration of 

potentially biodegradable alternatives to black plastic mulch in three tomato production regions and another in 

HortTechnology; Lettuce yield and quality when grown in high tunnel and open-field production systems under 

three diverse climates. The HortTechnology manuscript was also selected by ASHS for publication as a ‘press 

release’ on their website. 

In 2012 a team of viticulturists created the first ever Grape Spray Guide for Texas vineyards. This publication is 

available online and is now established as the leading go-to resource for grape growers of all regions in 

Texas. The Texas Grape Spray Guide will be updated and revised annually to include new products and research 

based recommendations. Fritz Westover’s role in this publication was to create the format, contribute content and 

organize the team input. 

Mengmeng Gu worked with agents and provided Earth-Kind training in 6 counties to MG’s and landscape 

professionals. She started a week-long Earth-Kind Landscape Short Course engaging Hort agents and faculty 

from 6 departments. These face-to-face presentations resulted in 1,646 contact hours to 515 clienteles. 

Jayla Fry coordinates The Texas Master Gardener program; in 2011, there were 5,164 volunteers serving from 

100 counties who provided 454,942 hours educational services or the equivalent of 112 people. The economic 

impact Master Gardeners provide the people of Texas is over 9 million dollars. 

Steve George’s meetings with the Paris ISD Superintendent of Schools and other key school personnel, plus 

taking them on tours of an Earth-Kind display garden and an Earth-Kind Rose field trial, convinced officials to


formally adopt the Earth-Kind Environmental Landscape Management approach campus-wide at their new $50 

million dollar Paris High School. 

Ed Hellman was selected to present an oral paper to the Ninth International Congress of Viticultural Terroirs held 

in Dijon and Reims, France on 25-29 June, 2012. Hellman presented the paper “An Internet-Based GIS 

Application for Vineyard Site Assessment in the U.S. and Matching Grape Variety to Site” to an audience of 240 

scientists from 22 countries. 

Joe Masabni indicated that Extension and refereed publications were his most significant accomplishment for 

2012. He submitted 12 new extension publications and one refereed journal article for publication in 

WeedTechnology. His Extension publications have been very popular and online downloading ranged between 69 

and 732 per publication, with a total of 5,523 downloads in 2012. In addition, sales of 4 fee-based publications 

have generated a total of $4,640 in revenue. 

Monte Nesbitt served as local coordinator for a new state-wide fruit production conference, with an attendance of 

94. This fee-based program generated $7,935 in gross revenue ($1041.65 to cost recovery). Percentage gain in 

knowledge of participants ranged from 32% to 53% among six subject areas, with an average improvement of 

41%. Based on participant’s economic rating of the program, the Texas Fruit & Nut Conference provided a 

collective savings of at least $28,625 dollars to 57 people. 

Al Wagner tested, evaluated and provided “process authority” letters on 332 food products submitted by 81 

different companies. This saved these Texas companies close to $500,000 over having to go to a company that 

specializes in this type of work. 

In conjunction with colleagues, Jim Kamas co-authored and edited a practical Pierce's disease management guide 

entitled Pierce's Disease Overview & Management Guide: A Resource for Grape Growers in Texas and Other 

Eastern U.S. Growing Regions. This resource is the culmination of ten years of applied research and serves as a 

major resource in the management of this disease in grape growing regions east of the Rocky Mountains. 

Larry Stein organized and coordinated the International Spinach Conference in 2012. He did this previously in 

2000, 2004 and 2008. There were 75 participants from 3 countries and 10 states. This work has helped baby 

spinach acres in Texas increase from 0 acres in 2010, 30 acres in 2011 to over 450 acres in 2012. Price for baby 

spinach leaf spinach is 90 cents/lb. versus 15 cents for curly spinach.

5. FACULTY PROFILE AND SCHOLARLY PRODUCTIVITY 

The Department of Horticultural Sciences faculty is organized according to the “typical landgrant” model. The 

faculty as a whole executes the combined teaching, research, extension/outreach missions, but individual faculty 

may have differing responsibilities depending on their appointment. Funding for salaries comes from Texas 

A&M University, Texas A&M Agrilife Research (known as the “experiment station” at many institutions), and 

the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service (known as cooperative extension at many institutions). Most oncampus 

faculty have joint appointments between Texas A&M University and Texas Agrilife Research, but none 

of the faculty at off campus research and extension centers has a joint appointment with Texas A&M University. 

Joint appointments with the Texas A&M Agrilife 

Extension Service and TAMU or Texas A&M 

Agrilife Research are uncommon at present, but 

may be more likely in the future as per Directors 

Steele and Nessler. 

Faculty are located geographically on-campus in 

College Station or at off-campus research and 

extension centers (Dallas, Overton, Weslaco, 

Uvalde, El Paso, and Lubbock; and at the Gillespie 

County Extension office in Fredericksburg). 

Location of scientists throughout the state intends 

to address the needs of the horticultural industry for 

region-appropriate research and Extension 

activities and to provide research support facilities 

for faculty, staff and students as they conduct 

research appropriate to the diverse cropping 

systems of the different horticultural regions in the 

state. 

Because the focus of this self-study is the academic 

program of the Department of Horticultural 

Sciences, many of the metrics and much of the discussion will deal with the on-campus teaching/research faculty. 

These faculty have their administrative location (adloc) in Horticultural Sciences and they report their scholarly 

accomplishments and are evaluated annually within that unit. 

Evaluation, Promotion, and Retention of Faculty 

Faculty performance appraisals are conducted annually with the unit head or program leader taking the lead role. 

In the case of on-campus teaching and teaching/research faculty, this appraisal is done during December of every 

year. The faculty member submits a portfolio of documents including an up to date position description, an 

annual achievement report, a cumulative CV, a plan of work for the coming year, and an impact statement. About 

a week after these documents are submitted, the faculty member and the department head have a face-to-face 

meeting to discuss accomplishments for the current year and plans for the upcoming year. The department head 

prepares a written document outlining his evaluation, including a space for a written faculty response, and the 

evaluation is complete when both sign the document. 

Annual evaluations of off-campus faculty appointed through Texas A&M Agrilife Research are initiated by the 

resident director of the Agrilife Research Center where their adloc resides. The documents prepared are very 

similar to those described for teaching/research faculty, but minor variations occur as deemed necessary by the 

resident directors. The annual face-to-face evaluation session usually involves the resident director and the 

department head of the disciplinary department with which the faculty member is associated. 

Annual evaluations of on-campus and off-campus faculty with Extension appointments are the same within each 

department since the adloc of Extension specialists resides in the academic department. The process in 

Horticultural Sciences is led by the Program Leader & Associate Department Head for Extension. An annual


accomplishments form is completed by the faculty member, the associate head writes an evaluation response, and 

a face-to-face evaluation session with the faculty member, the associate head, and the department head present is 

held. 

Faculty with budgeted appointments with Texas A&M University (>25% on 12 month basis, >33% on 9 month 

basis) are eligible for professorial rank and tenure. Faculty appointed with Texas A&M Agrilife Research and 

the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service are eligible for professorial rank, but are not on a tenure track. 

A detailed description of the departmental promotion and tenure policy accompanies this document as Appendix 

5.1. The promotion and tenure policy provides a detailed explanation of eligibility for ranks and tenure, 

professional expectations of different ranks, expectations to be met prior to the awarding of tenure, composition 

of the promotion and tenure committee, and the process for post-tenure review. Non-tenured faculty on the tenure 

track are evaluated during their third year in a process analogous to the tenure review and are provided with 

extensive feedback to aid them in the process of preparing for tenure review. Junior faculty have an appointed 

mentoring committee to provide peer-based feedback at each stage in their professional development. 

The voting members of the Horticultural Sciences faculty (all professorial titles that don’t have an adjective 

modifier, ex., research assistant professor) participate in and vote on all modifications of the promotion and tenure 

policy. The Promotion and Tenure Committee for the department includes all full professors, and the entire 

committee votes on recommendations for promotion. The entire committee votes on all considerations of 

promotion and tenure, but the votes of tenured and non-tenured members are recorded separately. According to 

Texas A&M University regulations, only tenure track faculty can vote on considerations of the awarding of tenure. 

Table 5.1 (next page) lists the faculty associated with Horticultural Sciences including those faculty whose adloc 

is assigned to the Department (teaching, teaching/research, Extension) as well as those who are adloced to Texas 

Agrilife Research centers whose professorial rank process is assigned to the Department because of their 

discipline. Appointments are approximate and may vary slightly from year to year depending on budgetary issues. 

Many of the off-campus research faculty, and some Extension specialists, are approved members of our graduate 

faculty and may co-advise and/or serve on graduate committees.


Table 5.1 Faculty with teaching, research and Extension appointments in the Texas A&M Horticulture 

Program. 

On-campus teaching FTE, 11.76; on-campus research FTE, 8.83; off-campus research FTE, 6.0; extension FTE, 11.72 

NAME RANK APPOINTMENT (%T/%R/%E) GRAD FACULTY STATUS 

Lineberger, R D professor & head 100% Admin (T / R / E, 33% each) Member 

Arnold, Michael A professor & associate head 50% T / 25% R / 25% Admin Member 

Byrne, David H professor 50% T / 50% R Member 

Cisneros-Zevallos, Luis associate professor 55% T / 45% R Member 

Cobb, B G associate professor 55% T / 45% R Member 

Crosby, Kevin M associate professor 80% T / 20% R Member 

Davies, Frederick T professor 50% T / 50% R Member 

Hall, Charles R professor 35% T / 45% R / 20% E Member 

Kent, Matthew W assistant lecturer 100% Teaching 

Klein, Patricia E associate professor 25% T / 75% R Member 

Koiwa, Hisashi associate professor 45% T / 55% R Member 

Lombardini, Leonardo associate professor 60% T / 40% R Member 

McEachern, George R professor 100% Teaching (retired/half time) Member 

McKinley, William senior lecturer 100% Teaching 

Miller, Julian C professor 20% T / 80% R (retired/half time) Member 

Patil, Bhimanagouda S professor & director, VFIC 35% T / 65% R Member 

Pierson, Elizabeth A associate professor 50% T / 50% R Member 

Reed, David professor 50% Teaching/50% Admin Member 

Starman, Terri W professor 60% T / 40% R Member 

Volder, Astrid associate professor 45% T / 55% R Member 

Zajicek, Jayne M professor 100% Teaching Member 

Cabrera, Raul associate professor 100% Research Member 

Jifon, John associate professor 100% Research Member 

Leskovar, Daniel professor & director, Uvalde 50% Research/50% Admin Member 

Niu, Genhua associate professor 100% Research Member 

Pemberton, Brent associate professor 100% Research Member 

Wang, Xinwang assistant professor 100% Research Member 

Stein, Larry professor & associate head 50% Extension/50% Admin 

Anciso, Juan associate professor 100% Extension 

Kamas, Jim assistant professor 100% Extension 

George, Steve professor 100% Extension 

Gu, Mengmeng assistant professor 100% Extension Member 

Hellman, Ed professor 75% Extension/25% TTU Research Member 

Masabni, Joe assistant professor 100% Extension Member 

Wagner, Al professor 100% Extension (retired/half time) Member 

Wallace, Russell associate professor 75% Extension/25% Research 

Welch, Bill professor 100% Extension (retired/half time) 

Davis, Tim D professor 80% Borlaug/20% Teaching Member 

professor & director, Texas 

Nessler, Craig 

Agrilife Research 

100% Admin


Faculty Research Productivity 

Departmental faculty are evaluated annually on the basis of teaching, research, and outreach productivity, both 

individually and as a group. Quantitative data are collected on a variety of factors believed to be indicators of 

productivity. These data are reviewed annually by the Deans and Directors and feedback is given to unit 

administrators with the goal of continuous improvement. 

Horticultural Sciences faculty pursue extramural funding aggressively to drive their research and graduate 

programs, and to support their plant breeding and variety release efforts (Table 5.2). They and their students 

publish an average of almost 4 refereed publications per year in journals appropriate to their subdisciplines and 

research specialties and they attend national and international conferences as contributing and invited speakers to 

Table 5.2. Research metrics for teaching and research faculty administratively located in Horticultural Sciences by 

year. The reported metrics are based on 18 faculty. 

2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 

Publications 

Refereed Technical Articles 70 66 57 60 62 

Books Edited 6 2 4 15 5 

Book Chapters Authored /Co-Authored 9 2 7 12 13 

Non-Refereed Tech Publications 7 3 3 8 9 

Published Abstracts 59 59 46 46 69 

Published Conf. Proc 10 22 24 21 27 

Published Tech. Reports 2 6 16 4 

Grants or Contract Reports 23 20 23 18 27 

Other (please list) 

Variety Release Pub 2 1 2 1 1 

Trade Journal 1 17 1 1 

Newsletter 15 

Grants and Contracts 

Number of Grant Proposals Submitted 63 70 78 71 86 

Federal Competitive Funding Received 600,989 436,592 794,971 910,645 975,125 

Commodity or Industry Funding Rec. 621,990 415,860 287,866 480,269 503,777 

Other External Funding Received 160,875 117,626 200,613 45,001 196,374 

State/Federal Initiative Funding Rec. 1,003,365 1,491,643 1,237,052 1,481,720 2,021,300 

Indirect Cost Returned to Unit 92,294 57,718 85,268 24,372 24,766 

Other (please list) - 13,000 

TOP - TAMU 33,000 

State Competitive - 48,000 

Royalties 121,079 105,000 2 66,895 85,572 

Foundation Transfers 145,572 113,726 100,000 60,000 120,000 

present their research to their peers. Research funding is derived from a number of federal, state, and industry 

sources and grants yielding indirect cost returns have increased dramatically since 2008. The Vegetable and Fruit 

Improvement Center had been funded for over a decade on a federal earmark, but the discontinuation of federal 

earmarks two years ago has raised considerable concern for the future funding of this Center. Further concern for 

future funding has been raised by uncertainties in the federal budget, specifically, the delay in funding for the 

Farm Bill since the Specialty Crops Research Initiative (SCRI) funds are bound to the Farm Bill.


Use of Academic Analytics to Document Scholarly Productivity 

We are challenged by College and University administration to document our scholarly productivity in 

comparison with our peers at other institutions. One tool to obtain comparative documentation is the Academic 

Analytics® database, a metadata warehouse that collects information about the publications, citations, grants, 

professional awards, and other indicators of faculty research productivity (http://academicanalytics.com). 

The Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences was ranked 5th in overall faculty scholarly productivity 

according in the 2009 Academic Analytics® data, 3rd in the 2010 database, and 5 th in the recently released 2011 

data when compared to the landgrant horticultural programs nationally (Tables 5.3, 5.4, 5.5). However, since the 

2011 dataset incorrectly lists our senior lecturer, we will have to re-run the data once that correction is made. It is 

our understanding that the dataset is to be restricted to tenure-track faculty. 

Table 5.3. Ranking of landgrant horticulture programs in the 23 peer institutions in the Academic Analytics 

database (2009 data). Data analyzed were from 15 faculty. 

RANK HORTICULTURE PROGRAM # FACULTY FSPI 

1 University of California, Davis 50 1.6 

2 University of Florida Environ Hort 27 1.3 

3 University of Florida Hort Sciences 25 1.2 

4 University of Wisconsin - Madison 19 1.2 

5 Texas A&M University 15 0.9 

6 Michigan State University 72 0.9 

7 Iowa State University 17 0.6 

8 University of Missouri 37 0.5 

9 Washington State University 36 0.3 

10 Cornell University 32 0.3 

11 Purdue University 27 0.3 

12 Ohio State University, The 41 0.2 

13 Oregon State University 20 0.2 

14 Virginia Polytechnic Institute & SU 18 0.2 

15 Pennsylvania State University, The 23 -0.3 

16 North Carolina State University 48 -0.5 

17 Colorado State University 29 -0.6 

18 Louisiana State University 12 -1.0 

19 University of Nebraska - Lincoln 12 -1.3 

20 Kansas State University 23 -1.4 

21 University of Georgia 32 -1.4 

22 Mississippi State University 4 -1.5 

23 Auburn University 20 -1.6 

The faculty scholarly productivity index (FSPI) is a weighted algorithm calculated from the following parameters: 

1. Books variables; (percentage of faculty who have authored a book, books published per faculty 

member) 

2. Journal publication variables; (percentage of faculty who have authored a journal article, journal articles 

published per faculty member) 

3. Conference proceedings variables; (percentage of faculty who have authored a conference proceeding, 

conference proceedings published per faculty member) 

4. Citations variables; (percentage of faculty for whom at least one published journal article has been cited 

at least once, citations per faculty member, citations per journal article)


5. Federal funding variables; (percentage of faculty who have won new and competitive federal research 

funding, grants per faculty member, grant dollars won per faculty member, dollars per grant) 

6. Honorific awards variables; (percentage of faculty who have won an honorific award, honorific awards 

per faculty member) 

http://academicanalytics.com/Portal/Documents/2010_Methodology_11_19_12.pdf 

Table 5.4. Ranking of landgrant horticulture programs in the 23 peer institutions in the Academic Analytics 

database (2010 data). Data analyzed were from 18 faculty. 





4 University of Florida 31 1.1 



7 Purdue University 26 0.5 



8 Washington State University 35 0.4 

11 Virginia Polytechnic Institute & SU 13 0.2 


13 Oregon State University 27 0 

14 University of Nebraska - Lincoln 53 -0.1 





19 University of Florida 29 -1.1 





Table 5.5. Ranking of landgrant horticulture programs in the 23 peer institutions in the current Academic 

Analytics database (2011 data). Data analyzed were from 19 faculty; incorrectly includes a lecturer. 





4 University of Florida – Hort Sciences 31 1.1 




8 University of Nebraska - Lincoln 49 0.5 



11 Purdue University 28 -0.1



13 Oregon State University 26 -0.2 

14 Virginia Polytechnic Institute & SU 15 -0.4 

15 Washington State University 25 -0.7 





20 University of Florida – Environ Hort 29 -1.0 




Academic Analytics® graphically presents the data categories that are included in the FSPI as a “flower diagram” 

in which the radius of the “petals” indicate the group’s performance relative to the national mean. In 2009, our 

faculty scored lower than the national mean on parameters related federal grant funding, but above the mean in 

other areas of productivity including publications, citations and awards (Fig. 5.2). 

Figures 5.2. Performance of TAMU Horticultural Sciences faculty (radii) compared to the national mean 

(inner filled circle) on 22 indicators of scholarly productivity in the 2009 Academic Analytics® 

database. 

More recently, our faculty performed substantially above the national mean on all but one indicator of 

productivity (number of faculty with an article in the 2010 data (Fig. 5.3), and total number of grants in the 2011 

data (Fig. 5.4).


Figures 5.3, 5.4. Performance of TAMU Horticultural Sciences faculty (radii) compared to the national 

mean (inner filled circle) on 22 indicators of scholarly productivity in the 2010 and 2011 

Academic Analytics® databases.


We recognize that the Academic Analytics® data do not evaluate the entire breadth of the duties our faculty 

perform, nor do they even address many of the research metrics we report to our administration (industry or 

commodity funding, for example; teaching related activities). However, use of Academic Analytics® is valuable 

as one measure, because it allows comparing ourselves to our peers according to a common yardstick using data 

accumulated by a nonbiased source. 

Faculty Teaching Workload 

Faculty workloads are reported annually by the Office of Data and Research Services (DARS). Workload is 

reported as SCH (student credit hours) and WSCH (weighted student credit hours; a number that accounts for the 

level of the course, the CIP code of the course, and the level of the students taking the course; a Ph.D. student 

taking a 6xx level course has a much higher weighting that a freshman taking a 1xx course, for example). Reports 

are available that compute these data in such fine detail that one can determine the dollars generated per FTE per 

semester, but that level of cost accounting is beyond the scope and purpose of the self-study. 

Faculty workloads over time, and compared to other departments, provides useful information for examining 

general enrollment trends, and general trends in faculty workloads. 

During the period of FY2009 – 2012, SCH per FTE increased in undergraduate courses and Masters level 

instruction, but remained very steady (and comparatively low) in courses at the Ph.D. level (Table 5.5). 

Maintaining SCH during a period in which the teaching budget was reduced by over 15% took the cooperation of 

many faculty in the department who were willing to assume an additional teaching load. In 2012, Dr. Joe 

Novak’s position was lost due to the severe budget cut. During the preceding year (FY2011), he had a heavy 

teaching load at the 300 level and in fact, his teaching load alone accounted for over 20% of the departmental 

SCH. His courses were assigned to other faculty. 

Additionally, Casey Krueger’s position was lost in FY2012 and he also taught several 3xx and 4xx courses, albeit 

their enrollment was a fraction of those taught by Dr. Novak. Only one of Mr. Krueger’s courses has been 

transferred to another faculty member. These observations explain the increase in SCH per FTE at the 

undergraduate level. 

Table 5.5 Student Credit Hours (SCH) per faculty FTE by fiscal year. 

Lower Div Upper Div UG Total MS PhD *Total 

FY 2009 457 255 291 42 39 163 

FY 2010 491 260 314 31 36 174 

FY 2011 521 267 325 40 42 178 

FY 2012 496 299 348 55 40 212 

*SCH per faculty FTE is computed by dividing the SCH generated at a certain level by the faculty FTE at the same 

level. The FTE of faculty and GATs who are not teaching are excluded in the calculation by level but are included 

in the Total column. 

STAR reports at: http://dars.tamu.edu/Data-and-Reports/Faculty#workload 

The Horticultural Sciences faculty rank at about the midpoint in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 

terms of SCH per FTE according to College data (Fig. 5.5). Seven departments teach more SCH/FTE and six 

teach less.


Figure 5.5. Annual student credit hours taught per teaching FTE by department in the College of 

Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2008-2012. Data from College reports. 

Weighted student credit hours data (WSCH) takes into account the level of the course as well as the level of the 

students taking the courses. WSCH were lower in 2012 than they were in 2008 in all categories except hours at 

the Masters level (Table 5.6). We have noticed decreased enrollments in several of our larger undergraduate 

courses, and much of the difference may be accounted for the drop in WSCH at the PhD level since that number 

depends so heavily on course enrollment of doctoral students. Since the number of doctoral students in the 

department is the same in 2012 as it was in 2008 (Table 3.3), these students may be taking fewer courses in the 

department (or fewer graduate students in other departments are taking our upper level courses), either of which 

could account for the lower WSCH.


Table 5.6. Horticultural Sciences Weighted Student Credit Hours Taught by Year 

Lower Div Upper Div MS PhD Total 

FY 2008 7656 10405 2117 4848 25028 

FY 2009 6222 8555 2239 4478 21493 

FY 2010 6041 8817 2123 2926 19908 

FY 2011 6069 8133 3132 3011 20346 

FY 2012 6328 9069 2522 3503 21605 

Faculty Collaborations 

Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center 

The Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center (VFIC) conducts research to improve human health and reduce risk 

from chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The interdisciplinary center works in 

partnership with producers, processors, grocery chains, and seed companies to promote increased consumption of 

fruits and vegetables, and to develop quality fruit, vegetable, and nut varieties with enhanced health and 

nutritional benefits in an efficient, economical and environmentally sound system. The goal of the VFIC is to 

provide solutions, through the development of new technologies and plant varieties, for producing quality 

vegetable and fruit products. VFIC scientists have contributed to the Texas economy in multiple ways, including 

releasing new varieties of pepper, melon, onion, carrot, tomato, peach and plum. In addition, VFIC research on 

the health benefits of juice consumption has helped increase Texas citrus juice sales to Japan. In 2004, there was 

only one buyer from Japan but now there are seven buyers with approximately $6.5 million in sales of juice from 

Texas to Japan. VFIC scientists isolated 56 novel bioactive compounds from fruits and vegetables; these 

compounds have potential research value to several researchers across the state and nation. 

Under the leadership of Dr. Bhimu Patil, VFIC scientists have secured approximately $14.9 million in grants 

including NIH, NSF, TDA-TIE, USDA-Challenge grants, DOE and USDA-Special grants. The interdisciplinary 

center has 21 scientists with diverse research expertise ranging from plant breeding, natural product chemistry, 

biochemistry, education, economics, postharvest physiology, physiological genetics, plant secondary metabolites, 

nutrition, medical science, and cropping systems. VFIC scientists have contributed a wealth of information to the 

scientific literature, including 255 peer-reviewed publications, 5 books, 28 editor reviewed publications and 349 

invited presentations. The VFIC also hosted one national conference and two international symposia in College 

Station, Houston and South Padre Island. Always a priority for VFIC scientists, teaching and graduate advising 

has resulted in 42 graduate students (28 PhD and 14 MS) completing their degrees and 121 undergraduate 

students receiving hands-on training in lab techniques. Following completion of their degrees, 98% of graduate 

students are employed. 

Benz Endowed Floral Design Program 

Established at the bequest of floral design innovator M. “Buddy” Benz, the Benz Endowed Chair and School of 

Floral Design is a multifaceted program which includes the academic Bachelor of Arts program in floral 

design/event planning, the Benz Gallery of Floral Art and the Benz School of Floral Design, which offers a 

variety of basic and advanced courses for floral designers. The Chair holder is Mr. Bill McKinley, worldrenowned 

designer and floral educator. The Benz Program has an international impact, collaborating with 

designers in Europe, Australia, Canada and Mexico and established a branch program in South Korea in 2007, 

The Benz School-Korea. The Benz School-Korea program has grown significantly and will begin its third 

sequence of teacher training in August 2013. Mr. McKinley’s collaborations with industry organizations spans 

many years and includes multi-phased online educational programs as well as state and national certification 

programs.


Ellison International Chair in Floriculture 

The mission of the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture is to advance the health and vitality of the 

floriculture industry on a national and international scope through exemplary academic leadership, cutting edge 

applied research, innovative extension outreach programs, and by mentoring well-educated, impassioned leaders 

to support the future of floriculture. During the past 5 years, Chairholder Dr. Charles Hall obtained $1.1 million 

in grant funds, including collaborations with 48 scientists on 19 funded grant projects and authored or co-authored 

31 refereed journal articles, 42 industry trade publications, 8 refereed proceedings, 9 professional paper 

presentations, and 140 national and international invited presentations at industry-related venues. In addition to 

teaching undergraduate courses, the Chair has supervised 6 Master’s and 4 PhD students, and teaches a course 

annually in the joint TAMU-UVG Master’s program in Guatemala. The Ellison Chair has high visibility on the 

national scene, serving on 12 industry boards. Since 2007 the Chair has been conferred with 5 national awards in 

recognition of outstanding service to the green industry. 

Basye Endowed Chair in Rose Breeding 

Established through the generosity of Dr. Robert Basye to further his passion to develop roses resistant to the 

blackspot disease, the mission of the Basye Chair in Rose Breeding has expanded to include the evaluation and 

release of the Moore Roses, a collection of patented varieties and over 350 unreleased selections donated by 

Ralph Moore in 2008. Under the leadership of Basye Chair Dr. David Byrne, this program has obtained nearly 

$400,000 in external funding in the last five years, contributed to the scientific literature in rose and peach 

genetics, and mentored graduate students. The impact and scope of the program will increase as the funding 

generated by the revenues from variety releases begins to be realized. 

Junior Master Gardener ® (JMG) Program – Created, trademarked, and administered within the Department, 

this international youth gardening 4-H program enrolls more than 200,000 Texas children annually (representing 

1/5 of Texas 4-H annual enrollment) through over 300 registered groups. The program continues to expand with 

JMG groups in all 50 states; 36 land-grant universities are registered/licensed JMG program partners; and 10 

foreign countries, from Guatemala, Honduras, to South Korea, have JMG programs. In 2009, through a 

partnership with Texas A&M Texas AgriLife Extension horticulture staff with the Junior Master Gardener (JMG) 

program, Dr. Lombardini (HORT) and Dr. Wingebach (ALEC) received federal funding (Higher Education 

Challenge Grant) for $147,000 to train TAMU undergraduate and graduate students to conduct experiential 

learning activities by using the JMG curricula to teach children in Latin American countries. The current focus of 

JMG is toward activities associated with the $5 million USDA-AFRI grant secured by an interdisciplinary team 

led by Judy Warren and Lisa Whittlesey titled "Using Family Focused Garden, Nutrition and Physical Activity 

Programs to Reduce Childhood Obesity." 

Potato Breeding and Variety Development Program 

Fourteen improved varieties have been developed/co-developed and/or released from the Texas Potato Breeding 

and Variety Development Program. Virtually all of the russet potatoes grown in Texas in 2012 were the improved 

Texas Russet Norkotah strains. When this program was initiated in 1973, the average yield of the summer crop in 

Texas was about 200 Cwt/A. In 2009 the average yield in Texas was reported to be 460 Cwt/A, the highest in 

the nation among 11 states with summer crop production. In addition, the farm gate value of the crop has grown 

from less than $20 million to about $100 million with an annual economic impact to the state estimated to exceed 

$300 million. Of all varieties released over the past 15 years by the 12 potato breeding programs in the U.S., 

those developed by the Southwest Project, which includes the Texas and Colorado breeding programs, rank 

second nationally in total acreage approved for seed certification in 2010 . In 2010, the three Texas Russet 

Norkotah selections (TXNS112, TXNS278, and TXNS296) collectively ranked fourth among the top 50 US 

varieties in acres accepted for seed certification, behind only Russet Burbank, Frito Lay varieties, and Ranger 

Russet. Varieties from the program have brought in some $3 million in royalties to the Texas A&M University 

System. 

The Texas Superstars® Program 

The Texas Superstars® Program is a joint effort among Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife 

Extension, Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas green industry to promote the use of better regionally-


adapted plants to minimize the resources required to produce, establish plants in regional landscapes, and to 

maintain plants as valuable components of aesthetically pleasing and environmentally sustainable landscapes. A 

concomitant effort of this group is to assist the green industry in developing new plant products to provide 

consumers sustainable choices for Texas’ regional landscapes. This goal is in part met by promoting in a 

coordinated fashion plants proven in research trials to provide excellent aesthetic effects with minimal inputs as 

Texas Superstar® plants. These new or underutilized plants may originate from sources outside the Texas A&M 

AgriLife system or may be plants selected or bred by programs within the Texas A&M AgriLife system. These 

trials are often conducted with involvement from undergraduate and graduate students, Master Gardeners, or other 

volunteer groups as well as faculty and staff in the Texas A&M AgriLife system. Promotional efforts are done in 

collaboration with the Texas Department of Agriculture and involve numerous media and the statewide 

horticulture agent group as well as our industry partners. Funding is primarily through the use of tag revenues, 

licensing and grants. 

Pecan Physiology and USDA Pecan Breeding Cooperation 

Under the leadership of Dr. Lombardini, the pecan research program involves collaborations with USDA-ARS as 

well as New Mexico State University and UC Davis. In 2009, this program received SCRI (Co-PI’s: Drs. 

Lombardini and Volder) funding to study the effects of nitrogen application rates on above- and belowground 

production of pecan seedlings. This research will shed light on various aspects of pecan root development as well 

as will likely lead to revised nitrogen application recommendations that can save significant amounts of money as 

well as reduce environmental impacts. The scientists at the USDA-ARS are excellent cooperators and their 

facilities are a tremendous resource for graduate students’ research and are frequent destination for field trips for 

undergraduate courses. Dr. Grauke, Research Horticulturist & Curator of the USDA-ARS Pecan Breeding, has 

served on one Ph.D. student’s committee, chaired by Dr. Lombardini, and the collaboration has generated three 

refereed publications and five presentations at professional meetings. The collaboration between Dr. Lombardini 

and Dr. Grauke is ongoing and the two are currently Co-conveners of the 1 st International Symposium on Pecans 

and Other Carya in Indigenous and Managed Systems, which is scheduled for summer 2013. 

Pecan Physiology and AgriLife Extension 

The pecan research program benefits from its strong partnership with Mr. Monte Nesbitt (AgriLife Extension). 

Lombardini and Nesbit have joint research projects and frequently advise students and growers on pecan 

cultivation and other issues. In 2011, their collaboration with Dr. Pegg at the University of Georgia and Dr. 

Cisneros-Zevallos (Texas A&M Horticultural Sciences), developed into a funded SCRI grant which will provide 

funding for five years “to increase the long-term competitiveness of U.S. pecans based on their nutritional and 

health promoting components.” 

Horticultural Biotechnology - Biofuels 

The focus of the multi-disciplinary biofuels research team is to develop new sources of biofuel feedstocks for the 

emerging bioenergy market. This group has been developing sweet sorghum and high biomass cellulosic energy 

sorghum as dedicated bioenergy crops for the past 5 years. More recently the group is exploring intergeneric 

hybridization between sorghum and sugarcane that would allow for rapid and efficient introgression of traits from 

both sorghum and sugarcane into a new hybrid crop for ethanol production. The sorghum breeding and genomics 

team members from Horticulture, Soil and Crop Sciences and Biochemistry have developed first generation sweet 

sorghum hybrids that are now being grown in Brazil to extend the sugarcane milling season. Additionally the first 

cellulosic energy sorghum hybrids developed by the group are being sold under the Blade ® Energy Crops brand 

by Ceres, Inc. This research team has secured more than $23.6M in external grants from NSF, USDA, DOE and 

industry sources since 2000. The Sorghum Bioenergy Breeding and Genomics Team received the inaugural 2012 

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Interdisciplinary Research. 

Horticultural Biotechnology – Stress Physiology The abiotic stress physiology (Dr. Koiwa) focuses on 

understanding plant responses to various osmotic stresses, such as cold, drought, heat, and salinity, as well as 

responses to nutrition deficiency. The gene expression sub-discipline established collaboration with Dr. 

Fukuhara's group in Japan, and Dr. Zhu's lab at the University of Maryland. Protein modification sub-discipline 

established collaboration with Dr. Fujiyama in Japan and Dr. von Schaewen in Germany. In the last five years,


Dr. Koiwa's group obtained nearly $1 million for federal research grants as PI (about $600,000 were allocated to 

TAMU), and authored and co-authored 20 refereed articles. 

Environmental Physiology 

In collaboration with the departments of Soil and Crop Sciences, Landscape Architecture and Atmospheric 

Sciences as well as the Houston Texas A&M AgriLife Horticultural Extension service a thriving green roof 

research program has been developed that combines aspects of controlled green roof research (individual test 

plots on Langford building, funded by a $10,000 grant from the College of Architecture), in situ green roof 

research (Houston, in-kind industry funding) and experiential learning for undergraduate students (new green roof 

and wall built on Langford building, funded by a $300,000 grant from TAMU Dean of Faculties). The 

experiential learning project started in summer 2012 and has trained 35 undergraduate research students, attracted 

150 undergraduate visitors, and generated two popular press articles, two student research presentations and a 

well visited student blog so far. All these research sites are fully instrumented to test for impacts of green roofs on 

the microclimate as well as effects of green roofs on runoff quantity and quality. Additional urban environmental 

collaborations include testing the effect of pavement on urban tree physiology (in conjunction with the department 

of Ecosystem Science and Management, supported by funding from the Texas A&M Forest service), as well as 

selecting drought tolerant genotypes of live oak and other urban trees for breeding purposes (collaboration with 

ESSM and the Texas A&M Forest Service). The environmental physiology program run by Dr. Volder also 

collaborates with a local grower (Millican Farms) to test the potential use of halophytes to alleviate salt stress on 

watermelons grown on small acreage farms. This projected is funded by a $73,000 specialty crop block grant 

through the Texas Department of Agriculture. 

Earth-Kind® Landscaping Program 

The Earth-Kind® landscaping program is a collaboration effort between Extension specialists and county agents, 

which focuses on education for landscape water conservation, reduction of fertilizer and pesticide use, 

landscaping for energy conservation, and reduction of landscape wastes entering landfills. The program promotes 

the use of native and adapted plant species to provide habitat and reduce water requirements, and minimizing the 

use of potentially harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Fifty-six percent of evaluation respondents indicate 

they will adopt one or more water-conservation practices, reducing their annual landscape water use by 31 percent. 

This reduction in landscape water could result in an annual savings of approximately 6,800 gallons per household, 

and 27.7 million gallons for all participant respondents. The potential water cost savings to these users is 

approximately $117,000 per year based on average municipal water rates. More than 5,000 participants indicate 

they anticipate a cost savings of $217 per year, or $1 million in total, associated with reducing their use of 

pesticides and fertilizer. In addition to these water-costs savings, the ultimate societal benefit to Texas is a more 

efficient use of scarce water resources. 

Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture Programs 

As regional director of the Borlaug Institute programs for Asia, Tim Davis has collaborated with Horticultural 

Sciences faculty including Drs. Cisneros, Davies, Patil, Masabni, and Lombardini to support horticultural 

development programs at 3 Indonesian universities (Bogor Agricultural University, Udayana University and Sam 

Ratulangi University). He is also cooperating with Mengmeng Gu in her developing study abroad program in 

China and is currently developing a plan for increasing the emphasis on scholarly activities involving Texas 

A&M Horticultural Sciences faculty and their peers in China.

6. FISCAL RESOURCES OF THE HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT 

Changes in Appropriated Funds over Time 

Consistent with the national trend in state and federal appropriations to higher education, the Department of 

Horticultural Sciences “hard money” budget has decreased markedly since 2010. The departmental budget from 

all appropriated sources is 18% less that was in 2010, much of that decrease occurring during the current 

biennium. Because of a reduction in state funds allocated to Texas A&M University, Texas A&M Agrilife 

Research, and the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service, and with an added reduction due to an internal 

reallocation program at the University level, the budget for the current biennium decreased nearly 15%. 

Concurrently on the federal side, the USDA special grant for the Foods for Health program was lost, resulting in 

the loss of over $1.2 million that funded several research programs in the department. 

Table 6.1. Changes in the Horticultural Sciences budget from all appropriated sources over the 

period FY 2007 – 2013. 

130128 

one 

130047 time 

240908 130029 grad prog asst Agrilife Agrilife Total 

COALS operating grad asst enhancemt fund Research Extension Budget 

FY 2007 1,330,148 30,014 100,379 30,634 1,236,464 1,173,119 3,900,758 

FY 2008 1,457,914 30,014 100,379 32,512 1,235,255 1,250,476 4,106,550 

Merit, enrollment 

growth, 

84,410 35,293 38,592 

mandates, equity 

Reduction (18,274) (23,858) 

FY 2009 1,575,484 44,327 120,379 21,724 1,292,396 1,274,712 4,329,022 

Mandate, 

promotion 

51,023 20,000 36,122 31,488 

FY 2010 1,610,265 44,327 100,379 21,724 20,000 1,406,837 1,313,712 4,517,244 

Mandates, Merit 29,336 (24,000) 

Reduction (36,446) 

Mid-Year Cut (39,913) (42,399) 

FY 2011 1,516,247 23,022 

100,379 

21,724 20,000 1,326,138 1,242,450 4,249,960 

Reduction (145,178) (21,305) (80,699) (105,311) 

FY 2012 1,372,153 23,022 100,379 20,638 20,000 1,132,468 1,069,384 3,738,044 

Reduction (239,675) (212,182) (154,971) 

FY 2013 

Merit 3.0% 

(1.5% add to base 

and 1.5% one time) 

1,273,839 23,022 100,379 20,638 1,210,195 1,065,613 3,693,686 

17,792 16,156 14,052 

Total loss in departmental funding from all sources since 2010 = $823,558 (18% decrease) 

The state budget reduction for the 2012-13 biennium had severe repercussions on our department. On the 

teaching side, two non-tenure track positions were lost. Another was lost due to not being able to fill a position


that became vacant because of a tenure denial. One of these faculty members (Dr. Joe Novak) taught 22% of our 

SCH for spring 2011. Another (Casey Krueger) taught our landscape graphics, design, and 

maintenance/construction courses, expertise that was unique within our department. A third faculty member (Dr. 

Steve King) taught vegetable production and served as the advisor/coordinator for the Howdy! Farm student 

sustainable farming operation. 

Implications for teaching and research program support were also quite negative. All technical support positions 

were transferred to “soft money” support, and those faculty who did not have grants or other sources of funding 

for their personnel were forced to terminate them. At present, the department maintains its horticulture farm with 

one farm manager and student or part time workers, and its two greenhouse complexes with student workers who 

are supervised by a faculty member. 

On a positive note, the department did 

receive supplemental funding to support 

its high impact/experiential learning 

initiative ($53,000 for academic year 

2012, and $57,250 for 2013) and 

continues to receive Instructional 

Equipment Enhancement Fees and 

Computer Access fees to support 

undergraduate instruction. IEEF fees 

are charged at the time of registration 

and they vary between $10 and $175 per 

course (Table 6.2). The amount is 

determined by the course instructor 

Table 6.2. Instructional Equipment Enhancement Fees (IEEF) 

collected for horticulture courses by academic year. 

2007 $160,546 

2008 $141,158 

2009 $152,406 

2010 $165,150 

2011 $165,125 

2012 $171,099 

2013 $150,000 

(with the approval of the department head and dean of the College) and they represent unique expenses associated 

with the course/lab (cost of flowers for floral design, media and supplies for plant propagation, etc.). IEEF fees 

are tracked so that they must be spent on the course that generates them, except for a small pool that may be held 

at the departmental level for large, multi-course enhancement expenses. 

Table 6.3. Computer access funds and faculty workstation program funds allocated to Horticultural 

Sciences by year. 

Computer Access 

Faculty Workstation 

2007 $6000 5 for $7500 






2013 - 6 for $9000 

Total $34,000 $47,400 

Computer access fees are collected to support instructional computing equipment and software that is available 

for use only by the students (computer labs, special printers, scanners, etc.). Our department has maintained a 

computer lab for our undergraduate students since 1990, and in addition, an open access computer lab maintained 

by Texas A&M University Computing and Information Services is located on the ground floor of our building. 

The Faculty Workstation Program was established to insure that teaching faculty have access to adequate personal 

computing equipment. Faculty members may qualify for matching funds to purchase new desktop computers or 

laptops for use to support teaching, with the University providing a 3:1 match up to $1500. Generally a faculty 

member may qualify for the program every 3 or 4 years.


Endowed Chairs, Programs and Scholarships 

Endowed Chairs 

Basye Chair in Rose Breeding and Genetics 

Robert Basye was a mathematics professor by vocation, but a world-class rose breeder by avocation. Breeding 

roses to increase resistance to diseases was his passion and conquering the blackspot disease of roses was his 

lifetime goal. His generous donation established an endowed professorship to support rose breeding and genetics. 

The current holder of that distinguished professorship is Dr. David Byrne. 

Ellison Chair in International Floriculture 

The Ellison Chair in International Floriculture is named after Jim and Ellen Ellison, who spearheaded the 

campaign to generate industry funding for the Chair. The mission of this Chair is to advance the health and 

vitality of the floriculture industry on a national and international scope through exemplary academic leadership, 

cutting edge applied research, innovative extension outreach programs, and by mentoring well-educated, 

impassioned leaders to support the future of floriculture. The current holder of the Ellison Chair is Dr. Charlie 

Hall. 

Benz Chair in Floral Design 

The only floral design endowed chair in the world, the Benz Chair was established at the 

bequest of floral design innovator M. “Buddy” Benz. The Benz Endowed Chair and 

School of Floral Design is a multi-faceted program which includes the Benz Gallery of 

Floral Art, located in the expansive atrium of the Horticulture/Forest Sciences Building, 

and the Benz School of Floral Design, which offers a variety of basic and advanced 

training courses for floral designers annually. The bequest also supports the teaching 

activities of the Chair holder, Mr. Bill McKinley, world-renowned designer and floral 

educator. 

Endowed Programs 

Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center 

The Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center (VFIC) was established in 1992 under the direction of Dr. Leonard 

M. Pike, to support and strengthen the total vegetable industry through research. Its goal is to develop new 

technologies for producing quality vegetable products in an efficient, economic and environmentally sound 

system, with a focus on achieving health and nutrition benefits. In March 1999, fruit was officially added to the 

name and research scope of the Center. The Center is directed by Dr. Bhimu Patil. The Vegetable Improvement 

Center Endowment was established to strengthen the Texas vegetable industry by attracting and maintaining the 

highest quality scientists, attracting and training the highest quality students, improving innovative research and 

extension programs, developing new and advanced research technologies to improve economic productivity, and 

protecting and improving the environment while sustaining vegetable production. 

Texas Pecan Endowment 

The Texas Pecan Endowment supports research, education and extension activities that benefit the pecan industry 

and supports ongoing development activities for the benefit of the fund. 

Texas Ornamentals Program Enhancement Endowment 

This endowment was established to strengthen the Texas ornamental horticulture industry by attracting and 

maintaining the highest quality scientists, attracting and training the highest quality students, improving 

innovative research and extension programs, developing new and advanced research technologies to improve 

economic productivity, and protecting and improving the environment while sustaining ornamental horticulture. 

Henry and Mary Nemcik Endowed Garden Fund 

This endowment was established to provide support for the Horticultural Gardens near Hensel Park.


Lou Cashion Memorial Garden Fund 

This fund supports all activities and needs at the TAMU Horticultural Gardens and Field Laboratory, with a focus 

on maintaining the area identified as the Lou Cashion Memorial Garden 

Ralph S. Moore Miniature Rose Excellence Fund 

The Moore Rose Excellence Fund are used for activities that preserve the legacy of Mr. Ralph S. Moore’s 

research in miniature roses and woody ornamentals and enhance the teaching, research and extension mission of 

the department. 

Horticulture Teaching Technology Endowment 

The Teaching Technology Endowment intends to insure that horticulture students receive instruction in the use of 

state of the art equipment, software and educational tools that pertain to the art and science of horticulture. The 

goal is that Texas A&M horticulture graduates will be recognized nationally as having received the most 

advanced instruction in the application of advanced technology to horticultural problems. 

Horticulture Scholarship Endowments 

A growing list of endowed scholarships provide awards to outstanding students annually in amounts ranging from 

$1,000 to $2,000 (Table 6.4). In addition to the endowed scholarships, other benefactors including commodity 

groups, garden clubs, and individuals provide funding and our department generally awards in excess of $50,000 

to students at our annual awards banquet held on Parent’s Weekend every year. 

Table 6.4. Endowed scholarships managed by the Department of Horticultural Sciences 

Floriculture/Greenhouse 

Initial Endowment 

Art Nightingale Memorial Endowed Scholarship $10,000 

Jim Ellison Endowed Scholarship $25,000 

Ellen Ellison Scholarship $25,000 

Robert Rucker Floriculture Scholarship $15,000 

Bill Walker Memorial Scholarship $2,050 

Margaret Plum Floriculture Scholarship $10,000 

Robbie Jane Paup $100,000 

Jim Johnson Scholarship in Horticulture 

Urban/Landscape Horticulture 

Don Wilkerson & Sharon Duray Sch. $25,000 

Pomology - Fruit and Nut Production 

Fred Brison Scholarship (Texas Pecan Growers) 

General 

Joel Ray Reese '50 Sch Hort Sci $25,000 

C.O. Smith, Class '50 (Bethancourt) $25,000 

Jayson Guy Harris Scholarship $5,000 

Leon Miller Opportunity Award Scholarship $5,000 

Everett R Emino Endowment Fund Scholarship $1,000 

Joe Novak (Warren Barham) Scholarship 

Dan Hannah Memorial Scholarship in Hort. Sciences $25,000 

COADC Sam Cotner Scholarship $25,000 

Texas Food Processors Scholarship $1,000 

Leon C. Osborn Memorial Scholarship $1,000 

Leonard M. Pike Endowed Scholarship

7. FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2007-‐2012 

Juan Reymundo Anciso 

Associate Professor and Extension Specialist 

j-anciso@tamu.edu 

Program Summary 

Dr. Anciso is the Extension Specialist for vegetables and citrus for the 21 county area 

of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s District 12 which stretches from Brownsville to 

Eagle Pass. Since joining the Department of Horticultural Sciences in November 2002, 

he had coordinated the IPM program for citrus and vegetable pest management as the 

Extension IPM Agent for Hidalgo and Cameron counties from 1989 thru 2002 in the 

Department of Entomology. 

Dr. Anciso’s area of research is vegetable pest management, vegetable production and 

food safety on the farm known as Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). He has written 

several scientific and popular articles on vegetable pest management and food safety on 

the farm. He attends the annual USDA IR-4 Food Use Workshop as the plant 

pathology representative for Texas. He also represents Texas on the National Good 

Agricultural Practices committee, Produce Safety Alliance and United Fresh’s GAPs Harmonization effort that addresses 

GAPs food safety in produce. 

Academic Background 

Degree Year Institution Major 

Ph.D. 1989 Texas A&M University Plant Pathology 

M.Agr. 1984 Texas A&M University Plant Protection 

B.S. 1983 Texas A&M University Biology 

Professional Experience 

2008-Present. Associate Professor and Extension Specialist. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. (100% Extension) 

2002-2008. Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist. Texas Cooperative Extension. (100% Extension appointment in 

Department of Horticultural Sciences). Assignment is to provide effective planning, development and implementation of 

educational programs needed to meet the informational expectations of the clientele and extension agents. These educational 

programs have focused on vegetable production including pest management control strategies as well as food safety for 

vegetables from the field to the packing shed. Responsibilities include educational outreach on commercial vegetable 

production in District 12 for producers, support people and extension agents. Areas of applied research include food safety, 

pest management strategies in vegetables, and coordination of the state-wide watermelon variety trials. 

1989-2002. Extension Agent-Integrated Pest Management Level III Agent. Texas Agricultural Extension Service. 

(100% Extension appointment in Department of Entomology). Responsibility included supervision of the Citrus IPM and 

Vegetable IPM programs. Development of IPM programs in citrus and vegetables both in disease and insect pest 

management in Hidalgo and Cameron counties. Hosted numerous international scientists, (Canada, China, Eritrea, and India), 

on various projects. Other projects as a co-investigator include Florida red scale project, bio-intensive whitefly management, 

citrus producers manual, diamondback moth management, and electronic delivery of pest information. International travel to 

Honduras and Nicaragua to present vegetable pest management training under the USDA Hurricane Mitch project. 

Refereed Publications 2007-2012 

Park, S. S., B. Szonyi, R. Gautam, K. Nightingale, J. Anciso and R. Ivanek. 2012. Risk factors for microbial contamination 

in fruits and vegetables at the pre-harvest level: A systematic review. J. Food Prot. 75(11):2055-2081. 

Ribera, L., M. Palma, M. Paggi, R. Knutson, J. Masabni, and J. Anciso. 2012. Economic analysis of food safety compliance 

costs and foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States. HortTechnology 22(2):150-156. 

Goolsby, J.A.,, J. Adamczyk, J. Crosslin, N. Troxclair, J. Anciso, G. Bester, J. Bradshaw, E. Bynum, L Carpio, D. Henne, A. 

Joshi, J. Munyaneza, P. Porter, P. Sloderbeck, J. Supak, C. Rush, F. Willett, B. Zechmann, and B. Zens. 2012. Seasonal 

population dynamics of the potato psyllid and its associated pathogen “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” in


potatoes in the southern Great Plains of North America. J. Econ. Entomol. 105(4):1268-1276. 

Nansen, C., K. Vaughn, Y. Xue, C. Rush, F. Workneh, J. Goolsby, N. Troxclair, J. Anciso, A. Gregory, D. Holman, A. 

Hammond, E. Mirkov, P. Tantravahi, and X. Martini. 2011. A decision-support tool to predict spray deposition of 

insecticides in commercial potato fields and its implications for their performance. J. Econ. Entomol. 104(4):1138-1145. 

Showler, A. T., J. R. Anciso and B. A. Castro. 2010. Effect of garlic extract on selected pests and yield of bell pepper 

Capsicum annuum L. (var. Capistrano). Biopestic. Int. 6:36-44. 

Showler, A. T., J. R. Anciso and B. A. Castro. 2010. Effect of garlic extract on injury by cowpea curculio, Chalcodermes 

aenus Boheman and other pests, to cowpea, Vigna unguiculata L.. Biopestic. Int. 6(2)112-120. 

Editor reviewed publications, abstracts or conference proceedings 2007-2012 

Park, S.S, B. Szonyi, R. Gautam, J. Anciso, K. Nightingale and R. Ivanek. 2012. “Risk factors for microbial contamination 

in fruits and vegetables at the pre-harvest level: A systematic review.” International Association for Food Protection, 

July 22-25, 2012, Providence, RI. abstract online. 

Park, S.S, B. Szonyi, R. Gautam, K. Nightingale, J. Anciso and R. Ivanek. 2012. “Systematic review: What do we really 

know about risk factors for produce contamination at the pre-harvest level?” International Spinach Conference 

Proceedings, November 29-30, 2012, San Antonio, TX. pg. 20. 

Park, S.S, S. Navratil, A. Gregory, I. Srinath, M. Jun, B. Szonyi, K. Nightingale, J. Anciso and R. Ivanek. 2012. “E. coli in 

spinach at the pre-harvest level as affected by farm management and environmental factors”. International Spinach 

Conference Proceedings, November 29-30, 2012, San Antonio, TX. pg. 15. 

Goolsby, J. A., J.J. Adamczyk, J.M. Crosslin, N.N. Troxclair, J.R. Anciso, G.G. Bester, J.D. Bradshaw, E.D. Bynum, L.A. 

Carpio, D.C. Henne, A. Joshi, J.E. Munyaneza, P. Porter, P.E. Sloderbeck, J.R. Supak, C.M. Rush, F.J. Willett, B.J. 

Zechmann, and B.A. Zens. 2011. “Regional monitoring of potato psyllid populations and the associated pathogen, Ca. 

Liberibacter psyllaurous”. Proceedings of the 11th Annual SCRI Zebra Chip Reporting Session, November 6-9, 2011, 

pp. 12-16. 

Anciso, J. R. 2011. “Weed control in watermelons using Reflex”. Southern Region ASHS. Corpus Christi, TX. abstract in 

HortScience. 

Anciso, J. R. 2011. “Texas GAPs and GHPs program”. Produce Safety Alliance Conference and Proceedings. Orlando, FL. 

June 29-30, 2011. pp. 53-54. 

Anciso, J. R. 2011. “GAPs food safety in Texas”. National Annual ASHS. Waikoloa, HI. abstract in HortScience 

Paggi, M., F. Yamazaki, L. Ribera, R. Knutson, J. Anciso, M. Palma, and J. Noel. 2010. “Comparative producer costs of 

GAP and GHP standards: Can the playing field be made level?” Selected paper – EAAE/AAEA Seminar Proceedings. 

Freising, Germany. September 15-17, 2010. pp 1-19. 

Nansen, C., K. Vaughn, Y. Yingen, C. M. Rush, F. Workneh, J. A. Goolsby, N. Troxclair, J. Anciso, and X. Martini. 2010. 

“Spray Coverage and Insecticide Performance”. Proceedings of the 10th Annual Zebra Chip Reporting Session, 

November 7- 10, 2010, pp. 78-82. 

Goolsby, J. A., J. Adamczyk, J. Crosslin, J. Munyaneza, N. Troxclair, J. Anciso, R. Villaneuva, P. Porter, E. Bynum, C. 

Rush, F. Workneh, D. Henne, C. Nansen, P. Sloderbeck, A. Joshi, L. Buschmann, J. Bradshaw, B. Lee, B. Zechmann, 

and G. Bester. 2010. Regional monitoring of potato psyllid populations and the associated pathogen, “Ca. Liberibacter 

psyllaurous”. Proceedings of the 10th Annual Zebra Chip Reporting Session, November 7-10, 2010, pp. 1-4. 

Showler, A. T., J. R. Anciso and B. A. Castro. 2009. “Effects of garlic extract on pests and yield of Capistrano bell pepper”. 

Proceedings of the 12 th Texas Pepper Conference, Nov. 2009. pp 

Anciso, J. R. 2009. “Fungicide trials on leafy greens”. Southern Region ASHS. Atlanta, GA. abstract in HortScience. 

Anciso, J. R. 2008. “The undiagnosed onion disease and Iris Yellow Spot Virus”. Southern Region ASHS. Dallas, TX. 

abstract in HortScience. 

Anciso, J. R. 2008. Food Safety co-chair “Food safety white paper” National Vegetable Crops Initiative. Denver, CO. May 

12-13, 2008. publication online. 

Valdez, M., J. Anciso, J. Lopez, O. Gonzales, L. Stein, J. Taylor, R. Griffin, R. Zamora, O. Montemayor, and B. Storz. 2008. 

“Food safety GAPs initiative for the spinach industry”. International Spinach Conference Proceedings, San Antonio, 

TX. Dec. 2008. pp. 17-18. 

Anciso, J. R. 2007. “A comparison of triploid and diploid watermelon production in Texas”. Southern Region ASHS. 

Mobile, AL. abstract in HortScience. 

Smith, D. T., M. A. Matocha, and J. R. Anciso. 2007. “Pesticide clearance for specialty crops”. Association for 

Advancement of Industrial Crops. Portland, Maine. Jan. 2007. p. 35. 

Anciso, J. R. 2007. “Management of the pepper weevil”. Proceedings of the 11 th Texas Pepper Conference, Nov. 2007. p. 

15. 

Extension Publications 2007-2012


Ribera, L. A., M. Raulston, R. T. Villanueva, J. Enciso-Siller, B. Storz and J. Anciso. 2012. “Economic feasibility of a small 

acreage organic vegetable farm in South Texas”. Agricultural and Food Policy Center Research Report 12-2. Free. 

Masabni, J., J. R. Anciso and R. Wallace. 2012. “What makes tomato leaves twist or curl?” pp. 5. Extension publication E- 

626. Free. 

Masabni, J., J. R. Anciso, P. Lillard, and F. J. Dainello. 2011. “Texas Commercial Vegetable Production Guide”. revised. 

pp. 140. Extension publication B-6159 revised. $10. 

Anciso, J. R. and A. Gregory. 2010. “Texas GAPs and GHPs Food Safety Curriculum”. pp 68. Extension publication B- 

6244. $10. 

Anciso, J. R. 2009. “What are GAPs?/What does GAPs approved mean?” Extension publication ESP-366. Free. 

Popular Press Articles 2007 -2012 

Texas experts hope citrus greening disease is not widespread 

AgriLife Today January 18, 2012 

Citrus experts: Get informed about citrus greening 

AgriLife Today January 26, 2012 

Diseased South Texas citrus trees destroyed 

AgriLife Today February 9, 2012 

Rains wreak havoc on South Texas onion crop 

AgriLife Today April 19, 2012 

South Texas winery beating the odds 

AgriLife Today June 28, 2012 

Extension expert: China shipping more food products to U.S. 

AgriLife Today July 20, 2012 

Lower Rio Grande Valley’s first winery slates open house 

AgriLife Today September 4, 2012 

Disease and Weed Control New technologies lead to efficient herbicides and fungicides 

Growing Magazine March 2012 

Citrus greening quarantine unchanged in Texas Valley 

Southwest Farm Press January 30, 2012 

South Texas update: beneficial rains, damaging hail storms 

Southwest Farm Press June 4, 2012 

Citrus Greening Disease Has Growers on Alert 

New York Times/Texas Tribune February 11, 2012 

Texas citrus officials remain hopeful, despite greening find 

The Grower 

January 18, 2012 

Texas officials hope they’ve caught citrus greening early 

The Grower February 21, 2012 

Texas Co-op Power Magazine 

July 2012 

Texas onion acreage leaps, crop escapes winter damage 

Produce News Daily March 9, 2011 

AgriLife Extension, others offer small-acreage grower business series 

AgriLife News March 24, 2011 

New food safety site caters to farmers 

AgriLife News April 21, 2011 

Water quality critical for food safety 

Southwest Farm Press May 20, 2011 

Market for onions still fresh 

Country World News June 21, 2011 

Tropical storm could be godsend 

My SanAntonio News July 27, 2011 

Weak markets push down South Texas acreage 

AgriLife News November 11, 2011 

Texas vegetables enduring worst drought in 50 years 

Produce News Daily November 18, 2011 

Mexican drug violence could help South Texas onion farmers 

Ag News November 24, 2010 

Area producers receive food safety training in Uvalde 

Ag News October 19, 2010


Spiders and pumpkins and bats, oh my! 

Ag News October 13, 2010 

Keeping Vegetables Safe: $1 million grant will seek ways to reduce pathogen 

Ag News August 6, 2010 

Rio Grande Valley row crops vulnerable to Alex 

Ag News June 29, 2010 

South Texas onion growers grin as prices soar 

Ag News May 28, 2010 

Ag-related classes, conferences start soon in South Texas 

Ag News January 21, 2010 

Anciso receives Superior Service Award from Texas AgriLife Extension Service 

Ag News January 8, 2010 

Peppers’ nutritional punch, popularity highlight conference 

Ag News November 05, 2009 

Rains and El Niño Help Texans Look Beyond Drought 

Wall Street Journal Online October 03, 2009 

Rains help break heat wave in deep South Texas 

Ag News September 03, 2009 

South Texas drought devastating crops 

Ag News June 09, 2009 

Insect mystery boon to Texas onion harvest 

Ag News April 06, 2009 

Staples leads initiative to help farmers 

Jack County Herald March 10, 2009 

Drought-Proofing the Valley 

The Business Times February 26, 2009 

Rio Grande Valley Horticultural Society to address threats, opportunities 

Ag News Jan. 16, 2009 

Electronic media/software (websites, videos, etc.) 2007-2012 

Contribute to three websites: 

GAPs Food Safety Website - agrilifefoodsafety.tamu.edu 

Local Produce and Small Acreage Website - texaslocalproduce.tamu.edu 

Statewide Watermelon Variety Trial Website - aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/variety-trials/statewidewatermelon-trials/ 

Smart Phone app for food safety: 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/agrilifefood-safety/id445935229?mt=8 

Interagency and interdisciplinary program participation 2007-2012 

Texas Legislature - Committee Meeting of Senate Public Health Committee on Food Safety of Produce. SB 81. September 

23, 2010. Austin, Texas 

Texas Legislature - Joint Hearing of House Public Health Committee and House Intergovernmental Affairs Border 

Committee on Food Safety. August 26, 2010. Austin, Texas 

FDA - Food Safety Listening Session on Food Safety. April 27, 2010. San Antonio, Texas 

USDA - National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement Public Comment and Hearing. October 8, 2009. Denver, Colorado 

Texas Legislature – Committee Meeting of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. HB 1908. April 20, 2009. Austin, Texas 

Graduate student’s committee member 2007-2012 

Sang Shin Park. Current student. Ph.D. Microbial contamination in spinach at the pre-harvest level as affected by farm 

management and environmental factors. College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Texas A&M 

University. (Dr. Renata Ivanek advisor). 

Ashley Gregory. Current student. M.A. non-thesis. Development of olfactory attractants for Asian citrus pysllid. College 

of Agriculture in Plant and Soil Science. Texas A&M University Kingsville. (Dr. Mamadou Setamou advisor). 

Jacob Pekar. Current student. M.S thesis. Volunteer cotton control in Rio Grande Valley in sugarcane and vegetables . 

College of Agriculture in Plant and Soil Science. Texas A&M University Kingsville. (Dr. Greta Schuster advisor). 

Adrianna Ochoa. 2012. M. S. thesis. Disease spread of zebra chip in potatoes. College of Agriculture in Plant Soil Science. 

Texas A&M University Kingsville. (Dr. Greta Schuster advisor).


First job taken by graduate students 2007-2012 

Adrianna Ochoa – County Extension Agent for Armstrong County. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension 

Grants and contracts awarded (competitive and non-competitive) 2007-2012 

$ 2,000 Agraquest funding for insecticide trial in onions 2012. 

$ 4,000 Gowan Corporation funding for insecticide trial in onions 2012. 

$ 6,000 Marrone Bio funding for fungicide trial in onions 2012. 

$ 1,000 Luxemburg Corporation funding for fungicide trial in onions 2012. 

$ 7,000 Syngenta Corporation funding for fungicide trial in cantaloupes 2012. 

$ 4,000 FMC Corporation funding for fungicide trial in honeydews 2012. 

$ 8,500 Gowan Corporation funding for fungicide trial in honeydews 2012. 

$ 6,000 Marrone Bio funding for fungicide trial in honeydews 2012. 

$ 1,000 Grow More funding for trial in grapes 2012. 

$ 5,600 Abbott and Cobb Seed funding for statewide watermelon variety trial 2012. 

$ 1,750 Seminis Seed funding for statewide watermelon variety trial 2012. 

$ 1,050 Syngenta/Rogers Seed funding for statewide watermelon variety trial 2012. 

$ 1,050 Willhite Seed funding for statewide watermelon variety trial 2012. 

$ 1,050 Zeriam Gedera funding for statewide watermelon variety trial 2012. 

$ 2,500 Speedling Incorporated funding for greenhouse watermelon trials 2012. 

$ 1,000 HEB funding for GAPs food safety workshop to produce vendors 2012. 

$ 500 Texas Vegetable Association funding for food safety conference 2012. 

$ 2,000 BASF funding for fungicide trial in summer squash 2011. 

$ 6,000 Gowan Corporation funding for fungicide trial in summer squash 2011. 

$ 1,050 Syngenta/Rogers Seed for statewide watermelon variety trial 2011. 

$ 3,500 Abbott and Cobb Seed for statewide watermelon variety trial 2011. 

$ 1,400 Seminis for statewide watermelon variety trial 2011. 

$ 1,400 Willhite Seed for statewide watermelon variety trial 2011. 

$ 1,400 Zeriam Gedera for statewide watermelon variety trial 2011. 

$ 1,615 Speedling Incorporated funding for greenhouse watermelon trials 2011. 


$ 4,000 USDA-NIFA-SCRI grant “Novel methods for control of microbial contamination in spinach in Texas and 

Colorado” (R. Ivanek PI, 2011) 2 year study with total grant award of $299,874. 

$10,097 TDA-SCBG grant “Produce food safety conference and workshops” (awarded to Texas Vegetable 

Association, 2011) with total grant award of $60,000. 

$ 4,000 TDA Zebra Chip Grant. Psyllid sampling in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (D. Henne P.I., 2011) 2 year study 

with total grant award of $183,040. 

$23,469 USDA Citrus Greening grant “Commercial citrus producers education and training on citrus greening” (M. 

Dozier P.I., 2011) with a total grant award of $100,000. 

$18,500 USDA-NIFA- SCRI grant “Impacts of Evolving Food Safety Standards on the Sustainability of Small- and 

Medium-Size Produce Farms: Implications for Implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act” 

(L. Ribera P.I., 2011) 2 year study with total grant award of $408,472. 

$11,000 Syngenta Corporation funding for herbicide trial in watermelons 2010 

$ 2,200 Gowan Corporation funding for fungicide trial in watermelons 2010 


$ 700 Shamrock Seed for statewide watermelon variety trial 2010. 


$ 1,400 Seminis for statewide watermelon variety trial 2010. 


$ 700 Zeriam Gedera for statewide watermelon variety trial 2010. 


$ 9,250 USDA-NIFA-SCRI zebra chip mini-grant “Spray Coverage and Insecticide Performance for potato psyllid 

in commercial potato fields” (C. Nansen PI, 2010) with a total grant award of $40,000. 

$177,983 USDA-NIFSI-SCRI grant “Role of surface-related factors on contamination and survival of pathogens in 

fresh produce grown in Texas and Mexico - Produce food safety-systems approach” (E. Murano PI, 2010) 3 

year study with a total grant award of $999,190. 

$10,000 Gowan Corporation funding for fungicide trial in watermelons 2009. 

$ 4,000 Valent Corporation funding for fungicide trial in watermelons 2009. 

$ 4,000 Grow More funding for fungicide trial in watermelons 2009.



$ 1,050 Shamrock Seed for statewide watermelon variety trial 2009. 


$ 1,050 Harris Moran for statewide watermelon variety trial 2009. 


$ 700 Hazera for statewide watermelon variety trial 2009. 


$ 1,200 USDA IR-4 grant for fungicide trials in leafy greens 2009. 

$95,682 TDA-SCBG grant “Produce Safety in Texas: A Systems Approach (GAPs Curriculum, Website, and 

Conference)” (J. Anciso and J. Masabni PI’s, 2009) with a total award of $181,500. 

$45,000 USDA-NIFA-SCRI “Marketing and Risk Management for Horticultural Producers in Texas” (L. Ribera PI, 

2009) 3 year study with a total grant award of $298,735. 

$ 6,000 DuPont Corporation funding for fungicide trial in onions 2008. 

$ 3,000 Valent Corporation funding for fungicide trial in onions 2008. 

$ 8,000 Syngenta Corporation funding for insecticide trials in cabbage and cantaloupes 2008 


$ 1,400 Shamrock Seed for statewide watermelon variety trial 2008. 


$ 1,400 Harris Moran for statewide watermelon variety trial 2008. 


$21,520 USDA-ARS 018-08S grant “Technology Transfer Program for Integrated Pest Management of Potato Psyllid 

to Minimize the Incidence of Zebra Chip in Potatoes” (J. Anciso PI, 2008) with a total grant award of 

$29,680. 

$92,000 TDA-SCBG grant “Field Certification of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) in Texas” (J.Anciso PI, 2008) 

with a total grant award of $92,000. 

$ 5,000 BASF Corporation funding for insecticide trial on cabbage 2007. 

$ 1,500 Grow More funding for fungicide trial on onions 2007. 

$ 5,000 Syngenta Corporation funding for fungicide trial on peppers 2007. 


$ 700 Zeriam Gedera for statewide watermelon variety trial 2007. 




$ 9,811 USDA IR-4 grant for fungicide trial in leafy greens 2007. 

$ 2,500 TDA grant “Sampling of soil in potato fields for potato cyst nematode” a joint project with West Texas A&M 

(G. Schuster PI, 2007) with a total grant award of $15,000. 

Grant review panel service and workshops 2007-2012 

2012 USDA-SCRI Grants Review Panel member – Washington D.C. 

2012 USDA-SCRI Grants Writing Workshop and Regional Team Building Meeting – Atlanta, GA 

Editorial boards on which you served 2007-2012 

Subtropical Plant Science 

Journals for which you reviewed papers 2007-2012 

HortScience 

Subtropical Plant Science 

Internal university / agency service on committees 2007-2012 

Committee member Minor Use Pesticide Advisory Committee (Dr. Mark Matocha) 2007 - present 

Co-Chair with Dr. Monty Dozier for Fresh Produce Food Safety Task Group (Dr. Monty Dozier) 2007- present 

Co-Chair with Dr. Joe Masabni for Produce Food Safety Initiative Task Force (Dr. Pete Gibbs) 2009 - present 

Committee member Water Initiative Task Force (Dr. Pete Gibbs) 2009 - present 

Committee member Multi-State Food Safety Committee (Dr. Elsa Murano) 2010 - present 

Professional association leadership roles 2007-2012 

Director Educational Section of Texas Vegetable Association 2009 – present 

Secretary/Treasurer of Texas Vegetable Association 2006-2008


Section director for vegetables of the Subtropical Plant Science Society 

(previously Rio Grande Valley Horticultural Society) 2007- present 

Watermelon workgroup of American Society of Horticultural Science and Southern Region ASHS 2007- present 

Awards and recognitions 2007-2012 

2012 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Superior Service - Team Category (HEB Produce Food Safety Course) 

2010 Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence – Specialist Category 

2010 Texas County Agricultural Agents Association Specialist of the Year 

2009 Texas AgriLife Extension Service Superior Service - Specialist Category


Michael Aloysius Arnold 

Professor of Landscape Horticulture and Associate Department Head for Graduate 

Programs 

ma-arnold@tamu.edu 


Dr. Arnold holds a three way split between teaching, research and administration. 

Teaching responsibilities include two undergraduate and two graduate courses in the 

field of plant materials and plant materials utilization in the landscape. He also serves 

as the chair of two Ph.D. student committees and as a member of about a dozen 

graduate student committees within and outside the Department. His research program 

involves investigations in three primary areas, two long-term and one short-term. 

Long-term projects include the selection and development of commercial genotypes 

from regionally native or well adapted species. Much of this program has been aimed 

at developing native genotypes tolerant of salinity, soil alkalinity, and drought 

exposure which could replace higher resource requiring species or exotic species which 

may pose an environmental threat through invasive tendencies. These efforts are 

highly integrated with extension programs through joint efforts with CEMAP 

(Coordinated Education and Marketing Assistance Program) and the Texas Superstar ® 

program. The other closely related long-term project which is to investigate container nursery production practices and 

landscape establishment practices which minimize the resources required and losses of plants associated with landscape 

establishment of container grown plants. A third shorter term area of research operates as a fund generating effort 

capitalizing on short-term industry requested investigations associated with greenhouse, nursery, or plant establishment 

issues, for instance our recent cooperative efforts with a firm interested in adapting a traditional ornamental species for 

production of a cosmetic or pharmaceutical product. Dr. Arnold has also recently (October 2012) resumed duties as the 

Department’s Associate Head for Graduate Programs where he is charged with leading the Department’s efforts related to M. 

Agric., M.S., and Ph.D. degree programs. In a service capacity, Dr. Arnold holds or has recently held officer positions with 

the national level American Society for Horticultural Sciences and with the Southern Region ASHS, as well as positions on 

the editorial boards for HortTechnology and the Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 



Ph.D. 1990 North Carolina State University Horticulture 

M.S. 1987 The Ohio State University Landscape Horticulture 

B.S. 1984 The Ohio State University Landscape Horticulture 

B.S. 1983 The Ohio State University Production & Operations Management 

Professional Experience: 

2012 – present Associate Head for Graduate Programs (30% administration), Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, 


2005-present Professor, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University (2005-2012: 70 % teaching, 25% 

research, 5% service) After 2012: 50 % teaching, 15% research, 5% service) 

2003-2007 Associate Head for Research& Graduate Studies (5% administration), Dept. Horticultural 

Sciences, Texas A&M University 

1997-2005 Associate Professor of Landscape Horticulture, Texas A&M University 

(65% teaching, 30% research, 5% admin./service) 

1993-1997 Assistant Professor of Landscape Horticulture, Texas A&M University 

(75% teaching, 25% research) 

1990-1992 Assistant Professor of Ornamental Horticulture, Tennessee Tech. Univ. 

(18% teaching, 45% research, 37% outreach/service) 

Publications 2007-2012 

Refereed Publications (underlined names indicate graduate students in the faculty members lab) 

Arnold, M.A., D.L. Bryan, R. Cabrera, G.C. Denny, J.J. Griffin, J.K. Iles, A.R. King, G.W. Knox, L. Lombardini, G.V. 

McDonald, C.B. McKenney, D.T. Montague, G. Niu, H.B. Pemberton, A.L. Purnell, L.J. Shoemake, D.K. Struve., and 

W.T. Watson. 2012. Provenance experiments with baldcypress, live oak, and sycamore illustrate the potential for 

selecting more sustainable urban trees. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 38(5):205-213.


Bryan, D.L., A. Alarcon, A. Volder, L.A. Valdez-Aguilar, M.A. Arnold, and A.D. Cartmill. 2012. Arbuscular mycorrhizal 

fungi alleviate growth of Ulmus parvifolia Jacq. at suboptimal planting depths. Scientia Horticulturae 144(2012):74-80. 

Adams, R.P., M.A. Arnold, A.R. King, G.C. Denny, and D. Creech. 2012. Taxodium (Cupressaceae): one, two, or three 

species? Evidence from DNA sequences and terpenoids. Phytologia 94(2):159-168. 

King, A.R., M.A. Arnold, D.F. Welsh, and W.T. Watson. 2012. Developmental stage and growth regulator concentration 

differentially affect vegetative propagation of select baldcypress clones. HortScience 47(2):238-248. 

Adams, R.P., M.A. Arnold, A.R. King, and G.C. Denny. 2012. Geographic variation in the leaf essential oils of Taxodium 

(Cupressaceae). Phytologia 94(1):53-70. 

King, A.R., M.A. Arnold, D.F. Welsh, and W.T. Watson. 2011. Substrates, wounding, and hormone concentrations affect 

adventitious rooting of baldcypress cuttings. HortScience 46(10):1387-1393. 

Pemberton, B., M. Arnold, T. Davis, D. Lineberger, C. McKenney, D. Rodriguez, L. Stein, C. Hall, M. Palma, and R. De Los 

Santos. 2011. The Texas Superstar ® program - success through partnership. HortTechnology 21(6):698-699. 

Bryan, D.L., M.A. Arnold, A. Volder, W.T. Watson, L. Lombardini, J.J. Sloan, A. Alarcon, L.A. Valdez-Aguilar, A.D. 

Cartmill. 2011. Planting depth and soil amendments affect growth of Quercus virginiana Mill. Urban Forestry & 

Urban Greening 10(2):127-132. 

Bryan, D.L., M.A. Arnold, A. Volder, W.T. Watson, L. Lombardini, J.J. Sloan, L.A. Valdez-Aquilar, and A.D. Cartmill. 

2010. Effect of planting depth and selected cultural practices on landscape establishment of baldcypress and sycamore. 

Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 36(2):57-65 

Arnold, M.A., G.V. McDonald, G.C Denny, S.T. Carver, and A.R. King. 2010. Screening potential new tropical ornamentals 

for alkalinity, salinity, and irradiance tolerances. J. Environ. Hort. 29(1)45-50. 

Bryan, D.L., M.A. Arnold, A. Volder, W.T. Watson, L. Lombardini, J.J. Sloan, L.A. Valdez-Aguilar, and A.D. Cartmill. 

2009. Planting depth during container production and landscape establishment affects growth of Ulmus parvifolia. 

HortScience 45(1):54-60. 

Martinez-Trinidad, T., W.T. Watson, M.A. Arnold and L. Lombardini. 2009. Carbohydrate injections as a potential option 

to improve growth and vitality of live oaks. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 35(3):142-147. 

Arnold, M.A. and G.V. McDonald. 2009. Groundcovers, organic and inorganic mulches, and masonry surfaces 

differentially affect establishment and root zone characteristics of urban trees. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 

35(5):232-240. 

McDonald, G.V., M.A. Schnelle, and M.A. Arnold. 2009. Cold hardy palms: species and strategies for landscape utilization. 

HortTechnology 19(4):705-709. 

Martinez-Trinidad, T., W.T. Watson, M.A. Arnold, D.N. Appel, and L. Lombardini. 2009. Temporal and spatial 

carbohydrate partitioning in live oak. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 35(2):63-67. 

Martinez-Trinidad, T., W.T. Watson, M.A. Arnold, and L. Lombardini. 2009. Investigations of exogenous applications of 

carbohydrates on the growth and vitality of live oaks. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 8(1):41-48. 

St. Hilaire, R., M.A. Arnold, D.A. Devitt, B.H. Hurd, B.J. Lesikar, V.I. Lohr, C.A. Martin, G.V. McDonald, R.L. Morris, 

D.R. Pittenger, D.A. Shaw, D.C. Wilkerson, and D.F. Zoldoske. 2008. Efficient water use in urban landscapes. 

HortScience 43(7):2081-2092. 

Denny, G.C., M.A. Arnold, and W.A. Mackay. 2008. Evaluation of alkalinity tolerance of selected provenances of 

Taxodium Rich. HortScience 43(7):1987-1900. 

McDonald, G.V., G.C. Denny, M.A. Arnold, L.W. Barnes, and D.L. Bryan. 2008. Comparative canopy damage among 

provenances of baldcypress associated with the presence of Cercosporidium sequoiae (Ellis and Everth.) W. A. Baker 

and Partridge. HortScience 43(6):1703-1705. 

Persyn, R., X. Duan, B. Lesikar, A. Kenimer, and M.Arnold. 2008. Performance of wastewater subsurface drip emitters at 

low and normal pressure. Water Environment Research :80(2)142-148. 

Mackay, W.A., M.A. Arnold, G.V. McDonald, N. Sankhla. 2007. Cyclanilide alterations in growth of five landscape plant 

species during container production are location dependent. J. Environ. Hort. 25(2):109-115. 

Watson, T., D. Appel, M. Arnold, and T. Martinez-Trinidad. 2007. Inoculation, symptoms, and colonization in 

containerized apple trees by Phymatotrichopsis omnivora (Duggar) Hennebert. Agrociencia 41(4):459-468. 

Denny, G.C. and M.A. Arnold. 2007. Taxonomy and nomenclature of baldcypress, pondcypress and montezuma cypress: 

one, two or three species? HortTechnology 17(1)125-127. 

Denny, G.C. and M.A. Arnold. 2007. Pre-germination seed treatments and stratification affect germination of montezuma 

cypress. J. Environ. Hort. 25(1):1-3. 

Arnold, M.A., G.V. McDonald, D.L. Bryan, G.C. Denny, W. T. Watson, and L. Lombardini. 2007. Below grade planting 

adversely affects survival and growth of tree species from five different families. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 

33(1):64-69. 

Editor reviewed publications or conference proceedings 2007-2012


Arnold, M.A., G.V. McDoanld, G.C. Denny, A.R. King, and S.T. Carver. 2011. Germination of scarified seeds of Neptunia 

lutea and Mimosa (Schrankia). Proc. 2012 Southern Nursery Research Conference 57:280-283. 

Blythe, E.K., W. Dunwell, E. Bush, J.W. Adelberg, M. Arnold, R. Bracy, Y. Chen, D. Fare, W. Klingeman, P. Knight, G. 

Knox, A.V. LeBude, J. Lindstrom, A.X. Niemiera, A. Owings, J. Robbins, J. Ruter, and T.P. West. 2010. Nursery crop 

and landscape systems plant evaluations by SERA-27 in the southeastern U.S.: 2010 update. 2010. Comb. Proc. Intl. 

Plant Prop. Soc. 60:607-609. 

Arnold, M.A., A.R. King, and S.T. Carver. 2011. Growth and flowering responses of three novel landscape plants to 

summer shade levels in central Texas. Proc. 2011 Southern Nursery Research Conference 56:304-307. 

Arnold, M.A. and G.V. McDonald. 2009. Organic mulches, inorganic mulches, or living groundcovers – do they make a 

difference in establishment of urban trees? Proc. of the Landscape Below Ground III Conference. Lisle, IL, Oct. 7 – 9, 

2008. pp. 40-47. 

Bryan, D.L., M.A. Arnold, A. Volder, W.T. Watson, L. Lombardini, J.J. Sloan, and A.D. Cartmill. 2009. Overview of 

selected studies on the influence of planting depth on landscape establishment of container-grown trees. Proc. of the 

Landscape Below Ground III Conference. Lisle, IL, Oct. 7 – 9, 2008. pp. 125-130. 

Arnold, M.A. and G.V. McDonald. 2008. Surface area and method of weed control surrounding green ash trunks affects 

landscape establishment. Proc. Southern Nursery Assoc. Res. Conf. 53:391-393. 

Arnold, M.A., G.V. McDonald, and G.C. Denny. 2008. Screening promising tropical plants for alkalinity, salinity, and 

irradiance tolerances when used as summer annuals in a warm temperate climate. Proc. Southern Nursery Assoc. Res. 

Conf. 53:481-483. 

Arnold, M.A. and G.V. McDonald. 2007. Green ash growth was unaffected by interactions between drip irrigation 

placement and pine bark mulch applications. Proc. Southern Nursery Assoc. Res. Conf. 52:196-198. 

Popular press articles 2007-2012 

Pemberton, B., M. Arnold, and D. Rodriquez. 2012 Texas Superstar promotions for 2012. TNLA Green 14(1):18-20. 

Arnold, M.A. 2011. Providence provides provenances for proper plants. Nursery Management 27(9): 46-49. On line 

version http://nmpro.texterity.com/nurserymanagement/201109#pg46 . 

Arnold, M.A. 2010. Road trip, Super Bowl parties, and Horticulture - life is good! Southern Region of the American Society 

for Horticultural Sciences Newsletter (preconference). November, 2010. pp. 1. 

Arnold, M.A. 2010. Embracing adversity as an opportunity for change. Southern Region of the American Society for 

Horticultural Sciences Newsletter Sept. 2010. pp. 1-2. 

Pemberton, B., M. Arnold, and C. McKenney. 2010. 2011 Texas Superstar ® . January 2010, TNLA Green 13(1):14-16. 

Arnold, M., E. Bush, R. Cabrera, G. Denny, J. Griffin, J. Iles, A. King, G. Knox, G. McDonald, C. McKenney, T. Montague, 

G. Niu, A. Owings, and D. Struve. 2010. Testing tolerances of Taxodium. Landscape Plant News 20(3):10-11. 

Files, P., M. Arnold, D. Welsh, and F. Daneillo (Emeritis). 2009. Building a Raised Bed Garden (Revised Edition). B-6102, 

Texas AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M University System, College Station, TX. p. 10. 

Arnold, M.A. 2008. Two new Texas Superstars for spring. TNLA Green: 10(8):20 & 22. 

Arnold, M.A. 2007. The pride-of-Barbados becomes the pride-of-Texas! TNLA Green Magazine 9(8):20 & 35. 

Arnold, M.A. 2007. Jumping jatropha, a spicy plant for hot spots! TNLA Green Magazine 9(8):20. 

Struve, D., J. Sammons, J. Altland, B.L. Appleton, M. Arnold, R. Beeson, J. Cole, and S. Clark. 2007. A team effort. 

American Nurseryman 205(4):36-43. 

Electronic media/software (websites, software, videos, etc.) 2007-2012 

Maintain three class websites and contribute to the content of the graduate portion of our Departmental website: 

HORT 306 website: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/syllabi/206/home/frameset.htm 


HORT 608 website: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/syllabi/608/index.html 

Graduate portion of HortSciences.tamu.edu website: http://hortsciences.tamu.edu/graduate-programs/ 

Books or chapters in books 2007-1012 

Arnold, M.A. 2008. Landscape Plants for Texas and Environs, Third.Ed. Stipes Publ. Co., Champaign, IL. p. 1334 plus 82 

pages of color plates. 

Patents / plant variety releases / plant variety patents 

Arnold, M.A. Texas Agricultural Experiment Station via Ball Horticulture & Pan American Seed. 2010. PVP No. 

200600009 Helenium 'Dakota Gold' issued on 06/22/2010.


Classes taught (2007-2012) 

Undergraduate courses 

Horticulture 306 Woody Ornamental Plants: Fall 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 

Horticulture 308, Landscape Plant Materials: Spring 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 

Horticulture 485, Problems in Horticulture: Fall 2008, Fall 2011, and Spring 2012 

Graduate courses 

Horticulture 608 (initially taught as Horticulture 689), Plants for Landscape Design in Spring 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 

and Fall 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 at Texas A&M University 

Horticulture 609 (initially taught as a Horticulture 689), Plants for Landscape Design II in Spring 2009, 2010, 2011, and 

2012. 

Horticulture 685, Problems in Horticulture, Spring 1993, Fall 1994, Summer 1996, Spring 1997, Fall 2006, Spring 2007 at 


Horticulture 691, Research, each semester year-round from Spring 2007 through Fall 2012 at Texas A&M University. 

Graduate students (2007-2012) 

Advised/co-advised 

Donita L. Bryan. 2008. Ph.D. Influence of Planting Depth on Landscape Establishment of Container-Grown Trees. 

Sean Carver. Current Ph.D. student. Evaluating the Ornamental Potentials of Four Native Texas Coastal Species. 

Geoffrey C. Denny. 2007. Ph.D. Evaluation of Provenance on Drought, Alkalinity and Salinity Tolerance of Bald Cypress. 

Andrew King. M.S. 2010. Vegetative Propagation and Topophytic Responses of Selected Baldcypress Clones. p. 96. 

Andrew King. Current Ph.D. student. Investigating Container Production, Drought Tolerance and Consumer Preferences in 

Five Native Texas Species. 

Garry V. McDonald. 2007. Ph.D. Ozone (O 3 ) Efficacy on Reduction of Phytophthora capsici Leonian in Recycled 

Horticultural Irrigation Water. (Co-advised with Drs. Don Wilkerson and M.A. Arnold) 

Alma Rosa Solís-Pérez. 2009. Ph.D. Characterizing Salinity Tolerance in Roses. (Co-advised with Drs. Raul 

First job taken by each of your graduate students 2007-2012 

Donita L. Cartmill (Donita L. Bryan, maiden name) – Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Platteville 

Geoffrey C. Denny – Assistant Professor, University of Florida, now Assistant Professor, Mississippi State University 

Garry V. McDonald – Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas 

Alma Rosa Solís-Pérez – Returned to a professorial position in Mexico, since moved to a research associate position at the 

Texas A&M University Research and Extension Center at Uvalde. 

Graduate student committees (non-advisees) 

Nick K. Biewenga. Current student. M.L.A., Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. (project changed, so was 

substituted for on the committee, spring 2008). 

Kelly Bryan. 2010. M.Ag. Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute and Botanical Garden: 

Summer Internship. 

Naishi Bu. Current student. M.L.A., Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. Changed committee 

composition due to change in project. 

Yangye Cao. M.L.A. student, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Project in preparation. 

Yuxi Cheng. M.L.A. student, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Project in preparation. 

Brett Doreck. M. Agric. student, Dept. of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, internship at Brazos Valley Tree Farm. 

Michael Droske, M.L.A. student, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, A Sustainable Homestead Landscape 

Plan Based on Principles of Ecological Succession. 

Xiaojing Duan. 2006. M.S. Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. Characterization of Wastewater Subsurface 

Drip Emitters and Design Approaches Concerning System Application Uniformity. p. 119. 

Fitzgerald, A. 2011. Ph.D. Melbourne School of Land and Environment, The University of Melbourne, Australia. Tree 

root system and canopy relationships in urban trees. 

Charles Henry Fontanier. M.S. 2010. Dept. Soil and Crop Sciences. Effects of Winter Overseeding and Three-Dimensional 

Clipping Management on Warm-Season Turfgrasses. 

Myron "Mike" Gray. 2007. Ph.D. Dept. of Plant Pathology and Microbiology. The Use of Population Genetics to Test for 

Genetic Resistance to Oak Wilt in Live Oak. 

Ben Hagood. Current M. Agric.. Student. Dept. of Soil and Crops, internship undefined. 

Micah E. Hale. 2010. M. Agric., Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Internship at Moody Gardens. 

Hayley Hannah. Current M.S. student, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, project in development.


Tamara Hughes. M.L.A. student. Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Design approaches to city entrances 

in highway right-of-ways: a case study and project development. 

Benjamin D.D. Langford. M.L.A. student, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, project in development on 

conversion of street area to a park in Byran, TX. 

Miao, Lingyan. M.L.A. student, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Project in preparation. 

Lauren L. McAdow. M.L.A. student, Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, project in development on 

a Bryan church. 

Sheila A. McBride. M.S. student, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology. Project on Pierce’s disease in grape in 

development. 

Matthew A. McGinley. M.L.A. student, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, project in development on 

caliche mine park in Alston, TX. 

Julie Christine Rothe. M.S. 2010. Dept. of Soil and Crop Sciences. The Identification and Quantification of Leaf Mesophyll 

Oil Bodies During the Development of Native or Adapted Plant Species. 

Sara Ann Smith. M.L.A. student, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, project in development. Changed 

committee members due to alteration in project selection. 

Mark Swapp. Current M.L.A. student Dept of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. Changed committee members 

due to a change in research projects. 

Tomas Martinez Trinadad. 2008. Ph.D. Dept. of Forest Science. Effects of carbohydrate applications on growth and vitality 

of live oak (Quercus virginiana). 

Tanner Lyndon Watkins. 2008. M.L.A. student, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Bella Vista: A residential golf 

course development, Grayson County, TX. 

Yi Xue. M.L.A. student, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. A Comprehensive Master Plan for a 1,300 

Acre Lake Methodist Conference Center (LMCC) in Anderson County, TX. 

Xin Yang. M.L.A. student, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. A Comprehensive Master Plan for an 

Active Retirement Community in Hainan, China. 

Wenjie Zhao. M.L.A. student, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Project in preparation. 

Lu Zhou. M.L.A. student, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Project in preparation on wild land 

development for private residence in Grimes County, TX. 

Interdisciplinary program participation (2007-2012) 

None 

Grants and contracts awarded 2007-2012 

$158,847 Developing Production Protocols for Xxxx xxxxx (blocked out due to nondisclosure agreement) for 

Pharmaceutical Extractions. Berry Pharmaceuticals. Funded $158,847. 2010-2013. 

$605 Participation in the American Society for Horticultural Sciences Board Meeting. $605. Expenses reimbursed to 

Texas AgriLife Research by the American Society for Horticultural Sciences. 

$4,262 Development and promotion of QR codes for increasing sales of Texas Superstar ® plants. $71,434 Texas 

Department of Agriculture: Specialty Crop Block Gran Program. H.B. Pemberton, M. Arnold, T. Davis, L. Stein, 

D. Rodriquez, and C. McKenney (Co-PIs). $4,262 portion for M.A. Arnold (Funded for 2012-2013). 

$24,790 Does Size Really Matter With Container-Grown Trees? Hyland Johns Grant, Tree Research and Education 

Endowment Fund. M.A. Arnold. Funded $24,790. 

$400 Participation in Presentation of Texas Excellence in Landscaping (TEIL) Awards. Texas Nursery and Landscape 

Association. $224 cash for travel, plus room and meals in kind. 

$8,000 Cutting Baldcypress Off At The Knees. J. Frank Schmidt Family Charitable Foundation. M.A. Arnold. 

$30,254.requested, funded for $8,000. 

$609 Recent Research on Transplant Establishment Planting Decisions – Giving Trees a Fighting Chance in the Urban 

Jungle! (travel funding) American Society of Consulting Arborists. M.A. Arnold. Funded $609. 

$9,931 Does Propagation Method Impact Survival and Growth of Below Grade Planted Trees? Duling Grants Program, 

Tree Research and Education Fund. M.A. Arnold. Funded $9,931. 

$9,982 Cutting Baldcypress Of At The Knees Duling Grants Program, Tree Research and Education Fund. M.A. Arnold. 

Funded $9,982. 

$2,000 Determination of drought tolerance and parentage of live oak (Quercus virginiana) and escarpment live oak 

(Quercus fusiformis) accessions for adaptation to demanding environments. $11,017. Tom’s Tree Place through 

Texas Tech University. C. McKenney, T. Montague, R. Wright, and D. Auld. (subcontract portion for M.A. 

Arnold $2,000).


$10,000 Planting Depth Impacts on Production and Landscape Establishment of Container-Grown Trees (a progress report 

and request for renewal for follow-up experiments). J. Frank Schmidt Family Charitable Foundation. M.A. 

Arnold (PI). 

$1,150 Travel funds for M.A. Arnold and D.L. Bryan to present our laboratory group’s work at the Landscape Below 

Ground III Conference in Lyle, IL. The Morton Arboretum. M.A. Arnold and D.L. Bryan (co-PIs). 

$1,500 Images for on-line plant identification portion of Texas Master Certified Nursery Professional exam. Texas 

Nursery and Landscape Association. M.A. Arnold (PI). 

$125 Travel expenses for talk to Southeast Texas Nursery & Greenhouse Growers Association. Southeast Texas 

Nursery & Greenhouse Growers Association. M.A. Arnold (PI). 

$5,000 Development of trailing low water requiring perennials as hanging basket, groundcover, and patio planter crops. 

$5,000. Texas Ornamentals Enhancement Endowment. Michael Arnold (PI) and Garry McDonald (cooperator). 

$7,441 Assessing field level cold tolerance in improved genotypes of Taxodium distichum tolerant of alkaline soils and 

drought. $7,441. TREE Fund. M.A.Arnold (PI). 

$7,500 Soil, irrigation, and production factors influencing establishment of container-grown trees at various planting 

depths. TREE Fund. M.A. Arnold (PI). 

$10,000 Investigating impacts of planting depth during production and transplant on initial landscape establishment (a 

progress report and request for renewal). J. Frank Schmidt Family Charitable Foundation. M.A. Arnold (PI). 

$500 Irradiance effects on the growth and inflorescences in four different Texas coastal species for potential 

commercial usage. $500. Experiential learning undergraduate research grant, TAMU Department of 

Horticultural Sciences. Funded. 

$7,865 Endowment funds from Nemcik Endowment to support maintenance of the TAMU Horticultural Gardens. 

Funded. 

$30,000 Maintenance funding to sustain the Horticulture Gardens during transition to physical plant control. $30,000. 

Internally funded by the Dean’s Office in the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. 

Funded. 

$5,635 2011 Support of the CEMAP program IP136-Texas Superstar ($39,450 from tag sales). C. McKenney, T.D. 

Davis, M.A. Arnold, R.D. Lineberger, L.A. Stein, B. Pemberton, and R. Rodriguez (co-PIs). Portion attributable 

to M.A. Arnold $5,635 (1/7 th of total $39,450). 1 year. 

$2,291 2011 License agreement between Ball Horticultural Company and the Texas A&M University System for 

Helenium amarum selections (TAMUS 1699) – Dr. Michael Arnold. 


Davis, M.A. Arnold, R.D. Lineberger, L.A. Stein, B. Pemberton, and R. Rodriguez (co-PIs). Portion attributable 

to M.A. Arnold $3,092 (1/7 th of total $21,650). 1 year. 


Helenium amarum selections (TAMUS 1699) – Dr. Michael Arnold. 


Davis, M.A. Arnold, R.D. Lineberger, L.A. Stein, and B. Pemberton (co-PIs). Portion attributable to M.A. Arnold 

$2,296 (1/6 th of total). 1 year. 


Helenium amarum selections (TAMUS 1699) – Dr. Mike Arnold. 


Davis, M.A. Arnold, R.D. Lineberger, L.A. Stein, and B. Pemberton (co-PIs). Portion attributable to M.A. Arnold 

$2,296 (1/6 th of total). 1 year. 



$487 2007 Support of the CEMAP program ($4,379.21 from tag sales). Mackay, W.A., C. McKenney, T.D. Davis, 

M.A. Arnold, R.D. Lineberger, J.M. Parsons, L.A. Stein, B. Pemberton, and G.G. Grant (co-PIs). Portion 

attributable to M.A. Arnold $438 (1/9 th of total). 1 year. 



Review panels for grants and journals 

Grant review panel service 2007-2012 

None. 


HortTechnology 

Journal of Environmental Horticulture



Arboriculture and Urban Forestry (formerly Journal of Arboriculture) 

Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences 

HortScience 


Journal of Environmental Horticulture 

Internal university / agency service on committees 2007 – 2012 

Texas A&M University Tree Advisory Committee, 2010 – present. 

Texas A&M University Evaluation Committee for the Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Awards 

for 2010. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Tenure and Promotion Committee, 2005 – present, chair from 2009 to 2012. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Graduate Program Committee, 2001 – 2012; chair from 2003 – 2007 and 2012 

- present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Outcome Assessment Committee, 2008 – present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Farm Operations Advisory Committee, 2011 – present 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Garden Operations Advisory Committee, 2011 – present, chair 2011 – present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Greenhouse Operations Advisory Committee, 2011 – present 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, member 2011. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Garden Steering Committee, member 2010 – 2011. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Mentoring Committee for Dr. Joseph Masabni on the College Station Campus, 

2009 – present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Mentoring Committee for Dr. Xin Wang Wang at the Dallas Research Station, 


TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Mentoring Committee for Dr. Astrid Volder on the College Station Campus, 


TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Plant Diagnostics at a Distance, member 2000 - present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Outcome Assessment Committee, 2008 – present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Budget Committee, 2009-2011. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Ad Hoc Outcome Assessment Plan Committee, 2007- 2008. 

Texas AgriLife (TCE/TAES) Executive Committee of the Coordinated Education and Marketing Assistance Program 

(CEMAP), member 1999 – present; chair 2003 - 2009. 

Texas AgriLife Research (TAES) Mentor Committee for a Dr. Genhua Niu faculty member at the El Paso Research Station, 

2004 – present 

Texas AgriLife Research Ornamentals Plant Development Position at Dallas Search Committee, 2008. 

TAES/AgriLife Research Ornamentals Plant Development Position at Dallas Search Committee, 2008. 

TAMU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Tom Slick Fellowship Evaluation Committee, member 2005-present. 

TAMU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Horticultural Sciences Department Head Search Committee, member 2012. 

TAMU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Tenure and Promotion Committee, 2009-2011. 

TAMU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Association of Former Students Teaching Award (College-level), 2008. 

TAMU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Graduate Program Council, 2003 – 2007 and 2012 - present. 

TAMU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Water and Ecological Sustainability Signature Program Team, 2003 – 2007. 


Served on the American Society for Horticultural Sciences (ASHS) Board of Directors, 2011 – present. 

Served as a member of the HortTechnology Editorial Board, 2011 – present. 

Served as a member of the ASHS Fellows Selection Committee, 2011 -2013. 

Member of the ASHS Nominations and Elections Committee, Education Division Representative 2006 – 2009. 

Served as president elect-elect (2008-2009), president elect (2009-2010), president (2010-2011), past-president (2011-2012), 

and senior past president (2012-2013) of the Southern Region of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences. 

Served as a member of the SR-ASHS Executive Committee, member 2003 – 2011; chair 2009. 

Served as a member of the SR-ASHS Nominations Committee, 2011 – 2013; chair 2012-2013. 

Served as a member of the SR-ASHS Smeal Senior Leadership/Administration Award Committee, member 2012-present. 

Served as a member of the SR-ASHS J. Creighton Miller, Jr. Distinguished Educator Award Committee, 2010-2012, chair 

2012. 

Served as a chair of the SR-ASHS Masters oral paper competition section, 2010. 

Served as a chair of the SR-ASHS Ph.D. oral paper competition section, 2010.


Served as a chair of the SR-ASHS Collegiate Branch Section, 2009. 

Served as a member of the SR-ASHS L.M. Ware Distinguished Teacher Award Committee/J. Creighton Miller, Jr. 

Distinguished Educator Award Committee, 2004 – 2007, chair 2006-2007. 

TNLA Best of Texas Task Force, 2011-2012 

TNLA TIEL Task Force, 2009. 

Advisor to the TNLA Landscape Committee, 2007 – 2009 

Texas Excellence in Landscaping Awards Evaluation Committee, 2007 – 2009. 

Landscape Plant Development Center Board of Directors, 2007-2008 

Landscape Plant Development Center Plant Introduction Committee and Research Committee, 2007-2008 

Member of the Southern Region ASHS L.M. Ware Distinguished Teacher Award Committee/J. Creighton 

Miller, Jr. Distinguished Educator Award Committee, 2004 – 2007, chair 2006-2007 

Chair of the Southern Region ASHS Collegiate Branch Section, 2009 

Chair of the Southern Region ASHS Ph.D. oral paper competition section, 2010 

Chair of the Southern Region ASHS Masters oral paper competition section, 2010 

Texas Invasive Plant & Pest Council Board, member 2009 - 2012. 


Inducted as a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences in 2010. 

Received the 2009 Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence for Undergraduate Teaching, highest teaching award in the Texas 

A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. 

Received the 2009 Southern Region of the American Society for Horticultural Science J. Creighton Miller, Jr. Distinguished 

Educator Award (the organization’s highest teaching award). 

Received a 2007 Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching at the College-Level.


David Hawkins Byrne 

Professor, Prunus and Rosa Breeding and Genetics 

dbyrne@tamu.edu 


The thrust of the applied plant improvement work is breeding for adaptation: disease 

resistance, consistent yield and fruit quality under mild winter conditions in stone fruit, and 

disease (black spot, powdery mildew) resistance, heat tolerance, compact plant form, 

thornlessness and a range of colors and flower forms in landscape rose breeding. In addition, 

a strong effort is made to collect useful plant material from throughout the world. 

Horticultural traits being introgressed into the low chill stone fruit breeding population 

include high sugars, low acidity, white/orange/red flesh, high firmness, flat fruit shape, and 

nectarine. My work with the RosBREED project focuses on the inheritance of high sugar 

content in peaches and nectarines. I have planted the same progenies in both California and 

Texas to ensure that these are well phenotyped and we can estimated the GxE interaction for 

the range of traits that we will measure. 

I am developing a joint breeding and research program with the fruit breeding Program at 

EMBRAPA Clima Temperado to better use our facilities and germplasm to develop fresh market peach and nectarine varieties 

and to do research in the areas of climatic restrictions of stone fruit production, embryo rescue techniques, and the health benefits 

of stone fruit consumption. Additional collaborative breeding efforts are being pursued with CLONE in Brazil and Vinedos Alta 

SA de CV, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. 

I also do collaborative work with Dr. Cisneros, Porter, Talcott, and Turner on the health benefits of stone fruit. We have 

looked at the levels of phytochemicals, antioxidant activity and the effects of extracts on cancer (breast and colon) 

proliferation, LDL oxidation, platelet aggregation, and inflammation. 

With roses the breeding is done independently at the diploid and tetraploid levels. On the diploid level the excellent sources of 

black spot resistance derived from once blooming species are introgressed into the disease susceptible everblooming germplasm 

to develop recurrent blooming black spot resistant genotypes with the best possible bush type and flower characteristics. On the 

tetraploid level, black spot resistant types are crossed with genotypes with superior bush and flower characteristics. The third 

breeding program is the diploid to tetraploid introgression. This is to incorporate the generally superior disease resistance from the 

diploid species into the tetraploid germplasm which has superior horticultural and flower characteristics. This is done via direct 

crosses and/or by doubling the chromosomes of the diploid selections before crossing into the tetraploid germplasm. Currently we 

are evaluating the large Moore rose collection (~800 genotypes) that was donated to Texas A&M University to determine its 

usefulness in breeding as well as commercially. Ongoing graduate student projects include the determination of ploidy levels of 

rose germplasm, effectiveness and subsequent ploidy levels of seedlings from crosses using a triploid pollen parent, screening 

techniques, mapping and marker discovery for heat tolerance, black spot resistance and the length of the flowering cycle, and the 

response of rose roots to heat stress. I am training my doctoral graduate students in the use of Pedimap and FlexQTL as we plan to 

use this technology in their graduate work. 



Ph.D. 1980 Cornell University Plant Breeding and Biometry 

B.S. 1975 Rutgers University Plant Science 


2007-2012 Associate Head for Research& Graduate Studies (5% administration), Dept. Horticultural 


2004-present 

Robert E. Basye Endowed Chair in Rose Genetics 2004 -2005 

Fulbright Scholar. Fruit and Ornamental Breeding at the Universidade Federal de Pelotas and EMBRAPA, Pelotas, 

RS, Brazil. 

1997-present 

Professor, Department of Horticultural Science, Texas A&M University 

(35% teaching, 65% research) 1989- 

1997 Associate Professor, Department of Horticultural Science, Texas A&M University 


1983-1989 Assistant Professor, Department of Horticultural Science, Texas A&M University 

(35% teaching, 65% research) 1981- 

1983 Plant Breeder, Research Scientist, International Plant Research Institute, Inc., San Carlos, CA




Vizzotto, M., L. Cisneros, W. R. Okie, D. W. Ramming, and D. H. Byrne. 2007. Large variation found in the phytochemical 

content and antioxidant activity of peach and plum germplasm. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci., 132: 334-340 

Kiani,M., Z. Zamani, A. Khalighi, R. Fatahi and D. H. Byrne. 2008. Wide Genetic Diversity of Rosa damascena Mill. 

Germplasm in Iran as Revealed by RAPD Analysis. Scientia Hort. 115:386-392. 

Promchot, S. U. Boonprakob, and D. H. Byrne. 2008. Genotype and environmental interaction of low-chill peaches and 

nectarines in subtropical highlands of Thailand. Thai J. Agric. Sci. 41(1-2):53-61. 

Lea, M., C. Ibeh, C. desBordes, M. Vizzotto, L. Cisneros-Zevallos, D. H. Byrne, W. R. Okie, and M.P. Moyer. 2008. 

Inhibition of Growth and Induction of Differentiation of Colon Cancer Cells by Peach and Plum Phenolic Compounds. 

Anticancer Research 2008 Jul-Aug; Vol. 28 (4B), pp. 2067-76. 

Byrne, D. H. and U. Boonprakob. 2008. Thai Tiger low chill peach series. HortScience 43:2226-2227. 

Byrne, D. H. 2009. Rose structural genetics. In: Gardiner and Folta (editors). Plant Genetics and Genomics. Volume 6. 

Genetics and Genomics of Rosaceae. Springer. 

Kiani, M., Z. Zamani, A. Khalighi, and D. H. Byrne. 2009. Microsatellite analysis of Iranian damask rose (Rosa damascena 

Mill.) germplasm. Plant Breeding 128:1-7. 

Noratto, G, W. Porter, D. H. Byrne, and L. Cisneros-Zevallos. 2009. Identifying peach and plum polyphenols with 

chemopreventive potential against estrogen-independent breast cancer cells. J. Agric. Food Chem 57:5219-5226. 

Spiller, M., M. Linde, L. Hibrand-Saint Oyant, C. Tsai, D. H. Byrne, M. J. Smulders, F. Foucher, and T. Debener. 2011. 

Towards a unified genetic map for diploid roses. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 122(3):489-500. 

Gar O, D. J. Sargent, C-J Tsai, T. Pleban, G. Shalev, D. H. Byrne and D. Zamir. 2011. An Autotetraploid Linkage Map of 

Rose (Rosa hybrida) Validated Using the Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) Genome Sequence. PLoS ONE 6(5): e20463. 

Doi:10.1371 /journal.pone.0020463 

Puerta-Gomez, A. F., D. H. Byrne, and L. Cisneros-Zevallos. 2011. Postharvest studies beyond fresh market eating quality: 

Phytochemical antioxidant changes in peach and plum fruit during ripening and advanced senescence. Postharvest Biol. 

Technol. 60: 220-224. (note that this was originally published without Byrne as an author, this mistake is being 

corrected). 

Frett, T. J., K. Gasic, J. R. Clark, D. H. Byrne, T. Gradziel and C. Crisosto. 2012. Standardized phenotyping for fruit quality 

in peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch]. J. Amer. Pomol. Soc.66 (4): 214-219. 

Byrne, D. H. and N. Anderson. 2012. ‘TexFirst’, An early ripening low chill peach for the subtropics. HortScience. 47:1803- 

1804. 

Editor reviewed publications or conference proceedings 2007-2012 

Byrne, D. H. 2007. Molecular marker use in perennial plant breeding in fruit and ornamental crops. Acta Hort. 751:163-168. 

Anderson, N. and D. H. Byrne. 2007. Methods for rose germination. Acta Hort. 751:503-507. 

Shupert, D. A., D. H. Byrne, and H. B. Pemberton. 2007. The inheritance of flower traits, leaflet number and prickles in rose. 

Acta Hort. 751:331-336. 

Byrne, D. H., N. Anderson, and H. B. Pemberton. 2007. The use of Rosa wichurana in the development of landscape roses 

adapted to hot humid climates. Acta Hort. 751:267-274. 

Hess, G., C. Scheuring, D. Byrne, and H. Zhang. 2007. Towards positional cloning of the everblooming gene in plants: A 

BAC library of Rosa chinensis cv. Old Blush. Acta Hort. 751:169-174. 

Byrne, D. H., G. Noratto, L. Cisneros Zevallos, W. Porter and M. Vizzotto. 2009. Health benefits of peaches and plums. Acta 

Hort., 841: 267-274. 

Noratto, G., L. Cisneros-Zevallos, D.H. Byrne, W.R. Okie, and W. Porter. 2009. Molecular mechanisms involved in the 

inhibition of MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells by phenolic acids from the red flesh peach BY00P6653. Acta Hort., 

841:67-74. 

Noratto, G., W. Porter, D. Byrne, and L. Cisneros Zevallos. 2009. Phenolics in peaches and plums preferentially suppress the 

growth of estrogen-independent MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells. Acta Hort. 841:567-570. 

Byrne, D. H., N. Anderson, M. Orwat, and V. Soules. 2010. Field assessment of black spot resistance in roses in a hot humid 

climate. Acta Hort.870:115-120 

Kiani, M., Z. Zamani, A. Khalighi, R. Fatahi, and D. H. Byrne. 2010. A unique germplasm of Damask roses in Iran. Acta 

Hort. 870:131-136. 

Byrne, D. H. 2010. Environmental challenges of breeding peaches for low chill regions. Acta Hort. 872:129-138.


Iezzoni A, Peace C, Weebadde C, Luby J, Yue CY, Bassil N, Bink M, Brown S, Byrne D, Clark J, Crisosto, C, 

Davis T, Evans K, Fazio G, Finn C, Gallardo K, Gasic K, Gradziel T, Hancock J, Jussaume R, Luby J, Main D, 

McCracken V, Oraguzie N, Reighard G, Stone A, Taylor M, van de Weg E, Wang D, and Xu K. 2010. RosBREED: 

Enabling marker-assisted breeding in Rosaceae. Acta Horticulturae 859: 389-394. 


Peaches by Design. June 6, 2007. Written by Peggy Grodinsky, based on interview with David Byrne, Houston Chronicle 

feature article in Food Section. 

Plums poised to give blueberries run for the money. January 28, 2009. Written by Kathleen Phillips. Luis Cisneros and 

David Byrne. Research. This news release generated articles in many newspaper and magazines. 

Peaches, plums induce deliciously promising for breast cancer cells. June 02, 2010. Written by Kathleen Phillips. 

Luis Cisneros and David Byrne. Research done by Giuliana Noratto, Weston Porter, Luis Cisneros, and David 

Byrne. This news release generated articles in many newspaper and magazines. 

Well-adapted and gorgeous, roses vie for top billing in Texas breeding program. Article and video prepared by Kathleen 

Phillips. November 17, 2010. David Byrne 

Rose torture: severe heat in Texas yields better varieties for research. Article and video prepared by Kathleen Phillips. 

December, 2011. David Byrne. This press release generated articles in the major gardening magazines as well as an 

interview on television at the local television station. 

Rose researcher seeks public input to sniff out best traits. Article prepared by Kathleen Phillips. November, 2012. David 

Byrne. 


Maintain two class websites, two research web sites, and the Rose Program Facebook page: 



Peach Breeding and Genetics website: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/stonefruit/ 

Rose Breeding and Genetics website: http://agrilife.org/rose/ 

Rose Breeding and Genetics Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/tamuroses 

Rose Program listserve: This is to send out updates about the Rose Breeding and Genetics Program to about 1,000 email 

addresses. 


Raseira, M. C. B, D. H. Byrne, and R. C. Franzon. 2008. Pessegueiro, p. 679-705. In: Barbieri, R. L. and E. R. T. Stumpf. 

(eds.), Origem e evolução de plantas cultivadas., Embrapa Informação Tecnológica, Brasília, DF, Brazil (English 

versión published in 2012). 

Byrne, D. H. 2009. Rose structural genetics. In: Gardiner and Folta (editors). Introduction to Genetics and Genomics in 

Rose. Plant Genetics and Genomics. Volume 6. Genetics and Genomics of Rosaceae. Springer. 

Badenes, M. and D. H. Byrne (eds.). 2012. Handbook of plant breeding: Fruit breeding. Springer, January 31, 2012. 

Byrne, D. H. 2012. Trends in fruit breeding, p 3-36. Handbook of plant breeding: Fruit breeding. In: M. Badenes and D. H. 

Byrne (eds.). Springer, January 31, 2012. 

Byrne, D. H., M. C. Raseira., S. Perez, D. Bassi, M. C. Piagnani, M. C. Moreno, K., Gasic ,and G. Reighard. 2012. Peach 

breeding, p 505-570. Handbook of plant breeding: Fruit breeding. In: M. Badenes and D. H. Byrne (eds.). Springer, 

January 31, 2012. 

Wargovich, M., J. Morris, V. Moseley, R. Weber, and D.H. Byrne. 2012. Developing fruit cultivars with enhanced health 

properties, p 37-68. Handbook of plant breeding: Fruit breeding. In: M. Badenes and D. H. Byrne (eds.). Springer, 

January 31, 2012. 


Thai Tiger series – A series of four low chill yellow fleshed peaches released as an alternative crop to poppy in Northern 

Thailand. Not patented. 2008. Byrne, D. H. and U. Boonprakob. 2008. Thai Tiger low chill peach series. HortScience 

43:2226-2227. 

TexFirst – A low chill yellow peach that ripens before Flordaking. Patent pending. 2012. Byrne, D. H. and N. Anderson. 

2012. ‘TexFirst’, An early ripening low chill peach for the subtropics. HortScience. 47:1803-1804.




Horticulture 319 Temperate Frui and Nut Production: Fall 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 

Horticulture 423, Tropical Horticulture: Fall 2007, 2009, and 2011 

Horticulture 491, Problems in Horticulture: Fall/Spring 2010, and Fall/Spring 2012 


Horticulture 691, Research, each semester year-round from Spring 2007 through Fall 2012 at Texas A&M University. 



Giuliana Noratto, Ph.D., 2008. Anticancer activity of peach and plum extracts against human breast cancer in vitro and in 

vivo 

Valerie Eitreim Soules, M.S., 2009. Analysis of genetic diversity and relationships in the China rose group. 

Natalie Anderson, M.S., 2010. Peach germplasm diversity. 

Matthew Orwat, M.Ag., 2010. Texas AgriLife Extension Horticulture Internship, A community education approach. 

Professional paper. 

Current students: 

Amy Tsai, Ph.D. Mapping diploid and tetraploid rose with microsatellites. Began Spring, 2006, estimated graduation 

August 2013. 

Tim Hartmann, M.S. Heritability and Combining Ability for Fruit Quality Traits in Prunus persica (L.) Batsch, Began Fall 

2009. Estimated graduation December 2013. 

Ockert Greyvenstein, Ph.D. Mosanto Plant Breeding Scholar. Rose breeding and genetics. CoChair with Dr. Starman. Began 

January 2010. Estimated graduation December 2013. 

Jake Ueckert, M. S. Rose genetics and breeding. Began Sept 2010. Expected graduation in December 2013. 

Quianni Dong, Ph.D. Monsanto Plant Breeding Scholar. Rose Breeding and Genetics. Co chair with Dr. Wang at Dallas. To 

begin in January, 2011. Expected graduation in December 2014. 


Guiliana Noratto – Assistant Research Scientist, Nutrition & Food Science, Vet. Physiology & Pharmacology working with 

Dr. Talcott, Texas A&M University. Currently an Assistant Professor with the Food Science Department at Washington 

State University 

Natalie Anderson – Research Associate, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University. 

Valerie Eitriem – Married. 

Matt Orwat - Extension Agent, Horticulture, UF / IFAS Washington County Extension, 1424 Jackson Ave., Suite A., Chipley 

Fl. 32428-1628 

Graduate student committees 

Emily Townsley, M.S. Health benefits of peach and plum. Susanne Talcott, December 2010. 

Leigh Ann Piefer, M.S. Effect of chlorogenic acid and quercetin on the inflammation in a rat model of colitis. Nancy Turner. 

May 2012. 

Sean Carver, Ph.D. Evaluating the Ornamental Potentials of Four Native Texas Coastal Species. Michael Arnold. Expected 

graduation Dec 2013. 

Anna M. Burrell, Ph.D. (Molecular and genetic analysis of adaptive evolution in the rare serpentine endemic, Caulanthus 

amplexicaulis var. barbarae. Alan Pepper). December 2011. 

Andrea Maeda, MS. Cotton cytogenetics. David Stelly. Expected graduation December 2013. 

Amy Cai, Ph.D. Drought and salinity tolerance in roses. Terri Starman. Expected graduation. August, 2013. 

Zainab Mansur, M.S. Pecan physiology. Leo Lombardini and Astrid Volder. Expected graduation. August 2014. 

Visiting Scientists 

Dr. Ruidan Chen, a professor at the Beijing Forestry University to work in the research area of peach and rose genetic 

diversity (Dec. 2007 – Jan 2009). 

Anil Shukla, a scientist from India who was at TAMU for 6 weeks (Feb-March 2009) on a Borlaug Scholarship.


Amjad Farooq, a Ph.D student at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. He did microsatellite research on the 

genetic diversity of Rosa damascena which is part of his dissertation project (August 2009 to February 2010). 

Saowanee Kongsri, a Ph.D student from Kasesart University in Bangkok, Thailand. She spent 8 months here and performed 

experiments on the tolerance of Prunus rootstocks to drought and soil acidity (October 2010 to June 2011). We collaborated 

with Dr. Lombardini on this project. 

Hui Feng, a Ph.D student from Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, PRC. She spent 6 months (January 2011 – June 2011) 

studying rose diversity and breeding. 

Jihong Hu, a Stone Fruit Breeder from the Forestry and Fruit Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences 

in Shanghai, China. She spent 6 months (March 2012 to August 2012) working with me in the Prunus Breeding and Genetics 

program. 

Xiaonan Yu, a peony breeder from the Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China. She will stay for 6 months (August 2012 

to February 2012) and will work in the area of ornamental research. 

Gulzar Aktar, Ph.D student at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. He did microsatellite research on the 

genetic diversity of Rosa centifolia which is part of his dissertation project (January 2013 to July 2013). 

Silvia Carpenedo, Ph.D student at the Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She is studying heat 

tolerance in peach. (January 2013 to January 2014). 


Member of the Plant Breeding faculty 


$50,000 License agreement Selecciones Donana for testing and commercialization of Prunus selections from Prunus 

Breeding and Genetics Program. Funded at $10,000 per year. 2007-2011. 

$6,000 License agreement Burchell Nursery for testing and commercialization of Prunus selections from Prunus Breeding 

and Genetics Program. Funded $1,000 per year. 2007-2012. This company also maintains a peach experimental 

orchard and facilitates the production of hybrid seed for the breeding effort. 

$30,000 License agreement PICO, Modern Agriculture Company for testing and commercialization of Prunus selections 

from Prunus Breeding and Genetics Program. Funded at $5,000 per year. 2007-2012. 

$6,000 License agreement CLONE Viveiros for testing and commercialization of Prunus selections from Prunus 

Breeding and Genetics Program. Funded at $1,000 per year. 2007-2012. 

$25,000 License agreement Colors Fruit (South Africa) for testing and commercialization of Prunus selections from 

Prunus Breeding and Genetics Program. Funded at $5,000 per year. 2007-2012. 

$50,000 License agreement Grupo Alta (Mexico) for testing and commercialization of Prunus selections from Prunus 

Breeding and Genetics Program. Funded at $10,000. 2007-2012. 

$2,700 Texas Fruit Growers Association. Travel expenses to evaluate the breeding plots in Floresville, Terrel, and 

Fairfield. Funded $2,700. 

$3,000 California Dried Plum Board. Dried plum contribution to colon health through microbial-derived mechanisms. 

Turner, Byrne. Carrol, and Azcárate-Peril. Funded $122,776 ($3,000 to Byrne).2012-2013. 

$135,900 SCRI. RosBREED: Enabling marker-assisted breeding in Rosaceae. Iezzoni et al., $14,400,000 over 4 years. 

Byrne funding, $135,900. 2010-2013. 

$9,500 California Fruit Tree Agreement. Supplement to High Sugar Studies with RosBREED. Byrne, Ramming, 

Slaughter and Gaarde. $9,500. 2010-2011. 

$5,500 California Fruit Tree Agreement. Promoting stone fruits for Protection against the Metabolic Syndrome Funded 

for $49,708. Byrne ($5,500) and Cisneros ($44,208, joint post doctoral student and supplies for work in his 

laboratory). 2010-2011. 

$3,000 USDA Special Grant Allocation. Designing Foods for Health. Byrne, Talcott and Turner. Effect of stone-fruit 

phenolics on the development of colon cancer through its effects on the regulation of colon epithelial cell 

numbers. Funded for $25,000. Byrne ($3,000). 2009-2010. 

$3,500 International Research Support Initiative Program, HRD, Higher Education Commission, Pakistan. $3,500, 

Bench fee to support work done by Amjad Farooq. 2008-2009.


$10,000 USDA/FAS. Peach germplasm diversity in China and the Americas. Byrne, Raseira, and Wang. $10,000. 2007- 

2009. 

$5,500 California Fruit Tree Agreement. 2009-2010. Cardiovascular health benefits of peaches and plums. Funded for 

$49,708. Byrne ($5,500) and Cisneros ($49,708, joint post doctoral student and supplies for work in his 

laboratory) 

$1,500 USDA Special Grant Allocation. Designing Foods for Health. Byrne and Talcott. The antioxidant and antiinflammatory 

effects of peach and plum extracts in an in vivo OB/OB mouse model. Funded for $25,000. 2008- 

2009. 

$1,500 USDA Special Grant Allocation. Designing Foods for Health. Turner and Byrne. Effect of chlorogenic acid and 

quercetin on the inflammation in a rat model of colitis. Funded $25,000. 2008-2009. 

$100,000 Moore Donation to the program. $100,000 plus rose germplasm and IP rights. 

$5,000 California Fruit Tree Agreement. 2008-2009. Health benefits of peaches and plums. Funded for one year. 

$42,141. Byrne ($5,000) and Cisneros ($37,141). 

$1,500 USDA Special Grant Allocation. Designing Foods for Health. Byrne and Talcott. Anti-oxidant and antiinflammatory 

effects of peach and plum extracts in a cell culture model with peripheral blood mononuclear cells. 

Funded for $25,000. 2007-2008. 

$1,500 USDA Special Grant Allocation. Designing Foods for Health. Turner and Byrne. Effect of chlorogenic acid and 

quercetin on the inflammation in a rat model of colitis. Funded $25,000. , 2007-2008. 



None. 


none 



HortScience 


Phytopathology 

Euphytica 

Scientia Horticulturae 

Theoretical and Applied Genetics 


USDA Program review for the Designing Foods for Health program at the VFIC. 2009 

Participate in Horticulture Industry Advisory Meetings (2008-2011) 

Search Committee for Graduate Advisor for the Department. 2010. 

Participated in the VFIC SWOT analysis. 2012 

Chair of Horticulture Farm Committee (2007-2012). Department of Horticultural Sciences. 

Member of the Plant Review Committee (COALS) which is responsible to review all plant release proposals. 

Various other committees as needed. 


Serve on scientific organizing committee of the International Rose Symposium, Hannover, Germany in August 2013. 

Serve on the scientific organizing committee of the International Symposium on Temperate Fruit in the Subtropics and 

Tropics to be held in Changmai, Thailand in March 2013. 

Prunus Crop Germplasm Committee 

Chairperson (1995- 2008) and member of executive committee (1990 –2008) 

Chair of Evaluation Priorities Committee (1993-1999, 2004-2008) 

Chair Peach Crop Committee (1995 – 2008) 

International Rose Genomics Executive Committee (2007 – present) 

RosBREED Executive Committee. 2012-present. 

Technical Advisory Committee. Buck Rose Collection, Reiman Gardens, Ames, Iowa 

Served on the scientific organizing committee of the International Rose Symposium held in Gifu, Japan. May 2009.


Awards and recognitions 

Robert E. Basye Endowed Chair in Rose Genetics. 2004 - present 

Honorary Scientist of the Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Peach Breeding and Germplasm, Zhengzhou, Henan, 

People’s Republic of China 

Fulbright Scholar, August 2004 – February 2005. Fruit and Ornamental Breeding at the Universidade Federal de Pelotas 

and EMBRAPA, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. 

Ulysses P. Hedrick Award given by the American Pomological Society for best paper in the competition. Co author.


Raul I. Cabrera 

Associate Professor of Ornamental Horticulture 

r-cabrera@tamu.edu 


Dr. Cabrera conducts research on ornamental plant and crop physiology, mineral 

nutrition, fertilization and water management in intensively managed plants and crops 

(including nursery, floriculture, landscape, arboriculture). Research emphasis deals 

with water quality and crop salinity tolerance, landscape water use and conservation, 

hydroponics and fertigation management; characterization of nutrient/water uptake 

and use efficiency in ornamental crops and landscape plants. Current research 

projects include optimization of flower crop mineral nutrition and environment and 

their effects on cut flower (roses, heliconias) productivity and quality, graywater as a 

potential alternative to landscape irrigation and conservation, characterization of 

water/nutrient use in mistletoe-infested urban trees. He also maintains activities and 

collaborative projects with colleagues at international universities and institutes, and he is often invited to give seminars, 

lectures and participate in extension/educational activities with students, growers, horticulturists and arborists in various 

countries. Dr. Cabrera holds or has recently held several editorial positions (Scientia Horticulturae, Acta Horticulturae, 

Revista Chapingo- Serie Horticultura, Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Hortícolas) and participates with peer-reviewer 

activities (HortScience, HortTechnology, J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci., J. Hort. Sci. & Biotech. etc.). 



Ph.D. 1994 University of California at Davis Plan Biology 

M.S. 1992 University of California at Davis Plant Physiology 

B.S. 1986 Universidad Agraria Antonio Narro (Mexico) Horticultura 


2012-present 

Associate Professor of Ornamental Horticulture, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension 

Center at Uvalde (100% research) 

1999-2012 Associate Professor of Woody Ornamental Horticulture, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and 

Extension Center at Dallas (100% research) 

1994-1999 Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor of Nursery Crops Management, Rutgers, The State 

University of New Jersey (75% extension, 25% research) 

1988-1993 Research and Teaching Assistant, Dept. of Environmental Horticulture, Univ. of California- Davis 

1987-1988 Landscape Maintenance Supervisor. Federal IRS Building Complex, Fresno, CA. 



Arnold, M.A., D.L. Bryan, R.I. Cabrera, G.C. Denny, J.J. Griffin, J.K. Iles, A.R. King, G.W. Knox, L. Lombardini, G.V. 

McDonald, C.B. McKenney, D.T. Montague, G. Niu, H.B. Pemberton, A.L. Purnell, L.J. Shoemake, D.K. Struve and 

W.T. Watson. 2012. Provenance experiments with baldcypress, live oak, and sycamore illustrate the potential for 

selecting more sustainable urban trees. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 38(5): 205-213. 

Niu, G., R.I. Cabrera, T.W. Starman and C.R. Hall. 2011. Water conservation team in ornamental crops through the use of 

alternative irrigation water sources. HortTechnology 21(6): 1-2. 

Wang, X., P.A. Wadlb, C. Pounders, R.N. Trigiano, R.I. Cabrera, B.E. Scheffler, M. Pooler and T.A. Rinehart. 2011. 

Evaluation of genetic diversity and pedigree within crapemyrtle cultivars using simple sequence repeat markers. Journal 

of the American Society for Horticultural Science 136(2): 116–128. 

Ampim, Peter A.Y., J.J. Sloan, R.I. Cabrera, D.A. Harp and F.H. Jaber. 2010. Green roof growing media: Types, ingredients, 

composition and properties. Journal of Environmental Horticulture 28(4): 244-252. 

Niu, G. and R.I. Cabrera. 2010. Growth and physiological responses of landscape plants to saline water irrigation - A review. 

HortScience 45(11): 1605-1609. 

Sloan, J.J., R.I. Cabrera, P.A.Y Ampim, S.A. George and W.A. Mackay. 2010. Performance of ornamental plants in 

alternative organic growing media amended with increasing rates of expanded shale. HortTechnology 20: 594-602. 

Wang, X., D. Dean, D. Hadziabdic, P.A. Wadl, B.E. Scheffler, T.A. Rinehart, R.I. Cabrera and R.N. Trigiano. 2010. 

Development of microsatellite markers from crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia L.). HortScience 45(5):842–844.


Cabrera, R.I., A.R. Solís-Pérez and J.J. Sloan. 2009. Greenhouse rose yield and ion accumulation responses to salt stress as 

modulated by rootstock selection. HortScience 44(7): 2000-2008. 

Cabrera, R.I. 2009. Revisiting the salt tolerance of crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia spp.). Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 

35(3): 129-134. 

Rubio-Covarrubias, O.A., P.H. Brown, S.A. Weinbaum, R.S. Johnson and R.I. Cabrera. 2009. Evaluating foliar nitrogen 

compounds as indicators of nitrogen status in Prunus persica trees. Scientia Horticulturae 120(1): 27-33. 

Mackay, W.A., S.W. George, C. McKenney, J.J. Sloan, R.I. Cabrera, J. Reinert, P. Colbaugh, L. Lockett and W. Crow. 2008. 

Performance of garden roses in North Central Texas under minimal input conditions. HortTechnology 18(3): 417-422. 

Cabrera, R.I., J.A. Reinert and C.B. Mckenney. 2008. Differential resistance among crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia) species, 

hybrids and cultivars to foliar feeding by adult flea beetles (Altica litigata). HortScience 43: 286-583. 


Cabrera, R.I. 2012. Tolerancia a estrés salino en híbridos de azalea para jardín, p. 40-44. In: I. Alia-Tejacal et al. (eds.), 

Memorias del Segundo Simposium de Nutrición de Ornamentales, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, 

Cuernavaca, México. 

Solís-Pérez, A.R. and R.I. Cabrera. 2012. Aplicaciones suplementarias de calcio para aminorar los efectos del estrés salino en 

rosas de invernadero. p. 45-47. In: I. Alia-Tejacal et al. (eds.), Memorias del Segundo Simposium de Nutrición de 

Ornamentales, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, México. 

Cabrera, R.I. 2012. Localized fertigation with stressing solutions and growth-quality responses in potted greenhouse roses. 

Acta Horticulturae 947: 63-67. 

Solís-Pérez, A.R. and R.I. Cabrera. 2012. Characterizing hourly, daily and seasonal ion and water uptake in hydroponicallygrown 

roses. Acta Horticulturae 947: 347-354. 

Akond, M., R.I. Cabrera and X. Wang. 2012. Evaluation of wild rose species for alkalinity tolerance. Proceedings of the 

Southern Nursery Research Conference 57: 263-267. 

Cabrera, R.I. 2011. Growth and quality of greenhouse roses subjected to partial rootzone stresses. Proceedings of the 

Southern Nursery Research Conference 56: 41-45. 

Wang, X., M. Akond, R.I. Cabrera and J.A. Reinert. 2011. Seed stratification, germination and greenhouse performance of 

diverse rose species. Proceedings of the Southern Nursery Research Conference 56: 16-20. 

Cabrera, R.I. 2011. Optimizando la fertilización nitrogenada en cultivos ornamentales intensivos, 12 pages. In: I. Alia-Tejacal 

et al. (eds.), Memorias del Primer Simposium en Nutrición de Plantas Ornamentales, Universidad Autónoma del Estado 

de Morelos, Cuernavaca, México. 

Cabrera, R.I. 2010. Cut-flower greenhouse rose production, p. 97-101. Proceedings of the 55th Atlantic Coast Agricultural 

Convention and Trade Show (W.A. Kline and M.L. Infante-Casella, Eds.). Vegetable Growers Assn. of NJ and Rutgers 

Cooperative Extension. Atlantic City, NJ. 

Wang, X., J.A. Reinert and R.I. Cabrera. 2010. Identification of unknown crape myrtle cultivar with SSR molecular markers. 

Proceedings of the Southern Nursery Research Conference 55: 53-57. 

Wang, X., C. Pounders, R.I. Cabrera, T. Rinehart and J. McCormick. 2010. Inter- and intra-specific hybrid breeding in crape 

myrtle (Lagerstroemia). Proceedings of the Southern Nursery Research Conference 55: 58-62. 

Solís-Pérez, A.R., R.I. Cabrera and J.J. Sloan. 2010. Characterizing seasonal and diurnal ion and water uptake patterns in 

greenhouse roses. Proceedings of the Southern Nursery Research Conference 55: 121-127. 

Cabrera, R.I. 2009. Uso de aguas de riego salinas y de mala calidad en la producción y manejo de plantas ornamentals. 

Memorias del XII Congreso Nacional y V Internacional de Horticultura Ornamental. ISBN 978-607-7533-27-6. 

Córdoba, Veracruz, México. 

Fernandez, T., J. Lea-Cox, G. Zinati, C. Hong, R.I. Cabrera, D. Merhaut, J. Albano, M. van Iersel, T. Yeager and D. Buhler. 

2009. NCDC216: A new multistate group for water management and quality for ornamental crop production and health. 


Solís-Pérez, A.R. and R.I. Cabrera. 2009. The effect of rootstocks on the salinity tolerance of greenhouse roses. Proceedings 

of the Southern Nursery Research Conference 54: 411-417. 

Solís-Pérez, A.R. and R.I. Cabrera. 2008. Do supplemental calcium applications improve salt-tolerance in greenhouse roses? 


Cabrera, R.I. and Jennifer McCormick. 2008. Evaluating nutrient and water use in leafy mistletoe (Phoradendron spp.) and 

some of its native host trees growing in managed landscapes. SNA Research Conf. Proc. 53: 56-59. 

Cabrera, R.I. 2008. Evaluating partial crown chlorosis in mature ornamental pears. Proceedings of the Southern Nursery 

Research Conference 53: 67-71. 

Sloan, J.J., R.I. Cabrera, C. McKenney and W. Mackay. 2008. Growth and landscape performance of shrubs in soil amended 

with manure compost. Proceedings of the Southern Nursery Research Conference 53: 78-84. 

Sloan, J.J., W. Mackay, S. George and R.I. Cabrera. 2008. Performance of ornamental plants in expanded-shale based 

landscape mixes. Proceedings of the Southern Nursery Research Conference 53: 99-104.


Cabrera, R.I. 2007. Greenhouse rose productivity and nutrient status in response to fertilization with a controlled-release 

fertilizer. Acta Horticulturae 751: 77-82. 

Solís-Pérez, A.R. and R.I. Cabrera. 2007. Evaluating counter-ion effects on greenhouse roses subjected to moderately-high 

salinity. Acta Horticulturae 751: 375-380. 

Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, R.I. Cabrera, C. McKenney and W. Mackay. 2007. Determining water use and crop coefficient for 

selected herbaceous perennials. Proceedings of the Southern Nursery Research Conference 52: 122-127. 

McCormick, J. and R.I. Cabrera. 2007. Landscape performance of miniature and dwarf crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp.) 

cultivars in North Texas. Proceedings of the Southern Nursery Research Conference 52: 219-225. 

Cabrera, R. I. y A.R. Solís-Pérez. 2007. Evaluación y manejo de salinidad en el cultivo de rosas. Asocolflores (Colombia) 69: 

19-25. 


Cabrera, R.I. 2012. Estimating water use by Texas green industry activities. TNLA Green, November: 19-22. 

Cabrera, R.I. 2012. Evaluating rootzone stresses and the role of the root system on rose crop productivity and water use 

efficiency: Tissue nutrient contents, whole plant biomass and quality. International Cut Flower Growers Assn. Bulletin, 

July-Sept. Issue. p. 13-18. 

Cabrera, R.I. 2011. Enhancing fertilization efficiency. American Nurseryman 211(3): 12-15 (March Issue). 


efficiency: First flower harvests. International Cut Flower Growers Assn. Bulletin, Jan.-Mar. Issue. p. 7-10. 


efficiency: Setting up the experiment. International Cut Flower Growers Assn. Bulletin, Jul.-Sep. Issue. p. 9-13. 

Arnold, M., E. Bush, R.I. Cabrera, G. Denny, J. Griffin, J. Iles, A. King, G. Knox, G. McDonald, C. McKenney, T. 

Montague, G. Niu, A. Owings, and D. Struve. 2010. Testing tolerances of Taxodium. Landscape Plant News 20(3):10- 

11. 

Cabrera, R.I. and A.R. Solís-Pérez. 2009. Optimizing rose crop fertilization and irrigation over hourly, daily and seasonal 

time scales: Cyclical ion and water uptake over different time scales. International Cut Flower Growers Assn. Bulletin, 

Sep.-Oct. Issue. p. 16-19. 


time scales: Ion and water uptake over daily cycles. International Cut Flower Growers Assn. Bulletin, Mar.-Apr. Issue. 

p. 27-30. 


time scales: Rootstocks and ion uptake over a flowering cycle. International Cut Flower Growers Assn. Bulletin, Nov.- 

Dec. Issue. p. 23-27. 

Cabrera, R.I., A.R. Solís-Pérez and J. McCormick. 2007. The role of calcium and boron in rose development and petal 

blackening: Observations in commercial rose greenhouses and shoot tissue nutrient status. International Cut Flower 

Growers Assn. Bulletin, October Issue. p. 18-22. 

Niu, G., R.I. Cabrera, C. McKenney and W. Mackay. 2007. Determining water use and crop coefficients of nursery and 

landscape plants. TNLA Green, March: 18-22. 

Cabrera, R.I., A.R. Solís-Pérez and J. McCormick. 2007. The role of calcium and boron in rose development and petal 

blackening: Symptoms and Hydroponics System. International Cut Flower Growers Assn. Bulletin, January Issue. p. 17- 

22. 


Has contributed to electronic publications produced by the International Society of Arboriculture: 

International Society of Arboriculture. 2007. Introducción a la Arboricultura: Diagnóstico y Desórdenes (Introduction to 

Arboriculture: Diagnosis and Disorders). Educational CD (6 CEU). R.I Cabrera entirely responsible for the translation 

and technical adaptation of the Spanish version of the CD. 

International Society of Arboriculture. 2007. El Valor de los Árboles (Tree Values). Factsheet in the series ISA Consumer 

Information Guides posted electronically at http://www.isahispana.com/pubs/pubs.htm. R.I Cabrera responsible for the 

translation and technical adaptation of the Spanish version of this factsheet. 


Sloan, J.J, P.A.Y. Ampim, R.I. Cabrera, W.A. Mackay and S.W. George. 2011. Moisture and nutrient storage capacity of 

calcined expanded shale. In: E.B. Ozkaraova Gungor (ed.) Principles, Application and Assessment in Soil Science, 

Chapter 2, p. 29-42 . InTech - Open Access. 

Cabrera, R. I. 2011. Importancia de la calidad química del agua en el fertirriego en cultivos ornamentales. In: V.J. Flórez 

Roncancio (Ed.), Avances sobre Fisiología de la Producción de Flores de Corte en Colombia. p. 17-26. Editorial 

Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá.


Cabrera, R. I. and A.R. Solís-Pérez. 2011. Particularidades de fisiología vegetal y nutrición mineral, con énfasis en estreses, 

en rosas de invernadero. In: V.J. Flórez Roncancio (Ed.), Avances sobre Fisiología de la Producción de Flores de Corte 

en Colombia. p. 91-105. Editorial Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. 

Niu, G. and R.I. Cabrera. 2010. Irrigating ornamental horticultural crops with alternative water sources. In: A.N. Sampson 

(Ed.), Horticulture in the 21st Century, Chapter 5, p. 143-160. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., Hauppauge, NY. 


N/A 


N/A 



John Jairo Franco-Hermida. Current PhD student (Co-advising with Dr. M. Guzman). Herramientas de diagnóstico 

nutricional para el cultivo rosa bajo invernadero y con gestion de fertirriego (Nutritional diagnostic tools for greenhouse rose 

crops grown with managed fertigation). Graduate Program in Protected Agriculture, Universidad de Almería, Spain 

Alma Rosa Solís-Pérez. 2009. Ph.D. Characterizing Salinity Tolerance in Roses. (Co-advised with Dr. M.A. Arnold). 


John Jairo Franco-Hermida – Technical Advisor and Flower Crop Consultant, Grupo Chia, Colombia 

Alma Rosa Solís-Pérez – Returned to a professorial position in Veracruz, Mexico (2009-2012), now on a research assistant 

position at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Uvalde. 


Wilson Bohórquez Santana. MS in Agricultural Science-Crop Physiology, Facultad de Agronomía – Escuela de Postgrados, 

Universidad Nacional de Colombia-Bogotá. 2008-2011. Papel de la interacción de calcio y boro en el ennegrecimiento de los 

pétalos en rosa (Influence of the interaction calcium-boron in the petal blackening disorder in roses). 

John Jairo Franco-Hermida . MS in Soil Science, Facultad de Agronomía – Escuela de Postgrados, Universidad Nacional de 

Colombia-Bogotá). 2005-2007. Determinación de normas de diagnóstico nutricional para el cultivo de rosa de corte en 

Colombia (Determination of nutritional diagnostic standards for cut-flower rose crops in Colombia). 


N/A 


$24,500 Optimizing rose crop nutrient status and productivity through balanced cation and anion ratios. J.H. Hill 

Foundation, International Cut Flower Grower’s Association. (2011-2013). R.I. Cabrera (PI) 

$65,154 Strategies and Water Use Efficiency for High-Value Crops in South Texas. Rio Grande Water Conservation 

(TWRI-RGBI, Texas A&M AgriLife Research). D.I. Leskovar, M. Palma and R.I. Cabrera. (2012-2013). $21,718 

portion for R.I. Cabrera. 

$100,000 Graywater Use and Native Plant Landscaping for Urban Water Conservation. Rio Grande Water Conservation 

(TWRI-RGBI, Texas A&M AgriLife Research). R.I. Cabrera (PI), D.I. Leskovar, D. Rodriguez, W. Mills, R. 

Berry, A. Gabriel and M. Trevino. (2012-2013). $25,000 portion for RI Cabrera. 

$60,000 Enhancing Horticultural Crop Production and Commercialization of Small-scale South African Farmers. Ukulima 

Farm, Borlaug Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research. D. Leskovar, J. Jifon, K. Crosby, R.I. Cabrera, M. Palma 

(2012). $5,000 portion for RI Cabrera. 

$71,700 Evaluate effects of elevated application rates of MAT28 products on potted ornamental plants. Scotts Company 

LLC. B. Wherley, R.I. Cabrera, T. Pannkuk (2011-2012). $23,900 portion for RI Cabrera 

$5,654 Saving groundwater by encouraging household use of rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation and adapted plants. 

Wintergarden Groundwater Conservation District. S. Cooper and R.I. Cabrera. (2011-2012). $2,825 portion for RI 

Cabrera. 

$18,500 Evaluating rootzone stresses and the role of the root system on rose crop productivity and fertilizer-water use. J.H. 

Hill Foundation, International Cut Flower Grower’s Association. R.I. Cabrera (PI) (2010-2011). 

$10,725 Evaluation of 40 wild rose species for horticultural traits, alkalinity tolerance and aphid susceptibility. Woody 

Landscape Plant Crop Germplasm Committee (USDA- ARS). X. Wang, R.I. Cabrera and J.A. Reinert (2010). 

Requested $18,000, funded $10,725. $3,575 portion for RI Cabrera.


$319,799 Agricultural NPS remediation in the Cedar Creek Reservoir watershed. Texas State Soil and Water Conservation 

Board. J. Sloan, R.I. Cabrera and F. Jaber (2007-2011). Project grand total was $736,619, with $319,799 for 

Texas AgriLife Research-Dallas. $106,600 portion for R.I. Cabrera. 

$23,500 Portable Gas Exchange System (Photosynthesis-respiration-fluorescence) for Texas AgriLife Research Center at 

Dallas. Texas AgriLife Research Equipment Replacement/Purchase (PUF funds) Program. R.I. Cabrera and J.J. 

Sloan. (2009). $11,750 credited to RI Cabrera. 

$20,000 Dissolved Organic Carbon Analyzer for Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas. Texas AgriLife 

Research Equipment Replacement/Purchase (PUF funds) Program. J.J. Sloan and R.I. Cabrera. (2009). $10,000 

credited to R.I. Cabrera. 

$22,000 Optimizing rose crop fertilization and irrigation over hourly, daily and seasonal time scales. J.H. Hill Foundation, 

International Cut Flower Grower’s Association. R. I. Cabrera (PI) (2007-2009). 

$288,750 Urban Landscape Water Conservation. Task #5 of Rio Grande Basin Initiative. USDA-CREES (through Texas 

AgriLife Research). J. Harris, B. Lesikar, G. Niu, R.I. Cabrera, R. Kaiser, R. White (2007-2011). Over $5 million 

for overall project, $288,750 for Task 5). $23,300 portion for R.I. Cabrera. 

$28,185 Nitrogen-Carbon- Sulfur Analyzer for Texas AgriLife Research Center at Dallas. Texas AgriLife Research 

Equipment Replacement/Purchase (PUF) Program. J.J. Sloan and R.I. Cabrera. (2008). $14,092 credited to RI 

Cabrera. 

$10,000 Chemical and biological control of Azalea bark scale, Eriococcus azaleae, on crape myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica 

L. Texas Nursery & Landscape Association (Education and Research Foundation). M. Merchant, K. Schofield, S. 

Ludwig, R.I. Cabrera, C. Bográn (2008). $2,000 portion for RI Cabrera. 

$10,000 Evaluation of turfgrass species and varieties for drought tolerance in a renovated Linear Gradient Irrigation 

System (LGIS). Texas Research, Extension and Education Endowment. J. Heitholt (PI), J. Sloan, M.C. Engelke 

and R.I. Cabrera. (2008). $2,500 portion for RI Cabrera. 

$35,000 Evaluation of dairy compost utilization in newly constructed landscapes. Texas Commission on Environmental 

Quality. J.J. Sloan and R.I. Cabrera. (2007-2009). $17,500 portion for R.I. Cabrera. 

$30,000 Screening turfgrass genotypes for drought tolerance in a renovated linear gradient irrigation system. Turfgrass 

Producers of Texas. J. Heitholt (PI), M.C. Engelke, J. Sloan and R.I. Cabrera (2007-2010). $7,500 portion for RI 

Cabrera. 

$7,500 Determining plant water use and crop coefficients of nursery and landscape plants. Texas Nursery and Landscape 

Association (Education and Research Foundation). R.I. Cabrera (PI), G. Niu and W.A. Mackay (2007). $2,500 

portion for RI Cabrera. 

$4,000 Upgrade to Weather Station Equipment at TAES-Dallas. Texas AgriLife (TAES) Equipment 

Replacement/Purchase (PUF) Program. R.I. Cabrera, J.J. Sloan. (2007). $2,000 credited to RI Cabrera. 

$6,900 The role of calcium and boron in rose development and petal blackening. J.H. Hill Foundation, International Cut 

Flower Grower’s Association. R.I. Cabrera (PI). (2007). 



N/A 


Scientia Horticulturae. Editorial Advisory Board Member, 1997-present 

Revista Chapingo- Serie Horticultura. Editorial Board Member, 2008-present 

Proc. of Southern Nursery Assn. Research Conference. Section Editor (Field Production), 2004-2007 

Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Hortícolas. Scientific Committee Member, 2006- 2012 

International Symposium on Soilless Culture and Hydroponics. Scientific Committee and Editorial Team Member. 2011. 

Fifth International Symposium on Rose Research and Cultivation. Scientific Committee and Editorial Team Member. 2009. 



HortScience 

Acta Horticulturae 


Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 

Revista Chapingo- Serie Horticultura 


Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology 

Ciencia Forestal en México



Texas A&M AgriLife at Dallas and Dept. Horticultural Sciences - Chair, Search Committee for Ornamental Plant 

Development Horticulturist. 2008. 

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas – Chair, Greenhouse Facilities Committee, 2009-2010 

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas – Chair, Facilities Maintenance Committee. 2006-2007 

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas – Management Advisory Committee. 2005- 2007 

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas – Housing Committee. 2002- 2007 


Serving as Texas Representative for USDA Multistate Project NC1186: “Water Management and Quality for Ornamental 

Crop Production and Health”. 2010-2015 

Served as Chair of Floriculture, Ornamentals and Turf Section of Southern Region-ASHS, 2010. 

Served as member of Hispanic Committee of International Society of Arboriculture, 2005-2010. 

Served as member of Board of Directors of Trinity Blacklands Urban Forestry Council (TBUFC, Dallas). 2002- 2012. 

Served as Texas A&M liaison to the McKinney Crape Myrtle Trials Foundation, McKinney, TX. 1999- 2011. 


2008 Texas Environmental Excellence Award (Agriculture Category) from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality 

(TCEQ) to the Rio Grande Basin Initiative Team of the Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension Service. R.I. 

Cabrera was member (2001-2011) of RGBI’s Task 5: Urban Landscape and In-Home Water Conservation. 

2007 President’s Volunteer Service Award presented by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation and the 

White House, Washington, DC. For service as Invited Expert Volunteer on USAID program (Farmer-to-Farmer) in El 

Salvador. 

2007 National Water Program Award in the Outstanding Integrated Activities for Water Resources to the Rio Grande Basin 

Initiative (RGBI) project. U.S. Department of Agriculture–Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service 

(USDA–CSREES). R.I. Cabrera was member (2001-2011) of RGBI’s Task 5: Urban Landscape and In-Home Water 

Conservation.


Kevin M. Crosby 

Associate Professor of Vegetable Genetics and Breeding 

k-crosby@tamu.edu 


Dr. Crosby has a split appointment of 70% research and 30% teaching within the Department of Horticultural Sciences. His 

teaching efforts include undergraduate courses in plant breeding and vegetable production. He also currently serves as co- 

Chair of a PhD student committee and as a member of four graduate student committees in two departments. He also serves 

as the undergraduate advisor for the Howdy Farm, student organic agriculture organization. His research program focuses on 

genetics and breeding of vegetable crops for adaptation to Texas production environments. Peppers, tomatoes, melons and 

onions are the crops which he has worked on over the past 14 years. Research into disease resistance and enhanced 

nutritional quality has led to development of many novel breeding lines and eight cultivar releases. His project also 

investigates root physiology as it relates to stress tolerance and exploitation of interspecific hybridization in pepper for novel 

trait discovery. Additionally, Dr. Crosby’s lab has developed a molecular marker based linkage map of melons with several 

useful, PCR-based markers linked to major genes. Genetic transformation of melon to enhance nutritional content and stress 

tolerance is another component of his project. He has strong collaborations both internationally and nationally with melon, 

pepper and tomato breeders at other institutions in germplasm maintenance and characterization. He is active in the American 

Society of Horticultural Sciences at both the national and regional levels and has presented more than 20 posters or talks over 

the past five years. He also serves as an ad hoc reviewer for more than a dozen scientific journals and three USDA research 

funding programs. 



Ph.D. 1999 Texas A&M University Plant Breeding 

M.S. 1993 University of Hawaii, Manoa Horticulture (Genetics) 

B.S. 1991 Texas A&M University Horticulture (Magna Cum Laude) 


2008-present Associate professor, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, (70% research, 30% 

teaching) 

2006-2008 Associate professor, Texas AgriLife Research Weslaco, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, 

Texas A&M University (100% research) 

1999-2005 Assistant professor, Texas AgriLife Research Weslaco, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M 

University (100% research) 



Butcher, J.D, Crosby, K.M., Yoo, K.S., Patil, B.S., Ibrahim, A.M.H., Leskovar, D.I., and J.L. Jifon. 2012. 

Environmental and genotypic variation of capsaicinoid and flavonoid concentrations in Habanero (Capsicum 

chinense) peppers. HortScience 47(5): 574-579. 

Ren, Y. Bang, H., Gould, J., Rathore, K.S., Patil, B.S., and K.M. Crosby. 2012. Levels of phytoene and β-carotene in 

transgenic honeydew melon (Cucumis melo L. inodorus). Plant Cell Tiss. Org. Cult. (DOI: 10.1007/s11240-012- 

0269-8) 

Ren, Y. Bang, H., Gould, J., Rathore, K.S., Patil, B.S., and K.M. Crosby. 2012. Shoot regeneration and 

ploidy variation in tissue culture of honeydew melon (Cucumis melo L. inodorus). In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol.- Plant. 

DOI 10.1007/s11627-012-9482-8. 

Bae, H., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Crosby, K., Jifon, J., and B.S. Patil. 2012. Influence of Extraction Solvents on 

Antioxidant Activity and the Content of Bioactive Compounds in Non-pungent Peppers, Plant Food and Human 

Nutrition, 67, 120-128. 

Yoo, K.S., Bang, H., Lee, E.J., Crosby, K., and B.S. Patil. 2012. Variation of carotenoids, sugars and 

ascorbic acid concentrations in watermelon genotypes and genetic analysis. Hort. Environ. Biotechnol. DOI 

1007/s13580-012-0066-7. 

Cohen, R, Pivonia, S., Crosby, K.M., and R.D. Martyn. 2012. Advances in the biology and management of 

Monosporascus vine decline and wilt of melons and other cucurbits. Horticultural Reviews 39. pp. 

77-120. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 

Ren, Y. Bang, H., Curtis, I.S., Gould, J., Patil, B.S., and K.M. Crosby. 2011. Agrobacterium-mediated 

transformation and shoot regeneration in elite breeding lines of western shipper cantaloupe and


honeydew melons (Cucumis melo L.). Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) 108 (1): 

147-158 

Crosby, K.M., Butcher, J., Yoo, K.S., and D.I. Leskovar. 2010. ‘TAM Ben Villalon’- a new multiple-virus 

resistant, mild, green-chile pepper. HortSci. 45(11): 1756-1758. 

King, S.R., Davis, A.R., Zhang, X. and K. Crosby. 2010. Genetics, breeding and selection of rootstocks for 

Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae. Sci. Hortic. 127: 106-111.. 

Niu, G, Rodriguez, D.S., Cabrera. R. , Jifon, J, Leskovar, D., and K. Crosby. 2010. Salinity and soil type 

effects on emergence and growth of pepper seedlings. HortSci. 45(8): 1265-1269. 

Niu, G., Rodriguez, D.S., Crosby, K., Leskovar, D., and J. Jifon. 2010. Rapid screening for relative salt 

tolerance among chile pepper genotypes. HortSci. 45: 1192-1195. 

Hernandez, R., Harris, M., Crosby, K., and T.X. Liu. 2009. Liriomyza (Diptera:) and Parasitoid Species on 

Pepper in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Southwestern Entomologist 35(1): 33-43. 

Park, S.O., H.Y. Hwang, and K.M. Crosby. 2009. A genetic linkage map including loci for male sterility, 

sugars, and ascorbic acid in melon. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 134:67-76. 

Lester, G.E, Jifon, J.L and K.M. Crosby. 2009. Superoxide dismutase activity in 

mesocarp tissue from divergent Cucumis melo L. genotypes. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 64: 205-211. 

Crosby, K.M., Jifon, J.L. and D.I. Leskovar. 2008. ‘Chujuc’- a New Powdery Mildew Resistant U.S. Western Shipper 

Melon with High Sugar and Beta-Carotene Content. Hort. Sci. 43(6):1-3. 

Park, S.O., J.R. Steadman, D.P. Coyne, and K.M. Crosby. 2008. Development of a coupling-phase SCAR marker linked to 

the Ur-7 rust resistance gene and its occurrence in diverse common bean lines. Crop Sci. 48:357-363. 

Crosby, K.M., Jifon, J.L., Villalon, B., and D.I. Leskovar. 2007. ‘TAM Dulcito’- a new, multiple-virus resistant, sweet 

jalapeño pepper. Hort. Sci. 42 (6): 1-2. 


Jayaprakasha, G.K., Bae, H., Crosby, K., Jifon, J.L., and Patil, B.S. (2012), Bioactive Compounds in 

Peppers and Their Antioxidant Potential, In Hispanic Foods: Chemistry and Bioactive Compounds; Tunick, M., 

et al.; ACS Symposium Series #1109, pp.43-‐56, American Chemical Society: Washington, DC. 

Patil, B., Crosby, K. Proceedings of ISHS Intl. Hort. Congress, Lisbon, 2010. S07.008, pg. 332. 

Crosby, K., Leskovar, D., and M. Miller. 2010. Evidence that resistance to gummy stem blight (Didymella 

bryoniae) in Dudaim type melons (Cucumis melo ssp. agrestis) is a quantitative trait. In: Eds-J. 

Thies, S. Kousik, A. Levi, Cucurbitaceae 2010 Proceedings, ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA, USA. 

Crosby, K.M., Jifon, J.L, Yoo, K.S. and D.I. Leskovar. 2009. Novel vegetable cultivars from TAMUimproving 

human health benefits, flavor and productivity. Proc. of FAV2007, Acta Hort 841. 

Leskovar, D.I., Crosby, K. and J.L. Jifon. 2009. Impact of agronomic practices on phytochemicals and quality of vegetable 

crops. Proc. of FAV2007, Acta Hort 841. 

Jifon, J., Lester, G., Crosby, K. and D. Leskovar. 2009. Improving the quality attributes of melons through modified mineral 

nutrition. Proc. of FAV2007, Acta Hort 841. 

Crosby, K.M., Villalon, B., Jifon, J.L., and D.I. Leskovar. 2008. Virus Resistance Breeding: Current progress at Texas A&M, 

AgriLife Research, Weslaco. Proc. 19 th Intl. Pepper Conf. pp.16-17. 

Crosby, K.M., J.L. Jifon and D.I. Leskovar. 2008. Genetic improvement of early root vigor in melon (Cucumis melo L.) to 

enhance stand establishment. Acta Horticulturae, 782:273-277. 

Jifon, J.L., K. Crosby, D. Leskovar and M. Miller. 2008.Possible physiological mechanisms for resistance to vine decline 

diseases in grafted watermelons. Acta Horticulturae, 782:329-333. 


Whitefly, tomato growers find truce in new Texas variety. AgriLife Today, Dec 5, 2011. 


none 


John Jifon, Gene Lester, Mike Stewart, Kevin Crosby, Daniel Leskovar, Bhimanagouda S. Patil. Fertilizer 

use and functional quality of fruits and vegetables, in: Fertilizing Crops to Improve Human Health: A Scientific 

Review. 2012. IPNI, Norcross, GA, USA. 

Crosby, K., Jifon, J., and D. Leskovar. 2008. Agronomy and the nutritional quality of vegetables, p.392-411. In: F.A. Tomas- 

Barberan and M.I. Gil (eds.). Improving the health- promoting properties of fruit and vegetable products. CRC 

Press, Boca Raton.


Crosby, K.M. 2008. Pepper, p. 221-248. In: J. Prohens, and F. Nuez (eds.). Vegetables II: Fabaceae, Liliaceae, Umbelliferae, 

and Solanaceae. Springer, New York. 


Crosby, K.M., Villalon, B., Rodriguez, A. TAM Mild Jalapeño 2- Plant Variety Protection No. 200800190, 

issued on Aug 20, 2009. 

Crosby, K.M, Leskovar, D.I., Rodriguez, A. TAM Mild Habanero- Plant Variety Protection No. 

200400329, issued on Jan. 25, 2007. 

‘Caro-Tex 313’ hybrid, Habanero pepper- 2012 

‘Ben Villalon’ mild, green chile- 2010 

‘Chujuc’ western shipper melon- 2008 

‘TAM Dulcito’ sweet jalapeño- 2007 

License of 3 Habanero and 4 serrano parent lines to Lark Seeds- 2012 



HORT 325- Vegetable Production: Fall 2012 

HORT 404- Plant Breeding: Spring 2010, 2012 


Horticulture 691, Research, each semester from Spring 2007 through Fall 2012 at Texas A&M University. 



Ali Annon, M.S., Horticulture, 2012. Genetic transformation of carrot for stress tolerance. 

Sat Pal Sharma, Ph.D., Horticulture, 2013. Exploitation of Genotype X Environment interaction for improving quality 

in Melon (Cucumis melo L.) 

Yan Ren, Ph.D., Horticulture, 2011. Genetic transformation of honeydew melon with a watermelon PSY gene to enhance 

carotenoid content. 

Justin Butcher, Ph.D., Plant Breeding, 2011. Traditional breeding strategies to increase vitamin C and flavonoids in pepper 

(Capsicum spp.). 


Ali Annon- faculty, Dept. of Agronomy, University of Bagdad, Iraq 

Yan Ren- plant lighting research at Philips Elctronics, Shanghai, China. 

Justin Butcher- pepper and cucurbit breeder at Emerald Seeds, El Centro, CA. 


Jake Ueckert, M.S., Horticulture. Investigation of ploidy level and re-bloom trait in roses. 

Wayne Tulle, M.S., Horticulture. 

Adam Mahan, M.S., Agronomy, Plant Breeding, 2012. Analysis of food-grade maize: colored and quality protein. 

Laura Masor, M.S., Agronomy, Plant Breeding, 2011. Determining salt tolerance among sunflower genotypes. 

Haejeen Bai, Ph.D., Horticulture, 2011. Pre and post-harvest factors affecting phytochemical contents in peppers (Capsicum 

spp.). 

Ricardo Hernandez Moreno, M.S., Entomology, 2009. Liriomyza (Diptera: Agromyzidae), Associated Parasitoid Guilds and 

Effects of Insecticides on Liriomyza and Their Parasitoids in South Texas. 

Jose Luis Perez, M.S., Horticulture, 2008. Citrus Bioactive Compounds Affecting Phase II Detoxifying Enzymes: Potential 

Cancer Chemoprevention. 


none 


11,000 New Mexico Chile Commission, principal investigator. Development of high-yielding, diseaseresistant 

chile varieties for New Mexico. K. Crosby PI, 2012 

39,700 USDA-NIFA-SCRI-TDA Block Grants. A Strategy to Expedite Trialing and Introduction of 

Heat-Resistant tomato cultivars from Texas A&M Throughout the State, K. Crosby PI, 2012. 

37,840 USDA-NIFA-SCRI-TDA Block Grants. Production and Marketing Strategies for Specialty


Melons and Artichokes. D. Leskovar PI, K. Crosby Co-PI, 2012. 


chile varieties for New Mexico. K. Crosby PI, 2011 

12,000 Pickle Packers Inc. Improving Quality and disease resistance in pickling peppers. K. Crosby PI, 

2011-2013 


chile varieties for New Mexico. K. Crosby PI, 2010. 

44,000 USDA-NIFA,CSREES- Designing foods for Health, (total of $1,288,975) Expression of 

PSY and Or genes in transgenic melon lines to increase beta- carotene. Test candidate RAPD markers using PCR on 

our family with elevated levels of flavonoids and ascorbic acid to verify significant linkages. Bhimu Patil PI, K. 

Crosby co-PI, 2010. 



50,000 USDA-NIFA,CSREES- Designing foods for Health (total of $1,291,218). Molecular marker 

development and phenotypic selection for increased flavonoid and carotenoid levels in TAES pepper breeding 

lines; Optimizing genetic transformation of advanced melon lines to increase beta-carotene. Bhimu Patil PI, K. 

Crosby co-PI, 2009. 



46,904 USDA-NIFA,CSREES- Designing foods for Health (total of $1,002,500). Molecular marker 

development and phenotypic selection for increased flavonoid and carotenoid levels in TAES pepper breeding 

lines; Development of melon cultivars for Texas, with genetically enhanced levels of beta-carotene, ascorbic acid 

and sugars. Bhimu Patil PI, K. Crosby co-PI. 2008. 



83,544 USDA-CSREES, Developing foods for Health (total of $1,800,500). Molecular marker 

development and phenotypic selection for increased flavonoid and carotenoid levels in TAES pepper breeding lines. 

Development of melon cultivars for Texas, with genetically enhanced levels of beta-carotene, ascorbic acid and 

sugars. Leonard Pike, PI, K. Crosby co-PI. 2007. 

17,000 Texas-Israel Exchange/BARD (total of 50,000). Grafting as a strategy for disease and stress 

management in muskmelon production. K. Crosby, PI, co-PI’s: John Jifon and Dan Leskovar. 

2007 (year 4) 

142,281 Lark Seeds Intl. Development of molecular markers in tomatoes and peppers for pedigree 

analysis, gene mapping and marker assisted selection. K. Crosby, PI. 2006-2008. 



USDA-SBIR – 2012 

Florida Citrus Board- 2012 

USDA Plant Genome- June 2009 

USDA-Crop Germplasm Proposal Cucurbits Review- 2009-2010 

USDA-AFRI- Integrated Research Program Plant Breeding- 2009 


Journal of American Society for Horticultural Sciences- Consulting editor 2008 

Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative 2007-present 


J. American Society for Horticultural Sciences 

HortScience 

Crop Science 

BMC Genomics 

Molecular Breeding 

Plant Disease 

Euphytica 

Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology 


Theoretical and Applied Genetics


Tree Genetics and Genomes 

International Journal of Vegetable Science 


Plant Release Committee- 2007-present 

Departmental Budget Committee- 2010 

Scientific Advisory Committee for VFIC 2008-present 


ASHS Vegetable Breeding Working Group: Secretary, Chair-elect and Chair- 2007-2009 

Organized and Convened two Texas Pepper Conferences (2007, 2009) 


none


Fred T. Davies, PhD, CPH 

Regents Professor, Texas AgriLife Research Faculty Fellow 

Dept Horticultural Sciences, Interdisciplinary program of Molecular & Environ. Plant Sciences 

f-davies@tamu.edu 


Dr. Fred Davies has a 50% teaching, 50% research appointment. Teaching responsibilities currently include Hort 326 – Plant 

Propagation, and Hort 431 – Nursery Production & Management. For 23 years through 2010, he chaired the Dept of 

Horticultural Sciences Graduate Seminar Program, which entailed organizing, inviting and hosting invited outside speakers. 

He is the co-author of the 8 th edition of Hartman and Kester’s Plant Propagation-Principles and Practices (2011), which is 

the standard text used internationally. 

Davies research has been multi-dimensional, multi-disciplined – and well-balanced, with as much effort put into teaching and 

service – as supported by national and international recognition and awards. His research has been supported by NASA, 

USDA, NSF, Guggenheim Foundation, Fulbright, other foundations and industry. Davies research includes: plant responses 

to environmental and biotic stress; NASA⎯⎯ low atmospheric pressure (hypobaric), controlled environment crop systems; 

physiology of mycorrhizal enhancement of plant drought and nutrient stress resistance, biofertilizers, ornamental horticulture 

production (nursery and greenhouse crops), plant propagation systems, alternative nursery production systems, low input 

agriculture sustainable systems utilizing mycorrhizal fungi, tissue culture propagation systems, and the interaction of plant 

stress and IPM systems. 

He is the only faculty member in Horticulture at TAMU to be recognized as both a Regents Professor (2010) and AgriLife 

Research Faculty Fellow (2007) – which is testament of national peer recognition of a productive and balanced teaching, 

research and service program – the three pillars of the land-grant system. For the past 6-plus years, he has been involved with 

the leadership of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences (ASHS), serving as International Vice-President, President, 

and Chair of the Board of Directors. During this same period, he chaired a national committee of industry and academics to 

develop the ASHS-Certified Horticulturist program - which has meant communicating to the public, press and industry the 

importance and needs of professionalizing horticulture. Davies has a long-term track record of leadership with industry 

groups, such as the International Plant Propagators Society. 

His research and teaching direction is currently focused on international horticulture. He was awarded a 3 rd CIES – Senior 

Fulbright Scholar Fellowship (2012-13) to Indonesia, and is involved in a USAID funded programs with Indonesia, and a 

USDA-FAS-SCRP program with Ghana and Nigeria. He is currently a finalist (2013) for a Jefferson Science Fellowship to 

the U.S. Dept of State/ USAID. 



Ph.D. 1978 University of Florida Horticulture; Plant Physiology; 

Tropical Agriculture. 

M.S. 1975 Rutgers University Horticulture; Plant Physiology 

B.S. 1971 Rutgers College History; minor-Biological Sciences 


2012-2013 Fulbright Senior Fellow: Visiting Professor, IPB – Bogor Agricultural Univ., Bogor, Indonesia 

2010-present Regents Professor, TAMU. (50% teaching, 50% research) 

2007-present Texas AgriLife Research Faculty Fellow, TAMU. 

Fulbright Senior Fellow, J.S. Guggenheim Fellow: Visiting Professor, National Agrarian University 

LaMolina (UNALM), Lima, Peru; Visiting Scientist, Intl Potato Institute (CIP), Lima, Peru. 

1993-1994 Fulbright Senior Fellow: Visiting Professor, Monterrey Tech University (ITESM) Queretaro, Mexico; 

Visiting Scientist, CINVESTAV Plant Biology Institute, Irapuato, Mexico. 

1990-present Professor Horticultural Sciences & Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences, TAMU. 

1987 Visiting Scientist, USDA Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory, Corvallis, Oregon. 

1987 Visiting Associate Professor, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Oregon State Univ., Corvalis, OR. 

Assoc. Professor Nursery Crop Physiology, Department of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU, College Station, 

TX. 

1978-1983 Assistant Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU, College Station, TX.



Refereed Publications 

He, C-J, F. T. Davies Jr. and R. E. Lacey. 2007. Separating the effects of hypobaria and hypoxia on lettuce: growth and gas 

exchange. Physiologia Plantarum 131: 226–240. (Cover page of Oct 2007 vol 131 edition). 

Alarcon, A., F. T. Davies Jr., R. L. Autenrieth and D. A. Zuberer. 2008. Arbuscular 

Mycorrhiza and Petroleum-Degrading Microorganisms Enhance Phytoremediation of Petroleum-Contaminated Soil. 

International Journal of Phytoremediation. 10(4): 251-263. 

Carpio, L.A., F. T. Davies, Jr., T. Fox and C. He. 2009. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Organic Fertilizer Influence 

Photosynthesis, Root Phosphatase Activity, Nutrition and Growth of Ipomoea Carnea ssp. Fistulosa. 

Photosynthetica. 47: 1-10. 

He, C. , F. T. Davies Jr. and R. E. Lacey. 2009. Ethylene reduces gas exchange and growth of lettuce plants under hypobaric 

and normal atmospheric conditions. Physiologia Plantarum. 135: 258–271. 

He, C, F. T. Davies Jr. and R. E. Lacey. 2009. Hypobaria, hypoxia and light affect gas 

exchange, and the CO 2 compensation and saturation points of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) 

Botany. 87: 712-721. 

Rajapakse, N.C., C. He, L. Cisneros-Zevallos, and F. T. Davies Jr. 2009. Hypobaria and 

hypoxia affects growth and phytochemical contents of lettuce. Scientia Horticulturae 122: 171–178. 

Spiers, J.D., F.T. Davies, C. He, T. W. Starman, S.A. Finlayson, S. A. Senseman, and K. M. Heinz. 2011. Fertilization 

Affects Constitutive and Wound-Induced Chemical Defenses in Gerbera jamesonii. J. Environ. Hort. 29(4):180– 

184. 

He, C., and F. T. Davies Jr. 2012. Ethylene reduces plant gas exchange and growth of lettuce grown from seed to harvest 

under hypobaric and ambient total pressure. Journal of Plant Physiology 169: 369– 378. 

He, C., D.A. Jacobo-Velazquez, L. Cisneros-Zevallosa, and F. T. Davies. 2013. Hypobaria 

and hypoxia affects phytochemical production, gas exchange, and growth of lettuce. 

Photosynthetica. 51: In press. 


Spiers, J.D., F.T. Davies, Jr., C. He, S. Finlayson, K.Heinz, A. Chau and T. W. Starman. 

2007. Fertilization Affects the Susceptability of Gerbera jamesonii to Western Flower Thrips (WFT [Frankliniella 

occidentalis (Pergande)]—Impact on Plant Growth and Quality SNA Research Conference Proceedings. 52:. 


2007. Reducing Fertilization in Gerbera Production Enhances Host Plant Resistance to Western Flower Thrips. 

Combined Proceedings of International Plant Propagators’ Society. 57: 674-679. 

L. Amaya-Carpio, L., F. T. Davies, Jr., T. Fox, and C. He. 2008. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal 

Fungi aand Organic Fertilizer Influence Photosynthesis, Growth, Nutrient Uptake and Root Phosphatase Activity of 

Ipomoea Carnea subsp. Fistulosa. SNA Research Conference Proceedings. 53: 


2008. Do Insecticides Affect Plant Growth and Development? Greenhouse Grower. 

Vol 2. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/grower_tools/200802_insecticides.html 

Feb 2, 2008. 

Davies, F.T. 2008. Opportunities from Down Under ⎯⎯ How Mycorrhizal Fungi Can 

Benefit Nursery Propagation and Production Systems. Combined Proceedings of International Plant Propagators’ 

Society. 58: 539-548. 

Chow, A. and A. Chau, P. Krauter, C. Bográn, F. Davies and K. M. Heinz. 2009. 

Manipulating fertilizer input for container production of woody and herbaceous ornamentals: a viable approach to 

pest management? Greenhouse Grower. Aug. 2009. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/production/?storyid=2419# 

Davies, F.T. 2010. Back to the Basics and What’s New in Plant Propagation. Combined 

Proceedings of International Plant Propagators’ Society. 60: 540-552. 


Davies, F.T., M. Lamberts, T, Ferriss, G. Fitzpatrick, S. L. Steinberg, R. Talke, and M. 

Neff. 2007. New Opportunities for Horticulture: Certified Horticultural Advisor (ASHS–CHA) Program. American 

Society for Horticultural Sciences Newsletter 23 (4): 1, 14-17. 

Davies, F.T. 2010. Roots that led to horticulture: In the beginning and good things 

happening at ASHS. American Society for Horticultural Sciences Newsletter. 26(8): 3-4. 

Davies, F.T. 2010. Opportunities with ASHS professional certification programs. American 

Society for Horticultural Sciences Newsletter. 26(9): 3-6.


Davies, F.T. 2010. It happened in Lisbon: Forces affecting international horticulture. 

American Society for Horticultural Sciences Newsletter. 26(10): 3, 10-11. 

Davies, F.T. 2010. Not Your Typical D.C. Rally: USA Science and Engineering Festival. 

American Society for Horticultural Sciences Newsletter. 26(11): 1,4-5. 

Davies, F.T. 2010. A success story in extension outreach: The junior master gardner program. 

American Society for Horticultural Sciences Newsletter. 26(12): 3-4. 

Davies, F.T. 2011. Food miles, CSA, slow food, Agribubia, Permaculture – and Horticulture. 


Davies, F.T. 2011. Winter storms, super bowls, and the importance of ASHS regional 

meetings. American Society for Horticultural Sciences Newsletter. 27(2): 3-4. 

Davies, F.T. 2011. Horticulture: Alive, Well, and Critical for the Developing World. American 

Society for Horticultural Sciences Newsletter. 27(3): 3-5. 

Davies, F.T. 2011. The Botany of Desire: It’s All About Horticulture! American Society for 

Horticultural Sciences Newsletter. 27(4): 3, 8-9. 

Davies, F.T. 2011. The Capitol Hill Connection: Importance for Horticulture and ASHS. 


Davies, F.T. 2011. Give-a-WOW: Importance of Peer Recognition & Awards. American 

Society for Horticultural Sciences Newsletter. 27(6): 3-4. 

Davies, F.T. 2011. Models for Success: Consilience & Horticulture. American Society for 

Horticultural Sciences Newsletter. 27(7): 3, 8-9. 

Davies, F.T. 2011. It’s a Wrap: The Final Column. American Society for Horticultural Sciences 

Newsletter. 26(8): 3-6. 

BBC World Service - Science in Action “Space Salad” by Jon Stewart . Jan 26, 2007. 

One might be put off from becoming an astronaut looking at the array of freeze-dried ‘delights’ astronauts have to get by on 

for sustenance. Jon Stewart reports from Texas A&M University where scientists are looking into growing food crops up in 

space. Perhaps surprisingly, scientists growing lettuce under low pressure conditions have found that the plants would grow 

better than they do on earth! 

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/faculty/davies/index.html 


Research Webpage: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/faculty/davies/ResearchHomepg.html 

Faculty Webpage: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/faculty/davies/index.html 

NASA Low-Pressure Research Webpage: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/faculty/davies/research/nasa.html 

Nursery Crop Physiology/Mycorrhizal Research Webpage: http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/faculty/davies/ResearchHomepg.html 

Hort 326: Plant Propagation Webpage: 

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/syllabi/326/hort326.htm 


Hartmann, H.T., D.E. Kester, F.T. Davies, Jr., and R.L. Geneve. Hartmann and Kester's 

Plant Propagation - Principles and Practices. 2011. 8th edition. (Prentice Hall). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 

915 pp. (1 st full color edition); Co-author of last 4 editions of Hartmann and Kester's Plant Propagation - 

Principles and Practices. 5 th Ed. (1990), 6 th Ed. (1997), 7 th Ed. (2002); the world-wide standard for plant 

propagation texts, which has been translated into translated into Spanish, Chinese, Italian, French, Russian and 

Portuguese. 

Davies, F.T. Jr. and A. Alarcon. 2008. Enhancing Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals with 

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi. In: A. Alarcón and R. Ferrera-Cerrato (Eds.), Bioremediation of Soils and Water 

Contaminated by Organic and Inorganic Compounds. Mexico City: Editorial Trillas, S.A. DE C.V. (Book 

Chapter). . 

Estrada-Luna, A.A. and F.T. Davies, Jr. 2008. Estado nutrimental y crecimiento de plantas 

micropropagadas de nopal (Opuntia albicarpa Scheinvar ‘Reyna’) colonizadas con tres 

cepas seleccionadas de endomircorrizas. In: Montaňo-Arias, N.M., S.L. Camargo-Ricalde, R. Garcías-Sánchez and 

A. Monroy-Ata (Eds.). Micorrizas Arbusculares en Ecosistemas Aridos y Semiáridos. Mundi-Prensa, S.A. de C.V.,


Instituto Nacional de Ecología-SEMARNAT, UNAM-Iztapalpa, FES-Zaragoza-UNAM, México, D.F., pp. 203-215. 

(Book Chapter) 

Fitzpatrick, G. (ed.), M. Lamberts, F.T Davies, T. Ferriss, K. Panter, S. Steinberg, J. Cole and 

M. Neff. 2010. Horticulturist’s Certification Study Guide. American Society for Horticultural Science, Alexandria, 

Virginia. pp. 227. 

Davies, F.T. 2010. Chap 4: Propagation. In: Fitzpatrick, G. (ed.) Horticulturist’s Certification 

Study Guide. American Society for Horticultural Science, Alexandria, Virginia. 

pp. 97-150. (Book Chapter). 

Davies, F.T. Jr.. 2007. Nursery Production and Management Lecture Manual. Texas 

A&M University, College Station, TX. 8 th edition. 690pp. 

Davies, F.T. Jr. and S.A. Duray. 2012. Laboratory Exercises in Plant Propagation. Texas 

A&M University, College Station, TX. 12 th Edition. 168 pp. 


None 

Classes taught (2007-2012) Undergraduate courses 

Hort 326: Plant Propagation 

Hort 431: Nursery Production & Management 

Annually incorporate undergraduate students in research program as student workers and laboratory assistants, frequently 

with independent research projects – including teaching Hort 485: Independent Studies and Hort 489: Directed Research. 

Annually guest lecture in Hort 101: Introductory Horticulture. 


Chair, Horticultural Sciences Graduate Seminar Program, TAMU (for 23 years through May 2010)..Graduate students 

(2007-2012) Advised 

James D. Spiers. 2007. Ph.D. The Effects of Nutrient Avaialability on the Host Plant 

Resistance of Gerbera to Western Flower Thrips. 

Have served as the major advisor to 13 PhD and 12 Masters graduate students, who are professors and leaders in horticulture. 

. 


James D. Spiers – Assistant Professor, Auburn University 


D. A. Jacobo-Velázquez. PhD, 2011. Dept Food Science. Xiangfeng Jing. PhD. 2012. Dept Entomology. 

Benjamin Fisher. M.S. 2009. Dept of Forestry. 


Molecular & Environemental Plant Scienes (MEPS) – have served on various committees including the executive committee. 


128,089 NASA-Johnson Space Center NAJ04HF53G. Plant Growth at Sub-Ambient 

Atmospheric Pressures with Control of the Partial Pressures of Constituent Gases”. PI with R. Lacey, C-J 

He (2007; final year of $432,893 grant) 

$200,000 USDA-Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative. Floriculture and Nursery Crop Production with 

Reduced Cultural and Pest Management Inputs. Co-PI with K. Heinz. (2007, 2008; last 2-years of $400,000 

grant). 58-6204-5-0033. 

$123,511 NASA-Johnson Space Center NAJ04HF53G. Plant Growth at Sub-Ambient Atmospheric Pressures with 

Control of the Partial Pressures of Constituent Gases” (2008) PI with R. Lacey, C-J He. 

$2,000 Travel grant as keynote speaker at 50 th Anniversary of Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists. “Challenges 

in NASA Low-Pressure Crop Production Systems ⎯⎯ Separating the Effects of Hypobaria and Hypoxia on 

Lettuce.” Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. June 2008. 

$100,000 NASA-Johnson Space Center NAJ04HF53G. Plant Growth at Sub-Ambient Atmospheric Pressures with 

Control of the Partial Pressures of Constituent Gases” (2009) PI with R. Lacey, C-J He (Co-PIs).


$25,000 NASA-Johnson Space Center NAJ04HF53G. Augmentation of NNJ04HF31G: Plant Growth at Sub- 

Ambient Atmospheric Pressures with Control of the Partial Pressures of Constituent Gases. PI with R. 

Lacey, C-J He (Co-PIs). (2011). 

$45,000 USDA-FAS-SCRP Grant. “Enhancing Sustainable Production Systems of High-Value Vegetable Crops in West 

Africa Using Host Resistance for Disease Management”. PI with James Starr (Co-PI). (July 2011 – July 

2013) 

$25,000 CIES – Senior Fulbright Scholar Program (Indonesia): “Enhancing Conservation, Propagation and Use of 

Underutilized Indonesian Tropical Plants”. (2012-13). 

$30,500 TAMU Support (Dean of Faculties; COALS; Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture) of Senior 

Fulbright Program. (2012-13) 

$679,100 TOTAL GRANTS 

Review panels for grants and journals, Grant review panel service 2007-2012 

None. 

Other Review Panels 

Review Panel - Graduate Horticulture Program – North Carolina State University, Dept of Horticulture, Raleigh (2010) 

Reviewer of Industrial Research Chair in the field of Controlled Environments and Life Support. School of 

Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. (2010) 


Editorial Board of Propagation of Ornamental Plants. IPPS, Sejani Pub., Sofia, Bulgaria (2001-2010). 

International Plant Propagators’ Society; currently serve as Editor of the IPPS-SRNA (1993-present). 


HortScience 


International Journal of Phytoremediation 

Plant Soil 

Photosynthetica 

Physiologia Plantarum 


TAMU, Faculty Development Leave Committee – COALS respresentative MEPS Exec Committee. 

TAMU, MEPS Award Committee, chair, 2007-9 

TAMU Horticulture Graduate Program Committee. 

TAMU, Appointed by the Deputy Chancellor of Agriculture to Texas Agriculture, TAMU, COALS - New Resources 

Strategies Task Force Committee (2011) 

University Library Representative, 1987-present 


ASHS Task Force on the Future of Horticulture, (2004-07) 

ASHS – Fellows Screening Committee (2005-2012) 

ASHS- President (2010-11), ASHS – Board of Directors (2009-2012) 

ASHS-CH Workshop – Feb 2011. Developed a Study Workshop for ASHS-CH Exam with George Fitzpatrick, Mary 

Lamberts and Bill Lemont at ASHS-SR meetings in Corpus Christi, Texas. 

Chair, ASHS-Certified Horticulturist program (2005-present). Led the development of a national program to develop 

professional certification in Horticulture. The goal of the Certified Horticulturist program is to validate the knowledge 

and skills of working horticultural practitioners in the industry of horticulture. While initially targeting the industry 

practitioner, self-sustaining certification programs also have great opportunities in assessment of university and 

community colleges teaching horticulture, and in attracting and serving non-land-grant horticulturists. As Chair, 

developed the business plan to get ASHS to commit $500,000 to fund this national project to professionalize 

Horticulture. This has been very time-consuming project – developing a national strategic alliance between ASHS and 

the horticulture industries. The project entailed ASHS hiring a professional facilitator, developing national surveys for 

industry input and numerous workshops with national industry participants and subject matter experts. The national 

examination was completed in fall 2008, and the 1 st exam given in 2009. We completed a for-purchase ASHS-CH Study 

Guide (2010) and are developing Study Workshops for preparing test takers, as well web-based teaching modules and


testing materials (2011-present). Info on the ASHS-CH program can be found at 

http://www.ashs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=87&Itemid=110. 

International Plant Propagator’s Society (IPPS) 

Editor, International Plant Propagator’s Society, Southern Region. (1994-present). 

Board of Directors Member IPPS-SR. (1990-present) 


President, American Society for Horticultural Sci. [ASHS] (2010-11); 

Chairman, ASHS Board of Directors (2011-12). 

Regents Professor, Texas A&M University (2010-present). 

AgriLife Research Faculty Fellow – TAMU (2007-present) 

Fulbright Senior Scholar to Indonesia (2012-2013) 

Awarded Faculty Development Leave, TAMU (2012-13) 

Finalist for Jefferson Science Fellow at US Dept of State/ USAID (2013) 

Plenary Speaker, 50th Anniversary of Canadian Society of Plant Physiology: “Challenges in NASA Low-Pressure Crop 

Production Systems -- Separating the Effects of Hypobaria and Hypoxia on Lettuce”. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. June 2008. 

F.T. Davies. International Potato Center (CIP) and the National Agrarian University (UNALM) "Growing Plants for NASA- 

Challenges in Lunar and Martian Agriculture". Lima, Peru, Dec 2008. 

Short course: Guatemala; Short Course CENDEC (Central de Estudios Cooperativos), which is a farmer training center in 

Chimaltenango, Guatemala. “PRODUCCION DE PILONES SEMILLEROS Y ALMACIGOS DE HORTALIZAS”. 

Técnicas Para la Propagación de Hortalizas, WORKSHOPI TALLER, Chimaltenango, Guatemala, May 24-25, 2011, 

F.T. Davies. 2011. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana, March 13, 2011. 

USDA-funded faculty teaching exchange program - presented workshops on “Commercial Opportunities with Plant 

Propagation in Horticulture & Agriculture”, and “Growing Plants for NASA – Challenges in Lunar and Martian Agriculture”. 

ASHS Presidential address. Kona, Hawaii, 2011. 

Indonesia (2012): Funded, keynote presentations. A) 4th International Conference on Biosciences and Biotechnology, 

Udayana University, Bali (2012); B) Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Cibinong (2012); C) Conference on Food 

Sovereignty and Natural Resource Management in Archipelago Regions – Student Union of Moluccas or the Spice Islands 

(PERMAMA), Bogor (2012); D) Indonesian National Horticulture Meetings (PERHORTI), Surabaya (2012); E) 1st 

International Plantation Conference, Bogor (2012). 

Membership in Professional and Honorary Societies. 

American Society of Horticultural Sciences, International Plant Propagators Society, 

Gamma Sigma Delta, Pi Alpha Xi, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi 

Listed in: 1) Marquis Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. 2008. 10 th Edition; 2) Who's Who in the World. 2008. 25 th 

Edition; 3) American Men and Women of Science 2011 21 st Edition. 

TAMU Fulbright Fellows Association


Tim D. Davis 

Professor of Horticultural Sciences & 

Regional Director for Asia, Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture 

t-davis5@tamu.edu 


Dr. Davis’ current primary responsibility is to serve as Regional Director for Asia for 

the Borlaug Institute of International Agriculture at Texas A&M. This includes 

developing and implementing a strategy to increase the Institute’s presence in Asia to 

improve prospects for procuring projects in the region. This includes fostering 

collaborative international research and education, and making exploratory trips to 

Asian countries which have potential for collaboration. He also provides technical and 

leadership expertise to ongoing Borlaug Institute programs which have a horticultural 

or plant science component. This includes, but is not limited to, programs such as the 

Global Coffee Quality Research Initiative, Indonesia Tropical Plant Science Project, 

the Ukulima Farm Experiment Station, and horticultural development programs in 

Rwanda, Tanzania, and Iraq. This also includes participation in new program opportunities as they arise (e.g. USAID 

Bangladesh value chain project, Afghanistan AGRED project). Davis represents the Borlaug Institute in the field of 

horticulture and, when called upon, more broadly with respect to the Institute’s overall mission. He leads and/or participates 

in the development of appropriate international conferences (e.g. Desert Technologies 11 Conference to be held in San 

Antonio in November 2013.) In the Department of Horticultural Sciences, he has responsibility for developing Study Abroad 

courses. He has significant professional service responsibilities and serves as Chair of the Department’s Promotion and 

Tenure Committee. His research background is in adventitious root formation and plant growth regulation. He was named a 

Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science in 2006. 


Ph.D (Horticulture): Oregon State University, Corvallis, 1983. 

M.S. (Horticulture): Oregon State University, Corvallis, 1980. 

B.S. (Horticulture): Brigham Young University, Provo, 1978; Magna Cum Laude. 

Graduated from Sonoma Valley High School, Sonoma, California, 1974. 


Senior Scientist & Regional Director for Asia, Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, and Professor, 

Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas (2011-present) 

Professor and Head, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas (2003- 

2011) (100% administrative appointment) 

Resident Director, Texas A&M University Research and Extension Center, Dallas, Texas (1996-2005). (100% 

administrative appointment) 

Professor of Environmental Horticulture, Texas A&M University Research and Extension Center, Dallas, Texas 

(1995-2005). 

Interim Associate Resident Director, Texas A&M University Research and Extension Center, Dallas, Texas 

(September 1995-April 1996). 

Associate Professor of Environmental Horticulture-Research Horticulturist, Texas A&M University Research and 

Extension Center, Dallas, Texas (1989-1995). Project leader for ornamentals & floriculture/plant physiology 

research, 100% research. 

Associate Professor of Horticulture, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Brigham Young University, Provo, 

Utah (1987-1989; continuing status granted 1987). Responsibilities included conducting research and teaching 

courses related to ornamental horticulture and crop physiology. Approximate split: 50% research, 50% teaching.


Assistant Professor of Horticulture, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Brigham Young University, Provo, 

Utah (1982-1987). 


Abstracts 

Zajicek, Z., S.A. Duray, R.D. Lineberger, and T.D. Davis 2009. A preliminary analysis of a novel horticulture 

Bachelor of Arts degree program. HortScience 44: 560. 

Davis, T.D. and P. Hariyadi. 2011. Horticultural research and education opportunities in Indonesia. HortScience 46: 

S64. 

Davis, T.D. and P. Haryadi. 2011. Linking horticultural and food sciences to help feed the future. Proc. Nasional 

Seminar PATPI 2011, Manado, p. 22. 

King, J.N., J.P. Muir, and T.D. Davis. 2012. Ukulima Farm Experiment Station—Advancing African agricultural 

research, extension, and education. Abstr. 2nd All Africa Horticulture Congress “Horticulture for Humanity,” p. 183. 

Trade/Extension/Proceedings Articles 

Riemenschneider, D.E., T.D. Davis, W.A. Mackay, and R.D Ratliff. 2008. Lupinus L.- lupine. The Woody Plant Seed 

Manual, USDA/ARS Handbook 727, pp. 691-693 

Sankhla, N., W.A. Mackay, and T.D. Davis. 2008. Flower abscission, flower opening, and petal color development in 

cut phlox flower heads: Effect of methyl jasmonate, gibberellic acid, and sucrose. Acta Hortic. 774: 315-321. 

Sankhla, N., W.A. Mackay, and T.D. Davis. 2008. Postharvest performance of cut racemes of Lupinus havardii 

Wats.: Effect of sucrose and gibberellic acid. Acta Hortic. 774: 323-327. 

Refereed Journal Articles 

Pemberton, B., M. Arnold, T. Davis, D. Lineberger, C. McKenney, D. Rodriguez, L. Stein, C. Hall, M. Palma, and R. 

De Los Santos. 2011. The Texas Superstar Program: Success through partnership. HortTechnology 21: 698-699. 

Davis, T.D. and P. Hariyadi. 2013. Horticultural Research and Education Opportunities in Indonesia. HortScience 

48(3): in press. 

Refereed Journals Served as a Reviewer, 2007-2012 

HortScience 

Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture 

Journal of Mountain Science 

New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science 

Canadian Journal of Plant Science 

Chilean Journal of Agricultural Research 

Annals of Applied Biology 

African Journal of Agricultural Research 

Grants and Contracts (serve as PI), 2007-2012 

Tropical Plant Science Curriculum Project, funded by USAID, $636,000 for 3 years (2011-2013) 

Afghan Agricultural Research and Extension Development , funded by USAID, $2.2 million for 5 years (2012-2016) 

Grant Panels/Reviews, 2007-2012 

USDA/CSREES review panel member, 2008-2009 

USDA/CSREES review panel chair, 2010 

ad hoc reviewer for Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research, 2008 

Georgian National Science Foundation peer reviewer, 2009 and 2012 

ad hoc review for BARD, 2010 

Invited Presentations, 2007-2012 

USAID, Washington, D.C., 2011 

National Food Science and Technology Seminar, 2011, Manado, Indonesia 

American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting, 2011 (Hawaii) 

International Conference of Food Factors, 2012, Jakarta, Indonesia


Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, Texas A&M University, 2012 

Leadership/Service Roles 

Chair, Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Junior Selection Committee, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas 

A&M University, 2007 

Scientific Committee, ISHS Quality Management in Supply Chain of Ornamentals Symposium, held December 

2007 in Bangkok, Thailand 

Participated in Executive Coaching Program, Center for Creative Leadership (including 360 By Design analysis), 

2007-2008 

Member, Executive Committee, Southern Region, American Society for Horticultural Sciences, 2011-present 

Section Chair, Alternate and Horticultural Crops, Texas Plant Protection Association 2009 Annual Meeting, Bryan, 

Texas 

Reviewer, Texas A&M Association of Former Students, College-level Teaching Awards, 2009 

Member, Review Panel, Texas A&M Regents Professor Award Committee, 2009 

Member, Scientific Committee, International Conference on Quality Management in Supply Chains of Ornamentals, 

held in Thailand, December 2011 

Chair, External Department Review Committee, Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida, 

October 2010 

Member Imperative 9 & 12 Study Team, Vision 2020, Texas A&M University, 2011 

Member, Feed the Future Committee, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, 2011 

Member, Research/Institutional Partnerships Working Group, USINDO Joint Council on Higher Education, 2012 

Member, Advisory Board, Buffett Conflict and Development Endowed Chair, Texas A&M University, 2012 

Member, ASHS Fellow Screening Committee, 2013 

Member, Remote Review Team, School of Agriculture, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, 2012 

Chair, External Review Team, Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University, 2013 

Chair, Department of Horticultural Sciences Promotion and Tenure Committee, 2012-present 

Chair, 11 th International Conference on Desert Technologies, to be held November 2013, San Antonio, Texas, USA


Steven George 

Professor and Extension Horticulturist 

s-george3@tamu.edu 


With a 100 % Extension appointment, the primary focus of both my research and Extension efforts is in the field of researchbased 

environmental landscape management. To address the major environmental concerns regarding American landscapes, I 

first developed the overall Earth-Kind ® Environmental Landscape Management System, then I created and serve as the 

National Coordinator for the Earth-Kind Rose Program. We are conducting two national Extension programs, one on Earth- 

Kind Roses (which has now gone international), the other on Earth-Kind Environmental Soil Management. We have recently 

concluded, what is to my knowledge, the largest single site environmental rose research study of its kind in the nation, 

supported by randomized, replicated field trials at 70 total sites in Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, 

Nebraska, Texas, and West Virginia. We have cooperators testing Earth-Kind roses in 27 states (Alaska to Florida) and five 

foreign countries (Bermuda, Canada, India, New Zealand, and Romania). We took our Earth-Kind Rose concept worldwide 

at the prestigious World Federation of Rose Societies Convention in Vancouver. Earth-Kind Roses have become, to my 

knowledge, the fastest growing and most popular university program of its kind in the nation. This makes Texas A&M 

AgriLife Extension a national and international leader in research-based environmental landscape management. Our work 

has been favorably reported on in The New York Times.com (three times), London Financial Times.com (twice), ABC 

News.com, MSNBC.com, Martha Stewart Living Radio Network (estimated listening audience: 17 million), Reader's Digest, 

Christian Science Monitor, American Nurseryman, Better Homes and Gardens.com, Fine Gardening.com, and Mother Earth 

News.com. The Associated Press has released a nationwide article devoted exclusively to Earth-Kind Roses. Our National 

Earth-Kind Rose Research was featured as the cover photograph for HortScience. I collaborate with valued colleagues at 

eight other universities (Colorado State, Iowa State, Kansas State, LSU, and the Universities of: Illinois, Minnesota, 

Nebraska, and Wisconsin) on Earth-Kind research matters. 



Ph.D. 1986 North Carolina State University Plant Pathology 

M.S. 1980 Oklahoma State University Horticulture 

B.S. 1970 Oklahoma State University Zoology 


2001-present 

Professor and Extension Horticulturist for North Central District 

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Dallas 

(100 % Extension appointment) 

1991-2001 Associate Professor and Extension Horticulturist for North Central District 

Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Dallas 

1988-1991 Extension Horticulturist for North Central District 

Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Dallas 

1987-1988 Assistant Professor and State Extension Plant Pathology Specialist 

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Stillwater 

1986-1987 State Extension Plant Pathology Specialist 

Arizona Cooperative Extension Service, Phoenix 

1979-1982 County Extension Agent-Horticulture 

Texas Agricultural Extension Service, San Antonio 

1977-1979 County Extension Agent-Horticulture 

Kansas Cooperative Extension Service, Newton 


Refereed Publications 2007-2012 

Reinert, J.A., S.W. George, W.A. Mackay, and C. Campos. 2010. Resistance among 

Lantana Cultivars to the Lantana Stick Caterpillar, Neogalea sunia (Lepidoptera: 

Noctuidae). Southwestern Entomol. 35(1): 51-58. 

Sloan, J.J., R.I. Cabrera, P.A.Y. Ampim, S.W. George, and W.A. Mackay. 2010. 

Performance of ornamental plants in alternative organic growing media amended 

with increasing rates of expanded shale. HortTechnology 20:594-602.


Zlesak, D., V. Whitaker, S. George, and S. Hokanson. 2010. Evaluation of Roses from the Earth-Kind ® Trials: Black Spot 

(Diplocarpon rosae Wolf) Resistance and 

Ploidy. HortScience 45: 1779-1787. 

Harp, D., D. Zlesak, G. Hammond, S. George, and W. Mackay. 2009. EarthKind Rose Trials - Identifying the World's 

Strongest, Most Beautiful Landscape Roses. Floriculture and Ornamental Biotechnology 3 (1): 166- 175. 

Mackay, W.A., S.W. George, C. McKenney, J.J. Sloan, R.I. Cabrera, J.A. Reinert, P. Colbaugh, L. Lockett and W. Crow. 

2008. Performance of Garden Roses in North Central Texas under Minimal Input Conditions. HortTechnology 

18(3):417-422. 

Sloan, J.J., M.A. Hegemann, and S.W. George. 2008. Dual function growth medium and structural soil for use as a 

porous pavement. J.Environ. Qual. 37:2248-2255. 

Editor-Reviewed Publications or Conference Proceedings 2007-2012 

Church, G., D. Spadoni, K. Schofield, and S. George. 2012. Reaction of Selected Herbaceous Perennials to Low-input 

Cultural Practices and Severe Heat and Drought Conditions. HortScience 47(9) (Supplement) - 2012 ASHS Annual 

Conference, p. S179. 

Church, G., D. Zlesak, D. Harp, K. Schofield, J. Sloan, G. Hammond, P. Smith, and S. George. 2012. Response of Selected 

Landscape Roses to Low-input Cultural Practices, High Disease Pressure, and Severe Heat and Drought Conditions. 

HortScience 47(9) (Supplement) - 2012 ASHS Annual Conference, p. S230-S231. 

Kay, K., D. Harp, D. Zlesak, and S. George. 2012. The Effect of Root Size on Drought Stress and Landscape Performance 

of Roses during a Severe Drought. HortScience 47(9) (Supplement) - 2012 ASHS Annual Conference, p. S350. 

Sloan, J.J., W.A. Mackay and S.W. George. 2008. Performance of ornamental plants in 

expanded-shale based landscape mixes. Southern Nursery Association Research 

Conference. Atlanta, Georgia. 

Zlesak, D.C., J. Griffin, D. Harp, K. Cue, N. Howell, T. Blunt, R. Nelson, and S. George. 2008. Initiation of the northern 

EarthKindTM rose trial. HortScience 43:1144-1145. 

News Releases 2007-2012 

Jackson, M. and S. George. 2010. Two Long-Established Roses Earn Earth-Kind ® Distinction. 

Popular Press Articles 2007-2012 

Evans, A. 2012. New Soil Amendments. Organic Gardening. 

Foderaro, L. 2012. Leading the Search for a Self-Reliant Bloom. The New York Times.com. 

Labry, S. 2012. Rose Lady of the Llano Estacado. Texas Gardener. 

Madewell, M. 2012. A Culture of Cultivation. The Paris News. 

Taylor, P. 2012. Earth-Kind Roses. Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Magazine. 

Weiss, J. 2012. Unusually Warm Winter Weather. Dallas Morning News. 

Brown, B. 2010. Roses Without Pesticides. Organic Gardening and Farming. 

Friauf, B. 2010. Roughing It. Dallas Morning News. 

Fried, D. 2010. AgriLife Introduces Two New Earth-Kind Roses. TNLA Green Magazine. 

Hammond, G. 2010. The Earth-Kind ® Revolution: A Recipe For Successful Rose Growing. American Rose Annual. 

Langabee, J. 2010. What Roses Are Easy to Grow? American Rose. 

Lockwood, F. 2010. Roses - Beautiful and Tough. Arkansas Democrat Gazette. 

Raver, A. 2010. Disease-Resistant Roses That Don't Need Pesticides. The New York Times. 

Invited Book Chapters 2007-2012 

Harp, D., D. Zlesak, G. Hammond, S. George, and W. Mackay. 2011. Earth-Kind ® Rose Trials: Identifying the World's 

Strongest, Most Beautiful Landscape Roses. In: The Sustainable Rose Garden, ISBN 978-1-935149-16-3. 

Sloan, J., P. Ampim, R. Cabrera, W. Mackay and S. George. 2011. Moisture and Nutrient Storage Capacity of Calcined 

Expanded Shale. In: E. Burcu Özkaraova Güngör (Ed.) Application and Assessment in Soil Science, ISBN: 978-953-307- 

740-6. 

Extension Publications 2007-2012 

George, S., G. Wylie, and D. Welsh. 2010. Earth-Kind Rose brochure published by the Texas Department of Agriculture. 

George, S., G. Wylie, D. Welsh, and M. Anderson. 2010. Extensive revision of the Earth-Kind Rose web site. 

Frost, D., J. Begnaud, M. Clifton, D. Richards, and S. George. 2007. Landscape Roses for Areas with Highly Saline 

Irrigation Water. Texas AgriLife Extension Service. 4 pages.


Industry Publications 2007-2012 

George, S., M. Chamblee, and C. Thomas. 2012. Earth-Kind Rose section. The Best of Texas Landscape Guide published 

by the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association. 

Manuals 2007-2012 

Graves, C., G. Hammond, and S. George. 2007. Guide to EarthKind Roses and the EarthKind Environmental 

Landscape Management System. 97 pages. 

External Grants 2007-2012 

$11,000 George, S. and D. Harp. 2007-2012. Evaluation of roses for insect and disease resistance and garden performance 

under minimal input systems in North Central Texas. Funded by Houston Rose Society. Total: $22,000. 

Gifts 2007-2012 

$250 George, S. 2012. Funds to support our Earth-Kind Drought Management Leadership Conference from Calloway's 

Nursery. Total: $250. 

$250 George, S. 2012. Funds to support our Earth-Kind Drought Management Leadership Conference from the Texas 

Nursery and Landscape Association. Total: $250. 

In-Kind Contributions 2007-2012 

$5,000 George, S., D. Harp, D. Zlesak, K. Zuzek, J. Griffin, and G. McDonald. 2012. Support for Phase II (western half) 

of the Earth-Kind Rose Display Garden in Columbus, Ohio: in-kind gift of labor and materials from the Columbus 

Recreation and Parks Department. Total: $30,000. 

$6,680 George, S., G. Church, and K. Schofield. 2012. Support for Phase II Earth-Kind research: in-kind gift of labor and 

materials from the Farmers Branch Parks and Recreation Department. Total: $20,040. 

$600 Grant, R. and S. George. 2012. Support for Earth-Kind Rose program: in-kind 

gift of compost, plants, drip system, and mulch for confirmational field trial in Daingerfield, Texas. Total: $1,200. 

$1,600 Green, J., K. Conway, and S. George. 2012. Support for Earth-Kind Rose program: in-kind gift of compost, 

plants, drip system, and mulch for confirmational field trial at Clark Gardens in Mineral Wells, Texas. Total: $4,800. 

$1,680 Green, J., K. Conway, and S. George. 2012. Support for Earth-Kind Rose program: in-kind gift of compost, 

plants, drip system, and mulch for dwarf/compact field trial at Clark Gardens in Mineral Wells, Texas. Total: $5,040. 

$2,766.40 Pritz, R., K. Conway, and S. George. 2012. Support for Earth-Kind Rose program: in-kind gift of compost, 

plants, drip system, and mulch for dwarf/compact field trial in Abilene, Texas. Total: $8,299.20. 

$1,680 Brueckman, D. and S. George. 2011. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip 

system, and mulch for field trial in Belleville, Illinois. Total; $1,680. 

$320 Clawson, M. and S. George. 2011. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for display bed in Odessa, Texas. Total; $640. 

$5,000 George, S., D. Harp, D. Zlesak, K. Zuzek, J. Griffin, and G. McDonald. 2011. Support for Phase II (eastern half) 

of the Earth-Kind Rose Display Garden in Columbus, Ohio: in-kind gift of labor and materials from the Columbus 

Recreation and Parks Department. Total; $30,000. 

$6,680 George, S., G. Church, and K. Schofield. 2011. Support for Phase II Earth-Kind research: in-kind gift of 

labor and materials from the Farmers Branch Parks and Recreation Department. Total: $20,040. 

$600 Herrera, J. and S. George. 2011. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial at St. Albans School in Harlingen, Texas. Total: $1,200. 

$600 Herrera, J. and S. George. 2011. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial at the Arboretum in Harlingen, Texas. Total: $1,200.


$2,160 Rollins, K. and S. George. 2011. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. Total: $4,320. 

$1,440 Wente, P. and S. George. 2011. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, and 

mulch for field trial in Columbia, Alabama. Total: $1,440. 

$720 Berry, M. and S. George. 2010. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, and 

mulch for field trial in Cooper, Texas. Total: $1,440. 

$1,440 Cue, K. and S. George. 2010. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, and 

mulch for field trial in Bellevue, Nebraska. Total: $2,880. 

$30,888.24 George, S. and D. Welsh. 2010. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of publishing and distribution 

costs, etc. for the Earth-Kind Rose brochure provided by the Texas Department of Agriculture. Total: $46,337. 

$6,680 George, S., G. Church, and K. Schofield. 2010. Support for Phase II Earth-Kind research: in-kind gift of labor and 

materials from the Farmers Branch Parks and Recreation Department. Total: $20,040. 

$720 Janak, J. and S. George. 2010. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, and 

mulch for field trial in Victoria, Texas. Total: $1,440. 

$600 Payne, G. and S. George. 2010. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, and 

mulch for field trial in Houston, Texas. Total: $1,200. 

$600 Stanford, R. and S. George. 2010. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial in Orange, Texas. Total: $1,200. 

$1,040 Wylie, G. and S. George. 2010. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, and 

mulch for display bed in Cleburne, Texas. Total: $2,080. 

$6,680 George, S.W., G. Church, and K. Schofield. 2009. Support for Phase II Earth-Kind research: in-kind gift of labor 

and materials from the Farmers Branch Parks and Recreation Department. Total: $20,040. 

$840 Gulley, C. and S.W. George. 2009. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial in Nacogdoches, Texas. Total: $1,680. 

$10,000 Hansen, K. and S.W. George. 2009. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of design, plants, materials, and 

installation for the Chamblee Rose Garden in Tyler, Texas. Total: $20,000. 

$840 Hibler, W. and S.W. George. 2009. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial in Burnet, Texas. Total: $1,680. 

$600 Morrow, M. and S.W. George. 2009. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip 

system, and mulch for field trial in Paris, Texas. Total: $1,200. 

$600 Neyland, T. and S.W. George. 2009. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial in Centerville, Texas. Total: $1,200. 

$8,250 Owings, A. and S.W. George. 2009. Support for Easy Tea research for first year: in-kind gift of compost, plants, 

drip system, and mulch for research study in Shreveport, Louisiana. Total: $16,500. 

$720 Blanek, J. and S.W. George. 2008. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial in Glen Rose, Texas. Total: $1,440. 

$26,667 George, S.W., D. Harp, and D. Zlesak. 2008. Support for Phase II Earth-Kind research: in-kind gift of labor and 

materials from the Farmers Branch Parks and Recreation Department. Total: $80,000.


$600 Hansard, J. and S.W. George. 2008. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial in Bowie, Texas. Total: $1,200. 

$600 Hiller, M. and S.W. George. 2008. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial in Edna, Texas. Total: $1,200. 

$600 Neier, B. and S.W. George. 2008. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial in Wichita, Kansas. Total: $1,200. 

$720 Patton, D. and S.W. George. 2008. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial in Olathe, Kansas. Total: $1,440. 

$960 Skipper, R. and S.W. George. 2008. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip system, 

and mulch for field trial in Bonham, Texas. Total: $1,920. 

$600 Sturdivant, M. and S.W. George. 2008. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip 

system, and mulch for field trial in Abilene, Texas. Total: $1,200. 

$840 Williams, T. and S.W. George. 2008. Support for Earth-Kind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip 

system, and mulch for field trial in Rockwall, Texas. Total: $1,680. 

$720 Arnold, M. and S.W. George. 2007. Support for EarthKind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, irrigation 

system, and mulch for field trial in Waxahachie, Texas. Total: $1,440. 

$720 Davis, R. and S.W. George. 2007. Support for EarthKind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, irrigation 

system, and mulch for field trial in Kaufman, Texas. Total: $1,440. 

$5,000 George, S.W. 2007. Support for EarthKind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, irrigation system, and 

mulch for field trial in Addison, Texas. Total: $5,000. 


mulch for field trial in Canyon, Texas. Total: $1,920. 


mulch for field trial in Corpus Christi, Texas. Total: $1,200. 


mulch for field trial in Farmers Branch, Texas. Total: $1,200. 


mulch for field trial in Fredericksburg, Texas. Total: $1,200. 


mulch for field trial in Marshall, Texas. Total: $1,200. 


mulch for field trial in Rosenberg, Texas. Total: $1,200. 


mulch for field trial in Tyler, Texas, at Chamblee's Rose Nursery. Total: $9,600. 


mulch for field trial in Victoria, Texas. Total: $1,440. 


mulch for field trial in Glenwood, Iowa, at the home of Annette O'Brien. Total: $1,200.



mulch for field trial in Omaha, Nebraska, at Lauritzen Gardens. Total: $1,200. 


mulch for field trial in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, at the home of Kate Lehman. Total: $2,400. 

$800 George, S.W. 2007. Support for EarthKind program: in-kind gift of expanded shale for field trial in Kansas 

City, Kansas. Total: $800. 

$800 George, S.W. 2007. Support for EarthKind program: in-kind gift of expanded shale for field trial in Wichita, 

Kansas. Total: $800. 

$3,600 Hansen, K. and S.W. George. 2007. Support for EarthKind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip 

system, and mulch for field trial in Tyler, Texas. Total: $7,200. 

$600 Richards, D. and S.W. George. 2007. Support for EarthKind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, drip 

system, and mulch for field trial in El Paso, Texas. Total: $1,200. 

$12,500 Smith, P. and S.W. George. 2007. Support for EarthKind program: in-kind gift of compost, plants, irrigation 

system, mulch, and hardscaping for the Ruthan Rogers EarthKind rose garden in Farmers Branch, Texas. Total: $25,000. 

For-Sale Publications 2007-2012 

$4,623 Graves, C., G. Hammond, and S.W. George. 2007. Money realized from sales of the EarthKind Guide. Total: 

$13,870. 

Awards and Recognitions 2007-2012 

Superior Service Award, Team Category, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, 2012 

Recognized at the Great Rosarians of the World Conference in New York City, 2008


Mengmeng Gu 

Assistant Professor/Extension Specialist, Ornamental Horticulture 

mgu@tamu.edu 


Dr. Gu has 100% with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. She provides 

leadership and work collaboratively with Extension Specialists and County 

Extension Agents to further develop and implement the Earth-Kind® 

Environmental Stewardship program. 

She works collaboratively with green industry professionals, the Texas Nursery 

and Landscape Association (TNLA), other commodity organizations, and 

colleagues to develop educational programs for industry professionals. She delivers 

Extension educational information and presentations in support of county, regional 

and statewide programs. She provides technical expertise and support to green 

industry professionals. She also provides leadership for Earth-Kind® 

Outcome/Output planning and evaluation. 

She serves as the chair of two MS student committees, taught Nursery Production 

and Management once and offers a study abroad opportunity every year for 

students and agriculture professional to learn horticulture production and marketing 

in China. Her research program involves sustainable horticulture crop production, marketing and extension, and sustainable 

landscape practices. In a service capacity, Dr. Gu has been serving on the board of Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working 

Group and leads the effort on diversity and involving land-grant universities in sustainable agriculture. 



Ph.D. 2006 University of Arkansas Plant Sciences/Horticulture 

M.S. 2001 Beijing Forestry University Landscape Horticulture 

B.S. 1998 Beijing Forestry University Landscape Horticulture 


2012- present Assistant Professor/ Extension Specialist– Commercial Horticulture, Texas A&M University 

(100% extension) 

2006- 2011 Assistant Extension Professor – Ornamental Horticulture, Mississippi State University (83.4% 

Extension 16.6% Teaching) 


Refereed Publications (underlined names indicate graduate students and postdoc in the faculty members lab) 

M. Gu and M. Tomaso-Peterson. 2012. Efficacy of non-conventional fungicides for control of pythium root rot in poinsettia 

(Eurphorbia pulcherrima Wild. Ex Klotzsch). Journal of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences 57(4):250-256. 

Gao J., M. Gu, G. Niu, and Y. Chen. 2012. Effects of Salinity on Three Pennisetum Cultivars. J. Food Ag. Environ. 10:1005- 

1007. 

S.K Jung, H.U. Ryn, M. Gu, H.S. Choi, J.H. Ryu and Y.K. Cho. 2012. Growth and fruit production in young ‘Fuji’ apple 

trees as affected by time of downward bending of branches. J. HORT. SCI. BIOTECH. 87:519-523. 

Yang, X., M. Gu., Y. Kang, X. Feng. 2012. Contribution of N:P ratio and endogenous phytohormones during development of 

phosphorus toxicity in Brassica campestris spp. parachinensis. J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. 175:582-594. 

H.S Choi, K.H. Lim, M. Gu, W.S. Kim, D.I. Kim, K.J. Choi, and H.C. Lee. 2012. Comparison of soil nutrition, tree 

performance, and insect and disease occurrence between organic and conventional Asian pear orchards. JAPS 66(2):68- 

77. 

Li, X, Z. Zhang, M. Gu, D. Jiang, J. Jia, Y. Lv, Q. Zhang and H. Pan. 2012. Effects of plantscape colors on psychophysiological 

responses of university students. J. Food Ag. Environ. 10(1):702-708. 

Han, F., Y. Su, Z. Shi, Y. Xia, W. Tian, V. Philips, D. Monts, M. Gu and Y. Liang. 2012. Mercury distribution and speciation 

in floodplain soil and uptake into native earthworms (Diplocardia spp.). Geoderma 170:261-268. 

Niu, G., D. Rodriguez, and M. Gu. 2011. Response of Sophora secundiflora to nitrogen form and rate. HortSci. 46:1303- 

1307.


Yuan, X., M. Gu. W. Teng, X. Yang, and J. Wu. 2011. Growth of Calamagrostis brachytricha Steud. and Festuca glauca 

Lam. and predicted water savings under evapotranspiration-based deficit irrigation. Journal of Horticultural Science & 

Biotechnology 86:583-588. 

Jung, S.K., H.S.,Choi, and M. Gu. 2011. Effect of pre- and postload 1-MCP on quality of ‘Tsugaru’ apples exposed to 

ethylene. Journal of Food, Agriculture & environment 9(3&4): 214-218. 

Choi, H.S., C.R. Rom, and M. Gu. 2011. Effects of different organic apple production systems on seasonal nutrient variations 

of soil and leaf. Scientia Hort. 129:9-17. 

Choi, H.S., C.R. Rom, and M. Gu. 2011. Plant performance and seasonal of soil and foliar nutrient variations in an organic 

apple orchard under four ground cover management systems. J. Amer. Pomol. Soc. 65(3):130-146. 

Genhua Niu, Denise S. Rodriguez, and Mengmeng Gu. 2010. Salinity Tolerance of Sophora secundiflora and Cercis 

canadensis var. Mexicana. HortScience 45:424 - 427. 

Amy N. Wright, James A. Robbins, and Mengmeng Gu. 2010. Course Content and Attitudes Toward Instructional 

Multimedia Use in Nursery Management and Production Courses in the United States. HortTechnology 20:646 - 651. 

Christine E.H. Coker, Gary Bachman, Chris Boyd, Pamela B. Blanchard, Ed Bush, and Mengmeng Gu. 2010. Coastal Roots: 

Connecting Students with Sustainability in Mississippi and Louisiana. HortTechnology 20:499 - 502. 

Kim, Young, Wol-Soo Kim, Hyun-Sug Choi and Mengmeng Gu. 2009. Effects of calcium and indole-3-butyric acid 

treatments on calcium concentration and stem-end browing in ‘Fuyu’ sweet persimmon. Korean J. Food Preserv. 16:459- 

462. 

Han F.X., S. Shiyab, J. Chen, D.L. Monts, F.B. Matta, M. Gu, and Y. Su. 2009. Phytotoxicity of mercury in Indian mustard 

(Brassica juncea L.). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 72:619-625. 

Shiyab, S., J. Chen, F.X. Han, D.L. Monts, F.B. Matta, M. Gu, and Y. Su. 2009. Mercury-induced oxidative stress and 

phytotoxicity in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.). Environmental Toxicology 24:462-471. 

Gu, M., J.A. Robbins, C.R. Rom, and D. Hensley. 2008. Feeding damage of Japanese beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on 

sixteen field-grown birch (Betula L.) genotypes. J. Applied Entomology 132:425-429. 

Xie, K. and M. Gu. 2007. Advancing cooperative extension with podcast technology. Journal of Extension [On-line], 45(5) 

Article 5TOT2. Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2007october/tt2.shtml 

Gu, M., J.A. Robbins, C.R. Rom, and Hyun-Sug Choi. 2008. Photosynthesis of birch genotypes (Betula L.) under varied 

irradiance and CO2 concentration. HortScience 43:314 - 319. 

Gu, M., C.R. Rom, J.A. Robbins, and D.M. Oosterhuis. 2007. Effect of water deficit on gas exchange, osmotic solutes, leaf 

abscission, and growth of four birch genotypes (Betula L.) under a controlled environment. HortScience 42:1383–1391. 

Gu, M., J.A. Robbins, and C.R. Rom. 2007. Role of ethylene in water-deficit stress responses in Betula papyrifera Marsh. 

HortScience 42:1392–1395. 

Gu, M., J.A. Robbins, and C.R. Rom. 2007. Early landscape performance of twenty field-grown birch genotypes at two 

locations in Arkansas, U.S. and response to irrigation. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 33:275-282. 


S. Ma and M. Gu. 2012. Effects of Water Stress and Plant Growth Retardants on Flowering and Growth of ‘Raspberry Ice’ 

Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spectabilis). Acta Hort. 937. Proceedings of the XXVIII International Horticultural 

Congress on Science and Horticulture for People—Proceedings of the International Symposium on Advances in 

Ornamentals, Landscape and Urban Horticulture IHC 2010 (editor: G. Groening). Vol 2:237-242. 

G. Bi, W. Evans, Mengmeng Gu, Vasile Cerven. 2012. Effects of Cover Crops on Soil Fertility and Sunflower Production in 

a High Tunnel. Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 57 (In press). 

Mengmeng Gu, Mingshu Zhang, Richard Harkess, Brian Trader. 2012. Evaluating Heat Tolerance of Heucheras using 

Laboratory Based Methods. Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 57 (In press). 

Yan Zhao, Mengmeng Gu. 2011. Effects of Fertilizers on Greenhouse Grown Chrysanthemum nakingense Proceedings of 

Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 56 (In press). 

Yan Chen, Mengmeng Gu, Allen Owings, Regina Bracy. 2011. Effects of Organic Soil Amendment and Nitrogen 

Application Rate on the Growth and Establishment of Herbaceous Ornamentals in the Landscape Proceedings of 

Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 56 (In press). 

Mengmeng Gu, Maria Tomaso-Peterson, Yan Zhao. 2011. Effects of Biofungicides for Control of Pythium in Prestige Red 

Poinsettia Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 56 (In press). 

Guihong Bi , William Evans, Mengmeng Gu, Vasile Cerven. 2011. Effects of Pre-Planting Compost and Fertigation on 

Landscape Performance of Organically-grown Marigold. Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association Research 

Conference 56 (In press). 

Diana R. Cochran, Mengmeng Gu. 2011. Effect of Spent Coffee Grounds on Germination of Palmer Amaranth, Perennial 

Rye, and White Clover. Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 56 (In press).


Layton, B, M. Gu and Y. Zhao. 2010. Efficacy of selected insecticides for spider mite control on greenhouse-grown 

tomatoes, 2010. Arthropod Management Test (In press). 

Layton, B, M. Gu and Y. Zhao. 2010. Comparison of commercial and homeowner insecticides for control of western flower 

thrips on greenhouse-grown tomatoes, 2010. Arthropod Management Test (In press). 

Cochran, D.R and M. Gu. 2010. Effect of coffee grounds on seed germination. International Plant Propagators’ Combined 

Proceedings 60:85-90. 

Ma, S. M. Gu, R. Harkess, and B. Trader. 2010. Effect of vernalization and day length on flowering Michelia skinneriana. 

Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 55:128-131. 

Bi, G., W.B. Evans, M. Williams, and M. Gu. 2010. Effect of fertilizer source and rate on zinnia cut flower production in a 

high tunnel. Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 55:137-140. 

Niu, G., M. Gu, and D. Rodriguez. 2010. Nitrogen rate and form affected growth of Texas mountain laurel. Proceedings of 

Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 55:349-353. 

Genhua Niu, Mengmeng Gu and Denise S. Rodriguez. Effects of Substrate and Irrigation Salinity on the Growth of Sophora 

secundiflora and Cercis canadensis var. Mexica. 2009. Proceeding of Southern Nursery Association Research 

Conference 54:2-7. 

Brian W. Trader, Mengmeng Gu, Alvin May, Karande Gajanayake, and Dinum Perera.Liner Drenches of Trinexapac-ethyl 

Reduce Height of Ornamental Grasses. 2009. Proceeding of Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 54:391- 

394. 

Shen Ma, Mengmeng Gu, Brian W. Trader. Effects of Water Stress and Plant Growth Regulators on Flowering and Growth 

of Bougainvillea ‘Raspberry Ice’. 2009. Proceeding of Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 54:420-424. 

Layton, B and M. Gu. 2009. Control of whiteflies and mealybugs on poinsettia, 2008. Arthropod Management Tests 2009 

Vol 34 doi: 10.4182/amt.2009.G39. 

Layton, B and M. Gu. 2009. Efficacy of ‘homeowner treatments’ against whiteflies and mealybugs, 2008. Arthropod 

Management Tests 2009 Vol 34 doi: 10.4182/amt.2009.G40. 

Layton, B and M. Gu. 2009. Control of crapemyrtle aphids on greenhouse-grown crapemyrtle liners, 2008. Arthropod 

Management Tests 2009 Vol 34 doi: 10.4182/amt.2009.G30. 

Layton, B and S. Ma (Graduate student). 2009. Control of crapemyrtle aphids with media-applied systemic insecticides, 

2008. Arthropod Management Tests 2009 Vol 34 doi: 10.4182/amt.2009.G31. 

Layton, B and M. Gu. 2009. Control of cotton aphid on gerbera daisies, 2008. Arthropod Management Tests 2009 Vol 34 

doi: 10.4182/amt.2009.G33. 

Gu. M., S. Ma, and B. Trader. Bark Penetrating Surfactant and Ethephon did not Control Leafy Mistletoe in Spring. 

Proceeding of Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 53:22-23. 

Trader, B. and Gu. M. Plant growth regulation of ornamental grasses. SNA Research Conference. Atlanta, GA. 6-7 Aug., 

2008. Proceeding of Southern Nursery Association Research Conference 53:515-517. 

Trader, B., and M. Gu. 2007. Growth and flowering of ornamental bedding plants under high-night temperatures. 

Proceedings of SNA Research Conference 52:581-585. 


Gu, M. 2012.The 2012 USDA plant hardiness zone map. TNLA Green March 29-30. 

Gu, M. 2012.Down and Up: A horticulture tour in China. TNLA Green May 37-39. 

Gu, M. 2012.Qurantine---Dealing with the big headache. TNLA June 18-20 

Gu, M. 2012. “Mr. Yang Rose” in Kunming. TNLA Green September 25-26. 

Gu, M. 2012.Supertunia Vista Bubblegum petunia. Mississippi Gardener 12 February 

Gu, M. 2012.Hare’s tail. Mississippi Gardener 12 March 

Gu, M. 2012.Shrimp plant. Mississippi Gardener 12 April 

Gu, M. 2012.Plumbago auriculata. Mississippi Gardener 12 May 

Gu, M. 2012.Snow Princess® alyssum. Mississippi Gardener 12 June 

Gu, M. 2012. ‘Sunrise Serenade’ morning glory. Mississippi Gardener 12 July/August 

Gu, M. 2012.Mescal bean. Mississippi Gardener 12, September 

Gu, M. 2012.Autumn Sage. Mississippi Gardener 12 October 

Gu, M. 2012.Texas Bluebonnet. Mississippi Gardener 12 Nov/Dec 

Gu, M. 2011. Ornamental Peanut. Mississippi Gardener 11(7):60 

Gu, M. 2011. Dessert Willow. Mississippi Gardener 11(6):60 

Gu, M. 2011. Hyacinth Bean. Mississippi Gardener 11(5):60 

Gu, M. 2011. Kousa dogwood. Mississippi Gardener 11(4):60 

Gu, M. 2011. Ruby Spice summersweet. Mississippi Gardener 11(3):62 

Gu, M. 2011. Delta Jazz crapemyrtle. Mississippi Gardener 11(2):62 

Gu, M. 2011. 2010 and 2011 Mississippi medallion plants. Mississippi Gardener 11(1):60-61


Gu, M. 2010. Edible chrysanthemum. Mississippi Gardener 10(9):48 

Gu, M. 2010. Perennial sunflower. Mississippi Gardener 10(8):48. 

Gu, M. 2010. Mexican flame vine. Mississippi Gardener 10(7):48. 

Gu, M. 2010. Paperbush. Mississippi Gardener 10(6):48. 

Gu, M. 2010.’Pink Cascade’ five-stamen tamarisk. Mississippi Gardener 10(5):48. 

Gu, M. 2010. European smoketree. Mississippi Gardener 10(4):48. 

Gu, M. 2010. Astilbe. Mississippi Gardener 10(3):49. 

Gu, M. 2010. Dwarf fothergilla. Mississippi Gardener 10(2):48. 

Gu, M. 2010. ‘Hotspur Yellow’ Florida azalea. Mississippi Gardener 10(1):48. 

Gu, M. 2009. Amaryllis. Mississippi Gardener 9(9):48. 

Gu, M. 2009. Coralberry. Mississippi Gardener 9(8):48. 

Gu, M. 2009. Flameleaf spurge. Mississippi Gardener 9(7):48. 

Gu, M. 2009. ‘Gold Edge’ Golden Dewdrop. Mississippi Gardener 9(6):48. 

Gu, M. 2009. Golden threadleaf sawara cypress. Mississippi Gardener 9(5):48. 

Gu, M. 2009. Starrush whitetop. Mississippi Gardener 9(4):48. 

Gu, M. 2009. Parrot lily. Mississippi Gardener 9(3):57. 

Gu, M. 2009. White fringe tree. Mississippi Gardener 9(2):43. 

Gu, M. 2009. Gu’s spring corner. MNLA Messenger (Spring):12. 

Gu, M. 2008. Add value to poinsettia-Part II. MNLA Messenger (Spring):16-17. 

Gu, M. 2008. Coppertina ninebark. Mississippi Gardener. 8(9):48. 

Gu, M. 2008. Golden Nugget dwarf barberry. Mississippi Gardener. 8(8):49. 

Gu, M. 2008. Irish and Scotch Moss. Mississippi Gardener. 8(6):49. 

Gu, M. 2008. Tiger eyes sumac. Mississippi Gardener. 8(5):49. 

Gu, M. 2008. Royal Frost birch. Mississippi Gardener. 8(2):49. 

Gu, M. 2008. Paperbark maple. Mississippi Gardener. 8(1):49. 

Gu, M. and B. Layton. 2008. Insecticide Trials on Whitefly and Mealybug. MNLA Messenger (Fall): 19, 23. 

Gu, M. 2008. Eschscholzia californica. American Nurseryman (Nov 15):66. 

Gu, M. 2008. Adding Value to Poinsettia (Part II). MNLA Messenger (Spring):16-17. 

Gu, M. 2008. Adding Value to Poinsettia (Part I). MNLA Messenger (Winter):16-17. 

Gu, M. 2007. SARE producer grant. MNLA Messenger (Fall): 24, 26. 

Gu, M., J.A. Robbins, and C.R. Rom. 2007. Betula for the south. American Nurseryman 205 (8):14-20. 

Gu, M. 2007. Betula x ‘Royal Frost’. American Nurseryman 205 (2):66. 


Blog http://greenviion.wordpress.com/ 

Season extension horticulture in China DVDs. May 10-June 1, 2010. 

High tunnel field day DVD. March 11, 2010. 

2010 Landscape management short course CD. February 18-19, 2010. 

Specialty cut flower workshop presentation CD and DVD. November 17-18, 2009. 





Horticulture 341 Nursery Production and Management Fall 2012 

Horticulture 489, Special Topics in Horticulture----Study abroad in China: Summer 2012 




Xi Wang. Current MS student. 

Yanjun Guo. Current MS student. 


$10,000. PI. Promote Earth-Kind Program for Sustainable Urban Agriculture Practices. SARE (Gu-$10,000).


$17,000. PI. Unrestricted gift. TNLA. 

$49,694. PI. Risk Management Education for the Green Industry. Southern Region-Risk Management Education Center. 

$4,500(total $52,964). Co-PI. Urban Landscape Water Conservation through Irrigating Landscapes with Reclaimed Water. 

RGBI. 

$88,905. PI. US-China partnership for strengthening research, education and extension in season extension production and 

marketing. USDA NIFA ISE transfer. 

$28,634. Co-PI. Creating virtual nursery trips to improve on-campus & distance education in nursery production and 

management. USDA NIFA HEC transfer. 

$18,555. PI. Extension programs ($9,355—International horticulture field trip; $9,200—Earth-Kind landscape short course). 

$49,613. Co-PI. Minimizing Production-Marketing and legal Risks Associated with Adopting Alternative Technologies for 

Locally Grown Produce. Southern Risk management Education Center. 2011 (Gu-$3,726). 

$23,000. Co-PI. Investigation of an alternative substrate (potting mix) in greenhouse industry. MSU MAFES SRI. 

01/01/2011-12/31/2011 (Gu-$23,000; Reduced to $6,576 due to the nature of appointment). 

$500. Sole PI. Unrestricted gift. Mississippi Nursery and Landscape Association. Feb., 2011. 

$12,000 (covering international travel expenses for 15 days for 4 US investigators; ~$3,000/person with a total estimate of 

$12,000). PI. TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More------US-China scientific exchange on low-cost season 

extension technology for local sustainable specialty crop production and marketing. USDA FAS SECP with PRC. 

2011-2012. (Gu’s status was changed to Co-PI due to immigration status). 

$10,692. Sole-PI Conducting high tunnel construction workshops in Mississippi. USDA SCBG. 2011. 

$307,356. Co-PI. Creating Virtual Nursery Trips to Improve On-Campus and Distance Education in Nursery Production. 

USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program. 

2010-2012 (Gu-$34,255). 

$12,604. Co-PI An Integrated Approach for Managing Pythium Root Rot in Poinsettia Production in Mississippi. USDA 

SCBG. 2010-2012. (Gu-$6,072). 

$32,000. Co-PI Developing cover crop management systems to optimize sustainability and profitability of specialty crop 

production in high tunnels. USDA SCBG. 2010-2012. 

$3,000. BioWorks Inc. Co-PI. Fungicide trials on poinsettia pythium root rot. 2010. 

$500. Sole PI. Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development Travel Grant Program. Partially 

funding travel to International Horticulture Congress. August 2010. 

$13,964. Co-PI. Determine the efficacy of biological fungicides for control of pythium stem and root rot in poinsettia. IR-4 

Biopesticide Program. 2010-2011. 

$22,530. Sole- PI. Investigation of different high tunnel systems for specialty cut flower production in Mississippi. USDA 

SCBG. 2009-2012. 

$9,350. Sole PI. Fine Americas. PGR trials. 2009. 

$42,350. Specialty Cut Flower Risk Management Education in the Mid-South. Co-PI. USDA S-RMA. 2009. 

$1,700. Plant biofungicide trial. Sole PI. Keyplex. March, 2009. 

$750. Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development Travel Grant Program. Sole PI. July 2009. 

$15,000. Investigation of best management practice for specialty cut flower production in Mississippi. PI. USDA SCBG. 

2009-2010. 

$149,812. PI. US-China Partnership for Strengthening Research, Education and Extension in Season Extension Production 

and Marketing. USDA ISE. June 2009-2012. 

$496,921. Co-PI. Toward year-round produce markets: Combining low-cost international technologies for year-round 

production in high tunnels in the Gulf State. USDA NRI. 2009—2012. 

$54,984. Investigation of fertility management to improve nutrient use efficiency in high tunnel. SRI. Collaborator. January 

2009-December 2009. 

$92,308. Planning meeting for woody landscape plant production and pest management innovation. Collaborator. USDA 

SCRI. September 1, 2008-August, 31, 2010. 

$10,000. Fine Americas. Sole PI. PGR trials. October 2008. 

$1,600. School seedling nursery program for Mississippi habitat restoration. Co-PI. William M. White Special Project 

Award. Mississippi State University. 2008 

$2,000. Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development Quick Grant Program. Season Extension 

Technology for Sustainable Production of Specialty Crops. Sole PI. September 2008. 

$750. Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development Travel Grant Program. Sole PI. August 2008. 

$4,022. State Bank & Trust company. Sole PI. May 2008. 

$1,000. Nature Works Organics. Sole PI. Vermicompost trials. April 2008. 

$50,000. Could rice straw and cottonseed serve as alternatives to perlite and peat moss as greenhouse substrates? Sole PI. 

MSU MAFES SRI. January 2007- December 2008 

$500. Research trial on vermicompost. Nature Works Organics. Sole PI. 2007


$2,950. Improving Teaching of Plant Nutrient in Greenhouse Management Class Using Aeroponics System. Schillig Special 

Teaching Grant. Sole PI. Mississippi State University. 2007 



Grant Reviewer for USDA AMS 

Grant Reviewer for USDA Hort CRSP 

Lindbergh Foundation Grants Technical Review Panel 




HortScience 


Plant Breeding 

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 

Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 

Global Change Biology 



USDA-ARS Woody Landscape Plant Crop Germplasm Committee, 2011- 

Board member of Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG), 2009- 

SSAWG Executive Committee, 2009- 

Chair of SSAWG Diversity Committee, 2012- 

Chair of SSAWG Strategic Planning Committee, 2010-2011 

Chair of SSAWG Funding Development Committee, 2011- 2011 

Chair of SSAWG Scientific Committee, 2010- 

SNA Section Editor for Weed Control, 2007-2013 

American Society for Horticultural Science 

Chair of ASHS Outstanding International Horticulturist Award Committee, 2012-2013 

ASHS Nominations and Elections Committee, 2010- 

ASHS Outstanding International Horticulturist Award Committee, 2009-2012 

ASHS Graduate Activities Committee, 2007-2009 

Chair of ASHS Water Utilization and Management Working Group, 2008-2009 

ASHS Ornamental publication award committee 2008-2011 


2012 SR-ASHS Blue Ribbon Extension Communication Award. 

2011 Outstanding Specialist Award. Mississippi Association of County Agricultural Agents. 

2011 John E. Hutchison Extension Award for Young Professionals, Southern Region-American Society for Horticultural 

Science


Charles R. Hall 

Ellison Chair in International Floriculture 

c-hall@tamu.edu 


The mission of the Ellison chair in International Floriculture is to advance the health 

and vitality of the floriculture industry on a national and international scope through 

exemplary academic leadership, cutting edge applied research, innovative extension 

outreach programs, and by mentoring well-educated, impassioned leaders to support 

the future of floriculture. Five strategic objectives have been identified including: 1.) 

Increase funding for research and extension program in floriculture and related areas; 

2.) Increase partnerships on a disciplinary and multidisciplinary in academia and 

industry; 3.) Increase numbers of top-quality undergraduate and graduate students in 

floriculture to meet growing needs; 4.) Increase program recognition for the TAMU 

floriculture program; and 5.) Increase vitality and productivity of programs in the 

identified areas of emphasis: a) economics and marketing; b) environmental 

sustainability; c) efficient production systems; and d) people development. 



Ph.D. 1988 Mississippi State University Agricultural Economics 

M.S. 1986 University of Tennessee Ornamental Horticulture & Landscape Design 

B.S. 1984 University of Tennessee Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology 


Professor & Endowed Chair Texas A&M University Horticultural Sciences August 16, 2007 

Professor - tenured University of Tennessee Agricultural Economics February 2002 

Professor - tenured Texas A&M University Agricultural Economics September 2001 

Associate Professor - tenured Texas A&M University Agricultural Economics September 1997 

Assistant Professor Texas A&M University Agricultural Economics December 1988 


Refereed Publications (underlined names indicate graduate students) 

Behe, Bridget K., Charles R. Hall, Benjamin L. Campbell, Hayk Khachatryan, Jennifer H. Dennis, and Chengyan Yue. 2012, 

Smartphone use and online search and purchase behavior of North Americans: gardening and non-gardening 

information and products. Submitted to HortScience, November 27, 2012. 

Behe, Bridget, Ben Campbell, Jennifer Dennis, Charles Hall, Roberto Lopez, and Chengyan Yue. 2012. Consumer 

preferences for local and sustainable plant characteristics. Submitted to HortScience, November 2, 2012. 

Yue, Chengyan, Ben Campbell, Charles Hall, Bridget Behe, Jennifer Dennis, Roberto Lopez, and Hayk Khachatryan. 2012. 

Consumer preference for environment and origin attributes in plants: evidence from experimental auctions. 

Submitted to the Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, August 2012. 

Campbell, Ben, Yue, Chengyan, Hayk Khachatryan, Charles Hall, Bridget Behe, Roberto Lopez, and Jennifer Dennis. 2012. 

Consumer segments based on plant purchases reveal preferences for local and sustainable transplants. Submitted to 

HortScience, August 2012, in revision. 

Yue, Chengyan, Hayk Khachatryan, Ben Campbell, Charles Hall, Bridget Behe, Roberto Lopez, and Jennifer Dennis. 2012. 

The effects of the consideration of future consequences on willingness to pay decisions for plant attributes. 

Submitted to the Journal of Environmental Psychology, February 2012. 

Palma, Marco, Callie McAdams, Ariun Isdorj, and Charles Hall. 2012. A non-hypothetical ranking and auction mechanism 

for novel products. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Accepted for publication July 25, 2012. 

Cai, Amy, Terri Starman, Genhua Niu, Leo Lombardini, and Charles Hall. 2012. Response of selected garden roses to 

drought stress. HortScience 47(8):1050–1055. 

Palma, Marco A., Charles R. Hall, Ben Campbell, Hayk Khachatryan, Bridget Behe, and Sue Barton. 2012. Measuring the 

effects of firm promotion expenditures on green industry sales. J. Environ. Hort. 30(2):83-88. 

Palma, M.A., C.R. Hall and A. Collart. 2011. Repeat buying behavior for ornamental plants: A consumer profile. Journal of 

Food Distribution Research 42(2):67-77. 

Hall, Charles R. and Alan W. Hodges. 2011. Economic, environmental, and social benefits of lifestyle horticulture. Chronica 

Horticulturae. 51(4):5-8. 

Niu, G., R.I. Cabrera, T.W. Starman, and C.R. Hall. 2011. Water conservation in ornamental crops through the use of 

alternative irrigation water sources. HortTechnology 21(6):694-695.


Pemberton, Brent, Michael Arnold, Tim Davis, Daniel Lineberger, Cynthia McKinney, David Rodriguez, Larry Stein, 

Charles Hall, Marco Palma, and Richard De Los Santos. The Texas Superstar® program: Success through 

partnership. HortTechnology 21(6):698-699. 

Hodges, Alan W., Marco A. Palma, and Charles R. Hall. 2011. Economic contributions of the green industry in the United 

States, 2007. HortTechnology 21(5):628-638. 

Guo, Xianfang, Chengyan Yue, and Charles Hall. 2011. Investing factors affecting the U.S. national nursery trade: The 

implications from a gravity model. HortScience. 46(11):1518–1522. 

Rihn, Alicia, Chengyan Yue, Bridget Behe, and Charles Hall. 2011. Generations X and Y attitudes towards fresh flowers as 

gifts: Implications for the floral industry. HortScience 46(5):736-743. 

Hall, Charles R. and Madeline W. Dickson. 2011. Economic, environmental, and health/well-being benefits associated with 

green industry products and services: A review. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 29(2):96-103 

Hall, Charles R., Alan W. Hodges, and Marco A. Palma. 2011. Sales, trade flows, and marketing practices within the U.S. 

nursery industry. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 29(1):14–24. 

Yue, Chengyan, Jennifer Dennis, Bridget Behe, Charles Hall, Benjamin Campbell, and Roberto Lopez. 2011. Investigating 

consumer preference for organic, local, or sustainable plants. HortScience 46(4):610-615. 

Yue, Chengyan, Charles R. Hall, Bridget K. Behe, Benjamin L. Campbell, Jennifer H. Dennis, and Roberto G. Lopez. 2010. 

Investigating consumer preference for biodegradable containers. Journal of Environmental Horticulture 28(4):239- 

243. 

Yue, Chengyan, Charles R. Hall, Bridget K. Behe, Benjamin L. Campbell, Jennifer H. Dennis, and Roberto G. Lopez. 2010. 

Are consumers willing to pay more for biodegradable containers that for plastic ones? Journal of Agricultural and 

Applied Economics 42(4):757-772. 

Jeffers, Andrew, William Klingeman, Charles Hall, Marco Palma, David Buckley, and Dean Kopsell. 2010. Estimated 

nursery liner production costs for ornamental plant stock. HortTechnology 20(4):804-811. 

Behe, Bridget, Benjamin Campbell, Jennifer Dennis, Charles Hall, Roberto Lopez, and Chengyan Yue. 2010. Gardening 

consumer segments vary in ecopractices. HortScience 45(10):1475-1479. 

Lopez, Roberto, Jennifer Dennis, Bridget Behe, Charles Hall, Chengyan Yue, and Benjamin Campbell. 2010. Sustainable 

production practices adopted by greenhouse and nursery plant growers. HortScience. 45(8):1232-1237. 

Collart, Alba J., Marco A. Palma, and Charles R. Hall. 2010. Branding awareness and willingness-to-pay associated with the 

Texas Superstar and Earthkind brands in Texas. HortScience. 45(8):1226-1231. 

Hall, Charles. 2010. Making cents of green industry economics. HortTechnology. 20(5):832-835. 

Hall, Charles, Benjamin Campbell, Bridget Behe, Chengyan Yue, Jennifer Dennis, and Roberto Lopez. 2010. The appeal of 

biodegradable packaging to floral consumers. HortScience. 45(4):583-591. 

Yue, Chengyan and Charles Hall. 2010. Traditional or specialty cut flowers? Estimating U.S. consumers’ choice of cut 

flower varieties at non-calendar occasions. HortScience. 45(3):382-386. 

Campbell, Benjamin L. and Charles R. Hall. 2010. Effects of pricing influences and selling characteristics on plant sales in 

the green industry. HortScience. 45(4):575-582. 

Palma, M.A., Y. Chen, C. Hall, D. Bessler, and D. Leatham. 2010. Consumer preferences for potted orchids in the Hawaiian 

market. HortTechnology. 20(1):239-244. 

Mathers, Hannah, Alejandra Acuna, Donna Long, Bridget Behe, Alan Hodges, John Haydu, Ursula Schuch, Susan Barton, 

Jennifer Dennis, Brian Maynard, Charles Hall, Robert McNeil, and Tom Archer. 2010. Nursery worker turnover and 

language proficiency. HortScience. 45(1):71-77. 

Campbell, Benjamin L., Charles R. Hall, and Bryan F. Combs. 2009. Regional structural change in production and marketing 

practices for the nursery and greenhouse industry: 1988-2003. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 27(3):139- 

144. 

Jeffers, Andrew, Marco Palma, William Klingeman, Charles Hall, David Buckley, and Dean Kopsell. 2009. Assessments of 

bare-root liner quality and purchasing decisions made by green industry professionals. HortScience. 44:717-724. 

Behe, Bridget K., Jennifer H. Dennis , Charles R. Hall , Alan W. Hodges , Robin G. Brumfield. 2008. Regional marketing 

practices in U.S. nursery production. HortScience. 43(7):2070–2075. 

Hodges, Alan W., Charles R. Hall, Bridget K. Behe, and Jennifer H. Dennis. 2008. Regional analysis of production practices 

and technology use in the U.S. nursery industry. HortScience. Volume 43(6):1807–1812. 

Haydu, John J., Alan W. Hodges, and Charles R. Hall. 2008. Estimating the economic impact of the U.S. golf course 

industry: Challenges and solutions. HortScience. 43(2):759–763. 

Haydu, John, Alan Hodges, Charles Hall, and John Cisar. 2007. Sales, value added and employment impacts of the United 

States sod production industry. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 25(2):55-60. 


Holland, Rob, Megan Bruch, and Charles Hall, A Guide for Considering and Developing a Farmers Market in 

Tennessee, PB1770, 2007.


Hodges, Alan, Charles Hall, and Marco Palma. 2010. Economic Contributions of the Green Industry in the United States, 

2007. Southern Cooperative Series Bulletin #413. ISBN 1-58161-415-2. 

Hodges, Alan, Marco Palma, and Charles Hall. 2010. Trade flows and marketing practices within the United States Nursery 

Industry:2008. Southern Cooperative Series Bulletin #411. ISBN 1-58161-411. 

Hall, Charles, Alan Hodges, and John Haydu. 2007. The Economic Impact of the Green Industry in the United States. 

Southern Cooperative Series Bulletin #406, ISBN: 1-58161-406-3. 

Hall, Charles. 2011. Where have we been in 2011 and where are we headed? Combined Proceedings of the International 

Plant Propagators’ Society. 61:6-10. 

Hodges, Alan, Charles Hall, and Marco Palma. “The State of the Green Industry: National Nursery Survey Results,” 

Proceedings of Southern Nurserymen’s Associations Research Conference: Fifty-Sixth Annual Report, Volume 56, 

2011. 

Palma, Marco A. and Charles R. Hall. “Economic Impacts of the Green Industry in Texas,” Proceedings of Southern 

Nurserymen’s Associations Research Conference: Fifty-Fourth Annual Report, Volume 54, 2009. 

Jeffers, Andrew, William Klingeman, Marco Palma, Charles Hall, Dean Jopsell, and David Buckley. “Quality Assessment 

and Purchasing Decisions of Nursery Liner Buyers: A Conjoint Analysis,” Proceedings of Southern Nurserymen’s 

Associations Research Conference: Fifty-Third Annual Report, Volume 53, 2008 

Hall, Charles R., Alan W. Hodges, Bridget K. Behe, and Jennifer H. Dennis. “A Regional Empirical Examination of 

Practices and Technologies Used by Growers,” Proceedings of Southern Nurserymen’s Associations Research 

Conference: Fifty-Third Annual Report, Volume 53, 2008 

Chen, Yu-Jen, Marco Palma, and Charles Hall. “Consumer Preferences in Orchids,” Proceedings of Southern Nurserymen’s 

Associations Research Conference: Fifty-Third Annual Report, Volume 53, 2008 

Behe, Bridget K., Dennis, Jennifer H. Dennis, Charles R. Hall, and Alan W. Hodges. “Regional Marketing Practices Within 

the U.S. Nursery Industry,” Proceedings of Southern Nurserymen’s Associations Research Conference: Fifty-Third 

Annual Report, Volume 53, 2008. 

Hall, Charles R. “Moving From Satisfied Customers to Enthusiastic Customers,” Proceedings of Southern Nurserymen’s 

Associations Research Conference: Fifty-second Annual Report, Volume 52, 2007. 


Hall, Charles R. 2012. Shout it out loud. Nursery Management 28(11):24-28. 

Hall, Charles R. 2012. Making cents: The right people on the bus. Big Grower. Nov 2012. 

Fisher, Paul, Alan Hodges, Bill Swanekamp, and Charlie Hall. 2012. Fine tuning overhead calculations. OFA Bulletin. 

933:1,7-11. Sept/Oct 2012. 

Hall, Charles R. 2012. Making cents: Value, relevancy, and authenticity. Big Grower. Sept 2012. 

Hall, Charles R. 2012. Making cents: Ikea-ize the outside. Big Grower. July 2012. 

Hall, Charles R. 2012. Making cents: The whole enchilada. Big Grower. Mar 2012. 

Hall, Charles R. 2012. Making cents: The outlook for 2012 and beyond. Big Grower. Jan 2012. 

Hall, Charles R. 2012. And the winner is… Greenhouse Grower. Oct 2012. 

Hall, Charles R. 2012. Use production inputs wisely. Greenhouse Grower. Sep 2012. 

Hall, Charles R. 2012. Business transitions and growing pains. Greenhouse Grower. July 2012. 

Fisher, Paul, Alan Hodges, Bill Swanekamp, and Charlie Hall. 2012. Mine your income statement. OFA Bulletin. 933:1,7-11. 

May/June 2012. 

Hall, Charles. Business decisions to help me outshine the competition. OFA Bulletin. 932:1,7-8. March/April 2012. 

Hall, Charles R. 2012. Politics, presidents, and the economy. Greenhouse Grower. Mar 2012. 

Jones, Michelle, Terri Starman, Charles Hall, Claudio Pasian, and George Staby. 2012. Taking it to the max: How to 

maintain the quality of your plants during shipping and maximize their shelf life. Greenhouse Management 

32(2):62-66. 

Hall, Charles R. 2012. Will 2012 be a repeat of 2011?. Greenhouse Grower. Jan 2012. 

Palma, M.A. and C.R. Hall. 2011. Economic Impacts of the Green Industry in Texas. Texas Nursery and Landscape 

Association Green Magazine. January 2011. Vol. XIII. No.I: 12-13. 

Thomas, Paul and Charlie Hall. 2011. Steps to implementing benchmark assessment. Greenhouse Management 31(10):74-78. 

Hall, Charles. How to market yourself in a questionable economy. OFA Bulletin. Number 929:1, 8-9. September/October 

2011. 

Hall, Charles. “Generations X and Y attitudes towards flowers as gifts: Implications for the Floral Industry (Part 5),” 

Blooming Texan. Volume 37, Number 8, August 2011. 

Starman, T., M. Jones, G. Staby, C. Pasian, and C. Hall. 2011 (July). Shrink the shrink. Part 2. Greenhouse Management 

31(7):36-38, 63-64. 

Hall, C., M. Jones, T. Starman, C. Pasian, and G. Staby. 2011 (Jan). Shrink the shrink. Part 1. January 2011. Greenhouse 

Management 31(1):38-42.


Hall, Charlie, Bridget Behe, Ben Campbell, Jennifer Dennis, Roberto Lopez, and Chengyan Yue. 2011. Demand for 

sustainability, Part 1: How appealing are biodegradable containers? Greenhouse Grower 29(1):72-76. 

Lopez, Roberto, Jennifer Dennis, Bridget Behe, Charlie Hall, Chengyan Yue, and Ben Campbell. 2011. Demand for 

sustainability, Part 2: What are growers doing about sustainability? Greenhouse Grower 29(2):32-36. 

Behe, Bridget, Ben Campbell, Jennifer Dennis, Charles Hall, Roberto Lopez, and Chengyan Yue. 2011. Demand for 

sustainability, Part 3: No two consumers are alike. Greenhouse Grower 29(3):32-36. 

Campbell, Benjamin, Bridget Behe, Charlie Hall, Jennifer Dennis, Roberto Lopez, and Chengyan Yue. 2011. Demand for 

sustainability, Part 4: The value of biodegradable containers. Greenhouse Grower 29(4):40-44. 

Yue, Chengyan, Jennifer Dennis, Bridget Behe, Charlie Hall, Benjamin Campbell, and Roberto Lopez. 2011. Demand for 

sustainability, Part 5: Consumer interest in “green” plants. Greenhouse Grower 29(5):58-60. 

Hall, Charles. “Generations X and Y attitudes towards flowers as gifts: Implications for the Floral Industry (Part 4),” 

Blooming Texan. Volume 36, Number 12, December 2010. 

Thomas, Paul and Charles Hall. “Using benchmarking to improve shipping metrics” Greenhouse Management & 

Production,” Volume 30, Number 11, November, 2010. 

Thomas, Paul and Charles Hall. “Know your costs: Operational benchmarks can improve production efficiency and boost 

overall profits” Nursery Management & Production,” Volume 26, Number 10, October, 2010. 

Thomas, Paul and Charles Hall. “Use benchmarking to improve management team metrics” Greenhouse Management & 

Production,” Volume 30, Number 8, August, 2010. 

Hall, Charles. “Generations X and Y attitudes towards flowers as gifts: Implications for the floral industry (Part 3),” 

Blooming Texan. Volume 36, Number 8, August 2010. 

Hall, Charles and Paul Thomas. “Measuring Marketing and Sales Metrics” Greenhouse Management & Production,” Volume 

30, Number 6, June, 2010. 

Jefers, Drew, Bill Klingeman, Marco Palma, and Charlie Hall. “Bareroot Liners,” Nursery Management & Production, 

Volume 26, Number 6, June 2010. 

Thomas, Paul and Charles Hall. “Use benchmarking to improve employee performance” Greenhouse Management & 

Production,” Volume 30, Number 5, May, 2010. 

Thomas, Paul and Charles Hall. “Use benchmarking to improve your production metrics” Greenhouse Management & 

Production,” Volume 30, Number 4, April, 2010. 

Hall, Charles and Paul Thomas, “Applying the strategic profit model in the real world” Greenhouse Management & 

Production,” Volume 30, Number 3, March, 2010. 

Hall, Charles and Alan Hodges, “Growers Increasing Use of Online Benchmarking System,” OFA Bulletin, Number 922, 

July/August 2010. 

Hall, Charles and Paul Thomas, “Benchmarking Your Way To Success: Part 2” Greenhouse Management & Production, 

Volume 30, Number 2, February, 2010. 

Hall, Charles and Paul Thomas, “Use Benchmarking to Measure Your Company’s Success, ”Greenhouse Management & 

Production,” Volume 30, Number 1, January, 2010. 

Hall, Charles. 2010. The view from 30,000 feet. GrowerTalks, 72(9). 

Hall, Charles R. Quarterly Op-Ed column for Lawn & Landscape, 2009-2010. 

Hall, Charles R. Periodic Op-Ed column for SAF Viewpoint, 2009-2010. 

Hodges, Alan, Charles Hall, Bridget Behe, Jennifer Dennis, and Robin Brumfield. “Regional Benchmarking Survey: Pricing, 

Advertising, and Expansion,” Nursery Management & Production, Volume 26, Number 1, January 2010. 

Hodges, Alan, Charles Hall, Bridget Behe, Jennifer Dennis, and Robin Brumfield. “Regional Benchmarking Survey: Sales 

Processes, Volume 25, Number 12, December 2009. 

Hodges, Alan, Charles Hall, Bridget Behe, Jennifer Dennis, and Robin Brumfield. “Regional Benchmarking Survey: 

Production Practices, Volume 25, Number 11, November 2009. 

Hodges, Alan, Charles Hall, Bridget Behe, Jennifer Dennis, and Robin Brumfield. “Regional Benchmarking Survey: Sales & 

Employment, Volume 25, Number 10, October 2009. 

Hall, Charles R. “It’s All About Mindshare,” The Indiana Flower Grower, Volume 3, Issue 3, Fall 2009. 

Hall, Charles. “Are You One Bad Spring Away From Bankruptcy?” OFA Bulletin, Nov/Dec Issue 2009, Number 918, pp. 1, 

7-8. 

Lopez, Roberto, Joyia Smith, Diane Camberato, Jennifer Dennis, Bridget Behe, and Charles Hall, “Consumer Perceptions of 

Sustainably Produced Poinsettias,” Greenhouse Grower, Vol. 27, No. 9, August 2009. 

Palma, Marco and Charles Hall. “Economic Impacts of the Green Industry in Texas,” TNLA Green, June 2009. 

Hall, Charles R. “Behavioral Pricing: Maximizing Value Relative to Customer Expectations,” OFA Bulletin, March/April 

Issue 2009, Number 914, pp. 5, 8-10. 

Hall, Charles R. “2009: The Year of Recovery?,” The Indiana Flower Grower, Volume 3, Issue 1, Winter 2009. 

Haydu, John J., Charles R. Hall, and Alan W. Hodges. “Lifestyle Horticulture...Document to Be Heard,” Floriculture 

International, pp. 34-37, December 2008.


Hall, Charles R. “Competing During Contractions” American Nurseryman, August 1, 2008, Vol. 208, Issue 3, pp. 43-48. 

Hall, Charles R. “Benchmarking Your Way to Success,” OFA Bulletin, May/June Issue 2008, Number 908, pp. 2-5. 

Hall, Charles R. “Benchmark Your Way to Success,” GMPRO, February 2008, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp.41-47. 


Managing Risk in the Green Industry. This strategic multi-faceted risk-management grant project funded by the Southern 

Risk Management Education Center involved innovative producer-oriented projects targeting nursery, greenhouse, and 

landscape operators. This first phase of this project used concepts from the “Green Industry Risk Management Guide" and 

the "2009 National Nursery Industry Survey" to formulate a series of educational materials that addressed timely green 

industry-related risk management issues. The second phase of the project involved integrating these materials into targeted 

face-to-face educational programs at several key industry events where attendance had been strong historically. The third 

phase of the project involved developing online webinars that have been shown to be an effective means of regional 

educational delivery in previous SRMEC projects. Lastly, the leading green industry blog entitled "Making Cents of Green 

Industry Economics" was used as an important outreach corollary to the online educational programs, as well as e-newsletters 

distributed by green industry trade organizations that served as project collaborators. 

Administering an online blog entitled Making Cents of Green Industry Economics. To date, there have been 133,570 readers 

with 723 regular subscribers (as of December 31, 2011). This weblog provides up-to-the-minute information regarding 

economic factors affecting green industry businesses and the strategic responses to enhance profitability. 

Introductory Employee Training Program for Greenhouse Crop Production. This training module is offered on the national 

eXtension website. The front end is tied to the Extension Conference Services website for fee processing depending on the 

funding strategy for the project. The fee-based program generates $55 per registration. 

A video series entitled Charlie's Angle is distributed on the ANLA Knowledge Center. This series is a collaborative effort 

between Ball Horticultural Company, OFA, and ANLA and ties in with the Making Cents blog and other outreach activities 

of the Ellison Chair. 


Hodges, Alan W., Charles R. Hall, and John J. Haydu. “U.S. Green Industry’s Economic Contributions,” Green Industry Risk 

Management Guide, published by the National Crop Insurance Services, Overland Park, KS, 94 pages, 2008. 

Hall, Charles R., John J. Haydu, and Alan W. Hodges, “Mega Trends in the Green Industry,” Green Industry Risk 

Management Guide, published by the National Crop Insurance Services, Overland Park, KS, 94 pages, 2008. 

Hall, Charles R. “Risk Management for Greenhouse and Nursery Growers” Green Industry Risk Management Guide, 

published by the National Crop Insurance Services, Overland Park, KS, 94 pages, 2008. 

Haydu, John J. “Eco-Friendly Diversification Strategies” Green Industry Risk Management Guide, published by the National 

Crop Insurance Services, Overland Park, KS, 94 pages, 2008. 

Hall, Charles R., John J. Haydu, and Alan W. Hodges. “The Basics of Pricing for Nursery and Greenhouse Firms” Green 

Industry Risk Management Guide, published by the National Crop Insurance Services, Overland Park, KS, 94 pages, 

2008. 

Hall, Charles R. “So What is the Best Retail Price?” Green Industry Risk Management Guide, published by the National 


Hall, Charles R. “Benchmarking Your Way to Success!” Green Industry Risk Management Guide, published by the National 


Hall, Charles, Susan Barton, Bridget Behe, Robin Brumfield, Richard Harkess, Charles Safley, and P.J. van Blokland, 

Enhancing Profitability in Greenhouse Firms, Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service, NRAES-164, 

ISBN 0-935817-95-6, 56 pages. 

Barton, Susan, Bridget Behe, Charles Hall, John Haydu, Roger Hinson, Robert McNiel, Travis Phillips, Russell Powell, and 

Forrest Stegelin, Establishing and Operating a Garden Center: Requirements and Costs, Natural Resource, Agriculture, and 

Engineering Service, NRAES-161, ISBN 0-935817-86-7, 66 pages. 


None 



Horticulture 315 Component Analysis of Horticultural Systems: Fall 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012


Horticulture 315 Component Analysis of Horticultural Systems: Spring, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 

Horticulture 426/626 International Floriculture Marketing: Spring 2009, 2011, 2013 


Taught a course entitled “Strategic Business Management” within the TAMU/UVG Masters Degree Program in 

Agribusiness, Guatemala City, Guatemala, 1997-present. 



Role Student Name Degree Department Year(s) 

Committee Chair Madeline Frazier M.Agr. 

Horticultural 

Sciences 

2012-2013 

Committee Member Katie Klabunde M.S. 

Committee Member Matthew Murch M.S. 

Agricultural 

Economics 

Agricultural 

Economics 

2012-2012 

2012-2012 

Co-Committee 

Chair 

Amy Cai 

PhD 

Horticultural 

Sciences 

2010-2013 

Co-Committee 

Chair 

Alba Collart 

PhD 

Agricultural 

Economics 

2010-2013 

Committee member 

Rosa Rodales 

M.S. 

Univ. of Florida 

Environmental 

Horticulture 

2010-2013 

Committee Chair Anthea Luo M.S. 

Committee member Callie McAdams M.S. 

Committee member Travis Britt M.Agr. 

Committee Chair Jay White M.S. 

Committee member Alba Collart M.S. 

Supervisor Benjamin Campbell Ph.D. 

Committee member Yu-Jen Chen M.S. 

Horticultural 

Sciences 

Agricultural 

Economics 

Horticultural 

Sciences 

Horticultural 

Sciences 

Agricultural 

Economics 

Agricultural 

Economics 

Agricultural 

Economics 

2010-2012 

2010-2011 

2009-2010 

2009-2012 

2008-2009 

2008-2009 

2007-2008 


Data not available 


See table above.



None. 


$20,000 Analyzing the environmental impact (carbon footprint) and economic costs of field-grown flowering tree 

production system components. Funded by the Horticultural Research Institute. 2012-2013 Co-PI 

$29,900 The Color of Marketing: How much value do consumers place on green (sustainability) and blue (water 

conservation) marketing? Funded by the Horticultural Research Institute. 2012-2013 Co-PI 

$50,000 What Captures Consumers’ Attention When They Buy Ornamental and Food-Producing Plants? Approved for 

funding by the USDA Federal State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP). Co-Pi’s include Bridget Behe 

(MSU), Ben Campbell (Vineland), Jennifer Dennis (Purdue), Roberto Lopez (Purdue), and Chengyan Yue 

(Minnesota). 2010-2012 

C0-PI 

$34,000 A Social Media Guide for Floral Retailers and Wholesalers – Approved for funding by the American Floral 

Endowment. Co-Pi's include Chengyan Yue (Bachman Chair, Univ. of MN) and Bridget Behe (MSU). 2011-2012 

PI 

$48,311 Managing Risk in the Environmental Horticulture Industry – project funded by the Southern Region Risk 

Management Education Center. Marco Palma (TAMU) is Co-Investigator on the project. 2011/2012 Co-PI 

$85,875 Containment, Remediation, and Recycling of Irrigation Water for Sustainable Ornamental Crop Production. 

Funded by USDA-NIFA as part of the Sustainable Crops Research Initiative planning grant program. 2011/2012 

Co-PI 

$48,000 Sustainability on the Table and In the Yard: Identifying, Profiling, and Quantifying Markets for Sustainably- 

Grown Ornamental and Food-Producing Plants. Approved for funding by the USDA Federal State Marketing 

Improvement Program (FSMIP), July 2008. Co-Pi’s include Bridget Behe (MSU), Ben Campbell (Vineland), 

Jennifer Dennis (Purdue), Roberto Lopez (Purdue), and Chengyan Yue (Minnesota). 2011/2012 Co-PI 

$47,509 Managing Risk in the Green Industry – project funded by the Southern Region Risk Management Education 

Center. Marco Palma (TAMU) is Co-Investigator on the project. 2010/2011 

PI 

$31,600 The effects of longevity information and guarantees on consumer preferences for cut flowers. This study 

Investigates consumers’ preference and willingness to pay for specific longevity guarantees on cut flower 

arrangements; investigate consumers’ preference and willingness to pay for enhanced longevity through the 

addition of flower food or other treatments; and investigate customers’ preference and willingness to pay for 

flowers labeled with “expected longevity X days.” Approved for funding by the American Floral Endowment. 

Co-Pi's include Chengyan Yue (Bachman Chair, Univ. of MN) and Bridget Behe (MSU). 2011/2012 Co-PI 

$25,000 Texas Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant. Marco Palma (TAMU) is Co-Investigator on the 

project. 2009/2010 Co-PI 

$40,238 Green Industry Comprehensive Risk Management Education – a proposal funded by the Southern Region Risk 

Management Education Center. Marco Palma (TAMU) is Co-Investigator on the project. 2009-2010 Co-PI 

$20,000 Structural Changes in the U.S. Nursery Industry: An Assessment of Production and Marketing Trends – a 

proposal funded by the Horticultural Research Institute (ANLA) to conduct a national survey of nursery and 

greenhouse growers. 2009-2010 PI 

$23,705 Managing Risks in the Green Industry in Texas and the Southern U.S. -- a proposal funded by the Southern 

Region Risk Management Education Center. Marco Palma (TAMU) is Co-Investigator on the project. 2008-2009 

Co-PI 

$96,684 Investigation of consumers’ and professionals’ perceptions, attitudes and behaviors about purchasing plastic 

alternatives and/or recycling plastic horticultural containers. Approved for funding by the USDA Federal State 

Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP), July 2008. Co-Pi’s include Bridget Behe (MSU), Jennifer Dennis 

(Purdue), and Chengyan Yue (Minnesota). 2008-2009 Co-PI 

$40,000 American Floral Endowment & Horticultural Research Institute proposal to determine the characteristics of 

biodegradable pots that consumers deem most desirable and to solicit their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for this type 

of sustainable product. Co-Pi’s include Bridget Behe (MSU), Jennifer Dennis (Purdue), and Chengyan Yue 

(Minnesota). 2008-2009 PI 

$78,431 American Floral Endowment proposal to investigate 1) how and why younger and older consumers react 

differently to flowers and alternative gifts, 2) how younger and older consumers feel differently about the risks, 

the recipients' positive or negative reaction associated with flowers and alternative gifts, 3) the impacts of positive 

information regarding flowers on consumers' choices of gifts, and 4) what can be done by the floral industry to


improve younger and older consumers' satisfaction with flowers. Co-Pi’s include Bridget Behe (MSU) and 

Chengyan Yue (Minnesota). 2008-2009 Co-PI 

$5,000 Grant from the Texas Ornamentals Enhancement Endowment to conduct an analysis of the awareness levels of the 

Texas Superstar and Earthkind “brands.” Marco Palma is the co-investigator. 2007-2009 Co-PI 

$300,000 “Risk Management for the Environmental Horticulture Industry in the Southern United States” – a grant funded 

by the USDA/RMA Risk Management and Crop Insurance Education Commodity Partnership Program. Alan 

Hodges and John Haydu (Florida) were co-investigators. 2007-2008 Co-PI 

$49,094 Managing Risk in the Green Industry – a grant funded to the Southern Region Risk Management Education 

Center. 2007-2008 PI 

$38,000 Enterprise Budgets for Container-grown Woody Ornamental Plants, Climatic Zones 8 and 9 – a grant proposal 

funded by the Southern Region Risk Management Education Center. 2006-2008 Co-PI 

$15,000 Risk Management Education for Commercial Vegetable and Fruit Producers in Tennessee – a grant proposal 

funded by the Southern Region Risk Management Education Center. 2006-2007 PI 

$39,000 Regional Multi-state Enterprise Budgets for Fruit and Vegetable Crops - a grant proposal funded by t the Southern 

Region Risk Management Education Center. 2006-2007 Co-PI 



None 


Consulting Editor of HortTechnology 



HortScience 


Member of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Peer Review Committee, 2012-2013. 

Member of the TAMU Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Awards selection committee, 2011. 

Chair of departmental search committee, Extension Sustainable Landscape Management position, 2011. 

Member of Graduate Program Committee, Department of Horticultural Sciences, 2011-2012. 

Chair of departmental search committee, Benz Chair of Floral Design, 2010. 

Chair of departmental Master’s of Horticulture development committee, 2009-2010. 

Chair of departmental Branding Strategy Committee, 2008. 

Chair of departmental Floriculture Degree Evaluation Committee, TAMU, 2007. 

Member of Statewide Research Plan committee, Department of Horticultural Sciences, TAMU, 2007. 


Co-hosted the 2011 National Floriculture Forum in Dallas, Texas. The NFF meeting website resides on the Ellison Chair 

website (http://ellisonchair.tamu.edu/conferences-workshops/2011nff). 

Serving on the Board of Directors of America in Bloom, 2010-2012. 

Serving on the Board of Directors for the Seeley Conference, 2010-2012. 

Serving on the Board of Directors for Smithers-Oasis, Inc., 2009-2012. 

Serving as a member of the TNLA Education Committee, 2011-2012 

Serving as a member of the OFA Grower Committee, 2009-2012. 

Serving as a member of the SAF Member Services Committee, 2010-2012. 

Hosted the Board of Directors meeting of the America Floral Endowment (endowment.org), Jan 2012. 

Served as Conference Coordinator for the 2010 Seeley Conference. 

Member of SAF Business & Economic Trends Committee, 2009. 

Member of the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association Education Committee, 2009-2010. 

Serve as advisor to Southeast Greenhouse Growers Conference Education Committee, 2009. 

Chair of Southwest Growers Conference Steering Committee, 2007-2008. 

Member of Education Committee for the Southeast Greenhouse Conference, 2006-2007. 

Facilitated the strategic planning sessions for the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association, June 2006 and June 2007. 

Editor for the Economics and Marketing Section of the Proceedings of the Southern Nurseryman’s Association Research 

Conference, 2005-2007. 

Advisory Council, Southern Region Risk Management Education Center, 2005-2007.


Member of the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association Education Committee, 2004-2007. 

Elected to Board of Directors, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, 2004-2006. 

Member of the Tennessee Fruit and Vegetable Conference Planning Committee, 2004-2007 

Member of S1019 (formerly S222) Multi-state Regional Research Committee. Project entitled "Fruit and Vegetable 

Marketing Innovations and Demand Assessment", 1992-present. 

Member (and Chair for 4 years) of S1021 (formerly S290 and S103) Multi-state Regional Research Committee. Project 

entitled " Technical and Economic Efficiencies of Producing and Marketing Landscape Plants, 1989-present. 


Named the 2012 Hort Hero by Greenhouse Product News magazine. 

Appointed as Chief Economist of OFA – The Association of Horticulture Professionals, July 2012. 

Received the Porter Henegar Memorial Award from the Southern Nursery Association for significant contributions to 

ornamental horticulture research and to the Southern Nursery Association, January 2012. 

Received the ARP Award from the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association for outstanding service to the green industry, 

August 2011. 

Received the Hall of Fame & Honorary Lifetime Member Award from the Tennessee Nursery & Landscape Association, 

February 2008.


Edward W. Hellman 

Professor of Viticulture 

ewhellman@ag.tamu.edu 

Program Summary 2007-2012 

Dr. Hellman holds joint appointments with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (75%) and Texas Tech University (25%), 

serving on the graduate faculties of both universities and conducting extension, teaching and research programs. Extension 

activities include management of the Texas Winegrape Network website as the cornerstone of the Viticulture Extension 

program, and the Texas Viticulture Certificate Program. He also developed the Vineyard Doctor online diagnostic system and 

the Great Vineyards Program. Hellman led the statewide Viticulture Extension Team (4.0 FTE); leadership activities 

included assessing regional needs from advisory committees, setting statewide program priorities, approving annual plans of 

work, providing professional guidance and technical viticulture support, budget management, personnel supervision, and 

related administrative duties. Two innovative and impactful programs developed by Hellman and implemented by the 

Viticulture Extension Team are the Prospective Winegrower Workshops, which facilitates expansion of vineyard acreage, and 

the Great Vineyards Program, which focuses on encouraging best management practices. A new publication was developed 

by the Team, the 2012 Texas Grape Spray Guide. It provides regional recommendations on disease and insect control 

products. 

Hellman teaches one undergraduate and one graduate course at Texas Tech University. His viticulture research program 

involves collaborate investigation of the physiology of grapevine adaptation to climate, evaluation of grape cultivars and 

rootstocks, and analysis of climatic and edaphic conditions of Texas winegrowing regions. A recent area of emphasis is 

development of a GIS system for vineyard site assessment and matching grape variety to climate. Completion of this project 

will provide a rich database for exploring grape variety adaptation to environmental conditions. 



Ph.D. 1982 University of Arkansas Plant Sciences 

M.S. 1980 University of Illinois Horticulture 

B.S. 1977 University of Illinois Horticulture 


2007-present Professor and Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife (75%) 

Professor of Viticulture, Texas Tech University (25%) 

2000-2007 Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Texas A&M (75%) 

Associate Professor of Viticulture, Texas Tech University (25%) 

1994-2000 Associate Professor and Extension Horticulturist, Oregon State University. (100% Extension) 

1990-1994 Associate Professor of Horticulture, Kansas State University. (60% Teaching, 40% Research) 

1984-1990 Assistant Professor of Horticulture, Kansas State University (60% Teaching, 40% Research) 

1983-1984 Assistant Professor of Viticulture, Florida A&M University 

1980-1982 Graduate Research Assistant, University of Arkansas 

1978-1979 Graduate Research Assistant, University of Illinois 



Stafne, E.T., E.W. Hellman, R.K. Striegler, J.A. Wolpert, and J-M. Peltier. 2012. Industry Involvement in the Creation and 

Funding of the eXtension Grape Community of Practice. HortTechnology 22(5):580-582. 

Hellman, E.W., E.A. Takow, M.D. Tchakerian, and R.N. Coulson. 2011. Geology and Wine 13. Geographic information 

system characterization of four appellations in west Texas, USA. Geoscience Canada 38 (1):6-20. 


Takow, E., E.W. Hellman, A.G. Birt, M.D. Tchakerian, and R.N. Coulson. 2012. An Internet-Based GIS Application for 

Vineyard Site Assessment in the U.S. and Matching Grape Variety to Site. Proc. IXth International Terroir 

Congress. Vol. 2: 8-7 – 8-10. June 25-29, 2012. Dijon, France and Reims, France. 

Hellman, E.W., E.A. Takow, M. D. Tchakerian, and R. N. Coulson. 2010. Texas Terroir: GIS Characterization of the Texas 

High Plains AVA. Proc. VIII International Terroir Congress, Vol. 1:2-34 – 2-39. June 14-18, Soave, Italy. 

Hellman, E. and A. Basinger. 2009. Evaluation of Regulated Deficit Irrigation in West Texas. Proceedings of the 2009 Texas 

Viticulture & Enology Research Symposium. Granbury, TX. June 2. pp 7-9.


Hellman, E., Steven Shelby, Cynthia Lowery. 2009. Evaluation of Abscisic Acid to Delay Budburst of Grapevines. 

Proceedings of the 2009 Texas Viticulture & Enology Research Symposium. Granbury, TX. June 3. pp 52-54. 

Hellman, E.W. 2009. Current Status of Pierce’s Disease in Texas. Proceedings of 28th Annual Conference New Mexico Vine 

& Wine Society, Albuquerque, NM. Feb 27-28. pp 13-18. 

Hellman, E.W. 2009. Exploring the Wine Regions of Texas with GIS. Proceedings of 28th Annual Conference New Mexico 

Vine & Wine Society, Albuquerque, NM. Feb 27-28. pp 51-57. 

Montague, T. and E. Hellman. 2009. Physiology of Field-grown Cool, Warm, and Hot-Climate Grape Varieties on the Texas 

High Plains. Proceedings of the 2009 Texas Vitic. & Enol. Research Symposium. Granbury, TX. June 2. pp 4-6. 

Takow, E. A., E. Hellman, M. D. Tchakerian, and R. N. Coulson. 2009. Characterizing the Wine Growing Regions of Texas: 

An Application of GIS Technology. Proceedings of the 2009 Texas Viticulture & Enology Research Symposium. 

Granbury, TX. June 3. pp 28-30. 

Montague, T. and E. Hellman. 2009. Influence of wind on gas exchange of field-grown Cabernet Sauvignon in West Texas. 

Proceedings of the 2009 Texas Viticulture & Enology Research Symposium. Granbury, TX. June 3. pp 43-45. 

Trela, B., E. Hellman, D. Beard, and Z. Edgerton. 2009. Nutrient Status in Texas Wine Grapes and Potential Impacts to Wine 

Stability. Proceedings of the 2009 Texas Vitic. & Enol. Research Symposium. Granbury, TX. June 2. pp 22-24. 

Pate, D.K., E. Hellman, J. Johnson, P. Adams, T. Burns, F. Pontasch, and F. Westover. 2009. Enterprise Budgets as a Tool 

for Commercial Vineyard Management in Texas. Proceedings of the 2009 Texas Viticulture & Enology Research 

Symposium. Granbury, TX. June 2. pp 13-15. 

Montague, T., E. Hellman, and M. Krawitzky. 2008. Comparison of greenhouse grown, containerized grapevine stomatal 

conductance measurements using two differing porometers. Proceedings of the 2nd Annual National Viticulture 

Research Conference. Davis, California. pp. 58-59. 

Krawitzky, M., T. Montague, and E. Hellman, and M. 2008. Propagation success of grapevines infected with Xylella 

fastidiosa. Proceedings of the 2nd Annual National Viticulture Research Conference. Davis, California. p. 41. 

Takow, E.A, E.W. Hellman, M.D. Tchakerian, and R.N. Coulson. 2008. Utility of a Geographic Information System 

(AVATXIS) as a tool in the characterization of Texas Wine Regions. Proceedings of the 2nd Annual National Viticulture 

Research Conference. Davis, California. pp 82-83. 


Hellman, E.W. and M. Chien. 2012. Harvest. The Grapevine, July-August, pp. 12-15, 17, 19. 

Hellman, E.W. 2012. How to Judge Grape Ripeness Before Harvest. The Grapevine, July-August, pp 26-30. 

Hellman, E.W. 2012. Vintage 2011: Texas. Wine & Vines, January, p. 128. 

Hellman, E.W. 2010. Vintage 2009 – Texas. Wines & Vines. January, pp 118-119. 

Waterhouse, A.L., A. Lakso, M. Keller, E. Hellman, C. Butzke, B. Zoecklein. 2009. Impact of Innovation in Flavor: A Call 

to Action. Wine Business Monthly, June 15. 

Hellman, E.W. 2009. Vintage 2008 – Texas. Wines & Vines. January pp 126-128. 

Hellman, E.W. 2009. Harvest Report 2008 – Texas. Vineyard and Winery Management. January/February. p. 82. 

Hellman, E.W. 2008. Vintage 2007 - Texas. Wines & Vines, January. 

Extension Publications 2007-2012 

Hellman, E. 2012. Airblast Sprayer Calibration Worksheet. 

http://www.extension.org/pages/65642/airblast-sprayer-calibration-worksheet 

Adams, P, E. Hellman, F. Pontasch, D. Timmons, and F.Westover. 2012. Texas Grape Spray Guide. 

http://winegrapes.tamu.edu/grow/SprayGuide_2012.pdf 

Hellman, E. 2011. The Evapotranspiration Method for Irrigation Scheduling. 

http://www.extension.org/pages/32939/the-evapotranspiration-method-for-irrigation-scheduling 

Hellman, E. 2011. Frost Injury, Frost Avoidance, and Frost Protection in the Vineyard. 2011. 

http://www.extension.org/pages/31768/frost-injury-frost-avoidance-and-frost-protection-in-the-vineyard 

Hellman, E. 2010. Parts of the Grape Vine: Roots 

www.extension.org/pages/31099/parts-of-the-grape-vine:-roots 

Hellman, E. 2010. Parts of the Grape Vine: Shoots 

www.extension.org/pages/31098/parts-of-the-grape-vine:-shoots 

Hellman, E. 2010. Parts of the Grape Vine: Flowers and Fruits 

http://www.extension.org/pages/31097/parts-of-the-grape-vine:-flowers-and-fruit 

Hellman, E. 2010. Vineyard Irrigation and Water Management 

http://www.extension.org/pages/31516/vineyard-irrigation-and-water-management 

Hellman, E. and R. O’Brien. 2010. Pruning Grape Vines: An Overview http://www.extension.org/pages/31140/pruninggrape-vines:-an-overview 

Hellman, E. and R. O’Brien. 2010. Cane Pruning http://www.extension.org/pages/31514/cane-pruning


Hellman, E. and R. O’Brien. 2010. Grapevine Pruning Practices http://www.extension.org/pages/31513/grapevine-pruningpractices 

Hellman, E. and R. O’Brien. 2010. Spur Pruning http://www.extension.org/pages/31528/spur-pruning 

Kamas, J., E.W. Hellman, P.S. Adams, T.H. Burns, F.Pontasch, and F.A. Westover. 2008. Starting a Vineyard in Texas - A 

Guide for Prospective Growers. Texas Department of Agriculture. 27 pp. 

Hellman, E.W. 2008. Sustainable Viticulture Resources 

http://winegrapes.tamu.edu/grow/sustainablevitic.html 

Hellman, E.W. 2008. Resources for Organic Grape Production Methods 

http://winegrapes.tamu.edu/grow/organicmethods.html 

Hellman, E.W. 2008. Grape Gardening Resources 

http://winegrapes.tamu.edu/grow/gardening.html 

Hellman, E.W. 2008. Summer Bunch Rot. 

http://winegrapes.tamu.edu/grow/bunchrot.html 


Websites 

Hellman, E.W., F.A. Westover, and D. Holman. 2012. 

The Vineyard Doctor. (decision-support problem diagnostic system) 

https://vineyarddoctor.tamu.edu 

Stafne, E.T., E.W. Hellman, R.K. Striegler, K. Kelsey. 2010-present. 

eXtension: Grapes. (informational website) 

http://www.extension.org/grapes 

Takow, E.A, E.W. Hellman, M.D. Tchakerian, and R.N. Coulson. 2008-present. 

The Winegrowing Regions of Texas. (Interactive GIS characterization of regions) 

http://txwineregions.tamu.edu 

CDROM 

Pate, D.K., E. Hellman, and J. Johnson. 2011. “Texas Vineyard Budgets – Costs of Production for Commercial Vineyards in 

Texas.” Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University. College of Agricultural Sciences and 

Natural Resources Report T-1-602. 



PSS 4310 Viticulture II: Grape Production. Texas Tech University Spring: 2010, 2012 


PSS 5312 Vineyard Management. Texas Tech University Spring: 2010, 2012 



Michael Krawitzky M.S., Horticulture, 2009, Texas Tech University 


Yanmei Zhang, M.S., Plant & Soil Science, Texas Tech U. 2012 

Christi Townsend, Ph.D., Geography, 2012, Texas State University 

Daniel Pate, M.S., Agric. & Applied Econ., 2011, Texas Tech U. 

Elvis Takow, M.S., Rangeland Ecology & Mgt., 2008, Texas A&M 


None 


$200,000. Developing and Maintaining Viticulture Education Programs. Texas Department of Agriculture, Enology and 

Viticulture Extension and Research Grant Program. 2011-2013.


$250,000 Viticulture Research to Increase Yields and Enhance Quality. Texas Department of Agriculture, Enology and 

Viticulture Extension and Research Grant Program. Hellman, E.W. and T. Montague. (Hellman portion 

$125,000). 2010-2012. 

$34,015 Development of the Texas Sensitive Crops Website. Texas Specialty Crop Block Grant. 

A. Birt, M. Tchakerian, and R. Coulson (Co-PIs). 2011. 

$365,000. Hellman, E.W. 2010-2012. Developing and Maintaining Viticulture Education Programs. Texas Department of 

Agriculture, Enology and Viticulture Extension and Research Grant Program. Stafne, E.T., E.W. Hellman, R.K. 

Striegler, K. Kelsey. 2009-2012. Development of a Grape Community of Practice for the eXtension System. 

USDA-NIFA Specialty Crops Research Initiative. Total: $422,964; Hellman portion: $67,260. 

$65,000 Enhancing Academic Programs in Viticulture and Enology at Texas Tech University. Texas Department of 

Agriculture, Enology and Viticulture Extension and Research Grant Program. (Hellman portion $13,000). 

Thompson, T., B. Trela, E.W. Hellman, T. Montague, and C. McKenney. 2010-2012. 

$10,074 NE-1020 Coordinated Wine Grape Cultivar Evaluations in the Western U.S. USDA-CSREES Viticulture 

Consortium West. Shellie, K., H. Caspari, E. Hellman, B. Maier. (Hellman portion $2,307). 2010. 

$8,073 NE-1020 Coordinated Wine Grape Cultivar Evaluations in the Western U.S. USDA-CSREES Viticulture 

Consortium West. Hellman, E., H. Caspari, B. Maier, K. Shellie. Hellman portion: $1,306. 2009. 

$600 Support for the Texas Viticulture & Enology Research Symposium. Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association. 

2009. 

$470,000. Developing and Maintaining Viticulture and Enology-Related Programs. Texas Enology and Viticulture Research 

and Education Program, Texas Dept. Agriculture. Hellman, E.W. and J. Kamas. 2008-2009. 

$220,000 Viticulture Research: Grapevine physiology and cultivar evaluation. Texas Enology and Viticulture Research and 

Education Program, Texas Dept. Agriculture. Hellman, E.W. and T. Montague. 2008-Hellman portion: $145,200. 

2009. 

$100,000 The Effects of Nutrition on the Stability of Texas Wines. Texas Enology and Viticulture Research and Education 

Program, Texas Dept. Agriculture. Hellman portion: $4,368. Trela, B. and E.W. Hellman. 2008-2009. 

$1,740 Coordinated Wine Grape Variety Evaluations in the Western U.S. Viticulture Consortium – West.. 

Caspari, H., E.W Hellman, B. Maier, K. Shellie, E. Stover, and J. Wolpert. 2008. 

$2,500 National Viticulture Extension Leadership Conference. E. & J. Gallo Winery. 2008. 

$118,000 Viticulture Research: Grapevine physiology and cultivar evaluation. Texas Enology and Viticulture Research and 

Education Program, Texas Dept. Agriculture. Hellman portion:$77,880. Hellman, E.W. and T. Montague. 2007. 

$69,000. Development of a geographic information system for the study of Pierce’s disease in Texas. USDA-APHIS. 

2007. 

$20,000. Renovation of the Viticulture Field Laboratory into a Viticulture and Enology Laboratory. Wine & Food 

Foundation of Texas. 2007. 

$2,500 National Viticulture Extension Leadership Conference. E. & J. Gallo Winery. 2007. 

$470,000. Viticulture Outreach Education Team. Texas Enology and Viticulture Research and Education Program, Texas 

Dept. Agriculture. Hellman, E.W. and J. Kamas. 2006-2008. 

$54,400. Viticulture and Enology Certificate Program. Texas Enology and Viticulture Research and Education Program, 

Texas Dept. Agriculture. Hellman, E.W., T. Montague, and M. McBurney. 2006-2008.




None. 


None. 


American Journal of Enology and Viticulture 

HortScience 


Journal American Pomological Society 

Environmental Modeling & Software 

Journal of Maps 


Horticultural Sciences Tenure and Promotion Committee, 2007-present 

Search Committee, Enology Faculty, Nutrition & Food Science, 2006-2007 


Technical Program Committee, American Society Enology and Viticulture, 2011-present 

Board of Directors, National Grape and Wine Initiative, 2004-present 

Chair, Extension and Outreach Education Committee, National Grape & Wine Initiative. 2004-2009; 2012 

Research Committee, National Grape and Wine Initiative, 2012 

Executive Committee, National Grape and Wine Initiative, 2007-2009 

Texas Wine Industry Development Program Advisory Committee, Texas Department of Agriculture, 2005-2009. 

Wilder Medal Committee, American Pomological Society, 2008-2010 

Organizing Committee, National Viticulture Research Conference, 2007, 2008 

Proposal Reviewer, Viticulture Consortium – East, 2004-2009 

Guidance Committee, Viticulture Consortium – West, 2006-2009 

Technical Projects Committee, American Society for Enology and Viticulture. 2003-2009 

Moderator, 2008 National Viticulture Research Conference 

Chair, Outstanding Researcher Award Selection Committee, American Society for Horticultural Science, 2008 

Chair, NE1020: Multi-state Evaluation of Winegrape Cultivars and Clones, 2007 


Pioneer Award. Kansas Grape Growers and Winemakers Association. 2007.


James Stanley Kamas 

Asst. Professor & Extension Specialist- Viticulture & Pomology 

j-kamas@tamu.edu 


Jim Kamas has a 100% Extension appointment with the Texas A&M AgriLife 

Extension Service and works as an extension fruit specialist, stationed in 

Fredericksburg, TX. Jim is active in applied research projects evaluating new and 

heirloom Pierce's disease resistant grape varieties, the impact of grape rootstocks on 

vine performance and disease tolerance and the management of cotton root rot in Texas 

vineyards. Through on-site visitations, phone and email contacts, he assists 

commercial and home growers with cultural practice problems including fruit nutrition, 

pruning and crop-load management, orchard/vineyard ground cover management and 

disease and insect control. Kamas is active in the national Pierce's disease research and 

education effort and currently serves as the outreach coordinator for the Texas Pierce's 

Disease Research & Education Program. 


B.S. Horticultural Sciences, 1977, Texas A&M University 

M.S. Horticultural Sciences, 1982, Texas A&M University 


March 1996- Present- Asst. Professor & Extension Specialist- Viticulture & Pomology, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension 

Service, Fredericksburg, Texas 

May 1988- March 1996-Area Extension Grape Specialist & Extension Team Leader Lake Erie Regional Grape Program 

Cornell University/Penn St. University 

September 1980-September 1983-Instructor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, 

Texas. (Introductory Pomology, Temperate Fruit Production, Undergraduate Honors Program 

January 1978-September 1983-Research Associate, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station, Texas (Fruit 

Breeding and Variety Development) 

January 1978- May 1988- Commercial Fruit Grower, Mill Creek Orchards, Austin County, Texas 


Kamas, J. and L. Stein. Texas Peach Handbook Texas A&M University Press. April, 2011, 172pp. 

Moore, J., J. Clark, J. Kamas, L. Stein, F. Tarkington and M. Tarkington. 2011. Victoria Red Grape. J. Hortscience 46(5): 

817-820. 

Johnson, S., R. Andersen, W. Autio, T. Beckman, B. Black, P. Byers, J. Cline, C. Chavez-Gonzalez, W. Cowgill, R. Godin, 

G. Greene, M. Kaps, J. Kamas, H. Larsen, T. Lindstrom, D. Miller, M. Newell, D. Ophardt, D. Ouellette, R. Parra- 

Quezada, R. Pokharel, G. Reighard, T. Robinson, J. Schupp, L. Stein, K. Taylor, C. Walsh, D. Ward, M. Warmund, and 

M. Whiting. 2011. Performance of the 2002 NC-140 Cooperative Peach Rootstock Planting. J. Amer. Pomol. Soc. 

65:17-25 

G. Reighard, T. Beckman, R. Belding, B. Black, J. Cline, W. Cowgill, R. Godin, R. Johnson, J. Kamas, M. Kaps, H. Larsen, 

T. Lindstrom, D. Ouellette, R. Pokharel, L. Stein, K. Taylor, C. Walsh, D. Ward and M. Whiting. 2011. Performance of 

Prunus Rootstocks in the 2001 NC-140 Peach Trial. Proc. IX th IS on Orchard Systems. Acta Hort. ISHS 2011. pp463-468. 

Black, M. and J. Kamas Progress of Pierce's Disease in Three Vitis vinifera Scions Grafted on Three Rootstocks. 

Proceedings of 2010 CDFA Pierce's Disease Research Symposium. pp155-158. 

Appel, D., M. Black and J. Kamas. 2010. Biological Control Trials With EB 92-1 in Texas. Proceedings of 2010 CDFA 

Pierce's Disease Research Symposium. pp 151-154 

Úrbez-Torres, J., P. Adams, J. Kamas and W. Gubler. 2009. Identification, Incidence, and Pathogenicity of Fungal Species 

Associated with Grapevine Dieback in Texas. American Journal of Enology & Viticulture (60:4, pp. 497-507). 

Black, M. and J. Kamas. 2008. More Texas Xylella fastidiosa isolates colonized Helianthus annuus and Iva annua than 

Ambrosia trifida var. texana and Vitis vinifera 'Chardonnay'. Phytopathology[0031-949X] vol 98.iss6: pg S23 

Black, M. and J. Kamas. 2007. Assays of Texas Vineyard Soils for Effects on Pierce's Disease of Grape. Proceedings of 

2007 CDFA Pierce's Disease Research Symposium. pp228-229.


Contributor to Southeast Peach, Plum and Nectarine Pest Management and Culture Guide, 2008-2013. 

Extension Publications 

Nesbitt, M., J. Kamas & L. Stein. 2013. Texas Fruit & Nut Production Series: Blueberries. Texas A&M AgriLife 

Extension publication E-603. 7pp. 

Nesbitt, M., L. Stein and J. Kamas. 2013 Texas Fruit & Nut Production Series: Improved Pecans. Texas A&M AgriLife 


Stein, L., M. Nesbitt and J. Kamas. 2013. Texas Fruit & Nut Production Series: Native Pecans. Texas A&M AgriLife 


Stein, L., M. Nesbitt and J. Kamas. 2013. Texas Fruit & Nut Production Series: Persimmons. Texas A&M AgriLife 

Extension publication E-611. 6pp 

Stein, L., J. Kamas & M. Nesbitt. 2013. Texas Fruit & Nut Production Series: Plums, Nectarines, Apricots, Cherries, 

Almonds and Prunus Hybrids. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension publication E-612. 6pp. 

Stein, L., J. Kamas and M. Nesbitt. 2013. Texas Fruit & Nut Production Series: Pomegranates. Texas A&M AgriLife 

Extension publication E-613. 6pp 

Kamas, J., D. Appel, M. Black, J. Lewis and L. Morano. 2012. Pierce's Disease Overview & Management Guide. Texas 

Pierce's Disease Research & Education Program. 103pp. 

Knutson, A., K. Ong, J. Kamas, B. Ree & D. Mott. 2010(rev). Homeowners' Guide to Pests of Peach, Plum and Pecan. 

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension publication E-145. 9pp. 

Professional Committee Involvement 

California Dept. of Food & Ag./PIPRA Transgenic Pierce's Disease Material Review Committee 2012- Present 

California Dept. of Food & Ag. Glassy Winged Sharpshooter Scientific Advisory Committee Meeting 2001-present 

Viticulture Consortium East- Regional Guidance Committee 2006-2011, Geneva, NY. Reviewed all proposals submitted to 

VC-East and participated in discussion and allocation of research fundss. 

Proposal & Book Chapter Reviews 

2013 Reviewed chapters for Compendium of Grape Diseases, American Phytopathological Society Press 

2009/10 Reviewed Research Proposals for the California Dept. of Food & Agriculture's Competitive Pierce's Disease 

Research Program 

2008- Reviewed Research Proposals Submitted to the Missouri Wine Grape Board 

Grants & Contracts Awarded- 2007-2012 

$125,300 2012-2013. J. Kamas & M. Black. Identifying Superior Pierce's Disease Varieties and Rootstocks, Texas Dept. 

of Agriculture, Specialty Crop Research Initiative Block Grant. 

$205,515 2011-2012. J. Kamas. Evaluation of Traditionally Bred PD Tolerant Vitis Germplasm in PD Prone Regions of 

Texas; Pierce's Disease Educational Outreach for Texas and Other Eastern U.S. Grape Growing Regions, 

USDA/APHIS Cooperative Agreement 

$64,664 2011-2012. M. Black & J. Kamas. Expanded Rootstock Trials in High and Moderate Pierce's Disease Risk 

Areas in Texas. USDA/APHIS Cooperative Agreement 

$90,000 2011-2012. D. Appel, M. Black & J. Kamas. Continuing Studies on Biological and Chemical Control of 

Pierce’s Disease of Grapes: does imidacloprid play a role in vine resistance? USDA/APHIS Cooperative 

Agreement 

$147,897 2010-2011. J. Kamas. Evaluation of Traditionally Bred PD Tolerant Vitis Germplasm with Potential Tolerance 

to Pierce's Disease, and Extension Outreach for Texas and Other Eastern U.S. Grape Growing Regions. 


$68,948 2009-2010. J. Kamas. Evaluation and Investigation of Vitis Germplasm with Potential Tolerance to Pierce’s 

Disease, and Pierce’s Disease Extension Outreach for Texas and Other Areas Affected by Pierce’s Disease. 


$50,000 2009-2010. J. Kamas & I. Lauziere. Supplemental Pierce’s Disease Investigations on the High Plains of Texas. 


$134,280 2009-2010. M. Black, J. Kamas and N. Troxclair. Developing Pierce’s disease control strategies for Texas: host 

plant resistance, vegetation management, supplemental hosts of Xylella fastidiosa, and isolate characterization 

$69,873 2008-2009 . J. Kamas. Evaluation and Investigation of Vitis Germplasm with Potential Tolerance to Pierce's 

Disease, Cooperating in the Exploration of Xylella Hosts & Variability and Pierce's Disease Extension Outreach 

for Texas and Other Eastern Affected Areas. USDA/APHIS Cooperative Agreement 

$79,395 2007-2008. J. Kamas. Pierce’s Disease Applied Research in Texas & Extension Outreach for Texas and Other 

Affected Areas. USDA/APHIS Cooperative Agreement


Patricia Elaine Klein 

Associate Professor 

pklein@tamu.edu 


Dr. Klein holds a split appointment between teaching and research. Teaching responsibilities include two undergraduate 

courses in the field of general Horticulture and Garden Science. She also serves as the chair of two Ph.D. student committees 

and as a member of an additional seven graduate student committees outside the Department. Her research program focuses 

on developing the genomic tools and resources in cereal crops to enable map base cloning of genes of economic/agronomic 

importance, to understand the underlying mechanisms that plants use to withstand abiotic stress (particularly drought stress), 

and to aid in the development of plant feedstocks for the emerging biofuels industry. More recently her program has 

broadened into the area of invasive species and her group is working to establish a population genetic profile of the invasive 

weed, Imperata cylindrica, as a first step in the development of a host-specific biological control for this federal noxious 

weed. Much of Dr. Klein’s program has been aimed at developing genomic tools and resources for sorghum, a model C4 

cereal grass. These efforts have resulted in the construction of an integrated genetic, physical, cytogenetic and comparative 

map of the sorghum genome, development of more than 200,000 sorghum ESTs, development and use of microarray, RT- 

PCR and RNA-Seq technology for the analysis of gene expression in response to biotic and osmotic stress, and development 

of genotyping-by-sequencing technology for sorghum and other C4 grasses. Dr. Klein is actively engaged with other 

members of the Horticulture Department to transfer much of this genomic technology to additional crops including rose and 

pecan. In a service capacity, Dr. Klein is an Associate Editor of The Plant Genome and serves as an advisory board member 

for Gramene, the grass comparative genomics database. 



Ph.D. 1989 Texas A&M University Biochemistry 

M.S. 1984 Texas Tech University Crop Science 

B.S. 1982 Texas A&M University Horticulture 


2002 – present Associate Professor, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University (2002-2008: 90% 

research, 5% teaching, 5% service; 2008-present: 65% research, 30% teaching, 5% service) 

2001-2002 Assistant Professor, Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Texas AgriLife Research (90 

% research, 5% teaching, 5% service) 

1997-2001 Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas AgriLife Research (90 % 

research, 5% teaching, 5% service) 

1995-1997 Research Associate, USDA-ARS, Eastern Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, PA (100% 

research) 

|1993-1994 Assistant Professor, Dept. of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, University of Kentucky 

(75% research, 25% teaching) 

1989-1992 NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Plant Pathology, University of Kentucky 

(100% research) 



Morishige, D.T., P.E. Klein, J.L. Hilley, S.M.E. Sahraeian, A. Sharma and J.E. Mullet (2013) Digital Genotyping of 

Sorghum – A Diverse Plant Species with a Large Repeat-Rich Genome. BMC Genomics In press. 

Klein, R.R., F.R. Miller, P.E. Klein, and J.J. Burke (2013) Registration of Partially Converted Germplasm from 44 

Accessions of the USDA-ARS Ethiopian and Sudanese Sorghum Collections. J. of Plant Registrations. In press. 

Wang, Y-H., H.D. Upadhyaya, A.M. Burrell, S.M.E. Sahraeian, R.R. Klein and P.E. Klein (2013) Genetic Structure and 

Linkage Disequilibrium in a Diverse, Representative Collection of the C4 Model Plant, Sorghum bicolor. G3: Genes, 

Genomes, Genetics. In press. 

Felderhoff, T.J., S.C. Murray, P.E. Klein, A. Sharma, M.T. Hamblin, S. Kresovich, W. Vermerris, and W.L. Rooney 

(2012) QTLs for Energy-Related Traits in a Sweet × Grain Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (l.) Moench] Mapping 

Population. Crop. Sci. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2011.11.0618. 

Dugas, D.V. , M.K. Monaco, A. Olsen, R.R. Klein, S. Kumari, D. Ware and P.E. Klein (2011) Functional Annotation of the 

Transcriptome of Sorghum bicolor in Response to Osmotic Stress and Abscisic Acid. BMC Genomics. 12: 514. 

Murphy, R.L., R.R. Klein, D.T. Morishige, J.A. Brady, W.L. Rooney, F.R. Miller, D.V. Dugas, P.E. Klein and J.E. Mullet 

(2011) Coincident Light and Clock Regulation of PRR37 Controls Photoperiodic Flowering in Sorghum. Proc. Natl.


Acad. Sci. USA. 108: 16469-16474. 

Jordan, D., R.R. Klein, K. Sakrewski, R. Henzell, P.E. Klein and E. Mace (2011) Mapping and Characterization of Rf5: A 

New Gene Conditioning Pollen Fertility Restoration in A1 and A2 Cytoplasm in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) 

Moench). Theor. Appl. Genet. 123: 383-396. 

O’Shea, B., S. Khare, P. Klein, A. Rousell, L.G. Adams, T.A. Ficht and A.C. Rice-Ficht (2011) Amplified Fragment 

Length Polymorphism Reveals Specific Epigenetic Distinctions between Mycobacterium avium subspecies 

paratuberculosis Isolates of Varying Invasion Types. J. of Clin. Microbiol. 49: 2222-2229. 

Burow, G.B., R.R. Klein, C.D. Franks, P.E. Klein, K.F. Schertz, G.A. Pederson, Z. Xin and J.J. Burke (2010) Registration 

of the BTx623/IS3620C Recombinant Inbred Mapping Population of Sorghum. J. Plant Registrations 5: 141-145. 

Jordan, D.R., E.S. Mace, R.G. Henzell, P.E. Klein and R.R. Klein (2010) Molecular Mapping and Candidate Gene 

Identification of the Rf2 Gene for Pollen Fertility Restoration in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). Theor. 

Appl. Genet. doi: 10.1007/s00122-009-1255-3. 

Kuhlman, L.C., B.L. Burson, D. Stelly, P. Klein, R.R. Klein, H.J. Price, and W.L. Rooney (2010) Early-Generation 

Germplasm Introgression from Sorghum macrospermum into Sorghum (S. bicolor). Genome 53: 419-429. 

Mace E.S., J.F. Rami, S. Bouchet, P.E. Klein, R.R. Klein, A. Kilian, P. Wenzl, L. Xia, K. Halloran, and D.R. Jordan (2009) A 

Consensus Genetic Map of Sorghum that Integrates Multiple Component Maps and High-throughput Diversity Array 

Technology (DArT) Markers. BMC Plant Biol. doi: 10.1186/1471-2229-9-13. 

Paterson, A.H., J.E. Bowers, R. Bruggmann, I. Dubchak, J. Grimwood, H. Gundlach, G. Haberer, U. Hellsten, T. Mitros, A. 

Poliakov, J. Schmutz, M. Spannagl, H. Tang, X. Wany, T. Wicker, A. Bharti, J. Chapman, F.A. Feltus, U. Gowik, I.V. 

Grigoriev, E. Lyons, C.A. Maher, M. Martis, A. Narechania, R.P. Otillar, B.W. Pennings, A.A. Salamov, Y. Wang, L. 

Zhang, N.C. Carpita, M. Freeling, A.R. Gingle, C.T. Hash, B. Keller, P. Klein, S. Kresovich, M.C. McCann, R. Ming, 

D.G. Peterson, M-Rahman, D. Ware, P. Westhoff, K.F.X. Mayer, J. Messing, and D.S. Rokhsar (2009) The Sorghum 

bicolor Genome and the Diversification of Grasses. Nature 457: 551-556. 

Murray, S.C., A. Sharma, W.L. Rooney, P.E. Klein, J.E. Mullet, S.E. Mitchell, and S. Kresovich (2008) Genetic 

Improvement of Sorghum as a Biofuel Feedstock: I. QTL for Stem Sugar and Grain Nonstructural Carbohydrates. Crop 

Sci. 48: 2165-2179. 

Murray, S.C., W.L. Rooney, S.E. Mitchell, A. Sharma, P.E. Klein, J.E. Mullet, and S. Kresovich (2008) Genetic 

Improvement of Sorghum as a Biofuel Feedstock: II. QTL for Stem and Leaf Structural Carbohydrates. Crop Sci. 48: 

2180-2193. 

Kuhlman, L.C., B.L. Burson, P.E. Klein, R.R. Klein, D.M. Stelly, H.J. Price, and W.L. Rooney (2008) Genetic 

Recombination in Sorghum bicolor × S. macrosperum Interspecific Hybrids. Genome 51: 749-756. 

Ramasamy, P., M.A. Menz, P.J. Mehta, S. Katile, L.A. Gutierrez-Rojas, R.R. Klein, P.E. Klein, L.K. Prom, J.A. Schlueter, 

W.L. Rooney and C.W. Magill (2008) Molecular Mapping of Cg1, a Gene for Resistance to Anthracnose 

(Colletotrichum sublineolum) in Sorghum (2008) Euphytica doi: 10.1007/s10681-008-9791-5 

Conner, J.A., S. Goel, G. Gunawan, M-M. Cordonnier-Pratt, V.E. Johnson, C. Liang, H. Wang, L.H. Pratt, J.E. Mullet, J. 

DeBarry, L. Yang, J.L. Bennetzen, P.E. Klein, and P. Ozias-Akins (2008) Sequence Analysis of Bacterial Artificial 

Chromosome Clones from the Apospory-Specific Genomic Region of Pennisetum and Cenchrus. Plant Physiol. 147: 

1396-1411. 

Klein, R.R., J.E. Mullet, D.R. Jordan, F.R. Miller, W.L. Rooney, M.A. Menz, C.D. Franks, and P.E. Klein (2008) The Effect 

of Tropical Sorghum Conversion and Inbred Development on Genome Diversity as Revealed by High-Resolution 

Genotyping. Crop Sci. 48: S-12-S-26. 

Magalhaes, J.V., J. Liu, C.T. Guimarães, U.G.P. Lana, V.M.C. Alves, Y-H. Wang, R.E. Schaffert, O.A. Hoekenga, M.A. 

Piñeros, J.E. Shaff, P.E. Klein, N.P. Carneiro, C.M. Coelho, H.N. Trick, and L.V. Kochian (2007) A Member of the 

Multidrug and Toxic Compound Extrusion MATE Family is a Major Gene that Confers Aluminum Tolerance in 

Sorghum. Nature Genet. 39: 1156-1161. 

Yim, Y.S., G. Davis, P. Moak, H. Sanchez-Villeda, T. Musket, P. Close, P.E. Klein, J.E. Mullet, M.D. McMullen, Z. Fang, 

M. Shaeffer, J. Gardiner, and E.H. Coe, Jr. (2007) A BAC Pooling Strategy Combined with PCR-based Screenings in a 

Large, Highly Repetitive Genome Enables Integration of the Maize Genetic and Physical Maps. BMC Genomics doi: 

10.1186/1471-2164-8-47. 

Caniato, F., C. Guimarães, R. Schaffert, V. Alves, L. Kochian, A. Borém, P. Klein, and J. Magalhaes (2007) Genetic 

Diversity for Aluminum Tolerance in Sorghum. Theor. Appl. Genet. doi: 10.1007/ss00122-006-0485-x. 

Nagy, E.D., T-C. Lee, W. Ramakrishna, Z. Xu, P.E. Klein, P. San Miguel, C-P. Cheng, J. Li, K.M. Devos, K. Schertz, L. 

Dunkle, and J.L. Bennetzen (2007) Fine Mapping of the Pc locus of Sorghum bicolor, a Gene Controllng the Reaction to 

a Fungal Pathogen and Its Host Resistance. Theor. Appl. Genet. 114: 961-970. 


Borrell, A., D. Jordan, B. George-Jaeggli, E. Mace, S. Hamlet, G. Hammer, G. Mclean, E. van Oosterom, C. Hunt, P. Klein


and J. Mullet (2010) Fine-Mapping Candidate Genes for ‘Stay-Green’ in Sorghum: Simplicity Beyond Complexity? 

2010 Australian Summer Grains Conference, Queensland, AU. 

Carmen, J.G., M.S. Jamison, J. Pattanayak, J. Lacey, J.-S. Kim, E.G. Elliot, P. Klein, T. Ulrich, and K Dwivedi (2007) 

Genetic Analyses of Aposporous Embryo Sac Formation in Sorghum. In Biotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture 

2006 and Beyond (Xu, Z., Li, J, Xue, Y and Yang, W., eds.) Vol. 13, pp. 305-307, Springer Netherlands. 


Maintain one class website and one research website: 

HORT 301 website: https://www-horticulture.tamu.edu/courses/course/view.php?id=49 

Research website: http://sorgblast3.tamu.edu 


None 


A.K. Borrell, D.R. Jordan, J. Mullet and P. Klein (2011) Drought Tolerant Plants. Provisional Patent Application Number: 

61/561763 

J.E. Mullet, W.L. Rooney, P.E. Klein, D. Morishige, R. Murphy and J.A. Brady (2009) Discovery and Utilization of 

Sorghum Genes (Ma5/Ma6). Provisional Patent Number: US 2010/0024065 A1 

L. Kochian, J. Liu, J.V. Magalhaes, C.T. Guimaraes, R.E. Schaffert, V.M.C. Alves, and P. Klein (2009) Sorghum Aluminum 

Tolerance Gene, SbMate. Patent Number: US 7,582,809 B2 



Horticulture 201H, Horticultural Sciences and Practices – Honors Section, Fall 2009 and 2011 

Horticulture 301, Garden Science, Spring 2012 and 2013 

Horticulture 491, Undergraduate Research, Spring 2010 

Genetics 491, Undergraduate Research, Fall 2012 

Genetics 491, Undergraduate Research, Fall 2011 


Horticulture 691, Research, each semester year-round, Spring 2012-present 

Molecular and Environmental Plant Science 691, Research, each semester year-round, Fall 2012-present 



Mahnaz Kiani. Current Ph.D. student. Annotation of Cell Wall Biosynthesis Genes and Their Expression in High Biomass 

Sorghum. 

Nikhil Patil. Current Ph.D. student. Mapping of Abiotic and Biotic Stress in Sorghum RIL Populations. 

Jason Anderson. 2010. Ph.D. Cytogenomic Analyses of the Genus Sorghum. (Co-advised with Dr. David Stelly) 

Bin Zhou. 2006. Ph.D. Construction of a Minimal Tiling Path Across the Euchromatic Arms of Sorghum Chromosome 3 and 

Comparative Analysis with the Rice Chromosome 1 Pseudomolecule. 


Jason Anderson, Biology Faculty, Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts. 

Bin Zhou, Research Scientist, Novavax, Rockville, MD. 


Adam Mahan. Current student, Ph.D., Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. Estimation and validation of effective meiotic 

recombination rate variation and its importance from a large maize population with different line-cross designs. 

John Gill. Current student, Ph.D. Plant Breeding, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Intergeneric hybridization in 

sorghum. 

Matt Bartek. Current student, Ph.D. Plant Breeding, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Development of sorghum x 

sugarcane hybrids and their characterization. 

Xiuting Zheng. Current student, Ph.D., Molecular and Environmental Sciences, Analysis and breeding of reniform nematoderesistant 

cottons by marker-assisted selection. 

Melissa Ganotis. Current student, Ph.D. Plant Breeding, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. Mapping kernel traits in a 

sorghum RIL population.


Herb Dustin. Current student, M.S. Plant Breeding, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. Analysis of bioenergy related 

traits in a sorghum energy association panel. 

Sabyasachi Mandal. Current student, Ph.D., Department of Biology. Project in preparation. 

Yiyi Wang. 2012. Ph.D., Department of Statistics, Statistical models for next generation sequencing data. 

Brock Weers. 2011. Ph.D., Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences, Integrated analysis of phenology, traits, and QTL in 

the drought tolerant sorghum genotypes BTx642 and RTx7000. 

Dan Packer. 2011. Ph.D., Plant Breeding, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, High-biomass sorghums for biomass fuel 

production. 

Terry Felderhoff. 2011. M.S., Plant Breeding, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, QTLs for energy related traits in a 

sweet x grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) population. 

YiYi Wang. 2009. M.S., Department of Statistics, Genome-wide co-expression based prediction of differential gene 

expression – Application to sorghum data. 

Les Kuhlman. 2007. Ph.D. Plant Breeding, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Sorghum introgression breeding utilizing 

S. macrospermum. 

Karen Harris. 2007. Ph.D., Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Genetic analysis of the Sorghum bicolor stay-green 

drought tolerance trait. 

Brian O’Shea. 2007. Ph.D., Veterinary Microbiology, Genetic analysis of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis 

reveals sequence and epigenetic variation among field isolates. 

Jeff Brady. 2006. Ph.D., Genetics, Sorghum Ma 5 and Ma 6 maturity genes. 

Merribeth Henry. 2006. M.S., Department of Plant Pathology, Characterization of Sclerotinia minor populations in Texas. 

Sanghyun Lim. 2006. M.S., Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences, Sorghum gene expression modulated by water 

deficit and cold stress. 


Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences Faculty 


$166,193 Mapping Genetic Determinants of Salinity Tolerance in Sorghum. NuSeed Americas, Inc. Funded 

$166,193. 2012-2014. 

$323,000 A Population-Genetic Inventory of the Invasive Weed, Imperata cylindrica, to Expedite the Development 

of Viable Biological Controls. USDA-NIFA. Funded $500,000 ($323,000 to P. Klein). 2012-2016. 

$1,822,886 Development of Bioenergy Sorghum, PhaseII. Ceres, Inc. Funded $9,449,465 ($1,822,886 to P. Klein). 

2011-2016. 

$105,000 Developmental Plan for Salinity Tolerance in Sorghum. NuSeed Americas, Inc. Funded $109,965 

($105,000 to P. Klein). 2011-2012. 

$287,500 Genomics of Energy Sorghum Biomass Accumulation. US Department of Agriculture/Department of 

Energy. Funded $999,999 ($287,500 to P. Klein). 2010-2013. 

$959,117 Development of Bioenergy Sorghum. Ceres, Inc. Funded $3,583,540 ($959,117 to P. Klein). 2007-2011. 

$0 MRI: Acquisition of a Roche 454 FLX Pyrosequencing Instrument: Development of a Nexus for Cross- 

Platform Next-Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics. National Science Foundation. Funded $618,731 

with all funds allocated to the Borlaug Center for major instrumentation purchases. 2009-2012. 

$65,000 Improving Sorghum Genome Resources for Cereal Crop Improvement. USDA – Specific Cooperative 

Funded $65,000. 2009-2014. 

$146,561 Molecular Genetic Analysis of Carya. USDA – Specific Cooperative Funded $146,561. 2006-2011. 

$25,000 Cloning an Insect Resistance Gene from Sorghum. Department of Employment, Economic Development 

and Innovation, Queensland, Australia. Funded $30,000 ($25,000 to P. Klein). 2006-2009. 

$174,300 Genetic Enhancement of Sorghum Biomass for Bioenergy. Department of Energy/US Department of 

Agriculture. Funded $800,000 ($174,430 to P. Klein). 2006-2008. 

$21,587 A Population-Genetic Inventory of the Invasive Plant Species, Imperata cylindrica (Cogongrass) to 

Expedite the Development of Viable Biological Controls. Texas AgriLife Research Genomics Seed Grant 

Program. Funded $21,587. 2011-2012. 

$33,500 QTL Mapping for Three Value Added Traits in Corn: Aflatoxin Resistance, Blue Grain, and High-Oleic 

Acid in a High Resolution Population. Texas AgriLife Research Monocot Improvement Program. Funded 

$100,000 ($33,500 to P. Klein). 2011-2013.




USDA-NIFA, 2011 

Whole Systems Genomics Initiative for Improved Human, Animal, and Environmental Wellbeing (WSGI) Catalyst Grant 

Program, May – June 2011 

External grant reviewer for The Missouri Life Science Research Board for 2007 

Editorial and Advisory boards on which you served 2007-2012 

The Plant Genome, Associate Editor, 2005-present 

Scientific Advisory Board for Gramene, member, 2005-present 

Scientific Advisory Board for the Sorghum Translational Genomics Program at Kansas State University, member, 2007-2010 


Theoretical and Applied Genetics 

BMC Genomics 

Plant Physiology 

Crop Science 

PLoS One 

Genetics 

Molecular and General Genomics 

BMC Plant Biology 

Genetics 


TAMU Institutional Biosafety Committee, member, 2003 – present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Graduate Program Committee, member, 2011 – present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Scholarship Committee, 2011 – present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Ad hoc committee for development of a Master’s of Horticulture degree 

program, member, 2010. 

TAMU Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Business Administrator Search Committee, member, February 2013. 

TAMU Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Facilities Coordinator Search Committee, member, March 2012. 

TAMU Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Computer/Bioinformatics Committee, Chair, 2011-present 

TAMU Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Growth Chamber/Greenhouse Committee, member, 2005-present. 

TAMU Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences Interdisciplinary Program, Graduate Admissions Committee, member, 

2012-present. 

TAMU Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences Interdisciplinary Program, Nomination Committee, member, 2010. 

TAMU Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Quantitative Genetics – Assistant Professor Search Committee, member, 

2007-2008. 


None 


2012 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Interdisciplinary Research.


Hisashi Koiwa 


koiwa@tamu.edu 


Dr. Koiwa’s research program focuses on molecular basis for plant abiotic stress tolerance. Dr. Koiwa uses a model plant 

Arabidopsis thaliana and aim to identify genes important for osmotic stress responses/tolerance and determine their cellular 

functions. Particular emphasis is in protein phosphatases that belong to plant RNA polymerase II carboxyl-terminal 

phosphatase-like (CPL) family, that are presumed important for global transcriptional regulations. In particular, Dr. Koiwa’s 

group focuses on CPL1 and its roles in osmotic stress responses and iron deficiency signaling. 

Dr. Koiwa’s group also studies regulation of plant salt/osmotic stress response that operates at post-translational N- 

glycosylation of proteins. Complex N-glycans that are synthesized in the Golgi determine salt/osmotic stress tolerance of 

root growth. Interestingly, N-glycan modification regulates cellulose biosynthesis pathway. A cell-wall –based osmotic 

stress tolerance determinant, KORRIGAN1, was identified and its mode of function is under investigation. 

In Teaching, Dr. Koiwa offer two graduate courses and 1 graduate lab course. Dr. Koiwa currently advise two Ph.D., student 

as a chair and serves on thesis committee of 4 other students. 

In a service capacity, Dr. Koiwa serves on Horticulture Graduate Program Committee, MEPS executive committee and chairs 

MEPS2013 symposium program committee. Dr. Koiwa also serves on the editorial board for The Journal of Biological 

Chemistry. 



Ph.D. 1996 Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. Agricultural Chemistry 

M.S. 1993 Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. Agricultural Chemistry 

B.S. 1991 Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. Agricultural Chemistry 


Sep, 2008-present Associate Professor, Dept of Hort. Sci., Texas A&M University 

(65% Research, 30% teaching, 5% service) 

Aug, 2002-Aug 2008 Assistant Professor, Dept of Hort. Sci., Texas A&M University 

(50% research, 50% teaching) 

1999-Aug, 2002 Research Plant Biologist, Dept of Hort. & LA, Purdue University 



1. Amirhusin, B., Shade, R.E., Koiwa, H., Hasegawa, P.M., Bressan, R.A., Murdock, L.L., and Zhu-Salzman, K. (2007) 

Protease inhibitors from several classes work synergistically against Callosobruchus maculatus. J. Insect Physiol. 53, 

734-40. 

2. Ahn, J.E., Lovingshimer, M.R., Salzman, R.A., Presnail, J.K., Lu, A.L., Koiwa, H., and Zhu-Salzman, K. 

(2007) Cowpea bruchid Callosobruchus maculatus counteracts dietary protease inhibitors by modulating 

propeptides of major digestive enzymes. Insect Mol. Biol. 16, 295-304. 

3. Inan, G., Goto, F., Jin, J.B., Rosado, A., Koiwa, H., Shi, H., Hasegawa, P.M., Bressan, R.A., Maggio, A., and 

Li, X. (2007) Isolation and characterization of shs1, a sugar-hypersensitive and ABA-insensitive mutant 

with multiple stress responses. Plant Mol. Biol. 65, 295-309 

4. Manabe, Y., Bressan, R.A., Wang, T., Li, F., Koiwa, H., Sokolchik, I., Li, X., and Maggio, A. (2008) The 

Arabidopsis kinase-associated protein phosphatase regulates adaptation to Na+ stress. Plant Physiol. 146, 

612-622. 

5. Koo, Y.D., Ahn, J.E., Salzman, R.A., Moon, J., Chi, Y.H., Yun, D.J., Lee, S.Y., Koiwa, H., and Zhu-Salzman, 

K. (2008) Functional expression of an insect cathepsin B-like counter-defense protein. Insect Mol. Biol. 

17, 235-245. 

6. Kang, J.S., Frank, J., Kang, C.H., Kajiura, H., Vikram, M., Ueda, A., Kim, S., Bahk, J.D., Triplett, B., 

Fujiyama, K., Lee, S.Y., von Schaewen, A., and Koiwa, H. (2008) Salt tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana 

requires maturation of N-glycosylated proteins in the Golgi apparatus. Proc .Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105, 

5933-5938. 

7. von Schaewen, A., Frank, J., and Koiwa, H. (2008) Role of complex N-glycans in plants, Plant Signaling 

Behavior 3, 871-873 

8. Ueda, A. Li, P., Feng, Y., Vikram, M., Kim, S., Kang, C.H., Kang, J.S., Bahk, J.D., Lee, S.Y., Fukuhara, T., 

Staswick, P.E., Pepper, A.E., and Koiwa, H. (2008) The Arabidopsis thaliana carboxyl-terminal domain


phosphatase-like 2 regulates plant growth, stress and auxin responses, Plant Mol. Biol. 67, 683-697. 

9. Bang, W.Y., Kim, S.W., Jeong, I.S., Koiwa, H., Bahk, J.D. (2008) The C-terminal region (640-967) of 

Arabidopsis CPL1 interacts with the abiotic stress- and ABA-responsive transcription factors, Biochem 

Biophys Res Comm, 372, 907-912. 

10. Frank, J., Kaulfurst-Soboll, H., Rips, S., Koiwa, H., von Schaewen, A. (2008) Comparative Analyses of 

Arabidopsis cgl1 (complex glycan 1) Mutants and Genetic Interaction with stt3a (staurosporin & 

temperature-sensitive 3a). Plant Physiol. 148, 1354-1367 

11. Vikram, M., Koiwa, H. (2009) Glyphosate resistance as a versatile selection marker for Arabidopsis 

transformation. Plant Mo. Biol. Rep. 27, 132-138 

12. Kang, C.H., Feng, Y., Vikram, M., Jeong, I.S., Lee, J.R., Bahk, J.D., Yun, D.J., Lee, S.Y., and Koiwa, H. 

(2009) Arabidopsis thaliana PRP40s are RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain-associating proteins. Arch 

Biochem Biophys 484, 30-38. 

13. Feng, Y.. Kang, J. S., Kim, S., Yun, D. J., Lee, S. Y., Bahk, J. D., Koiwa, H. (2010) Arabidopsis SCP1- like 

small phosphatases differentially dephosphorylate RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain. Biochem. 

Biophys. Res. Commun., 397, 355-360 

14. Kajiura, H., Koiwa, H., Nakazawa, Y., Okazawa, A., Kobayashi, A., Seki, T., and Fujiyama, K. (2010) Two 

Arabidopsis thaliana Golgi a-mannosidases I are responsible for plant N-glycan maturation. Glycobiology 

20, 235-47 

15. Haeweker, H., Rips, S. Koiwa, H., Salomon, S., Saijo, Y., Chinchilla, D., Robatzek, S., and von Schaewen, A. 

(2010) Pattern recognition receptors require N-glycosylation to mediate plant immunity, J. Biol. Chem 285, 

4629-4636 

16. Jin, Y.M., Jung, J., Jeon, H., Won, S.Y., Feng, Y., Kang, J.S., Lee, S.Y., Cheong, J.J., Koiwa, H., and Kim, M. 

(2011) AtCPL5, a novel Ser-2-specific RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain phosphatase, positively 

regulates ABA and drought responses in Arabidopsis. New Phytol. 190, 57-74 

17. Feng, Y., Cao, C.M., Vikram, M., Park, S., Kim, H.J., Hong, J.C., Cisneros-Zevallos, L., and Koiwa, H. (2011) 

A three-component gene expression system and its application for inducible flavonoid overproduction in transgenic 

Arabidopsis thaliana. PLoS One 6, e17603 

18. Chi, Y.H., Jing, X., Lei, J., Ahn, J.E., Koo, Y.D., Yun, D.J., Lee, S.Y., Behmer, S.T., Koiwa, H., and Zhu- 

Salzman, K. (2011) Stability of AtVSP in the insect digestive canal determines its defensive capability. J 

Insect Physiol 57, 391-399 

19. Kaulfuerst-Soboll, H., Rips, S., Koiwa, H., Kajiura, H., Fujiyama, K., and von Schaewen, A. (2011) Reduced 

immunogenicity of Arabidopsis hybrid glycosylation1 (hgl1) N-glycans due to altered accessibility of 

xylose and core fucose epitopes. J Biol Chem. 286, 22955-64 

20. Wu X, Koiwa H (2011) One-step casting of Laemmli discontinued sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel 

electrophoresis gel. Anal. Biochem. 421, 347-349 

21. Guo F, Lei J, Sun Y, Chi YH, Ge F, Patil BS, Koiwa H, Zeng R, and Zhu-Salzman K (2012). Antagonistic 

regulation, yet synergistic defense: effect of bergapten and protease inhibitor on development of cowpea 

bruchid Callosobruchus maculatus. PLoS One 7, e41877. 

22. Aksoy, E., Jeong, I., and Koiwa, H. (2013) Loss of Function of Arabidopsis C-terminal Domain Phosphataselike 

1 (CPL1) Activates Iron Deficiency Responses at the Transcriptional Level. Plant Physiology 161, 

330-345. 

23. Aksoy, E., and Koiwa, H. (2013) Arabidopsis CTD-phosphatase-like 1 regulates iron nutrition and cadmium 

tolerance, Plant Signaling & Behavior, in press 

24. Jeong, I., Fukudome, A., Aksoy, E., Bang, W.Y., Kim, S., Guan, Q., Bahk, J.D., May, K.A., Russell, W.K., 

Zhu, J. and Koiwa, H. (2013) Regulation of Osmotic Stress Signaling by Arabidopsis C-terminal Domain 

Phosphatase-like 1 Requires Interaction with a K-homology Domain-containing Protein, J. Biol. Chem, 

submitted 



MEPS605 Plant Biochemistry 2002 Spring 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 2012, 2013 at 


MEPS610/HORT610 (initially taught as a MEPS/HORT 689), Physiological and Molecular Basis for Plant Stress Responses 

Fall 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012 at Texas A&M University 

MEPS689/HORT689, Physiological and Molecular Basis for Plant Stress Responses (Lab) Fall 2012 at Texas A&M 

University.




Yue Feng 2010 Ph. D. 

Emre Aksoy Current Student 

Akihito Fukudome Current Student 


Lavanya Reddivari- Ph.D. Horticulture (Graduated in 2007) 

Ji-Eun An- Ph, D. Entomology (Graduated in 2008) 

Nan-yen Chou- M.S. MEPS (Graduated in 2008) 

Jessica J. Ciomperlik- M.S. Plant Pathology (Graduated in 2008) 

Joonhee Shin- M.S. Plant Pathology (Graduated in 2010) 

Daniel Jacobo- Ph, D. Food Sci. (Graduated in 2010) 

Shawn Christensen - Ph, D. Plant Pathology (Graduated in 2010) 

Yong-Soon Park - Ph, D. Plant Pathology (Graduated in 2011) 

Jinhee Kim- Ph, D. HORT (Graduated in 2011) 

Murli Manor- Ph, D. MEPS (Graduated in 2012) 

Anna Nelson- Ph.D. Molecular Cellular Biology (Graduated in 2012) 

Jiaxin Lei- Ph. D. MEPS (Current) 

Chi Yao – M.S. Soil and Crop Science (Current) 

Desiree Kohn- M.S. MEPS (current) 

Direction of Undegraduate Projects 

Maria Lee (Spring 2007) 

Edwin Mendez (Fall 2008) 

Trevor Broyles (Summer/Fall 2011) 

Justin Welch (registered for Fall 2012) 


NSF: (2004-2009) PI 

Regulation of plant osmotic-stress-induced gene expression by unique Ser 5-specific RNAP II CTD phosphatases 

$405,999 

NSF: (2010-2013) PI (with 1 co-PI) 

Role of Arabidopsis CTD-phosphatase-like 1 in gene silencing pathway $958,530 ($571,006 to HK) 

Research Experience Undergraduate supplement (2011) $7,000 

Research Experience Undergraduate supplement (2012) $7,000 

USDA-CSREES: (2007-2008), Co-PI 

Designing Food for Health: Determine optimum conditions for producing health-promoting antioxidant levels in vegetables 

using model and crop plants with osmotically-inducible master-switch transcriptional regulator genes. $24,000 (total of 

$1,270,000 to all Co-PI’s) 

USDA-CSREES (2008-34402-19195), Co-PI 

The mechanism of gene expression that regulates inducible phytochemical accumulation in vegetables 

$23,000 (total of $1,375,095 to all Co-PI’s) 


Designing Food for Health: Determining stress signature phenylpropanoid profiles of transgenic plants that overproduces 

regulatory transcription factors upon osmotic stresses 

$25,000 (total of $1,291,218 to all Co-PI’s) 


Determine the mechanism of phytochemical overproduction in Arabidopsis fry2-1 mutant 

$22,000 (total of $ 1,288,975 to all Co-PI’s) 

USDA-CSREES (2009), VFIC director’s award for research excellence grant $5,000 

Gift: Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea: 

Studies for molecular analysis of Arabidopsis osmotic stress responses, $3,000 

Service fee: Henningsen Food, Inc $600 

Internal funding


TAES equipment grant (2005): 

Ultra-sensitive low light imaging system for studying stress-responsive transcriptions in Arabidopsis thaliana $28,000 


Renovation of Controlled Environment Growth Rooms in Horticulture and Forest Science Building For Functional Genomics 

of Plant Drought and Osmotic Stress Tolerance $36,000 


Renovation of Controlled Environment Growth Rooms in Horticulture and Forest Science Building For Functional Genomics 

of Plant Drought and Osmotic Stress Toleranc $20,000 

Texas Agrilife Research equipment grant (2008): 

Upgrading Dept. Horticultural Science Shared-Use Lab Microscope and Imaging Facility for ultralow-light in vivo microimaging 

$22,000 

Texas Agrilife Research equipment grant (2009) (PI, with co-PI, E.A. Pierson): 

The 3rd Phase of Renovation of Controlled Environment Growth Rooms and an incubator in Horticulture and Forest Science 

Building For Functional Genomics of Plant Drought and Osmotic Stress Tolerance and Disease Resistance $21,000 

International Research Travel Assistance Grant (2006): 

Research travel to Germany $1,750 

Experiential Learning Undergraduate (COALS) (2011) $500 

Experiential Learning Undergraduate Research (Horticulture) (2012) $1,000 

Funding for a conference organized by the applicant 

External grant 

NSF: Meeting: MEPS 2013: Plant Signaling Systems-From Cells to Environment, College Station, TX$13,000 

Industrial contribution 

Nikon Instruments, USA $500 

Internal allocations 

College of Agliculture and Life Science $2,900 

Office of Graduate Studies $500 

Departmental Contributions $1,500 



NSF Molecular and Cellular Biology panel (November 2011) 


Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2010-present 


Biologia Plantarum 

BioMed Central Research Notes 

Journal of Experimental Botany 

Journal of Plant Research 

Molecular Plant 

Open Plant Science Journal 

Phytochemistry 

Plant Cell, and Environment 

Plant Cell Physiology 

Plant Journal 

Plant Physiology 

Planta 

PLoS ONE 

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 


HORT seminar committee, Spring 2004-present 

Seminar host for Dr. C. Carter (Fall 2007); Seminar host for Dr. N. Dudareva (Spring 2008) 

Seminar host for Dr. A. Smith (Fall 2012) 

Texas A&M University MEPS executive Committee, 2012 – present.


Texas A&M University MEPS young investigator award selection committee 2011 

Texas A&M University MEPS symposium program Committee 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2013(chair) 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Graduate Program Committee 2012- 

TAMU Borlaug Center External Advisory Committee (2006-present) 

Search committee 

Plant Breeding position for Department of Horticultural Science (2007-2008) 

Borlaug Center Faculty Search Committee (2008-2009) 


2009 VFIC Director’s Award for Research Excellence, Texas A&M University 

2010 MEPS Young Investigator Award, Texas A&M University


Daniel Ivan Leskovar 

Professor of Vegetable Stress Physiology and Resident Director of the Texas A&M 

AgriLife Research & Extension Center at Uvalde 

d-leskovar@tamu.edu 


Dr. Leskovar’s research program is centered in the understanding of plant morphological 

and physiological adaptation mechanisms to environmental stresses and in the development 

of integrated sustainable vegetable cropping systems. Crops of interest include leafy 

vegetables, watermelon, melon, onion, tomato and sweet pepper as well as specialty hot 

peppers, artichokes, and Tuscan melons. His research emphasis is on: 1) seed-transplant 

production and physiology to increase plant survival and enhance stand establishment; 2) 

plant hormones to modulate seedling, plant and fruit growth, 3) root/shoot developmental 

responses to water conservation strategies, deficit irrigation management and irrigation 

technologies (drip, center pivot and hydroponics), 4) impact of cropping systems on water productivity, yield, antioxidants, 

and sensory attributes of vegetable crops, and 5) genotype by environment interaction (GxE) for root growth, drought 

resistance, high yield, quality, and phytochemical content. The first two areas are looking at optimizing hormonal 

applications in the nursery to mitigate the negative effects of transplant shock that lead to poor stand establishment in the 

field. His lab has documented the positive effect of ABA on regulating transpiration, while maintaining a favorable water 

status, and control of root/shoot growth in several species, including pepper, tomato, melon, watermelon and artichoke. The 

water conservation project integrates soil and canopy sensing systems, irrigation technologies, tillage practices, and improved 

genetic materials with adaptation to semi-arid conditions. His program is also developing integrated crop production systems 

of specialty vegetable crops for Texas (e.g. artichokes, specialty melons). Approaches include precision planting, variable 

plant populations, limited irrigation strategies, N management, and spatial and temporal variety testing. 



Ph.D. 1991 University of Florida Vegetable Crops Physiology 

M.S. 1986 University of California, Davis Vegetable Crops 

B.S. Training 1983 University of Wageningen, Holland Vegetable Crops 

B.S. 1977 University of Comahe, Argentina Horticulture 


2011-‐ Center Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Uvalde 

2006 -‐ Assistant Director-‐ Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, Texas A&M 

2004 -‐ Professor, Vegetable Stress Physiology, Texas A&M University 

1997-‐2003 Associate Professor, Vegetable Physiology, Texas A&M University 

1991-‐1996 Assistant Professor, Vegetable Physiology, Texas A&M University 

1988-1990 Graduate Research Assistant, University of Florida 

1986-1987 Laboratory Assistant, Tissue Culture, University of Florida 


Refereed Publications (underlined names indicate graduate students in the faculty or co-faculty members lab) 

Lee, E., Yoo, K., Leskovar, D. and B. Patil. 2012. Development of an automated method for Folin-Ciocalteu total phenolic 

assay in artichoke extracts. Journal of Food Science, 0846.R1 

Agehara, S. and D.I. Leskovar. 2012. Characterizing concentration effects of exogenous abscisic acid on gas exchange, water 

relations, and growth of muskmelon seedlings during water stress and rehydration. Journal of the American Society for 

Horticultural Science 137(6):400-410. 

Burger, J., K. Crosby, K.S. Yoo, A. Ibrahim, D.I. Leskovar and J. Jifon. 2012. Environmental and genotypic variation of 

capsaicinoid and flavonoid concentrations in Habanero (Capsicum chinense) peppers. HortScience 47(5):574-579. 

Leskovar, D., Agehara, S., Yoo, K. and N. Pascual-Seva. 2012. Crop coefficient-based deficit irrigation and planting density 

for onion: growth, yield and bulb quality. HortScience 47(1):31-37. 

Shinohara, T., Agehara, S., Yoo, K. and D.I. Leskovar. 2011. Irrigation and nitrogen management of artichoke: yield, head 

quality, and phenolic content . HortScience 46(3):377-386.


Wang, T., Sistrunk, L.A., Leskovar, D.I. and B.G. Cobb. 2011. Characteristics of storage reserves of triploid watermelon 

seeds: association of starch and mean germination rate. Seed Science and Technology 39, 318-326. 

Crosby, K.M., Butcher, J., Yoo, K.S., and D.I. Leskovar. 2010. ‘TAM Ben Villalon’- a new multiple-virus resistant, mild, 

green-chile pepper. HortScience 45(11): 1756-1758. 

Niu, G., Rodriguez, D., Cabrera, R., Jifon, J., Leskovar, D. and K. Crosby. 2010. Salinity and soil type effects on emergence 

and growth of pepper seedlings. HortScience 45:1265-1269. 

Niu, G., Rodriguez, D., Crosby, K., Leskovar, D. and J. Jifon. 2010. Rapid screening for relative salt tolerance among chile 

pepper genotypes. HortScience 45: 1192-1195. 

Bang, H., Davis, A. Kim, S. Leskovar, D. and S.R. King. 2010. Flesh color inheritance and gene interactions among canary 

yellow, pale yellow and red watermelon. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Science. 135(4)362-368. 

Piccinni, G., Ko, J., Marek, T. and D.I. Leskovar. 2009. Crop coefficients specific to multiple phenological stages for 

evapotranspiration-based irrigation management of onion and spinach. HortScience 44:421-425. 

Crosby, K., J. Jifon and D.I. Leskovar. 2008. ‘Chujuc’ a new powdery mildew resistant western-shipper melon with high 

sugar and β-carotene content. HortScience 43(6):1-3. 

Crosby, K., Jifon, J., and D. Leskovar. 2007. ‘Pacal’ orange casaba, and ‘Chujuc’ western shipper cantaloupe: two new 

melon cultivars from the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. HortSci. 42(4):1013. 

Goreta, S., Jifon, J., and D.I. Leskovar. 2007. Physiology and growth of pepper seedlings exposed to transient drought stress 

is differentially altered by antitranspirants. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences 132(5):603-610. 

Crosby, K.M., J.L. Jifon, B. Villalon, and D.I. Leskovar. 2007. ‘TAM Dulcito’, a new, multiple virus-resistant sweet 

jallapeno pepper. HortScience 42: 1488-1489. 

Bang, H., Kim, S, Leskovar, D. and S. King. 2007. Development of a codominant CAPS marker for allelic selection between 

canary yellow and red watermelon based on SNP in lycopene B-cyclase (LCYB) gene. Mol. Breeding. 20:63-72. 

Falkenberg, N., G. Piccinni, J.T. Cothren, D. I. Leskovar and C.M.Rush. 2007. Remote sensing of biotic and abiotic stress for 

irrigation management of cotton. Review paper. Agricultural Water Management 87:23-31. 

Editor reviewed publications or conference proceedings 

Leskovar, D., Shinohara, T., Agehara, S. and B. Patil. 2012. Integrated approaches for annual artichoke production in 

southwest Texas. Acta Horticulturae, 942, 235-238. 

Susan. M. Cooper and Daniel. I. Leskovar. 2012. Selective feeding on artichoke foliage by white-tailed deer in Texas. Acta 

Horticulturae, 942, 221-224. 

Leskovar, D.I., Agehara, S., Jifon, J., Crosby, K., Rush, C. and S. Goreta-Ban. 2011. Foliar ABA sprays controlled growth 

and improved survival and desiccation tolerance of vegetable transplants. Acta Horticulturae, 898, 237-244. 

Leskovar, D.I., K. Crosby and J.L. Jifon. 2009. Impact of agronomic practices on phytochemicals and quality of vegetable 

crops. Acta Horticulturae, 841, 317-322. 

Crosby, K., J.L. Jifon, K.S. Yoo and D.I. Leskovar. 2009. Novel vegetable cultivars from TAMU- improving human health 

benefits, flavor and productivity. Acta Horticulturae, 841, 499-502. 

Jifon, J., Lester, G., Crosby, K. and D. Leskovar. 2009. Improving the quality attributes of melons through modified mineral 

nutrition. Acta Horticulturae, 841, 499-502. 

Wen, Y, Piccinni, G., Cothren, J.T., Leskovar, D.I, Rowland, D. and A. Kemanian. 2009. Regulated deficit irrigation and 

cotton production responses in southwest Texas. Proceedings of the USCID 5 th International Conference on Irrigation 

and Drainage: Irrigation and Drainage for Food, Energy and the Environment. Salt Lake City, UT. The U.S. society for 

irrigation and drainage professionals. pp. 289-300. 

Leskovar, D.I., S. Goreta, J.L. Jifon, S. Agehara, T. Shinohara and D. Moore. 2008. ABA to enhance water stress tolerance of 

vegetable transplants. Acta Horticulturae, 782:253-263. 

Crosby, K.M., J.L. Jifon and D.I. Leskovar. 2008. Genetic improvement of early root vigor in melon (Cucumis melo L.) to 

enhance stand establishment. Acta Horticulturae, 782:273-277. 

Jifon, J.L., K. Crosby, D. Leskovar and M. Miller. 2008. Possible physiological mechanisms for resistance to vine decline 

diseases in grafted watermelons. Acta Horticulturae, 782:329-333. 

Leskovar, D.I., H. Bang, S.L. Kim, K.S. Yoo, S.R. King and K. Crosby. 2007. Environmental and genetic factors on 

carotenoids and quality in watermelon fruits. Acta Horticulturae (ISHS) 744:233-241. 

Yoo, K.S., L.Pike, B. Patil, D. Leskovar, K. Crosby, and S. King. 2007. Challenges of phytochemical analysis and its 

applications in developing new fruits and vegetables with improved health benefits. Acta Horticulturae (ISHS) 744:101- 

105. 

Leskovar, D. I., S. Goreta, G. Piccinni and K.S. Yoo. 2007. Strategies for globe artichoke introduction in South Texas. Acta 

Horticulturae 630:157-163. 

Piccinni, G., J. Ko, D. Leskovar, A. Kemanian, T. Gerik, 2007. E.P.I.C. simulation to manage irrigated crops. Farming 

Systems Design p. 69-70.


G. Piccinni, J. Ko, A. Wentz, D. Leskovar, T. Marek, T. Howell. 2007. Determination of Crop Coefficients for Irrigation 

Management of Crops. 28th Annual International Irrigation Show, San Diego, CA, December 9-12. 706-719. 


http://www.producer.com/Search/Article.aspx?aid=20588 (2010) 

http://vocuspr.vocus.com/vocuspr30/Publish/513992/Forward_513992_1498182.htm?Email=dleskovar%40tamu.edu&Date=10%2f11%2f2010+4%3a41%3a33+PM 

(Oct. 2010) 

Uvalde Leader News. Transplant shock. Dec. 14, 2009. 

Zavala Newspaper, Transplant shock. Dec. 14, 2009. 

Texas Gardener. Jan. 09. Artichoke and Cardoon 

KKVX Radio Show interview. Artichoke growing in TX, Dec. 10.2008 

KKVX Radio Show interview. Dec. 19.08. Pepper growing in TX. 

Books or chapters 

Kahn, B. and D. Leskovar. 2012. Cropping systems. In: Russo, V. (ed) Peppers: Botany, production and uses. 

CABI. pp. 137-149. 

Leskovar, D. And B. Kahn. 2012. Stand establishment. In: Russo, V. (ed) Peppers: Botany, production and uses. CABI. pp. 

112-124. 

Jifon, J., Lester, G., Stewart, M., Crosby, K., Leskovar, D.I. and B.S. Patil. 2012. Fertilizer use and functional quality of 

fruits and vegetables. In Fertilizing Crops to Improve Human Health: A Scientific Review, IFA-IPNI, 191-214. 

Leskovar, D. and M. Bari. 2010. Il carciofo in USA. In: Il carciofo. Angelini e Calabrese eds. BayerCropScience, 

Milano, Italia. pp. 406-411. 

Crosby, K.M., Jifon, J.L., and D.I. Leskovar. 2008. Agronomy and the nutritional quality of vegetables. Eds. F.A. Tomas- 

Barberan and M.I. Gil. In: Improving the health promoting properties of fruit and vegetable products. CRC Press, 

Woodhead Publishing. p. 392-411. 

Leskovar, D.I. (Ed.) 2008. Proceedings of the IV International Symposium on seed, transplant and stand establishment of 

horticultural crops (2006, San Antonio, Texas, USA). ISHS, Acta Horticulturae, 782, pp.385. 

Chun, C., J.M. Lee (ERds.-in-chief), D.I. Leskovar, P.Halmer, C.L. Wang and C.W. Lee (Eds.). 2008. Proceedings of the 

International Symposium of seed enhancement and seedling production technology (2006, Seoul, Korea). ISHS, Acta 

Horticulturae, 771, pp. 256. 

Patents / plant variety releases / plant variety patents (collaborator) 

2011 Jalapeno pepper inbred lines: GHS10-01, GHS10-02, GHS10-07, GHS10-08, GHS10-09, GHS10-11, GHS10-14, 

GHS10-15, GHS10-23, GHS10-24, GHS10-50, GHS10-52-1, GHS06-78, GHS10-TMJ3, GHS10-UV81-1 

2011 Habanero pepper: IL88-04 Habanero, UV45-04 Habanero, UV45-04 Habanero 

2009 Cayenne pepper: S04408-6-4-1 

2009 Jalapeno pepper: F07404, F07442 F07489, F0749; F07502, F07509, F06087 

2009 Serrano pepper: S07432-2-1-1-1, S05126-41-1-1, F05155-45-1-1-a, F05006-33-3-3-1 

2007 Habanero pepper: TMH (PVP) 


Graduate courses and classes 

Fall 2012 Class HORT 325. Vegetable Crop Production, Irrigation practices. Dept. Hort. Sciences, Texas A&M 

Spring 2012 Graduate course ‘Roots: The foundation of growth, yield and quality’. Universidad Politecnica de Cartagena, 

Spain. 

Spring 2011 Graduate course ‘Roots: The foundation of growth, yield and quality’. Universidad Politecnica de Cartagena, 

Spain. 

Fall 2009 Class HORT 489. ‘Cultural Strategies: Impact on Phytochemicals abd Quality on Vegetable Crops’ Science 

of Foods for Health. Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, Dept. Hort. Sciences, Texas A&M 



Shinsuke Agehara, Ph.D. (Horticultural Sciences, current). ABA and stress tolerance. 

Sat Pal Sharma, Ph.D. (Horticultural Sciences, current). Genotype x Environment interaction for root growth, yield and β- 

carotene in melons. 

M.S. Christina Bishop, MS (Ecosystem Science and Management, current)


Y.Wen, Ph.D. (Soils and Crops, completed, 2011). Cotton production under traditional and regulated deficit 

irrigation schemes in southwest Texas. 

M.S. Naoko Nomura, MA (Horticultural Sciences, completed 2011). Variation of phenolics in red and white Texas wines 

Nuria Pascual Seva , Ph.D. (Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Spain, completed 2010). Estudios agronómicos sobre el 

cultivo de la chufa (Cyperus esculentus, L. var. sativus Boeck.): estrategias de riego, tipos de plantación, análisis 

fitoquímico, y absorción de nutrientes. 

Togo Shinohara, MS (Horticultural Sciences, completed, 2008). Development of management practices for artichoke 

production in southwest Texas. 

Undergraduate students (2007-2012) 

2012 Sierra King, Southwest Texas Junior College 

2012 Sierra Jackson, Southwest Texas Junior College 

2012 Adelso Contreras, Southwest Texas Junior College. 

2011 Ezequiel Cardona, Southwest Texas Junior College. 

2010-11 Diana Garza, Southwest Texas Junior College. 

2009 Beau Bealmear, Amarillo College, Texas. 

2009-10 Melina Gonzalez, Southwest Texas Junior College. 

2009-11 Basilio Quiroga, Southwest Texas Junior College. 

2009 Manuel Hurtado, Southwest Texas Junior College. 

2009 Erin Rodriguez Allen, Southwest Texas Junior College. 

2008 Melissa Clary, Angelo State University. 

2008 Jose Perez, Southwest Texas Junior College. 

2008 Gus Flores, Southwest Texas Junior College. 

2007 Floyd Hood, Southwest Texas Junior College. 

2007 Raymondo Balderas, Southwest Texas Junior College. 


External Competitive 

2012. Leskovar,D.I., Crosby, K. and M. Palma. Production and marketing strategies for specialty melons and artichokes (year 

2). TDA-SCBP, $46,000 Uvalde. 

2011. Leskovar,D.I., Crosby, K. and M. Palma. Production and marketing strategies for specialty melons and artichokes (year 

1). TDA-SCBP, $37,840 Uvalde. 

2011. Leskovar. Irrigation and crop strategies to mitigate drought stress and enhance quality and productivity of vegetable 

crops in Texas. USDA-NIFA #2011, Rio Grande Basin Initiative, $73,722 Uvalde. 

2010. Leskovar. Developing efficient irrigation and crop strategies to mitigate drought stress and enhance quality and 

productivity of vegetable crops in Texas. USDA-NIFA #2010, Rio Grande Basin Initiative, $35,000 Uvalde. 

2010. Leskovar, D.I. Development and implementation of new strategies to enhance productivity, quality and phytonutrients 

of artichoke. USDA-NIFA #2010-34402-20875, Designing Food for Health. $22,000 Uvalde. 

2010. Leskovar, D.I. Integrating regulated deficit irrigation with improved production systems and cultivars in spinach and 

onion. USDA-NIFA #2010-34402-20875, Designing Food for Health. $22,000 Uvalde. 

2009. Leskovar, D.I. Cropping strategies to enhance productivity, earliness and phytonutrients in artichoke, an emerging crop 

for Texas. USDA CSREES #2009-34402-19831. Total $1.375,095 $25,000 Uvalde. 

2009. Leskovar, D.I. Impact of regulated deficit irrigation, plant population and production systems on quality, productivity 

and phytonutrients in spinach and onion. USDA CSREES#2009-34402-19831. $25,000 Uvalde. 

2009. Leskovar, D.I. Integrating efficient irrigation and cultural strategies to enhance productivity and quality of vegetable 

crops in southwest Texas. RGBI - USDA CSREES 2009-2010. $27,000 Uvalde. 

2008. Leskovar, D.I. Selection of cultivars and management strategies to improve stand establishment, yield, sensory 

attributes and phenolic compounds in artichoke, a novel crop for Texas. USDA CSREES # 2008. Total $1.3 million 

$24,000 Uvalde. 

2008. Leskovar, D.I. Irrigation and nitrogen strategies to enhance quality and phytochemical content of cool season vegetable 

crops. USDA CSREES # 2008. $24,000 Uvalde. 

2008. Leskovar. Deficit irrigation and nitrogen strategies to improve growth, quality and water use efficiency of high-value 

vegetable crops. RGBI - USDA CSREES # $25,000. 

2007. Leskovar, D.I. Phenolic compounds and sensory attributes of artichoke in response to season, deficit irrigation and 

nitrogen USDA CSREES # 2007. $23,520. 

2007. Leskovar, D.I. Deficit irrigation and nitrogen strategies to enhance phytochemicals content, sensory attributes and yield 

of specialty peppers, onion and spinach.


USDA CSREES # 2007. $23,520. 

2007. Leskovar, D.I. Deficit irrigation and nitrogen strategies to improve growth, quality and water use efficiency of highvalue 

vegetable crops. RGBI - USDA CSREES # $25,000. 2007-08. 

Internal Competitive 

2012. Leskovar, D.I., Palma, M. and R. Cabrera. Water conservation strategies and water use efficiency for high-value 

crops in south Texas. TWRI $ 62,664. 

2012. Cabrera, R., Leskovar, D.I., Rodriguez, D. , Mills, W. , Berry, R., Gabriel, A., Trevino, M. Graywater use and native 

plant landscaping for urban water conservation. TWRI $100,000. 

2012. Leskovar, D.I., Jifon,J., Soundy, P. Enhancing Horticultural Crop Production and Commercialization of Small-scale 

South African Farmers. Ukulima, Texas AgriLife Initiative $60,000. 

2011. Jifon,J., Leskovar et al. . Input Requirements for Sustainable Feedstock Production. Texas AgriLife Bioenergy 

Initiative $100,000. 

2011. Morgan, C. Forbes, D., Leskovar et al. Enhancement of profit and resource-use efficiencies through legume-based crop 

rotation systems for production of cotton, corn, grain sorghum, and horticultural crops. Texas AgriLife Cropping 

Systems $150,000, $10,000 Leskovar. 

2008. Leskovar, D. Minirhizotron: A tool for root and drought stress research. Texas AgriLife, TWRI, $10,000. 

2008. Leskovar, D., Forbes, D., West, J., Cooper, S., Crosby, K. Block digestion system for Kjeldahl and protein analysis. 

Texas AgriLife, $16,000. 

2007. Leskovar, D., Forbes, D., Piccinni, G., Perotto, H. and J. Jifon. Automatic N analizer. TAES $30,000. 

External Non-Competitive 

2012. Leskovar, D.I. ABA for vegetable transplants, Valent BioSciences $50,000. 

2011. Leskovar, D.I. 1-MCP: fruit set and yield for cucurbit crops. Rohm & Hass (AgroFresh), $35,000. 

2011. Leskovar, D.I. ABA for watermelon and pepper, Valent BioSciences $35,000. 

2011. Leskovar, D.I. IBA: Growth enhancement for watermelon and pepper, Valent BioSciences $10,000. 

2010. Leskovar, D.I. 1-MCP for Vegetable Crops. Rohm & Hass (AgroFresh), $35,000. 

2010. Leskovar, D.I. ABA for Vegetable transplants, Valent BioSciences $48,000. 

2009. Leskovar, D.I. AVG to increase fruit set in bell peppers. Valent BioSciences, $17,500. 

2009. Leskovar, D.I. ABA for vegetable transplants. Valent BioSciences, $30,000. 

2009. Leskovar, D. Capacitance Probes from Sentek and AquaSpy . Monsanto. $15,000. 

2008. Leskovar, D.I. ABA for vegetable transplants. Valent BioSciences, $20,000. 

2008. Leskovar, D. N slow release fertilizers for cool season vegetable crops. Georgia Pacific $15,000. 

2008. Leskovar, D. N soil release and plant absorption during development in cabbage. Georgia Pacific $14,000. 

2007. Leskovar, D. Nitamin as slow release fertilizer for cool season vegetable crops. Georgia Pacific. $15,000. 

Review panels for grants and journals 2007-2012 

2008 USDA-ARS review panel member National Program 207 ‘Specialty Crops and Organic Systems’ 

2009 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada panel member Organic Federation of Canada ‘Integrated Management of 

Horticultural Crops’ 

2010 HORT CRSP USAID projects – review panel member, UC Davis CA. 


Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology. 


Horticultura Argentina 



HortScience 


Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology 


Horticultural Reviews 

Euphytica


Seed Science and Research 

Irrigation Science 


New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science 

Molecular Breeding 

Agricultural Science Research Journal 

Horticultural Science 


2008-2010 Texas AgriLife Research Faculty Fellows Review Panel Member 

2009 Texas AgriLife Search Committee Chair, Agronomy 

2009 Search Advisory Committee member, Director, Texas AgriLife Research 

2009-2011 Texas A&M Agriculture College Peer Review Committee Member 

2012-2013 Chair Vegetable and Fruit Industry SWOT Committee 

2012 Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Committee co-Chair, Crop Physiology/Agronomy 

2012 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Committee member, Plant Pathology 


2007 Chair ISHS Working Group on Crop Establishment, Seed and Transplant Technology 

2007 Publication committee member – FAV Health International Symposium, Houston, Texas (ISHS) 

2009 Member of the Scientific Committee Crop Establishment, Seed and Transplant, Murcia, Spain (ISHS) 

2009 Member of the Scientific Committee Artichoke Symposium, Saint Pol de Leon, France (ISHS) 

2010 Vice-Chair ISHS Section Vegetables (SEVE) 

2012 Member of the Scientific Committee Crop Establishment, Seed and Transplant, Brasilia, Brasil (ISHS) 

2012 Member of the Scientific Committee Artichoke Congress, Viterbo, Italy (ISHS) 


2007 Vice Chancellor Award in Excellence for Research – Texas A&M System 

2008 Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Agriculture-Team Award


R. Daniel Lineberger 

Professor and Head 

dan-lineberger@tamu.edu 


Application of Computer Technology to Horticultural Teaching and Extension 

Programs: A teaching and development program designed to integrate web 

technology into teaching, research, and extension/outreach programs across all 

horticultural commodities and disciplines. Dr. Lineberger developed the World Wide 

Web site for the Texas Horticulture Program, Aggie Horticulture (http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/), 

a gateway to virtual information servers and web-accessible, 

interactive databases. Upon assuming the duties of Associate Head for 

Undergraduate Programs in June 1, 2008, Dr. Lineberger relinquished maintenance 

of the Aggie Horticulture network, but assumed responsibility for the teachingoriented 

HortSciences website when it was created to reflect the difference in 

branding between the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences and the AgriLife 

Extension Service. Dr. Lineberger was named Head of the Department of 

Horticultural Sciences effective August 1, 2012. 



Ph. D. 1978 Cornell University Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture 

M. S. 1974 Cornell University Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture 

B. S. 1971 N. C. State University Ornamental Horticulture 


2012-present Professor and Head of Horticultural Sciences - Texas A&M University 

2008-2012 Professor and Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs, Department of Horticultural 


1994- 2008 Professor of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University 

1990-1994 Professor and Head of Horticultural Sciences - Texas A&M University 

1987-1990 Professor and Head of Horticulture - Clemson University 

1982-1987 Associate Professor - The Ohio State University 

1977-1982 Assistant Professor - The Ohio State University 

1971-1977 Graduate Research Associate - Cornell University 



Dravigne, A., T. Waliczek, R. Lineberger and J. M. Zajicek. 2008. The effect of live plants and window views of green 

spaces on employee perceptions of job satisfaction. HortScience 43:183-187. 

Mason, S. C., T. W. Starman, R. D. Lineberger and B. K. Behe. 2008. Consumer Preferences for Price, Color Harmony, 

and Care Information of Container Gardens. HortScience 43:380-384. 

Stein, L. A., J. M. Parsons, and R. D. Lineberger. 2011. ‘Lady Bird Johnson Royal Blue’ Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis 

Hook.). HortScience 46: 1206-1207. 

Pemberton, B., M. A. Arnold, T. Davis, R. D. Lineberger, C. McKenney, D. Rodriguez, L. Stein, C. Hall, M. Palma, and 

R. De Los Santos. 2011. The Texas Superstar Program: Success through Partnership. HortTechnology 21: 698-699. 

McFarland, A., T.M. Waliczek, J.M. Zajicek and R.D. Lineberger. 2012. The relationship between gardening, eating 

habits, and knowledge of nutrition in older adults. Appetite, (submitted for publication). 


Lineberger, R. Daniel. 2007. Evolution of Horticultural Education in the Early 21st Century. Proc. XXVII IHC – 

Horticultural Plants in Urban and Peri-Urban Life. T. A. Lumpkin and I. J. Warrington, eds. Acta Hort. 762:43-52. 

Lineberger, R. Daniel. 2009. Evolution of Web-based Collaborative Learning Environments In Horticulture. Proc. 

XVIth International Symposium on Horticultural Economics and Management and the Vth International Symposium on 

Horticultural Education, Research, Training and Consultancy. P. Batt and D. Aldous, eds. Acta Hort. 832:13-18. 

Lineberger, R. Daniel. 2009. Technology-mediated Instruction—Shifting the Paradigm of Horticultural Education. 

Proc. XVIth International Symposium on Horticultural Economics and Management and the Vth International


Symposium on Horticultural Education, Research, Training and Consultancy. P. Batt and D. Aldous, eds. Acta Hort. 

832:107-112). 


Department of Horticultural Sciences Website (http://hortsciences.tamu.edu/) 

A dichotomous approach to branding the different components of the Texas Agrilife Program rolled out in 2007 dictated that 

Aggie Horticulture be subdivided into two separate sites, one that displayed the Agrilife template and another that displayed 

the TAMU (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) template. Aggie Horticulture has been subsequently maintained by 

Martin Anderson. I maintain the new site, HortSciences.tamu.edu, as a subdomain on the servers that Martin administers. 

The HortSciences Website was moved into a Wordpress content management system in 2010 to make it compatible with the 

College Web system. Marissa Faris assumed maintenance of the departmental Website in March, 2012. 

Texas Superstars ® Website http://texassuperstars.com/ 

I maintain the Website for the CEMAP team, a research/extension collaboration whose role is to develop, evaluate and 

promote new, outstanding ornamental plants for Texas landscapes. 



Horticulture 225, Learning Community for Horticulture. A course taken primarily by students entering the horticulture 

major. The focus of the course is on helping the students adapt to life at Texas A&M and beginning their exploration of 

horticulture as a career option. HORT 225 is a writing intensive course. Students also begin the development of their 

eportfolio as one of the writing assignments. Leo Lombardini began teaching this course in fall, 2012. 

Horticulture 481, Seminar. Senior seminar is designed to assist students in the development of documentation of their job 

readiness, including the creation of a comprehensive resume and eportfolio. Students interview a successful member of the 

industry who holds a job similar to the one they seek and prepare written and oral reports on the nature of the profession and 

the professional. 

HORT 489. The Floral/Event Design Portfolio. This course was developed to teach students to design, create, and maintain 

an eportfolio Website using modern Web design and content management software. Assignments included digital 

photography of floral designs and event settings, management of collections of digital images, enhancement of digital images 

using photo editing software, creation of high quality composite graphics using digital images, formatting images for display 

on various types of electronic devices, preparing and delivering high quality presentations from various types of electronic 

devices and in various settings, and leveraging Web-based media for floral design/event management applications. 

Horticulture 491, Undergraduate Research. Advise undergraduate students on a research problem, including the design, 

conduct, analysis and writing phases. Isaac Wong, 2008-09; Kathryn Harvey, 2009; Jake Ueckert, 2010. 


Horticulture 605, Internet Technology for Horticulture. A course designed to teach students how to use the World Wide 

Web as a source for information, and how to design and operate a server on the Web. Topics include introduction to html, 

transfer of files via FTP, configuring helper applications, and graphic image acquisition and manipulation. Co-taught in 

summer 1995 with Laurence Sistrunk, co-taught with Rob Terry in summer 1996, and taught independently since summer 

1997. Taught as a Web-assisted course until 2012; likely will be discontinued. 

Graduate student committees (non-advisees; date is date degree plan was approved) 

Student Name Degree Department Year 

Taylor Paine MS Horticultural Sciences 2012 

Ruei-Ping Chang 

MS 

Agricultural Leadership, Economics, & 

Communication 

2011 

Cody Labus MS Animal Science 2011


Crystal A. Dube 

MS 


Communication 

2011 

Mary J. Schronk 

Med 


Communication 

2011 

Kelly M. Pritchett 

MS 


Communication 

2011 

Christopher Shepperd 

MS 


Communication 

2010 

Scott Paul Langley MS Animal Science 2008 

Amy Lene McFarland PhD Horticultural Sciences 2008 

Tiffany M. Muras MS Food Science & Technology 2008 

Sarah Elizabeth West MS Animal Science 2008 


Aggie Horticulture Behind-the-Scenes-Proof of Concept. 2007. Project funded by HEB to create prototype Web 

site with the “look and feel” of HEB.com but pulling educational content from Aggie Horticulture. $5,000 (received 

$5,000 renewal) 

Revision and maintenance of Texas Pierce’s Disease Web Site. 2007. USDA Special Funds through Jim Kamas to 

create a Website for the Pierce’s Disease program, $10,000 

Grant from Neuhaus-Shepardson Teaching Enhancement Program to support the adaptation Information 

from Aggie Horticulture for use on the iPad. 2010. Amount: $2,000 with $1978 matching from Horticulture 

Teaching Technology Endowment. 

Conversion of Texas Superstar Growers Team Database. 2010. Amount: $9,537 contract from the Texas 

Department of Agriculture 

Principal writer of the departmental Action 2015 high-impact educational practices plan. Funded for 2011-12 

for $53,000 with potential for annual renewal; continued in 2012-13 with additional $57,250. 


HortScience 



Horticulture Club faculty advisor, 1995-2012 

Departmental Scholarship Committee, 1995-Present 

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Undergraduate Program Committee, 2008-Present 

Horticultural Sciences Assessment Committee, 2008-Present 

Masters of Horticulture Planning Committee, 2009 

TAMU Academic Assessment Committee, 2010 


Served on the American Society for Horticultural Sciences (ASHS) Board of Directors, 2000-2002. 

ASHS President-elect, 2000-2001. 

ASHS President, 2001-2002. 

ASHS Chairman of the Board, 2002-2003.



2013 NACADA Region 7 Excellence in Advising-Outstanding Advising Award-Faculty 

2012 Margaret Annette Peters Advising Award – University Advisors and Counselors 

2008 ASHS Distinguished Undergraduate Educator Award 

2007 Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence for Undergraduate Teaching 

2006 Association of Former Students’ Distinguished Achievement Award (College Level) 

2006 J. C. Miller, Jr. Distinguished Educator Award, Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science 

2001 Director's Award for Innovative Application of Information Technology in Extension Education (co-recipient with 

Drs. Parsons, Stein and Wilkerson) 

2000 Faculty Achievement Award, TAMU Horticulture Student Council 

1997 Fellow , American Society for Horticultural Science 

1997 Vice Chancellor's Award in Excellence, Extension Team Category, for the PLANTanswers section of Aggie 

Horticulture. 

1997 Superior Service Award, Team Category, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, for the PLANTanswers section of 

Aggie Horticulture.


Leonardo Lombardini 


l-lombardini@tamu.edu 


Dr. Lombardini holds a two-way split between teaching and research. Current 

teaching responsibilities include three undergraduate and two graduate courses in the 

field of international horticulture, tree nut culture, and plant physiology. He has also 

developed a study abroad course to Italy and helped create opportunities for several 

students to conduct experiential learning experiences in Central America. He now 

serves as the chair/co-chair of four Master’s and one Ph.D. student committees and as 

a member of ten graduate student committees within and outside the Department. Dr. 

Lombardini’s research focus is plant physiology, especially in relation to gas exchange 

and environmental stress, with particular emphasis to pecan [Carya illinoinensis 

(Wangenh.) K. Koch]. In addition, he is investigates the nutritional aspects of pecans 

and their properties in relationship to human health. Lombardini is also the Job and 

Internship Coordinator for the Department of Horticultural Sciences. 



Ph.D. 1999 Michigan State University Horticulture 

Laurea (B.S. + M.S.) 1993 Università di Firenze, Italy Forestry 


2008-present: Associate Professor, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University (36% research, 64% teaching) 

2002-2008 Assistant Professor, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University (36% research, 64% teaching) 

1999-2002 Post-doctorate, Tree Fruit Res. Ext. Center Wenatchee, WA, Washington State University 

1995-1999 Research Assistant, Michigan State University 

1994-1995 Research Associate, Università di Pisa, Italy 

1993-1994 Research Associate, National Research Council, Italy 

1985-1993 Graduate Assistant, Università di Firenze, Italy 



Arnold M.A., G.V. McDonald, D.L. Bryan, G.C. Denny, W.T. Watson and L. Lombardini. 2007. Below-grade planting 

adversely affects survival and growth of tree species from five different families. Arboric. Urban Forest. 33:64-69. 

Villarreal J.E., L. Lombardini, and L. Cisneros-Zevallos. 2007. Phytochemical constituents and antioxidant capacity of 

different pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] cultivars. Food Chem. 102:1241-1249. 

Sagaram M., L. Lombardini, and L.J. Grauke. 2007. Variation in leaf anatomy of pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. 

Koch] cultivars from three ecogeographic locations. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 132:1-5. 

Lombardini L., T.M. Waliczek, and J.M. Zajicek. 2008. Consumer knowledge of nutritional attributes of pecans and factors 

affecting purchasing behavior. HortTechnology. 18:481-488. 

Martinez-Trinidad T., W.T. Watson, M.A. Arnold, and L. Lombardini. 2009. Investigations of exogenous applications of 

carbohydrates on the growth and vitality of live oaks. Urban For. Urban Gree. 8:41-48. 

Lombardini L., H. Restrepo-Diaz, and A. Volder. 2009. Photosynthetic light response and epidermal characteristics of sun 

and shade pecan leaves. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 134:1-7. 

Martinez-Trinidad T., W.T. Watson, M. Arnold, L. Lombardini, and D.N. Appel. 2009. Carbohydrate injections as a potential 

option to improve growth and vitality of live oaks. Arboric. Urban Forest. 35:142-147. 

Martinez-Trinidad T., W.T. Watson, M. Arnold, and L. Lombardini. 2009. Temporal and spatial glucose and starch 

partitioning in live oak. Arboric. Urban Forest. 35:63-67. 

Malik N.S.A., J.L. Perez, L. Lombardini, R. Cornacchia, L. Cisneros-Zevallos, J. Bradford. 2009. Phenolic compounds and 

fatty acid composition of organically grown pecan kernels. J. Sci. Food Agric. 89:2207-2213. 

Villarreal Lozoya J.E., L. Lombardini, and L. Cisneros-Zevallos. 2009. Electron beam irradiation effects on phytochemical 

constituents and antioxidant capacity of pecan kernels [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] during storage. J. 

Sci. Food Agric. 57:10732-10739.


Wood B.W., L. Lombardini, and R.J. Heerema. 2009. Influence of aminoethoxyvinyl-glycine on pecan fruit retention. 

HortScience. 44:1884-1889. 

Moore E., G. Williams, M. Palma, and L. Lombardini. 2009. Effectiveness of state-level pecan promotion programs: The 

case of the Texas pecan checkoff program. HortScience. 44:1914-1920. 

Bryan D.L., M.A. Arnold, A. Volder, W.T. Watson, L. Lombardini, J.J. Sloan, L.A. Valdez-Aguilar, and A.D. Cartmill. 

2010. Planting depth during container production and landscape establishment affects growth of Ulmus parvifolia. 

HortScience. 45:1-7. 

Bryan D.L., M.A. Arnold, A. Volder, W.T. Watson, L. Lombardini, J. Sloan, L.A. Valdez-Aguilar, and A.D. Cartmill. 2010. 

Transplant season, irrigation, and planting depth effects on landscape establishment of bald cypress and sycamore. 

Arboric. Urban Forest. 36: 57-65. 

Restrepo-Díaz H., J.C. Melgar, and L. Lombardini. 2010. Ecophysiology of horticultural crops: An overview. Agron. 

Colomb. 28:71-79. 

Sagaram, M., L. Lombardini, and L.J. Grauke. 2011. Variation in anatomical characteristics in leaves of pecan seedstocks 

from Mexico and the United States. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 136:103-108. 

Bryan D.L., M.A. Arnold, A. Volder, W.T. Watson, L. Lombardini, J. Sloan, A. Alarcón, L.A. Valdez-Aguilar, and A.D. 

Cartmill. 2011. Planting depth and soil amendments affect growth of Quercus virginiana Mill. Urban For. Urban 

Gree. 10:127-132. 

Ojeda-Barrios D., J. Abadía, L. Lombardini, A. Abadía, and S. Vázquez. Zinc deficiency in field-grown pecan trees: Changes 

in leaf nutrient concentrations and structure. 2012. J. Sci. Food Agr. 92:1672–1678. 

Cai, X., T. Starman, G. Niu, C. Hall, and L. Lombardini. 2012. Response of selected garden roses to drought stress. 

HortScience 47:1050-1055. 

Silberg, T.R., T.P. Murphrey, G. Wingenbach, and L. Lombardini. 2012. Exploring profitability of compost micro-enterprises 

in Chimaltenango, Guatemala: A strategy for international development. J. Int. Ag. Ext. Ed. 19:57-58. 

Silberg, T.R., T.P. Murphrey, G. Wingenbach, and L. Lombardini. 2012. An examination of employee characteristics within 

compost micro-enterprises in Chimaltenango, Guatemala: Factors that facilitate success. J. Int. Ag. Ext. Ed. 19:180- 

182. 

Lombardini, L., A. Volder, M.L. Nesbitt, and D.L. Cartmill. 2013. Consequences of damage caused by blotch leafminer on 

pecan gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. Accepted. 


Lombardini L., J.E. Villarreal, and L. Cisneros-Zevallos. 2009. Antioxidant properties and fatty acid composition of pecan 

kernels. Acta Hort. 841:91-96. 

Bryan, D.L., M.A. Arnold, A. Volder, L. Lombardini, W.T. Watson, J.J. Sloan, and A.D. Cartmill. 2009. Overview of 

selected studies on the influence of planting depth on landscape establishment of container-grown trees. In: The 

landscape below ground III: Proceedings of an International Workshop on Tree Root Development in Urban Soils. 

Lisle, IL, Oct. 6-8, 2008. Watson, G.W., L. Costello, B. Scharenbrock, and E. Gilman (Eds.). International Society 

for Arboriculture, Champaign, IL. Pp. 126-130. 

Silberg, T.R., T.P. Murphrey, G. Wingenbach, and L. Lombardini. 2012. An examination of employee characteristics within 

compost micro-enterprises in Chimaltenango, Guatemala: Factors that facilitate success. Proceedings of the 28th 

Annual Conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education, Nakorn Pathom 

Province, Thailand, May 21-24, 2012. 

Silberg, T.R., T.P. Murphrey, G. Wingenbach, and L. Lombardini. 2012. Exploring profitability of compost micro-enterprises 

in Chimaltenango, Guatemala: A strategy for international development. Proceedings of the 28th Annual Conference 

of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education, Nakorn Pathom Province, Thailand, May 

21-24, 2012 


Harris, M., B. Ree, T. Fuchs, and L. Lombardini. Pecan aphids, prophylactic pesticide use and IPM, an essay. 2007. Pecan 

South 40 (5):26-28. 


Maintain websites for all courses taught, using two different learning management systems, Moodle (https://wwwhorticulture.tamu.edu/) 

and TAMU elearning (http://elearning.tamu.edu/). 


Harris, M., B. Ree, T. Fuchs, and L. Lombardini. Pecan aphids, prophylactic pesticide use and IPM, an essay. 2007. Pecan 

South 40 (5):26-28.



none 

Classes taught (2007-2012) – Undergraduate courses 

HORT 418 – Nut Culture. Spring 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013 

HORT 440 (taught as HORT 489 in 2008) – International Horticulture. Spring 2008, 2010, and 2012 

HORT 440 (taught as HORT 489 in 2008) – International Horticulture. Study Abroad in Italy. Summer 2008, 2010, and 2012 

HORT/ALEC 489 – Cultivating Global Leaders in Agriculture. Spring 2010, 2011 

HORT/ALEC 489 – Agricultural Leaders without Borders. Spring 2012 

HORT 225 – Hort Learning Community. Fall 2012. 

Graduate courses’ 

HORT 610 – Physiological and Molecular Basis for Plant Stress Response. Fall 2008, 2010, 2012. 

HORT 604 – Applied Physiology of Horticultural Crops. Fall 2009, 2011. 



Cassandra Warren. M.S. student. Project TBD. 

Facundo Ibanez. Ph.D. student. Phenylpropanoid metabolism affected by aphids in two contrasting horticultural models. Co- 

Chair: L. Cisneros-Zevallos. 

Zainab Mansur. M.S. Horticultural Sciences. Quality of Pawnee pecans as influenced by postharvest conditions. 

Paige Graves. M.S. Horticultural Sciences. Nitrogen fertilization and root growth. Co-Chair: Dr. A. Volder. 

Hayley M. Hannah. M.S. Horticultural Sciences. Aligning root growth with phenology in pecans. Co-Chair: Dr. A. Volder. 

Will Cody. M.S. student. Student transferred to another department. 

Gokcen Dogan. M.S. Horticultural Sciences. Alternative grafting methods in pecans. Student dropped out due to husband’s 

job relocation. 

Ana G. Ortiz-Quezada. 2010. M.S. Food Science and Technology. Characterization of phenolic compounds from pecan 

kernels and their biological activities on adipogenesis and inflammation. Co-Chair: L. Cisneros-Zevallos. 

Ratnaprabha. Ph.D. Project to study the applicability of chemical thinners for crop load manipulation in pecan. Student 

dismissed for lack of performance after 3 years. 

Anais Carrillo. M.S. Cultivating Global Leaders: Enhancing participation in undergraduate experiential learning 

opportunities for minorities. Student suspended her degree for personal reasons after 1 year. 

Madhulika Sagaram. 2007. Ph.D. MEPS. Variation in ecogeographical traits of pecan cultivars and provenances. 


Madhulika Sagaram. Post-doctoral position at the University of Florida, Lake Alfred Research Station. 

Ana G. Ortiz-Quezada. Research Associate, Tech de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. 


Heather Salopek. M.Ag. student, Horticultural Sciences. Project title: International marketing opportunities for pecans. Chair: 

J. Zajicek. 

Jose Perez. Ph.D. student, Horticultural Sciences. Project: TBD. Chair: B. Patil. 

Xiaoya ‘Amy’ Cai. Ph.D. student. Horticultural Sciences. Project title: Earth-Kind rose responses to drought and salt stress. 

Chair: T. Starman. 

Ann Sultemeier. M.Ed student. Agricultural Leadership, Education, & Communications. Project: TBD. Chairs: J. Ripley and 

L. Lockett. 

Clayton Lewis. M.S. student Soil & Crop Sciences. Project TBD on maize. Chair: T. Cothren. 

Kevin Fath. M.S. student. Agricultural Leadership, Education, & Communications. Project TBD. Chair: G. Wingenbach. 

Alexis White. M.S. student. Soil & Crop Sciences. Project TBD on cotton. Chair: T. Cothren. 

Priyanka Chaudhary. M.S. student, Horticultural Sciences. Project title: Degreening influence on grapefruit bioactive 

compounds. Chair: B. Patil. 

Holly Leggette. Ph.D. student Agricultural Leadership, Education, & Communications. Project title: Validity and reliability 

of writing assessment instruments. Chair: T. Rutherford. 

M’Randa Sandlin. Ph.D. student. Agricultural Leadership, Education, & Communications. Project title: Perceptions of 

organic produce in Trinidad and Tobago. Chair: J. Lindner. 

Yuan Chen. 2013. Ph.D. MEPS. Project title: Effect of 1-MCP on cotton plants under abiotic stress. Chair: T. Cothren. 

Mark Harris. 2012. M.Ag. Agricultural Leadership, Education, & Communications. Beyond the Great Debate: Practical 

action to increase food security. Chair: T. Murphrey.


Ram Uckhoo. 2012. Ph.D. Horticultural Sciences. Analytical and isolation methods of phytochemicals in citrus fruits and 

their effect by production systems and processing. Chair: B. Patil. 

Ali Annon. 2012. M.S. Horticultural Sciences. Overexpression of tobacco osmotin protein in carrot (Daucus carota L.) to 

enhance drought tolerance. Chair: K. Crosby. 

Isin Karagoz. 2012. Ph.D. Food Engineering. Safety assurance of pecans by irradiation without a detrimental effect on 

quality. Chair: E. Castell. 

Chris Chammoun. 2012. M.S. Agricultural Economics. Economic value of native and improved pecan. Chairs: M. Palma and 

J. Outlaw 

Alison Bingham. 2012. M.S. Horticultural Sciences. Substrate moisture conditioning effects on growth and shelf life of 

Angelonia angustifolia. Chair: T. Starman. 

Timothy Silberg. 2011. M.S. Agricultural Leadership, Education, & Communications. A study of sustainable compost microenterprises 

in Chimaltenango, Guatemala: Profitability and employee characteristics. Chair: T. Murphrey. 

Kasey Miller. 2011. M.S. Agricultural Leadership, Education, & Communications. Students’ perceptions of international 

agriculture after an international agricultural experience. Chair: T. Rutherford. 

Andrew Cartmill. 2011. Ph.D. Horticultural Sciences. Effect of warming and precipitation on soil respiration and mycorrhizal 

abundance in post oak savanna. Chair: A. Volder. 

Sheetal Rao. 2011. Ph.D. MEPS. Elucidation of mechanisms of salinity tolerance in Zoysia matrella cultivars – A study of 

structure and function of salt glands. Chair: M. Binzel. 

Amit Vikram. 2011. Ph.D. Horticultural Sciences. Citrus bioactive compounds: Isolation and their effect on bacterial quorum 

sensing and biofilm formation. Chair: B. Patil. 

Vladimir da Costa. 2010. Ph.D. Soil & Crop Sciences. Abiotic stress effects on physiological, agronomic and molecular 

parameters of 1-MCP treated cotton plants. Chair: T. Cothren. 

Alma R. Solis Perez. 2009. Ph.D. Horticultural Sciences. Characterizing salinity tolerance in greenhouse roses. Chairs: R. 

Cabrera and M. Arnold. 

Donita Bryan. 2008. Ph.D. Horticultural Sciences. Influence of planting depth on landscape establishment of container-grown 

trees. Chair: M. Arnold. 

Eli Moore. 2008. M.S., Agricultural Economics. An economic evaluation of the effectiveness of the Texas pecan checkoff 

program. Chair: G. Williams. 

Joshua Bynum. 2008. Ph.D., Soil & Crop Sciences. Physiological applications for determining water use efficiency among 

cotton genotypes. Chair: T. Cothren. 

Tomas Martinez-Trinidad. 2007. Ph.D., Forest Science. Effects of carbohydrate applications on growth and vitality of live 

oak (Quercus virginiana). Chair: T. Watson. 

Basavaraj Girennavar, 2007. Ph.D., Horticultural Sciences. Grapefruit drug interaction: isolation and biological activity of 

furocoumarins and their variation due to season, varieties, processing and irradiation. Chair: B. Patil. 

Geoff Denny. 2007. Ph.D., Horticultural Sciences. Evaluation of selected provenances of Taxodium distichum for drought, 

alkalinity and salinity tolerance. Chair: M. Arnold. 


Faculty in the Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences (MEPS) 


$15,000 Investigating the nutritional properties of pecans. Salopek Foundation. (co-PI: L. Cisneros-Zevallos) 

$15,000 Investigating the nutritional properties of pecans. Texas Pecan Growers Assn. (co-PI: L. Cisneros-Zevallos) 

$15,000 Investigating the nutritional properties of pecans. Texas Pecan Board. (co-PI: L. Cisneros-Zevallos) 

$21,000 Identification, isolation, and quantification of hydrolysable and non-hydrolysable tannins present in different 

pecan cultivars. USDA – ‘Designing food for health’. (co-PI: L. Cisneros-Zevallos) 

$24,000 Characterization of the human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation inhibition and antiplatelet aggregation 

properties of hydrolysable and non-hydrolysable tannins present in kernels and shells of different pecan varieties. 

USDA – ‘Designing food for health’. (co-PI: L. Cisneros-Zevallos) 

$147,798 Advanced sensing and management technologies to optimize resource use in specialty crops: case studies of water 

and nitrogen in deciduous crops under control and resource-limited conditions. USDA-CSREES Specialty Crop 

Research Initiative. (co-PI: A. Volder) 

$4,500 Evaluation of ReTain Plant Growth Regulator to increase nut set and fruit retention in pecans. 2008. L. 

Lombardini. Valent BioSciences Corp. 

$137,840 Global leaders in agriculture: enhancing participation in undergraduate experiential learning opportunities for 

minorities. USDA Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grant. (co-PI: G. Wingenbach) 

$5,000 Evaluation of ReTain plant growth regulator to increase nut set and fruit retention in pecans. L. Lombardini. 

Valent BioSciences Corp.


$25,000 Anti-inflammatory effects of pecan extracts and fractions of different pecan cultivars. L. Lombardini. USDA – 

‘Designing food for health’. (co-PI: L. Cisneros-Zevallos) 

$167,656 Systems approach at improving the long-term competitiveness of U.S. pecans based on their nutritional and 

health-promoting components. USDA-NIFA. Specialty Crop Research Initiative. (co-Pis: L. Cisneros-Zevallos, 

Monte Nesbitt) 



None. 



Ethiopian Journal of Applied Sciences and Technology 

HortScience 

Irrigation Science 




TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Department Seminar Series Committee. Member, 2003-2010. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Undergraduate Program Review Committee. Member, 2003-present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Internship and Job coordinator (see teaching responsibilities). 2003-present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Graduate Degree Program Committee. Member, 2006-2010. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center Outreach Committee. Co-leader, 

2005-2007. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Department Scholarship Committee. Member, 2008-present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Graduate Programs Committee. Member, 2008-2010. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Assessment Committee. Member, 2009-present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Internationalization of Curriculum Committee. Chair. 2010-2011. 

COALS Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Internship program Interviewing Committee. Member, 2003-present. 

TAMU Study Abroad Scholarship (SAS) and the International Educational Fee Scholarship – Undergraduate (IEFS-U) 

Screening Committee. Member, 2004-2008. 

TAMU International Curriculum Development Grant (ICDG)/International Research Travel Assistance Grant (IRTAG) 

Review Committee, Fall 2007 

Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Uvalde Resident Director Search Committee. 2011 


American Floral Endowment. Reviewer of scholarship applications. 2011. 

American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS). Served as judge for undergraduate poster competition at the 2008 and 

2009 Conferences. 

American Society for Horticultural Science – Southern Region (SR-ASHS).Assisted with training TAMU Horticulture Club 

students for the undergraduate student horticulture judging competition. 2004-present. Assisted with conducting the 

undergraduate student horticulture judging competition. 2004-present. Association of Collegiate Branch (ACB) Advisor 

for years 2009-2011.Coordinated the Pecan Research and Extension Forum at the 68 th Annual Meeting in Dallas, TX. 

Feb 2-4, 2008. 

International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). Currently Co-Convener of the I International Symposium on Pecans 

and Other Carya in Indigenous and Managed Systems, to be held at College Station, July 2013. 


Recipient of the J. Creighton Miller, Jr. Distinguished Educator Award 2012. Presented at the 72 nd Annual Meeting of the 

Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science, held in Birmingham, AL on Feb. 3-6, 2012. 

First place at the 2009 VFIC Conference “Consumers to Farm: Changing Patterns in the Fruit and Vegetable Industry” 

Austin, TX, Aug. 21, 2009 with the paper Ortiz-Quezada A.G. (presenter and award recipient), L. Lombardini, and L. 

Cisneros-Zevallos. Identification of tannins from pecan kernels by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. 

Session winner by College (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) at the 12 th Annual Student Research Week. Texas 

A&M University, Mar. 23-27, 2009 with the paper Ortiz-Quezada A.G. (presenter and award recipient), L. Lombardini, 

and L. Cisneros-Zevallos. Identification of tannins from pecan kernels by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.


Second place Taxonomy Winner by College (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) at the 12 th Annual Student Research 

Week. Texas A&M University, Mar. 23-27, 2009 with the paper Ortiz-Quezada A.G. (presenter and award recipient), L. 

Lombardini, and L. Cisneros-Zevallos. Identification of tannins from pecan kernels by liquid chromatography-mass 

spectrometry.


William J McKinley, Jr. 

Senior Lecturer and Director/Endowed Chair Benz School of Floral Design 

wjmckinley@tamu.edu 


Mr. McKinley’s position is multi-faceted; teaching for the Department of Horticulture, 

administering the Benz School of Floral Design classes and programs, and the Benz 

Gallery of Floral Art. Teaching responsibilities include four senior level 

undergraduate courses in floral design/floral art as well as the continuing education 

classes for the Benz School. He also serves as the faculty advisor for the Student 

Floral Design Club (SAIFD). 

Responsibilities of director of The Benz School of Floral Design include managing the 

Benz Endowed Chair, maintaining the atrium and scheduling art exhibitions in the 

Benz Gallery of Floral Design, manage the curriculum and certification of Benz School – Korea program, teaching two week 

(as well as two-day) industry short courses, and liaison with garden clubs and other industry organizations. 

The Benz School is considered one of the finest short courses available in the floral design field, 

both in the United States and internationally. It is the only professional floristry school associated directly with an institution 

of higher education and it is academically recognized by the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities, the same 

agency that accredits Texas A&M University. The Benz School also contains the only endowed chair in floral design in the 

world. The curriculum for the Benz School is basic in concept and there are no prerequisites for enrolling. Students in the 

Benz School may receive Continuing Education Units (CEU) if desired. 



BS 1981 University of Missouri, Columbia Horticulture 

MAg 1983 Texas A&M University Floriculture 


July 2011 to present Senior Lecturer, Dept of Horticultural Sciences and Endowed Chair/Director Benz School of 

Floral Design, Texas A&M University 

January 1997 to present 

July 2005 to July 2011 

Contributing Editor for FLOWERS & Magazine, Teleflora, Inc, Los Angeles, CA 

Associate Dean, Career Technologies Division, Kishwaukee College, Malta, IL 



Monthly column in Flowers & Magazine (72 articles) published by Teleflora, Inc., Los Angeles, CA 

Electronic media/software (websites, software, videos, etc.) 

2007-2012 Online Administrator for AIFD’s Online Education Courses (Blackboard, then conversion to Moodle) 

2009-present Online Instructor Workshops for AIFD, | 

2009- present Coordinated and directed AIFD’s third video series on the topic of “Evaluation of Designs,” 2001-12 (also 

coordinated/directed/edited previous two video series in 2009 and 2010) 


Books 

Contributing Author - Horticulture: Principles and Practices, George Acquaah,Prentice Hall, 2008 



Horticulture 451 Retail Floristry Fall 2011 (two sections), Fall 2012 (two sections) 

Horticulture 452 Weddings and Personal Flowers ,Spring 2012 (two sections) 

Horticulture 453 Floral Art, Fall 2011 

Horticulture 454 Special Event Design and Production, Fall 2011 (two sections) Spring 2012 (two sections)


Horticulture 485 Directed Studies, Fall 2011 (one student), Spring 2012 (two students), Fall 2012 (one student) 


NA 

Graduate students (2007-2012 


Cole Etherige, new PhD student fall 2012 


NA 


NA 


NA 


Summer 2012 -Benz Online Project, Entrepreneurial Grant from Exe. Associate Dean Dr. Alan Sams, $83,000, 

repayment of used portion beginning Spring 2014. 

Fall 2012 - Integration of Online/Hybrid Instruction into Hort 203, Distance Education Grant, $35,000, course to be first 

taught Spring 2014. 



NA 


NA 




Horticulture Curriculum Committee 

Scholarship Committee 

Force 

Special Events Certificate Advisory Committee 

Horticulture 

Floral Design Task 


American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) – National Board of Directors 2009 - present, National Certification 

Committee Chair & Liaison 2007 - present, National Education Committee 2010 - present, Online Education Administrator 

2009- present 

Texas State Florists’ Association (TSFA) – Technology Committee 2011 - present, Education Committee 2012 

Prior to July 2011, member of Illinois State Florist Association, Certification Committee, Lead Certification Instructor, Board 

of Directors, Hall of Fame Inductee 


American Institute of Floral Designers Distinguished Service to the Floral Industry Award (2010) 

Illinois State Florists’ Association Hall of Fame Award (2009)


Julian Creighton Miller, Jr. 

Professor of Horticulture, and of Genetics, and of Biotechnology 

jcmillerjr@tamu.edu 


Dr. Miller is Professor of Horticulture at Texas A&M University, College Station. He is 

Director of the Texas Potato and Legume Improvement Program, and has developed or 

co-developed 24 new potato and legume varieties. Three of his potato varieties 

collectively rank fourth in US seed approved for certification. His varieties have earned 

some three million dollars in royalties for the Texas A&M University System. He has 

authored/co-authored more than 300 scientific/technical publications. Dr. Miller has 

taught six different undergraduate and graduate courses and continues to teach HORT 

101 each semester. Dr. Miller has served as major professor for 21 MS and 16 PhD 

students. He was the 1992 recipient of the prestigious L.M. Ware Distinguished 

Teaching Award from the Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science. 

In 2005, he received the Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching from the 

Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University. He is a Past President of the 

American Society for Horticultural Science – Southern Region and of The Potato Association of America, and an Honorary 

Life Member (Fellow) of the latter organization. He is also a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science and 

former Vice-President for Research. He is the 2009 recipient of the Outstanding Researcher Award presented by the 

American Society for Horticultural Science. He was co-recipient of the Vice Chancellor's Award in Excellence for 

Partnership Collaboration, 2013. Dr. Miller retired in 2007 but has been re-employed half-time since, and continues to travel 

more than 80 days per year in association with the breeding programs. 



Ph.D. 1972 Michigan State University Horticulture (Plant Breeding) 

M.S. 1967 Louisiana State University Horticulture 

B.S. 1965 Louisiana State University General Studies 


2010 – present Graduate Faculty of Biotechnology 

1984 - 2008 Graduate Faculty of Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences 

1982 – present Professor, Texas A&M University 

1981 – present Graduate Faculty of Genetics 

1980-1983 Interim Head, Horticultural Sciences Department, and Director of the Montague Fruit Research Station, 


1977-1982 Associate Professor, Texas A&M University 

1975-1977 Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University 

1972-1975 Assistant Professor, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Lubbock 

1968-1972 Research Assistant, Michigan State University 

1967-1968 Research Assistant, University of Wisconsin 

1965-1967 Research Assistant, Louisiana State University 



M. Ndambe Nzaramba, Douglas C. Scheuring, Jeffrey W. Koym, and J. Creighton Miller, Jr. 2013. Relationships among 

antioxidant activity, phenolics and specific gravity in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars grown in different 

environments. Amer. J. Potato Res. 90.(submitted). 

M. Ndambe Nzaramba, Douglas C. Scheuring, John B. Bamberg, Scott A. Senseman, and J. Creighton Miller, Jr. 2013. Total 

glycoalkaloids, antioxidant activity, and phenolic levels in Solanum microdontum and Solanum jamesii accessions. 

Amer. J. Potato Res. 90.(submitted). 

Brown, C. R., K.G. Haynes, M. Moore, M.J. Pavek, D.C. Hane, S.L. Love, R.G. Novy, and J.C. Miller, Jr. 2012. Stability and 

broad-sense heritability of mineral content in potato: Calcium and magnesium. Amer. J. Potato Res. 89:255-261. 

Bamberg, J. and J.C. Miller, Jr. 2012. Comparisons of ga1 with other reputed gibberellin mutants in potato. Amer. J. Potato Res. 

89:142-149. 

deBona, C.M., D.C. deCarvalho, D.M. Stelly, J.C. Miller, Jr., and E.S. Louzada. 2011. Symmetric and asymmetric somatic


hybridization in citrus: A review. Citrus Res. Technol., Cordeiropolis. 32:139-153. 

Butler, C.D., B. Gonzalez, M.L. Keremane, R.F. Lee, R.G. Novy, J.C. Miller, Jr., and J.T. Trumble. 2011. Behavioral responses 

of adult potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae), to potato germplasm and transmission of 

Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous. Crop Prot. 30:1233-1238. 


broad-sense heritability of mineral content in potato: Zinc. Amer. J. Potato Res. 88:238-244. 

Jansky, S. and J.C. Miller, Jr. 2010. Evaluation of Verticillium wilt resistance in Russet Norkotah and six strain selections. Amer. 

J. Potato Res. 87:492-496. 

Blessington, T., M.N. Nzaramba, D.C. Scheuring, A.L. Hale, L. Reddivari, and J.C. Miller, Jr., 2010. Cooking methods and 

storage treatments of potato: Effects on carotenoids, antioxidant activity, and phenolics. Amer. J. Potato Res. 87:479- 

491. (Outstanding Paper Award 2010, Potato Association of America). 

Reddivari, L., J. Vanamala, S.H. Safe, and J.C. Miller, Jr. 2010. The bioactive compounds α - chaconine and gallic acid in potato 

extracts decrease survival and induce apoptosis in LNCaP and PC3 prostate cancer cells. Nutr. Cancer. 62(5): 601-610. 


broad-sense heritability of mineral content in potato: Iron. Amer. J. Potato Res. 87:390-396. 

Hart, J.D., A. Hale, J.C. Miller, Jr. 2009. Kernel density estimation as an alternative to X2 analysis for investigating the 

distribution of quantitative traits. J. Amer. Stat. Assoc. 

Bona, C.M., D. Stelly, J.C. Miller Jr., and E.S. Louzada. 2009. ‘Fusion of protoplasts with irradiated microprotoplasts as a tool for 

radiation hybrid panel in citrus’ Pesq. Agropec. Bras., Brasilia. 44:1616-1623. 

Bona, C.M., J.H. Gould, J.C. Miller Jr., D. Stelly, and E.S. Louzada. 2009. Citrus asymmetric somatic hybrids produced via 

fusion of gamma-irradiated and iodoacetamide-treated protoplasts. Pesq. Agropec. Bras., Brasilia, 44: 454-462. 

Nzaramba, M.N., L. Reddivari, J.B. Bamberg, and J.C. Miller, Jr. 2009. Antiproliferative activity and cytoxicity of Solanum 

jamesii tuber extracts on human colon and prostrate cancer cells in Vitro. J. Agric. Food Chem. 57:8308-8315. 

Bona, C.M., J.H. Gould, J.C. Miller Jr., G.R. Mceachern, M. Setamou, and E.S. Louzada. 2008. In vitro micropropagation of nine 

grape cultivars. Subtrop. Plant Sci. 59:56-63. 

Hale, A.L., L. Reddivari, N.M. Nzaramba, J.B. Bamberg, and J.C. Miller, Jr. 2008. Interspecific variability for antioxidant 

activity and phenolic content among Solanum species. Amer. J. Potato Res. 85:332-241. 

Reddivari, L., J. Vanamala, S. Chintharlapalli, S.H. Safe, and J.C. Miller, Jr. 2007. Anthocyanin fraction from potato extracts is 

cytotoxic to prostate cancer cells through activation of caspase-dependent and caspase-indepenent pathways. 

Carcinogenesis. 28:2227-2235. (doi 10.1093/carcin/bgm117). 

Reddivari, L., A.L. Hale, and J.C. Miller, Jr. 2007. Genotype and location influence antioxidant activity, phenolic content, 

caroteneiod content, and phenolic composition in specialty potatoes. J. Agric. Food Chem. 55:8073-8079. 

Reddivari, L., A.L. Hale, and J.C. Miller, Jr. 2007. Determination of phenolic content, composition and their contribution to 

antioxidant activity in specialty potato selections. Amer. J. Potato Res. 84:275-282. 

Nzaramba, M.N., J.B. Bamberg, and J.C.Miller, Jr. 2007. Effect of propagule type and growing environment on antioxidant 

activity and total phenolic content in potato germplasm. Amer. J. Potato Res. 84:321-328. 

Blessington, T., J.C. Miller, Jr., M.N. Nzaramba, A.L. Hale, L. Reddivari, D.C. Scheuring, and G.J. Hallman. 2007. The effects of 

low-dose gamma radiation and storage time on carotenoids, antioxidant activity, and phenolics in potato cultivar 

Atlantic. Amer. J. Potato Res. 84:125-131. 

Texas A&M AgriLife Research Publications 2007-2012 

Miller, J.C., Jr., J.W. Koym, D.C. Scheuring, and J.P. Miller. 2013. Southwest Regional Potato Variety Trial Report 2012. Texas 

A&M AgriLife Research, College Station and Lubbock. 22p. 

Miller, C., D. Scheuring, and J. Koym. 2013. Texas Potato Breeding Report, 2012. Texas A&M AgriLife Research, College 

Station and Lubbock. 316p. 

Miller, C., J. Koym, and D. Scheuring. 2012. 2012 Field Day Handbook. July 19, 2012. Texas Potato Variety Development 

Program. Texas AgriLIFE Research, College Station and Lubbock. 34p. 


AgriLIFE Research, College Station and Lubbock. 27p. 

Miller, C., D. Scheuring, and J. Koym. 2012. Texas Potato Breeding Report, 2011. Texas AgriLIFE Research, College Station 

and Lubbock. 384p. 







Miller, J.C., Jr., J.W. Koym, D.C. Scheuring, and J.P. Miller. 2010. Southwest Regional Potato Variety Trial Report 2009.


Texas AgriLIFE Research, College Station and Lubbock. 22p. 













Miller, J.C., Jr., J.W. Koym, D.C. Scheuring, and J.P. Miller. 2008. Southwest Regional Potato Variety Trial Report 2007. Tex. 

Agr. Expt. Sta., College Station and Lubbock. 28p. 

Miller, C., D. Scheuring, and J. Koym. 2008. Texas Potato Breeding Report, 2007. Tex. Agr. Exp. Sta., College Station and 

Lubbock. 180p. 

Miller, C., J. Koym, and D. Scheuring. 2007. 2007 Field Day Handbook. June 27, 2007. Texas Potato Variety Development 

Program. Tex. Agr. Exp. Sta., College Station and Lubbock. 26p. 

Miller, J.C., Jr., J.W. Koym, D.C. Scheuring, and J.P. Miller. 2007. Southwest Regional Potato Variety Trial Report 2006. Tex. 

Agr. Expt. Sta., College Station and Lubbock. 23p.\ 

Miller, C., D. Scheuring, and J. Koym. 2007. Texas Potato Breeding Report, 2006. Tex. Agr. Exp. Sta., College Station and 

Lubbock. 179p. 


J. Levy, C. Tamborindeguy, E. Pierson, D. Henne, J. Koym, D. Scheuring, and J.C. Miller, Jr. 2012. Investigations on 

putative ZC tolerant potato selections. (In press). In: F. Workneh and C.M. Rush (eds.), Proceedings of the 12 th 

Annual Zebra Chip Reporting Session, San Antonio Crowne Plaza, San Antonio, TX, Oct 30 –Nov 2, 2012. 

J. C. Miller, Jr., J. Levy, D. Henne, J. Koym, and D. Scheuring. 2012. A fast-track breeding methodology for developing ZC 

tolerant potato cultivars. (In press). In: F. Workneh and C.M. Rush (eds.), Proceedings of the 12 th Annual Zebra 

Chip Reporting Session, San Antonio Crowne Plaza, San Antonio, TX, Oct 30 –Nov 2, 2012. 

Nansen, C., X. Martini, K. Vaughn, Y. Xue, C. Miller, and C.M. Rush. 2010. Non-insecticidal based approaches to psyllid 

management, p 55-58. In: F. Workneh and C.M. Rush (eds.), Proceedings of the 10 th Annual Zebra Chip Reporting 

Session, Hyatt DFW Airport, Dallas, TX, Nov. 7-10, 2010. 

Trumble, J.T., R. Novy, C. Miller, G. Kund, J. Diaz-Montano, and W. Carson. 2011. New materials and resistant varieties in 

IPM trials. p 144-148. In: F. Workneh and C.M. Rush (eds.), Proceedings of the 11 th Annual Zebra Chip Reporting 

Session, San Antonio Crowne Plaza, San Antonio, TX, Nov. 6-9, 2011. 

Miller, J.C., Jr., D.C. Scheuring, J. Koym, D. Henne, J. Jifon, J. Levy, C. Tamborindeguy and E.A. Pierson. 2011. Further 

Studies on Host-Plant Tolerance to ZC. p 134-136. In: F. Workneh and C.M. Rush (eds.), Proceedings of the 11 th 

Annual Zebra Chip Reporting Session, San Antonio Crowne Plaza, San Antonio, TX, Nov. 6-9, 2011. 

Pierson, E.A., C. Miller, D.C. Scheuirng, T.X. Liu, J. Jifon, D. Gross, R. Aravind, and J. Levy. 2010. Investigations on 

putative zebra chip (ZC) tolerant advanced selections, p 99-102. In: F. Workneh and C.M. Rush (eds.), Proceedings 

of the 10 th Annual Zebra Chip Reporting Session, Hyatt DFW Airport, Dallas, TX, Nov. 7-10, 2010 

Miller, J.C., Jr. 2010 Progress in Identifying host plant tolerance/resistance to ZC in potato germplasm. In: F. Workneh and 

C.M. Rush (eds.), Proceedings of the 10 th Annual Zebra Chip Reporting Session, Hyatt DFW Airport, Dallas, TX, 

Nov. 7-10, 2010 

Miller, J.C., Jr., D.C. Scheuirng, J. Koym, S.D. Turner, R. Novy, J.T. Trumble, C.D. Butler, C. Nancen, K. Vaughn, T.X. 

Liu, J.E. Munyaneza, E.A. Pierson, C.M. Rush, J. Jifon, R. French, C. Tamborindeguy, and P. Porter. 2010. Progress 

in identifying host plant tolerance/resistance to ZC in potato germplasm, p 96-98. In: F. Workneh and C.M. Rush 

(eds.), Proceedings of the 10 th Annual Zebra Chip Reporting Session, Hyatt DFW Airport, Dallas, TX, Nov. 7-10, 

2010. 

Butler, C.D., R.G. Novy, J.C. Miller, and J.T Trumble. 2010. Alternative strategies: Plant resistance and biological control, p 

69-73. In: F. Workneh and C.M. Rush (eds.), Proceedings of the 10 th Annual Zebra Chip Reporting Session, Hyatt 

DFW Airport, Dallas, TX, Nov. 7-10, 2010. 

Popular Articles 2007-2012 

Miller, J.C., Jr. 2011. Texas A&M Breeder seeks the superior spud. The Grower. Sept-Oct. p 8.


Invited Speaker 2007-2012 

Speaker at the 2012 Zebra Chip Annual Reporting Session, San Antonio, TX, Oct 30 –Nov 2, 2012. (A fast-track breeding 

methodology for developing ZC tolerant potato cultivars.) 

Speaker at the 2011 Zebra Chip Annual Reporting Session. San Antonio, TX. November 6-9, 2011. (Further Studies on Host- 

Plant Tolerance to Zebra Chip). 

Speaker at the 2010 Potato Zebra Chip Conference. Dallas, TX. November 7-10, 2010. (Progress in Identifying host plant 

tolerance/resistance to ZC in potato germplasm). 

Speaker at the Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) and Potato Zebra Chip (ZC) Conference, McAllen, TX, November 16-18, 2009. 

(Identification/Development of ZC Tolerant/Resistant Cultivars). 

Speaker at the Potato Zebra Chip (ZC) Conference, Dallas, TX, December 4, 2008. (Identification/Development of ZC 

Resistant/Tolerant Cultivars). 

Invited Speaker at the West Texas Vegetable Conference, Canyon, Texas, January 16, 2007. (Using Line Selection to 

Improve Russet Norkotah Strains). 

Websites 2007-2012 

Turner, S.D., J.C. Miller, Jr., and R.D. Lineberger. 2010-. Texas A&M University Potato Breeding and Variety Development 

Program. http://potato.tamu.edu 

Alexander, T.W., J.C. Miller, Jr., and R.D. Lineberger. 2010- Texas A&M University Cowpea Breeding and Variety 

Development Program. http://cowpea.tamu.edu 


Bona, C.M., L.A. Biasi, E.S. Louzada, D.M. Stelly, J.C. Miller Jr., and J.H. Gould. 2007. Mejoramiento genetico: Uso 

innovation degenes, studio geneticies, y micro propagacion vegetal. Chapter 3. In: VI Encuentro Latinoamericano y 

del Caribe de Biotechnologia Agropecuaria REDBIO 2007, Vina del Mar, Chile. 

Referred variety release articles 2007-2012 

Brown, C.R., I. Vales, S. Yilma, S. James, B. Charlton, D. Culp, D. Hane, C. Shock, E. Feibert, M. Pavek, R. Knowles, R. 

Novy, J. Whitworth, J. Stark, J.C. Miller, Jr., D. Holm, R. Quick, and R. Navrre. 2012. “AmaRosa,” a red skinned, 

red fleshed fingerling with high phytonutrient value. Amer. J. Potato Res. 89: 249-254. 


'Norgold Russet Strain M' potato in collaboration with Gene Shaver and Warren Trank, Nebraska, 1974. 

'Krantz' potato cultivar, with the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, 1985. 

'TexSprout' mungbean, with the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center, 1988. 

'Russet Nugget' potato cultivar, with the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, 1988. 

'Texas Pinkeye' cowpea cultivar (PVP# 910008), 1990. 

‘Five multiple-virus resistant common bean lines’, 1995. 

‘Century Russet’ potato cultivar with the Colorado, California, Oregon, and Washington Agricultural Experiment Stations, 

1996. 

Russet Norkotah Strains 112 (PVP#9900141), 223 (PVP#9900140), and 278 (PVP#9900139), 1999. 

‘AC Stampede Russet’ potato cultivar with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, (Canada Plant Breeder’s Rights, Certificate 

No. : 0836), 2000. 

‘AC Stampede Russet’ potato cultivar Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, (PVP#200500177), 2005. 

‘TX1523-1Ru/Y’ (Sierra Gold) potato cultivar (PVP#200200202), 2002. 

Russet Norkotah Strain 296 (PVP#200300288), 2004. 

Russet Norkotah Strain 112 (Canada Plant Breeder’s Rights, Certificate No. : 1705), 2003. 

‘GemStar Russet’ with Idaho, Oregon, Washington Agricultural Experiment Stations and USDA-ARS, 2004. 

‘TX1523-1Ru/Y’ (Sierra Gold) potato cultivar (Canada Plant Breeder’s Rights, Certificate No. : 2093), 2005. 

‘Rio Rojo’ potato cultivar (PVP#200600098), 2006. 

‘Golden Eye Cream’ cowpea cultivar (PVP#200700383). 2006. 

‘ATTX961014-1R/Y’ (Sierra Rose) potato cultivar (PVP#2012200166), 2012.


Classes taught 


Genetics 485, Directed Studies: Fall, Spring, Summer 1981- 

Horticulture 101 Concepts of Horticultural Science: Fall, Spring 1983 – 

Horticulture 291, Research Credit: Fall, Spring, Summer 2008 – 

Horticulture 485, Directed Studies: Fall, Spring, Summer 1975 – 

Horticulture 491, Research Credit: Fall, Spring, Summer 2008 – 


Genetics 685, Directed Studies: Fall, Spring, Summer 1981 - 

Genetics 691, Research Credit: Fall, Spring, Summer 1981 - 

Horticulture 685, Directed Studies: Fall, Spring, Summer 1976 - 

Horticulture 690, Theory of Research: Fall, Spring, Summer 1978 - 

Horticulture 691, Research Credit: Fall, Spring, Summer 1978 - 



De Bona, Claudine Maria. 2007. Symmetric and asymmetric hybridization in citrus spp. (Dissertation). 

Reddivari, Lavanya. 2007. Influence of genetic variability on specialty potato functional components and their effect on 

prostrate cancer cell lines. (Dissertation). 

Nzaramba, Magnifique Ndambe. 2008. Relationships among antioxidants, phenolics, and specific gravity in potato 

cultivars, and evaluation of wild potato species for antioxidants, glycoalkoloids, and anti-cancer activity on human 

prostate and colon cancer cells in vitro. (Dissertation). 

Turner, Sarah Diane. 2012. Effect of Purple and White Potato Extracts on Prostate Cancer Development in Athymic Nude 

Mice. (Thesis). 


Claudine Maria De Bona – Research Scientist, Insituto Agronomico do Parana, Brazil 

Lavanya Reddivari – Assistant Professor, Colorado State University 

Magnifique Ndambe Nzaramba – Deputy Director General, Export Operations & Market Development, National Agriculture 

Export Development Board, Rwanda 

Sarah Diane Turner – Graduate Research Assistant (PhD), University of Wisconsin-Madison 


About 12 since 2007 


Graduate Faculty of Genetics, 1981- 

Graduate Faculty of Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences, 1984 - 2008 

Graduate Faculty of Biotechnology, 2010- 


$10,000. USPB Grant for National Chip Breeders Trial – Texas. 2012. 

$15,000. AgriLIFE Grant for Zebra Chip Research. Evaluating potato germplasm for resistance/tolerance to Zebra Chip. 

2012. 

$56,000. USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Special Research Grants Program, Potato Research. Potato 

Breeding and Cultivar Development in the Southwest. 2012. (With Colorado State University and University of 

California - total - $168,000) (no indirect costs permitted). 



California - total - $186,088) (no indirect costs permitted). 

$10,000. USPB Grant for National Chip Breeders Trial – Texas. 2010. 

$41,500. TDA Grant for Zebra Chip Research. Evaluating potato germplasm for resistance/tolerance to Zebra Chip. 2010. 

(With AgriLIFE Research cooperators – Total - $800,000). 



California - total - $137,521) (no indirect costs permitted).



(With AgriLIFE Research cooperators – Total - $800,000). 

$3,000. USDA/ARS Special Grant. Evaluating soybean rust migration on alternate hosts –Cowpea. 2009. 

$47,163. Specialty Crop Research Initiative. Development of an Integrated Research and Management Program for Zebra 

Chip of Potato. 2009-13. $243,000 (Total $6.9 million). 

$32,850. USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. Special Research Grants Program, Potato 

Research. Potato Breeding and Cultivar Development in the Southwest. 2009. (With Colorado State University 

and University of California - total - $99,653) (no indirect costs permitted). 



and University of California) (no indirect costs permitted). 


(With TAES cooperators – Total - $800,000). 


$34,750. USDA/ARS-State Partnership Potato Program. Maximizing the nutritional value/health benefits of potato by 

metabolic profiling and identification of compounds with anticancer properties. 2008. (With Roy Navarre, 

Vegetable and Forage Crops Research Laboratory, Prosser, WA. Total - $75,000). 


(With TAES cooperators – Total - $800,000). 


$40,500. USDA/ARS-State Partnership Potato Program. Maximizing the nutritional value/health benefits of potato by 

metabolic profiling and identification of compounds with anticancer properties. 2007. (With Roy Navarre, 

Vegetable and Forage Crops Research Laboratory, Prosser, WA. Total - $83,025). 



and University of California) (no indirect costs permitted). NOTE – This was funded through Hatch Funds from 

the TAES allocation. 

$4,000. J Pao & Company Limited, Mungbean Variety Evaluation. 2007. 



American Journal of Potato Research 

HortScience 

Journal for the American Society for Horticultural Sciences 


Faculty Awards Committee, 1983-; Chair, 1992-2007 

Promotion and Tenure Committee, 1982- 

Organized, appointed and served on first P&T Committee 

Hisashi Koiwa Tenure Mentoring Committee, 2004-07 

Scholarship Committee, 1988- 

Served as judge for Texas 4-H Round Up – Horticulture Demonstration Contests 2010 and 2011 

Professional association membership and leadership roles 2007-2012 

Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists 

American Society for Horticultural Science, Southern Region 

Krezdorn Award Committee, 2008-2013. 


Vegetable Breeding Working Group, 1978- 

Genetics and Germplasm Working Group, 1979- 

Vegetable Crop Management Working Group, 1980- 

Food Quality and Nutrition Working Group, 1996- 

Plant Biotechnology Working Group, 1985- 

Crop Science Society of America 

C-8 Div. Plant Genetic Resources Committee, 1992- 

American Society of Agronomy 

The American Genetic Association


Botanical Society of America, Genetics Section 

American Association for the Advancement of Science 

European Association for Potato Research 

The Potato Association of America 

Pathology Section, 1975- 

Breeding and Genetics Section, 1978- 

Physiology Section, 1981- 

Membership Committee, 1988- 

Production/Management Section, 1991- 

PAA Endowment Fund Committee 1999- , Chair, 2001-07 

IR-1 

(NRSP-6): InterRegional Potato Introduction Project, State Agricultural Experiment Station Representative, Southern 

Region, 1988- 2012 

Chair, 2006-07 

Secretary, 2009-10 

Vice-chair, 2010 -11 

Chair, 2011-12 

Potato Crop Germplasm Committee, 1988- 

National Cowpea Improvement Association, founder, 1980- 

Western Regional Potato Variety Development Coordinating Committee (WERA-27), 1988- 

Vigna Crop Germplasm Committee, USDA, 1984- 

National Potato Council, 2000- 

Awards and recognitions 

American Society for Horticultural Science, Fellow, 1987 

American Society for Horticultural Science, Vegetable Publication Award for 1987 (co-recipient) 

Southern Region, American Society for Horticultural Science, President Elect, 1991; President, 1992 

Research Division, American Society for Horticultural Science, Vice President Elect, 1993-94 

Research Division, American Society for Horticultural Science, Vice President, 1994-95 

Potato Association of America, Vice President, 1996-97 

Potato Association of America, President Elect, 1997-98 

Potato Association of America, President, 1998-99 

Horticulture Graduate Council, Faculty Distinguished Service Award, 1997 

Southern Region, American Society for Horticultural Science, L.M. Ware Distinguished Teaching Award, 2002 

Honorary Life Member, Potato Association of America, 2003 

Association of Former Students Distinguished Teaching Award 2005 

Outstanding Researcher Award, 2009, American Society for Horticultural Science 

Research Patent Award, 2009, TAMU System Office of Technology Commercialization 

Co-recipient of the Vice Chancellor's Award in Excellence for Partnership Collaboration, 2013


Dr. Genhua Niu, Associate Professor 

Environmental Horticulture and Urban Landscape Water Conservation 

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at El Paso 

Texas A&M University System 

1380 A&M Circle, El Paso, TX 79927 

Email: gniu@ag.tamu.edu 


Dr. Genhua Niu is an off campus faculty located at the Texas A&M AgriLife 

Research Center at El Paso with 100% Research Appointment. Her areas of 

special expertise are in environmental stress physiology and plant production 

in controlled environment. Her current research areas include identifying 

drought and salt tolerant low water use plant materials for urban landscape, 

quantifying growth and physiological responses of crops to drought, salt and 

heat stresses, and determining the minimum water requirement for urban 

landscape plants for maintaining a healthy landscape while conserving water. 

In addition, Dr. Niu is also working on evaluating the salt and drought tolerance of a range of bioenergy crops and vegetables 

for the semi-arid region. As a researcher at an off campus research center, Dr. Niu closely works with county extension 

agents on local extension programs. She also collaborates with faculty members at the Department and other research centers 

on research programs and graduate students education by co-advising and serving as a graduate committee member. In 

professional society service, Dr. Niu has been active by serving as officers of several working groups for American Society 

for Horticultural Science and USDA regional meetings. 


Degree Year Institute Major 

Ph.D. 1997 Chiba University, Japan Horticulture 

M.S. 1987 Zhejiang University, China Agricultural Engineering 

B.S. 1984 Zhejiang University, China Agricultural Engineering 


2010 – Present Associate Professor, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at El Paso, Texas A&M University 

System 

2004 – 2010 Assistant Professor, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at El Paso, Texas A&M 

University System 

2009 – Present Adjunct professor, Texas Tech University 

2006 – Present Adjunct professor, New Mexico State University 

2003 – 2004 Visiting scientist, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD 

2001 – 2003 Research Director, Southern Sun Biosystems, Inc., SC 

1998 – 2001 Research Associate, Michigan State University 

1997 – 1998 Post-doctoral Fellow, Chiba University, Japan 



1. Zhao, L., B. Peng, J.A. Hernandez-Viezcas, C. Rico, Y.Sun, J.R. Peralta-Videa, X. Tang, G. Niu, L. Jin, A. Varela- 

Ramirez, J. Zhang, and J.L. Gardea-Torresdey. 2012. Stress response and tolerance of Zea mays to CeO 2 

nanoparticles: cross talk among H 2 O 2 , heat shock protein, and lipid peroxidation. ACS Nano 6 (11): 9615–9622. 

2. Niu, G., P. Osuna, Y. Sun, and D. Rodriguez. 2012. Seedling emergence, growth, and mineral nutrition of 

ornamental chile peppers irrigated with saline water. HortScience 47(11):1653–1657. 

3. Niu, G., D. Rodriguez, and S. McKenney. 2012. Response of selected wildflower species to saline water irrigation. 

HortScience 47(9): 1351-1355. 

4. Niu, G., M. Wang, D. Rodriguez, and D. Zhang. 2012. Responses of zinnia to saline water irrigation. HortScience 

47(6):793–797. 

5. Cai, X., T. Starman, G. Niu, C. Hall, and L. Lombardini. 2012. Response of selected garden roses to drought stress. 

HortScience 47(8):1050–1055.


6. Gao, J., M. Gu, G. Niu, and Y. Chen. 2012. Effects of salinity on three Pennisetum cultivars. Journal of Food, 

Agriculture & Environment Vol.10 (3&4): 1005-1007. 

7. Niu, G., W. Xu, D. Rodriguez, and Y. Sun. 2012. Growth and physiological responses of maize and sorghum 

genotypes to salt stress. ISRN Agronomy. Article ID 145072, doi:10.5402/2012/145072. 

8. Arnold, M.A., D.L. Bryan, R. Cabrera, G.C. Denny, J.J. Griffin, J.K. Iles, A.R. King, G.W. Knox, L. Lombardini, 

G.V. McDonald, C.B. McKenney, D.T. Montague, G. Niu, H.B. Pemberton, A.L. Purnell, L.J. Shoemake, D.K. 

Struve., and W.T. Watson. 2012. Provenance experiments with baldcypress, live oak, and sycamore illustrate the 

potential for selecting more sustainable urban trees. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 38(5):205-213. 

9. Li, M., T. Kozai, G. Niu, and M. Takagaki. 2012. Air exchange rate in a closed system with artificial lighting 

estimated using water vapor as tracer gas. Biosystem Engineering 113:94-101. 

10. Niu, G., D. Rodriguez, M. Mendoza, J. Jifon, and G. Ganjegunte. 2012. Responses of Jatropha curcas to salt and 

drought stresses. International Journal of Agronomy. Article ID 632026, 7 pages, 2012. doi:10.1155/2012/632026. 

11. Niu, G., R. Cabrera, T. Starman, and C. Hall. 2011. Water conservation in ornamental plant production through the 

use of alternative water sources. HortTechnology 21(6):694-695. 

12. Niu, G., D. Rodriguez, and M. Gu. 2011. Response of Sophora secundiflora to nitrogen form and rate. HortScience 

46(9):1303–1307. 

13. Lin, M., T. Starman, Y.T. Wang, G. Niu, and J.T. Cothren. 2011. Deferring flowering of nobile dendrobium hybrids 

by holding plants under low temperature after vernalization. Scientia Horticulturae 130: 869–873. 

14. Lin, M., T. Starman, Y.T. Wang, and G. Niu. 2011. Light and Cooling Requirement for Vernalization of Three 

Hybrid Nobile Dendrobium Cultivars. HortScience 46(3):406-410. 

15. Xiao, Y., G. Niu, and T. Kozai. 2011. Development and application of photoautotrophic micropropagation system. 

Plant Cell, Tissue & Organ Culture 105:149–158. 

16. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, E. Call, P. Bosland, A. Ulery, and E. Acosta. 2010. Responses of eight chile peppers to 

saline water irrigation. Scientia Horticulturae 126:215–222. 

17. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, K. Crosby, D. Leskovar, and J. Jifon. 2010. Rapid screening for relative salt tolerance 

among chile pepper genotypes. HortScience 45(8):1192–1195. 

18. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, R. Cabrera, J. Jifon, D. Leskovar, and K. Crosby. 2010. Salinity and soil type effects on 

emergence and growth of pepper seedlings. HortScience 45(8):1265–1269. 

19. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, and M. Gu. 2010. Salinity tolerance of Sophora secundiflora and Cercis canadensis var. 

Mexicana. HortScience 45(3):424-427. 

20. Miyamoto, S., G. Niu, I. Martinez. 2010. Salinity and specific ion effects on onion establishment in relation to 

disposal of desalting concentrates. Desalination and Water Treatment 16:381-392. 

21. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, and T. Starman. 2010. Response of bedding plants to saline water irrigation. HortScience 

45(4):628-636. 

22. Niu, G. and R.I. Cabrera. 2010. Growth and physiological responses of landscape plants to saline water irrigation – 

a review. HortScience 45(11): 1605-1609. 

23. Niu, G. and D.S. Rodriguez. 2009. Growth and physiological responses of four rose rootstocks to drought stress. 

Journal of American Society for Horticultural Science 134(2):202-209. 

24. Niu, G. and D.S. Rodriguez. 2008. Responses of growth and ion uptake of four rose rootstocks to chloride or sulfate 

dominated salinity. Journal of American Society for Horticultural Science 133(5):633-669. 

25. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, and L. Aguiniga. 2008. Effect of saline water irrigation on growth and physiological 

responses of three rose rootstocks. HortScience 43(5):1479-1484. 

26. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, and W. Mackay. 2008. Growth and physiological responses to drought stress in four 

oleander clones. Journal of American Society for Horticultural Science 133(2):188-196. 

27. Yen, C. Y.T., T. Starman, Y.T. Wang, A. Holzenburg, and G. Niu. 2008. Timing of nutrient termination and 

reapplication for growth, flower initiation, and flowering of the nobile dendrobium orchid. Journal of American 

Society for Horticultural Science 133(4):501-507. 

28. Yen, C. Y.T., T. Starman, Y.T. Wang, and G. Niu. 2008. Effects of cooling temperature and during on flowering of 

the nobile dendrobium orchid. HortScience. 43(6):1765-1769. 

29. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, W. Mackay, and L. Aguiniga. 2007. Salinity tolerance of Lupinus havardii and L. texensis. 

HortScience 42(3):526-528. 

30. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, and L. Awuinga. 2007. Growth and landscape performance of ten herbaceous species in 

response to saline water irrigation. Journal of Environmental Horticulture 25(4):204–210. 

31. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, and Y.T. Wang. 2007. Salinity and growing medium regulate growth, morphology and ion 

uptake of Gaillardia aristata. Journal of Environmental Horticulture 25(2):89-94. 

32. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, and W. Mackay. 2007. Effect of water stress on growth and flower yield of big bend 

bluebonnet. HortTechnology 17(4):557-560.



1. Fulcher, A., G. Niu, G. Bi, M. Evans, T. Fernandez, R. Geneve, A. Koeser, S. Nambuthiri, N. Pershey, R. Stewart, 

S. Verlinden, X. Wang. 2012. Assessing biocontainers and a sustainable irrigation regime for the US nursery 

industry. Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association 57: 73-77. 

2. Niu, G., P. Osuna, and D. Rodriguez. 2012. Salt Tolerance of Ornamental Chile Pepper. Proceedings of Southern 

Nursery Association 57: 336-341. 

3. Niu, G., Pemberton, B., P. Osuna, and D. Rodriguez. 2012. Plant Growth Regulator Impact on Calibrachoa and 

Verbena Branching. Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association 57: 151-156. 

4. Nambuthiri, S., R. Geneve, T. Fernandez, A. Fulcher, A. Koeser, G. Bi, M. Evans, G. Niu, N. Pershey, R. Stewart, 

S. Verlinden, and X. Wang. 2012. Substrate heat buildup and evaporation rate differs between plastic and 

alternative one gallon nursery containers. Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association 57: 60-62. 

5. Niu, G. and D.S. Rodriguez. 2011. Salt tolerance of bedding plants. Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association 

56:146-151. 

6. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, and C. McKenney. 2011. Salt tolerance of five wildflowers. Proceedings of Southern 

Nursery Association 56:152-156. 

7. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, M. Wang, T. Starman, and D. Zhang. 2011. Response of zinnia to saline water irrigation. 

Acta Horticulturae 922: 237-244. 

8. Niu, G. 2010. Growth and physiological responses of ornamental plants to salinity. Taiwan – USA symposium on 

technology of cultivation and molecular breeding for ornamental crops. August 18-21, Taichung, Taiwan, pp. 85- 

101. 

9. Niu, G. and D.C. Rodriguez. 2010. Growth Response of Selected Bedding Plants to Three Irrigation Levels. 

Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association 55:195-199. 

10. Niu, G., M. Gu, and D.C. Rodriguez. 2010. Nitrogen rate and form affected growth of Texas mountain laurel. 


11. Wang, M., G. Niu, D.C. Rodriguez, and D. Zhang. 2010. Response of Zinnia Cultivars to Salinity. Proceedings of 

Southern Nursery Association 55:189-194. 

12. Niu, G., M. Gu, and D.S. Rodriguez. 2009. Effects of substrate and salinity of irrigation water on the growth of 

Sophora secundiflora. Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association 54:1-7. 

13. Niu, G. and D.S. Rodriguez. 2009. Salt tolerance of ten bedding plants. Proceedings of Southern Nursery 

Association 54:405-410. 

14. Niu, G. and D.S. Rodriguez. 2008. Rose rootstocks responded differently to chloride versus sulfate salinity. 


15. Niu, G. and D.S. Rodriguez. 2008. Irrigation levels affected performance of Gaillardia species. Proceedings of 


16. Niu, G. and D.S. Rodriguez. 2008. Responses of four rose rootstocks to cyclic drought stress. Proceedings of 


17. Niu, G. and D.S. Rodriguez. 2007. Heat and drought tolerance of selected bedding plants. Proceedings of Southern 


18. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, and W. Mackay. 2007. Drought tolerance of four oleanders. Proceedings of Southern 


19. Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez and L. Aguiniga. 2007. Salinity tolerance of 10 herbaceous landscape plants. Proceedings 

of Southern Nursery Association 52:128-132. 

20. Niu, G., R.I. Cabrera, C. McKenney, W. Mackay. 2007. Water use and crop coefficients of selected herbaceous 

perennials. Proceedings of Southern Nursery Association 52:122-127. 

21. Niu, G. and D.S. Rodriguez. 2007. Salinity tolerance, water use and crop coefficients of selected shrubs and trees. 



1. Fulcher, A., G. Niu, G. Bi, M. Evans, T. Fernandez, R. Geneve, A. Koeser, S. Nambuthiri, N. Pershey, J.R. 

Stewart, S. Verlinden, and X. Wang. 2013. Pulp or plastic? American Nurseryman February. 

2. Arnold, M., E. Bush, R. Cabrera, G. Denny, J. Griffin, J. Iles, A. King, G. Knox, G. McDonald, C. McKenney, 

T. Montague, G. Niu, A. Owings, and D. Struve. 2010. Testing tolerances of Taxodium. Landscape Plant 

News 20(3):10-11. 

3. Niu, G., R. I. Cabrera, C. McKenney and W. A. Mackay. March, 2007. Determining plant water use and crop 

coefficients of nursery and landscape plants. (Texas Nursery and Landscape Association) TNLA Green, p. 18- 

20, 22. 

4. Niu, G. and Y.T. Wang. January, 2007. Cloning live oak. American Nurseryman. P. 26-27.


Book Chapter 2007 -2012 

1. Niu, G. 2012. Salt tolerance of Capsicum species. In: Peppers – Botany, Production and Uses. V.M. Russo 

(Ed.), pp. 150-164. CABI publisher, Nosworthy Way, UK. 

2. Miyamoto, S. and G. Niu. 2011. “Suitability of Concentrate Waters for Irrigation.” In Membrane and 

Treatment of impaired Irrigation Return and Other Flows for Creating New Sources of High Quality Water. 

Fahy and Balliew (Eds.). American Water Works Association. Denver, CO. 4: 27-30. 

3. Niu, G. and R. Cabrera. 2010. Irrigating ornamental horticultural plants with alternative water sources. In: 

Horticulture in 21 st Century, (A.N. Sampson, ed.), pp. 143-160. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., NY. 

Grants and contracts awarded 2007 – 2012 

$176,538 Impact and social acceptance of selected sustainable practices in ornamental crop production systems. USDA- 

NIFA SCRI, 2010 -2014. 

$52,964 Urban Water Conservation by Irrigating Landscapes with Reclaimed Water. Rio Grande Basin Initiative, 

USDA-FINA, 2012-2013. 

$35,000 Urban landscape water conservation, Task 5, Rio Grande Basin Initiative, USDA-FINA, 2010-2013. 

$30,000 Saline wastewater management and water reuse, Task 7, Rio Grande Basin Initiative, USDA-FINA, 2012- 

2013. 

$20,000 Determining salinity and drought tolerance of selected landscape plants, Urban landscape water conservation, 

Task 5, Rio Grande Basin Initiative, PI, USDA-CSREES through TWRI, 2009-2010. 

$15,000 Salinity tolerance of chile pepper plants, Saline and Wastewater Management and Reuse, Task 7, Rio Grande 

Basin Initiative, PI, USDA-CSREES through TWRI, 2009-2010. 

$17,500 Urban landscape water conservation, Task 5, Rio Grande Basin Initiative, PI, USDA-CSREES through TWRI, 

2007-2008. 

$7,000 Use of alternative water sources for bioenergy crops production in arid southwest region of the US. Sun Grant 

Initiative, 9/2011-8/2013. 

$30,000 Sustainable bioenergy production in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. Texas AgriLife Research Bioenergy 

Initiatives Program. 9/2011-8/2013. 

$65,400 Assessing Salt and Water Stress Tolerance, and Soil Sustainability of Oilseed Crops, Cellulosic and Woody 

Bioenergy Species for Saline Areas of Texas. Texas AgriLife Research Bioenergy Initiatives Program. 9/2009- 

8/2011. 

$6,500 Plant Growth Regulator Impact on Greenhouse or Perennial Herbaceous Ornamental Plant Branching, IR-4 

project, 2011. 

$6,000 Augeo Impact on Branching of Hydrangea, IR-4 project, 2012. 

$22,215 Determining water use of landscape plants for El Paso region, El Paso Water Utilities, 2006-2009. 

$16,033 Membrane treatment of impaired irrigation return and other flows for creating new sources of high quality 

water, American Water Works Association Research Foundation, USBR, SCERP, EPWU, 2007. 

$7,500 Determining plant water use and crop coefficients of nursery and landscape plants, Texas Nursery and 

Landscape Association, 2007. 

Journals for which you reviewed papers 2007 – 2012 

Bioresource Technology 

Biosystem Engineering 

Canadian Journal of Plant Science 

Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 

European Food Research and Technology 

HortScience 


Food Research International 

International Journal of Plant Science 

Journal of American Society for Horticultural Science 

PLOS ONE 


Transaction of the ASAE 

Review panels for grants and proposals 

CRDF (Civilian Research Development Foundation)


Chinese National Science Foundation 

New Mexico State University 

Ohio State University 

USBR (United State Bureau of Reclamation) 

Graduate students (advised/co-advised) 2007-2012 

• Xiaoya (Amy) Cai, Ph.D. candidate, co-advisor, (September 2010 to present) 

Graduate student Committee 2007-2012 

• Ockert Greyvenstein, Ph.D. Monsanto Plant Breeding Scholar. Heat tolerance of roses, expecting graduation in May 

2014. 

• Christine Yen, Master degree of Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University. Graduated in 2008. 

• Evan Call, MS candidate, graduated in 2011, New Mexico State University. 

• Min Lin, Master candidate, graduated in 2011, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University. 

• Nicholas Thomas Adams, Department of Environmental Science, New Mexico State University, MS student, 

graduated in 2011. 

Visiting Scholar advised 2007-2012 

• Pedro Osuna, visiting scientist, Universidad Autonoma de Cd. Juarez; Chihuahua, Mexico (June 2011- December 

2012) 

• Minzi Wang, Central South University of Forestry & Technology, China, June to December 2009 

EPCC Research Initiative Science Enhancement (RISE) students advised 2007-2012: 

1. Cindy Valdes, EPCC RISE student (2007) 

2. Rosie Cabrera, Biology, EPCC RISE student (2007-2008) 

3. Erik Acosta, EPCC RISE student (March 2009 – August 2011) 

4. Denice Manriquez, EPCC RISE student (April 2010 – present) 

5. Mike Mendoza, Biology, EPCC RISE student (August 2010 – present) 

6. Christina Perez, Biology, EPCC RISE student (August 2012 – present) 

Undergraduate students advised 2007-2012 

1. Kristian Ortiz, UTEP Work Study student, February 2006 – August 2007 

2. Esteban Mireles, UTEP Work Study student, September 2006 – May 2007 

3. Liz Rodriguez, Student worker, EPCC, December 2006 to May 2008 

4. Margarita Thornton, Technician II (June to August 2008) 

5. Crystal Salcido, Student worker (May to October 2008) 

6. Cindy Valdes, EPCC RISE Student (October 2007 to December 2008) 

7. Rosie Cabrera, EPCC RISE Student (October 2007 to August 2008) 

8. Rosie Cabrera, AgriLife student worker (September 2008 to May 2009) 

9. Jose Gonzalez, UTEP work study student (September 2008 to August 2011) 

10. Stephanie Murr, EPCC Student Worker (October to December 2008) 

11. Anna M. Brew, EPCC RISE student (October 2008 to May 2009) 

12. Erik Acosta, EPCC RISE Student (March 2009 to present) 

13. Stephanie Renteria, UTEP work study student (February 2009 to May 2009) 

14. Jacqueline A. Parisi, AgriLife Student worker (May to August 2009) 

15. Gabriel Moreno, UTEP work study student (Sept 2009 to present) 

16. Julie Hernandez, AgriLife student worker (April 2010 to April 2011) 

17. Alan Lara, AgriLife student worker (April 2010 to August 2010) 

18. Liz Rodriguez, Student worker, UTEP, (October 2010 to December 2011) 

19. Denice Manriquez, Salt tolerance of wilder flowers (April 2010 to present)


20. Mike Mendoza, biology, EPCC RISE student (August 2010 to present) 

21. Melissa Godina, UTEP work study student (Sept 2011- present) 

22. Samuel Retana, UTEP Work study student (Sept 2012 – present) 

Professional Activities 

• American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS). 2000 – present. 

o Secretary (2012/2013) for Environmental Stress Physiology 

o Outstanding Research Award Committee 2010-2012 

o Outstanding Graduate Award Committee 2012-2014 

o Secretary, Chair-elect, Chair for Asian Horticulture Working Group (2008-2010) 

o Secretary, Chair-elect, Chair for Nursery Crops working group (2005-2007) 

• Regional Group NC1186 – “Water Management and Quality for Ornamental Crop Production and Health” North 

Central Association Multistate Research Project. 

o Secretary – 2012-2014 

• Regional Group WERA 1013 “Intermountain Regional Evaluation and Introduction of Native Plants” 

o Secretary – 2012-2014 

Professional Recognition: 

• Bridget Fellow of Japan Society for Promotion of Science, 2010. Host: Chiba University from Nov 6 to Dec 11, 

2010. 

• USDA CSREES National Water Program Award for Outstanding Integrated Activities for Water Resources, Rio 

Grande Basin Initiative Team Member, 2007. First USDA national teamwork award for integrated water resources, 

ranked number 1 out of 37 nominations.


Bhimanagouda Patil 

Director of the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center and 

Professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences 

b-patil@tamu.edu 


Dr. Patil balances his efforts among teaching, research and administration. For 

teaching, Patil has provided undergraduate students with opportunities for 

experiential learning, enhancing faculty preparation for multidisciplinary courses, 

instructional delivery and developing a comprehensive curriculum through USDA- 

Challenge grants. Patil collaboratively developed two first-of-a-kind courses, 

‘Science of Foods for Health’, and ‘Phytochemicals in Fruits and Vegetables to 

Improve Human Health’, by conducting a curriculum development workshop with 

multidisciplinary faculty from three U.S. land grant universities. These unique 

courses benefitted not only TAMU students but also three land grant universities 

and five other universities in Texas. The enrollment in both courses has been 

increasing and similar numbers of students enrolled in other states; we continue to 

receive requests from other land grant universities to expand these courses to their 

schools. Since 2007, Dr. Patil has also served as the chair/co-chair on 14 Ph.D. and 

5 M.S student committees and as a member of four graduate student committees. 

He initiated several new and cutting-edge collaborative research projects, related to 

processing and pre-and postharvest effects on bioactive compounds. Additionally, the research focus of Dr. Patil's lab has 

expanded to include isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds to determine their potential human health benefits. 

Further testing of these bioactive compounds is being conducted in cell and animal studies, and recently even human 

intervention studies, to understand their mechanisms of action. Specialty crops are also under investigation to understand 

their health-maintaining properties. By expanding the research focus of the VFIC to include examination of human health 

benefits, this new research direction has synergistically supported traditional breeding efforts, yielding a stronger, diverse 

research program. He also collaborated with multidisciplinary faculty, staff and students to develop and implement new 

strategic plans to increase VFIC resources, increase the numbers and diversity of undergraduate and graduate students and 

faculty, and improve programmatic relevance and excellence. He has published a substantial number of scientific papers in 

peer-reviewed journals, editor reviewed proceedings, book chapters, and edited books. Dr. Patil served as an International 

Advisory Board Member in 9 professional societies and four industry-related boards. 



Ph.D. 1994 Texas A&M University Horticulture 

M.S. 1987 University of Agricultural Sciences Horticulture 

B.S. 1984 University of Agricultural Science Agriculture 


2005-present Director Vegetable & Fruit Improvement Center, Texas A&M University 

2008-present Professor, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University 

(25% teaching, 25% research, 50% administration) 

2005-2008 Associate Professor, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University 

(35% teaching, 65% administration and research) 

2002-2004 Associate Director, Vegetable & Fruit Improvement Center, Texas A&M University 

1997-2004 Assistant Professor of Plant Physiology, Texas A&M University – Kingsville Citrus Center 

1996-1997 Post-Doctoral Research Associate, University of California – Kearney Agricultural Center 

1994-1996 Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Washington State University, Prosser 

1989-1991 Instructor, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad 


Refereed Publications (underlined names indicate graduate student/post doc in the faculty member’s lab) 

Uckoo, R.M., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Balasubramaniam, V.M., and Patil, B.S. 2012, Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Var. Macfad) 

phytochemicals composition is modulated by household processing techniques. Journal of Food Science, 77, C921- 

C926, PMID: 22957912. 

Vikram, A., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Jesudhasan, P.R., Pillai, S.D. and Patil, B.S. 2012. Obacunone Represses Salmonella 

Pathogenicity Islands 1 and 2 in an envZ-Dependent Fashion, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 78, 7012-7022, 

PMID: 22843534.


Vikram, A., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Jesudhasan, P.R., Pillai, S.D., Patil, B.S. 2012. Limonin 7-methoxime interferes with 

Escherichia coli biofilm formation and attachment in type 1 pili and antigen 43 dependent manner. Food Control, 

26:427-438. 

Somasundaram, S., Price, J., Pearce, K., Shuck, R., Jayaprakasha, G.K. and Patil, B.S. 2012. Citrus Limonin Lacks the Antichemotherapeutic 

Effect in Human Models of Breast Cancer, J. Nutrigenet Nutrigenomics, 5, 106-114, PMID: 

22907263. 

Chebrolu, K.K., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Yoo, K.S., Jifon, J.L., Patil, B.S. 2012. An improved sample preparation method of 

quantification of ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid by HPLC. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 47:443-449. 

Chebrolu, K., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Jifon, J., and Patil, B.S. 2012. Production system and storage temperature influence 

grapefruit vitamin C, limonoids and carotenoids, J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 60, 7096−7103. 

Murthy, K.N.C., Jayaprakasha, G.K., and Patil, B.S. 2012. Berberine: a natural alkaloid targets multiple pathways to induce 

cell death in cultured human colon cancer cells, European J. Pharmacology, 688, 14-21, PMID: 22617025. 

Murthy, K.N.C., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Patil, B.S. 2012. D-limonene rich volatile oil from blood oranges inhibits angiogenesis, 

metastasis and cell death in human colon cancer cells. Life Sciences, 91, 429-439, PMID: 22935404. 

Jayaprakasha, G.K., Murthy, K.N.C., Demarais, R., Patil, B.S. 2012. Inhibition of prostate cancer (LNCaP) cell proliferation 

by volatile components from Nagami kumquats. Planta Med., 78:974-980. 

Jayaprakasha, G.K., Murthy, K.N.C., Etlinger, M., Mantur, S.M., Patil, B.S. 2012. Radical scavenging capacities and 

inhibition of human prostate (LNCaP) cell proliferation by Fortunella margarita. Food Chemistry, 131:184-191. 

Patil, B.S., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Vikram, A. 2012. Indigenous Crops of Asia and Southeast Asia: Exploring Health-promoting 

Properties. HortScience, 47:821-827. 

Bae, H., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Jifon, J., and Patil, B.S. 2012. Extraction efficiency and validation of HPLC method for the 

flavonoid analysis from peppers. Food Chemistry, 130: 751-758. 

Bae, H., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Jifon, J., and Patil, B.S. 2012. Variation of antioxidant activity and the levels of bioactive 

compounds in lipophilic and hydrophilic extracts from hot pepper (Capsicum spp.) cultivars. Food Chemistry, 134, 

1912-1918. 

Bae, H., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Crosby, B., Jifon, J., and Patil, B.S. 2012. Influence of extraction solvents on antioxidant 

activity and the content of bioactive compounds in non-pungent peppers. Plant Food and Human Nutrition, 67, 120- 

128, PMID: 22569831. 

Kim, J., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Uckoo, R.M., Patil, B.S. 2012. Evaluation of chemopreventive and cytotoxic effect of lemon 

seed extracts on human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 50:423-430. 

Kim, J., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Vikram, A., and Patil, B.S. 2012. Citrus limonoid, methyl nomilinate, modulates cell cycle 

regulators to induce cytotoxicity in human colon cancer (SW480) cell in vitro, Toxicology in vitro, 26, 1216-1223, 

PMID: 22728232. 

Potter, A.S, Foroudi, S., Stamatikos, A., Patil, B.S., and Deyhim F. 2011. Drinking carrot juice increases total antioxidant 

status and decreases lipid peroxidation in adults. Nutrition Journal, 24:1-6, PMID: 21943297. 

Vikram, A., Jesudhasan, P.R., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Pillai, S.D., Jayaraman, A., and Patil, B.S. 2011. Citrus flavonoid 

represses Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 and motility in S. Typhimurium LT2. International Journal of Food 

Microbiology, 145: 28-36, PMID: 21168230. 

Borochov-Neori, H., Judeinstein, S., Harari, M., Bar-Ya'akov. I., Patil, B.S., Lurie, S., and Holland, D. 2011. Climate effects 

on anthocyanin accumulation and composition in the pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit arils. Journal of 

Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 59: 5325-5334, PMID:21506517. 

Mayuoni, L., Tietle, Z., Patil, B.S., and Porat, R. 2011. Does ethylene degreening affect internal quality of citrus fruit?. 

Postharvest Biology and Technology, 62:50-58. 

Manchali, S., Murthy, K.N.C, and Patil, B.S. 2011. Crucial facts about health benefits of popular cruciferous vegetables. 

Journal of Functional Foods, 4: 94-106. 

Jayaprakasha, G.K. Murthy, K.N.C., and Patil, B.S. 2011. Rapid HPLC-UV method for the quantification of L-citrulline 

from watermelon and its effect on smooth muscle relaxation. Food Chemistry, 127:240-248. 

Jayaprakasha, G.K., Dandekar, D.V., Tichy, S.E., Patil, B.S. 2011. Simultaneous separation and identification of limonoids 

from citrus using liquid chromatography-collision induced dissociation mass spectra, Journal of Separation Science, 34: 

2-10, PMID: 21171170. 

Kim, J., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Muthuchamy, M., and Patil, B.S. 2011. Structure-function relationships of citrus limonoids on 

p38 MAP kinase activity in human aortic smooth muscle cells, European Journal of Pharmacology, 670: 44-48, PMID: 

21924259. 

Chebrolu, K., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Jifon, J. and Patil, B.S. 2011. Optimization of flavanone extraction by modulating 

differential solvent densities and centrifuge temperatures, Talanta, 85, 353-362, PMID: 21645710. 

Murthy, K.N.C., Jayaprakasha, G.K. and Patil, B.S. 2011. Citrus limonoids obacunone and obuacunone glucoside inhibit 

SW-480 human colon cancer cells by the induction of apoptosis. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 49: 1616-1625, PMID: 

21338095.


Murthy, K.N.C., Jayaprakasha, G.K. and Patil, B.S. 2011. Apoptosis mediated cytotoxicity of citrus obacunone in human 

pancreatic cancer cells, In vitro Toxicology, 25: 859-867, PMID: 21333732. 

Murthy, K.N.C., Jayaprakasha, G.K. Vinod, K., Rathore, K.S., and Patil, B.S. 2011. Citrus limonin and its glucoside inhibit 

colon adenocarcinoma cells through apoptosis. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 59: 2314-2323, 

PMID:21338095. 

Vikram, A., Jesudhasan, P.R., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Pillai, S.D., and Patil, B.S. 2011. Citrus limonoids interfere with Vibrio 

harveyi cell-cell signaling and biofilm formation by modulating response regulator luxO. Microbiology, 157: 99-110, 

PMID: 20864476. 

Uckoo, R.M., Jayaprakasha, G.K. and Patil, B.S. 2011. Rapid separation method of polymethoxyflavones from citrus using 

flash chromatography. Separation and Purification Technology, 81: 157-158. 

Uckoo, R.M., Jayaprakasha,G.K., Nelson, S.D., Patil, , B.S. 2011. Simultaneous quantification of amines and organic acids in 

citrus using a rapid high-performance liquid chromatography method, Talanta, 83, 948-054, PMID: 21147342. 

Yoo, K.S., Lee, E.J., Patil, B.S. 2011. Under estimation of pyruvic acid concentrations by fructose and cysteine in 2,4- 

dinitrophenylhydrazine-mediated onion pungency test. Journal of Food Science, 76:1136-1142. 

Yoo, K.S., Lee, E.J., Patil, B.S. 2011. Improved consistency in DNPH-mediated pyruvic acid analysis of onion juice by 

modifying the sample processing order. Journal of Food Science, 76:162-167. 

Lee, E.J., Yoo, K.S., Patil, B.S. 2011. Total carotenenoid, anthocyanin, and sugar in sliced or whole purple (cv. BetaSweet) 

and orange carrots during 4-week cold storage. Hort Environ Biotech., 52: 402-407. 

Bang, H., Cho, D.Y., Yoo, K.S. Yoon, M.K., Patil, B.S. Kim, S. 2011. Development of simple PCR-based markers linked to 

the Ms locus, a restorer-of-fertility gene in onion (Allium cepa L.), Euphytica, 179:439-449. 

Vikram, A., P. R. Jesudhasan, G. K. Jayaprakasha, S. D. Pillai, and B. S. Patil. 2010. Grapefruit bioactive limonoids 

modulate E. coli O157:H7 TTSS and biofilm. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 140, 109-116. 

Yoo, K.S., Lee, E.J., Patil, B.S. 2010. Quantification of quercetin glycosides in six onion cultivars and comparisons of 

hydrolysis-HPLC and spectrophotometric methods in measuring total quercetin concentrations. Journal of Food Science, 

75:C160-C165. 

Lee, E.J., Yoo, K.S., Patil, B.S. 2010. Identification of candidate amino acids in the formation of pink-red pigments in onion 

(Allium cepa L.) juice and separation by HPLC. Journal of Food Science, 75:C684-C689. 

Lee, E.J., Yoo, K.S., Patil, B.S. 2010. Development of rapid HPLC-UV method for simultaneous quantification of 

protodioscin and rutin in white and green asparagus spears. Journal of Food Science, 75:C703-C709. 

Somasundaram, S., Anusuya, N., Pearce, K., Patil, B.S. and Manian, S. 2010. Molecular target for Indigofera tinctoria 

extracts on human breast cancer cell growth inhibition, Journal of Applied Global Research, 3: 67-72. 

Patil, J.R., K. N. C., Murthy, G.K., Jayaprakasha, Chetti, M.B., Patil, B.S. 2010. Characterization of Citrus aurantifolia 

bioactive compounds and their inhibition of human pancreatic cancer cells through apoptosis. Microchemical Journal, 

94:108-117. 

Patil, J.R., G.K. Jayaprakasha, K. N. C., Murthy, Tichy, S.E., Chetti, M.B., Patil, B.S. 2009. Antiproliferative activity of 

volatile oil isolated from Citrus aurantifolia in human colon cancer cells, Food Chemistry, 114, 1351-1358. 

Jayaprakasha, G.K. Jadegoud, Y., Nagan Gowda, G.A, Patil, B.S. 2010. Bioactive compounds from sour orange inhibit 

colon cell proliferation and induce cell cyclearrest. . Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 58:180-186. 

Leonardi, T., J. Vanamala, S.S., Taddeo, L.A. Davidson, M.E. Murphy, B.S. Patil, N. Wang, R.J. Carroll, R.S. Chapkin, J.R. 

Lupton, N.D. Turner. 2010. Apigenin and naringenin suppress colon carcinogenesis through the aberrant crypt stage in 

azoxymethane-treated rats. Experimental Biology and Medicine, 235:710-717. 

Perez, P.L., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Cadena, A., Martinez, E., Ahmad, H., and Patil, B.S. 2010. In vivo induction of Phase II 

detoxifying enzymes, Glutathione Transferase and Quinone Reductase, by Citrus triterpenoids, BMC Journal of 

Complementary Medicine and Alternative, 10:51 doi:10.1186/1472-6882-10-51. 

Patil, B.S., G.K. Jayaprakasha, K.N.C. Murthy, A. Vikram. 2009. Biological Activities: Historical Perspectives, Challenges 

and Opportunities. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 57:8142-8160. 

Cho, J.E., Lee, E.J., Yoo, K.S., Lee, S.K., Patil, B.S. 2009. Identification of candidate amino acids involved in the formation 

of blue pigments in crushed garlic cloves (Allium sativim, L). Journal of Food Science, 74:C11-C16. 

Kim, W., Yang-Yi, F., Smith, R., Patil, B.S., Jayaprakasha, G.K., McMurry, D.N. Chapkin, R.S. 2009. Dietary curcumin and 

limonin suppress CD41 T-cell proliferation and Interleukin-2 production in mice1–3. Journal of Nutrition, 139:1042- 

1048. PMI: 19321585. 

Vikram, A., G.K., Jayaprakasha, R., Jesudhasan, S.D., Pillai, B.S. Patil. 2010. Suppression of bacterial cell-cell signaling, 

biofilm formation and type III secretion system by citrus flavonoids. Journal of Applied Microbiology 109:515-527. 

Perez, J.L., Jayaprakasha, Violeta, V., Munoz, D, Dandekar, D.V., Ahmad, H., Patil, B.S. 2009. Limonin methoxylation 

influences induction of glutathione S-transferase and quinone reductase. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 

57:5279-5286.


Kim, S., Lee, Eul-Tai, Cho, D.Y., Han, T. H., Bang, H., Patil, B.S., Ahn, Y.K., Yoon, Moo-Kyoung. 2009. Identification of a 

novel chimeric gene, orf725, and its use in development of a molecular marker for distinguishing among three cytoplasm 

types in onion (Allium cepa L.). Theoretical and Applied Genetics 118:433-441. 

Lee, E.J., K.S. Yoo, J. Jifon, and B.S. Patil. 2009. Application of extra sulfur to high-sulfur soils does not increase pungency 

and related compounds in short-day onions. Scientia Horticulturae 123:178-193. 

Lee, E.J., Yoo, K.S., Jifon, J., and Patil, B.S. 2009. Characterization of short-day onion cultivars of 3 pungency levels with 

flavor precursor, free amino acid, sulfur, and sugar contents. J. Food Sci. 76:475-480. 

Mandadi, K.K., Ramirez, M., Faraji, B., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Lihono, M., Deyhim, F. Patil, B.S. 2009. Citrus bioactive 

compounds improve bone quality and plasma antioxidant activity in orchidectomized rats, Phytomedicine 16: 513-520. 

Girennavar, B., S. E. Simpkins, Jayaprakasha G.K., S. Pillai, K.S.,Yoo, and Patil, B.S. 2008. Influence of electron beam 

irradiation on bioactive compounds in grapefruits (Citrus paradisi Macf.), Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 

56:10941-10946. 

Deyhim, F., K. Mandadi, B.S.Patil, B., Faraji. 2008. Grapefruit pulp increases antioxidant status and improves bone quality 

in orchidectomized rats. Nutrition, 24:1039-1044. 

Dandekar, D.V., Jayaprakasha, G.K. and B.S., Patil. 2008. Hydrotropic extraction of bioactive citrus limonoid from sour 

orange (Citrus aurantium L.) seeds. Food Chemistry 109: 515-520. 

Jayaprakasha, G.K., Mandadi, K.K., Poulose, S.M., Jadegoud, Y., Nagana Gowda, G.A., and Patil, B.S. 2008. Novel 

triterpinoid from Citrus aurantium L. possess chemopreventive properties against human colon cancer cells, Bioorganic 

and Medicinal Chemistry, 16: 5939-5951. 

Girennavar, B., Jayaprakasha G. K., Jifon, J.L. and Patil, B.S. 2008. Variation of bioactive furocoumarins and flavonoids in 

different varieties of grapefruits and pummelo. European Food Research and Technology, 226: 1269-1275. 

Girennavar, B., Jayaprakasha G. K., and Patil, B.S. 2008. Influence of pre- and postharvest factors and processing on the 

levels of furocoumarins in grapefruits (Citrus paradisi Macf.), Food Chemistry, 111, 387-392. 

Miller, E.G., J.J. Peacock, T. Campbell Bourland, S.E. Taylor, J.M. Wright, J.M. and Patil, B.S. 2008. Inhibition of oral 

carcinogenesis by citrus flavonoids. Nutrition and Cancer, 60:1-6. 

Jayaprakasha, G.K., Girennavar, B. and Patil, B.S. 2008. Evaluation of the antioxidant activities in Rio Red and sour orange 

fruit extracts in vitro models systems, Bio-Resource Technology, 99, 4484-4494. 

Chapkin, R.S., D.N. McMurray, L.A. Davidson, B.S. Patil, Y.Y. Fan and J.R. Lupton. 2008. Bioactive dietary long chain 

fatty acids: Emerging mechanisms of action. British Journal of Nutrition,100:1152-1157. 

Perez, J.L, Jayaprakasha, G.K, Yoo. K.S., Patil, B.S. 2008. Determination of D-glucarate in grapefruit varieties by High- 

Performance Liquid Chromatography, Journal of Chromatography, 1190, 394-397. 

Dandekar, D.V., Jayaprakasha, G.K, and Patil, B.S. 2008. Simultaneous extraction of limonoid aglycones and glucosides 

from Citrus aurantium L. using hydrotropy, Z. Naturforschung, 63c, 176-180. 

Jayaprakasha, G.K., B. Girennavar and B.S. Patil. 2008. Evaluation of antioxidant capacity of pummelo and navel oranges: 

extraction efficiency of solvents. LWT Food Science and Technology, 41, 376-384, 2008. 

Deyhim, F., K. Mandadi, Faraji, B., and B.S. Patil. 2008. Grapefruit juice modulates bone quality in rats. Journal of 

Medicinal Food, 11:99-104. 

Soni, K., P. Jesudhasan, M. Cepeda, Jayaprakasha G.K. . , B.S. Patil, M. Hume, and S.D. Pillai. 2008. Identification of ground 

beef-derived fatty acids working as inhibitors of autoinducer-2 (AI-2)-based cell signaling. Journal of Food Protection, 

71:134-138. 

Girennavar, B., G.K. Jayaprakasha, Jadegouda, G.A. Nagana Gowda, and B.S. Patil. 2007. Radical scavenging and 

cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitory activity of bergaptol and geranylcoumarin from grapefruit. Bioorganic and Medicinal 

Chemistry,15: 3684-3691. 

Yu, J., R.T. Toledo, R.K. Singh, D.V. Dandekar, L.M. Pike and B.S. Patil. 2007. Supercritical fluid extraction: An efficient 

method for bioactive compounds from grapefruit seed. Food Chemistry, 105:1026-1031. 

Jayaprakasha, G.K., K.K. Mandadi, S.M. Poulose, Jadegouda, G.A. Nagana Gowda, and B.S. Patil. 2007. Inhibition of 

human colon cancer cells and antioxidant activity by bioactive compounds from Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. Bioorganic 

and Medicinal Chemistry, 14:4923-4932. 

Mandadi, K.K., G.K. Jayaprakasha, N. Bhat. B.S. Patil. 2007. Red Mexican Grapefruit: A novel source for bioactive 

limonoids and their antioxidant activity. Z. Naturforschung C, 62C:179-188. 

Vikram, A., G. K. Jayaprakasha, and B. S. Patil. 2007. Simultaneous quantification of citrus limonoid aglycones and 

glucosides by high performance liquid chromatography. Analytica Chemica Acta, 590:180-186. 

Tian, Q., E.G. Miller, G.K. Jayaprakasha, E.G. Miller, and B.S. Patil. 2007. An improved HPLC method for the analysis of 

citrus limonoids in culture media. Journal of Chromatography, B 846: 385-390. 

Girennavar, B., G. K. Jayaprakasha, and B.S. Patil. 2007. Potent inhibition of human Cytochrome P450 3A4, 2D6 and 2C9 

isoenzymes by grapefruit juice and its furocoumarins. Journal of Food Science, 72:417-421. 

Jayaprakasha, G.K. and B.S. Patil. 2007. In vitro evaluation of the antioxidant activities in fruit extracts from and citron and 

blood orange. Food Chemistry, 101:410-418.



Bae, H., Jayaprakasha, G., Jifon, J. and Patil, B. 2009. Late season Sour Orange Seeds: Major Source of Deacetylnomilin. 

Proc. 2nd International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables. Ed. B. Patil. Acta Hort. 

841:471-473. 

Chebrolu, K., Jayaprakasha, G., Jifon, J. and Patil, B. 2009. Simultaneous Quantification of Narigin, Hesperidin and 

Narirutin in Citrus Juice. Proc. 2nd International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables. Ed. 

B. Patil. Acta Hort. 841:487-490. 

Chidambara, K., Jayaprakasha, G. and Patil, B. 2009. Limonin and its glucoside from citrus can inhibit colon cancer: 

Evidence from in vitro studies. Proc. 2nd International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables. 

Ed. B. Patil. Acta Hort,. 841:145-151. 

Somasundaram, K.P. Gunasekera, R., J., G.K. Jayaprakasha, B.S. Patil, Differential phosphorylations of NFkB and cell 

growth of MDA-MB 231 human breast cancer cell line by limonin, Proc. 2nd International Symposium on Human 

Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables. Ed. B. Patil. Acta Hort., 841, 151-154, 2009. 

Uckoo, R.M., Nelson, S.D., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Patil, B.S. Impact of Low Water Use Systems on Bioactive Flavonoids of 

Grapefruit, Proc. 2nd International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables. Ed. B. Patil. Acta 

Hort., 841, 607-610, 2009. 

Bang, H., L.M. Pike, B.S. Patil, and K.S. Yoo. 2009. Structural gene expression in carotenoid biosynthetic pathway of carrot 

during root development. Proc. 2nd International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables. Ed. 

B. Patil. Acta Hort. 841:475-478. 

Cho, J.E., S.K.Lee, B.S.Patil, E.J. Lee, and K.S. Yoo. 2009. Separation of blue pigments in crushed garlic cloves: the color 

forming potential of individual amino acids. Proc. 2nd International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and 

Vegetables. Ed. B. Patil. Acta Hort. 841:491-493. 

Lee, E.J., K.S.Yoo, B.S. Patil, J.E. Cho, and S.K. Lee. 2009. Flavor precursor and amino acids involved in blue-green 

pigment formation in crushed garlic cloves. Proc. 2nd International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and 

Vegetables. Ed. B. Patil. Acta Hort. 841:541-544. 

Patil, B.S. Jayaprakash, G.K. and Harris, E.D. 2007. Impact of citrus limonoids on human health. Acta Hort. 744. 127-134. 

Harris, E.D. S.M. Poulose, Patil, B.S. 2007. Citrus limonoids are unique and effective anticancer agents. Acta Hort. 744. 

165-170. 

Yoo, K.S., L. M. Pike, B.S. Patil, D. Leskovar, K. Crosby, and S. King. 2007. Challenges of phytochemical analysis and its 

application in developing new fruits and vegetables with improved health benefits. Acta Hort. 744. 101-106. 


Healthy vegetable, fruit research draws students to agricultural studies that pay off. AgriLife Today- Kathleen Phillips- 

March 8, 2012. 

Introducing Microgreens: Younger, And Maybe More Nutritious, Vegetables. NPR News- Eliza Barclay- August 31, 2012. 

Texas AgriLife Researchers making better melons. AgriLife Today- Paul Schattenberg-September 2011. 

Artichokes grow big in Texas- American Society for Horticultural Science News- November 10, 2011. 

Ehrenberg, Rachel. Monday, 3/22/2010. Ingredient of dark roasted coffees may make them easier on the tummy. Science 

News, Web edition. 

Ingredient of dark roasted coffees may make them medicinal value of fruits and vegetable to be studied- The Hindu Feb 23, 

2010. http://hindu.com/2010/02/23/stories/2010022355200500.htm 

U.S. Center sees cure in usual greens- Deccan Herald Feb 22, 2010. 

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/54314/us-centre-sees-cure-usual.html 

They are really good for you. Laici Wedel- Feb 19, 2010. 

http://aglifesciences.tamu.edu/news/2-2010-traintrainer.php 

Students study science of foods for health. Samantha Smith- January 22, 2010- http://ccts.osu.edu/news-highlight/studentsstudy-science-healthy-food 

Patil received Vice Chancellor’s award for Research Excellence. Kathleen Phillips- January 12, 2010. 

(http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1687) 

Horticulture Course Highlights Fruits, Vegetables, and Good Health. Laici Wedel- October 2, 2010 

http://aglifesciences.tamu.edu/news/10-2009-hort_course.php 

All ‘Choked up in Texas. Texas Gardener, Vol. XXVIII, No. 5. Leander, Patty Glenn. July/August 2009. 

Consumers, health to be spotlighted at Austin vegetable conference- Agrilife Communication. Kathleen Phillips-August 

18,2009. 

Top Stories Nutrition sells produce but education is key, panel agrees. Pamela Riemenschneider- August 27, 2009. 

Three professors honored- August 14, 2009. The Eagle.


Horticulture Faculty Recognized by American Society for Horticultural Science. Bill Gibbs- August 7, 2009. 

What’s the apple of your eye? researchers ask. AgriLife News. Kathleen Phillips- July 24, 2009. 

Patil: for he's a jolly good science fellow. AgriLife News. Kathleen Phillips- July 23, 2009 

A&M maroon carrot branches out. Houston Chronicle. Erick Berger- October 26, 2008. 

Tastier, Healthier melons aim of Texas A&M researchers. The Batt online. Julie Rambin- July 8, 2009. 

Myth Buster: Is Organic Food Better for You? AARPBulletinToday. Beth Goulart- April 16, 2009. 

Tasty Prevention. Texas A&M AgriLife Lifescapes. Dr. Claire Hemingway- Spring 2009. 

“Good health, in a lemon.” Hindustan Times. Sanchita Sharma- January 14, 2007. 

“Horticultural Society Reaches Out to Students, Other Disciplines.” AgNews. Rod Santa Ana III- January 26, 2007. 

“Creating Knowledge through Discovery,” Images, IMAGERESERCHVALLEY.COM, 2007 (April). 

“Ask A Hispanic: Oh No! I Just Ate An Entire Avocado. Is My Diet Ruined?”, Hispanic.com. Judy Caplan- April 20, 2007, 

8 AM. 

“Bone: Diet and exercise are not always enough.” The Bryan-College Station Eagle. Susan Morse- June 30, 2007, Page E4. 


Maintain the center website, two class websites, and three Facebook discussion groups for the classes: 

Vegetable & Fruit Improvement Center http://vfic.tamu.edu/ 

HORT 640 http://agrilife.org/phytochemicals/ 

HORT 640 https://www.facebook.com/phytochemicals.vfic 

HORT 689 http://agrilife.org/foodsforhealth/ 

HORT 689 http://www.facebook.com/groups/320710744645926/ 

Editor-Books/Symposium Series 2007-1012 

Editor 

Patil, B.S. Jayaprakasha, G.K. Murthy, K.N.C and Seeram, N.R. (Editors) 2012. Emerging Trends in Dietary Components 

for Preventing and Combating Disease. ACS symposium series 1093, Oxford University Press, New York, USA. 

Patil, B.S., Murano, P., and Amiot-Carlin, M.-J (Editors). International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and 

Vegetables: FAVHEALTH 2007, ISHS Acta Horticulturae 841. 

Chapters: 

Jayaprakasha, G.K., Vikram, A., and Patil, B.S. 2012. Analysis Methods of Flavanones, In-Analysis of Antioxidant-Rich 

Phytochemicals, pp 275-311, Edited by Xu & Howard, John Wiley & Sons, New York. 

Kim, J., Jayaprakasha,G.K., Vikram, A., and Patil, B.S. 2012. Cancer chemopreventive properties of citrus limonoids, In: - 

Emerging Trends in Dietary Components for Preventing and Combating Disease, Editors: Patil, B.S., Jayaprakasha, 

G.K., Murthy, K. N. C., and Seeram, N., ACS symposium series 1093, 37-50, Oxford University press, New York, USA. 

Murthy, K.N.C., Jayaprakasha, G.K., and Patil, B.S. 2012. Citrus monoterpenes: potential source of phytochemicals for 

cancer prevention. In-Emerging Trends in Dietary Components for Preventing and Combating Disease. Editors: Patil, 

B.S., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Murthy, K. N. C., and Seeram, N., ACS symposium series 1093, 545-558, Oxford University 

press, New York, USA. 

Uckoo, R., Jayaprakasha, G.K. and Patil, B.S. 2012. Chromatographic Techniques for the Separation of 

Polymethoxyflavones from Citrus, In: Emerging Trends in Dietary Components for Preventing and Combating Disease, 

Editors: Patil, B.S., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Murthy, K. N. C., and Seeram, N., ACS symposium series 1093, 3-15, Oxford 

University Press, New York, USA. 

Jifon, J., Lester, G., Stewart, M., Crosby, K., Leskovar, D., Patil, B.S. 2011. Fertilizer use and functional qualities of fruits 

and vegetables. IFA-IPNI. 

Jayaprakasha, G.K., Murthy, K.N.C. and Patil, B.S. Antioxidant activities of polyphenol containing extracts from citrus, In 

Functional Food and Health, edited by Shibamoto, T., Kanazawa, K., Shahidi, F., and Ho, C.-T. ACS symposium series 

993, pp. 264-276, 2008, Oxford University press, USA. 


Jayaprakasha, G. K., B. S. Patil, and N. G. Bhat. Process for the Isolation of Limonoid Glucosides from Citrus. The Texas 

A&M University System, assignee. Patent 0237885. 11 Oct. 2007. 


Horticulture 640 (Initially taught as Horticulture 689), Phytochemicals in Fruits and Vegetables to Improve Human Health: 

Fall 2007, 2010 and 2011. This course is also offered to students at Ohio State University and Colorado State University. 

This is funded by the USDA-Challenge grant to develop a multi-disciplinary course.


Horticulture 489, Science of Foods for Health: Fall 2009. This course also offered to students at Iowa State and Ohio State 

University. This is funded by the USDA-Challenge grant 2006-38411-17095 to develop a multi-disciplinary course. 

Horticulture 689, Science of Foods for Health: Fall 2012. This course also offered to students at Iowa State and Ohio State 

University. 

Horticulture 691, Research, each semester from Fall 2007 through Fall 2012 at Texas A&M University and on average more 

than six students registered. 



Basavaraj Girennavar. 2007. Ph.D. Grapefruit Juice Drug Interaction: Isolation, Synthesis and Biological Activity of 

Furocoumarins and Their Variation due to Pre- and Post-harvest Factors 

Jose Perez. 2007. M.S. Citrus bioactive compounds influencing Phase II detoxifying enzymes: Potential for cancer 

chemoprevention. 

Jaiprakash Patil. 2009. Ph.D. Isolation and characterization of Bio active compounds in Lime and also study their potential 

in prevention of cancer by cell culture studies (Graduated at University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad). 

Alavaro Proano. 2008. M.S. Impact of low pressure drip systems and N sources on onion yield and quality. 

Togo Shinohara. 2008. M.S. Development of management practices for artichoke production in southwest Texas. 

Madhurababu Kunta. 2010. Ph.D. Towards The Development of Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance in Citrus 

Naoko N. Nomura. 2011. M.A. Internship at Messina Hof Winery: Analysis of total phenolics in several wine varieties. 

Jin Hee Kim. 2011. Ph.D. Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Citrus Limonoids and Their Isolation and Characterization. 

Justin Butcher. 2011. Ph.D. Conventional Breeding and Molecular Techniques to Improve Phytochemical Concentrations 

in Pepper (Capsicum Spp). 

Hae Jeen Bae. 2011. Ph.D. Sample Preparation Methods and Pre-harvest Factors Affecting Concentrations of Bioactive 

Compounds and Antioxidant Activity in Peppers. 

Amit Vikram. 2011. Ph.D. Isolation and Purification of Citrus Bioactive Compounds and Elucidation of their Anti-quorum 

sensing and Biofilm Inhibition properties 

Ren Yan. 2011. Ph.D. Genetic Engineering of beta-carotene production in honeydew melons (Cucumis melo L. inodorus). 

Murli Manohar. 2012. Ph.D. Functional & structural characterization of cation/H+ Antiporters. 

Rammohan Uckoo. 2012. Ph.D. Production systems and processing effect on phytochemicals in citrus fruits and their 

analytical and isolation methods. 

Kranthi Chebrolu. 2012. Ph.D. Optimization and isolation of grapefruit secondary metabolites and their changes due to 

production systems and storage. 

Shinsuke Agehara. Current Ph.D. Student. Investigating effects abscisic acid function in vegetable transplants and its 

applications to extend marketing period and improve desiccation tolerance. 

Jose Perez. Current Ph.D. Student. Isolation and Purification of Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia Linn.) Bioactives and 

Their Anti-Diabetic Properties 

Priyanka Chaudhary. Current Ph.D. Student. Investigating Effects of different post-harvest treatments and storability on 

nutritional quality of grapefruits. 

Akshata Kulkarni. Current M.S. Student. 


Basavaraj Girennavar – CEO, Rico Wines, India; CEO, Criyagen Agri and Biotech Ltd 

Alavaro Proano - 

Togo Shinohara - Research Scientist, Japanese International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences 

Jose Perez – Chemist, USDA ARS 

Jaiprakash Patil – Associate Professor, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, India 

Madhurababu Kunta – Scientist, Texas A&M University- Kingsville Citrus Center. 

Jin Hee Kim – Research Professor, Sahmyook University, South Korea 

Justin Butcher – Vegetable Breeder, Emerald Seed Co. 

Hae Jeen Bae – Postdoctoral Research Associate, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, South Korea 

Amit Vikram – Postdoctoral Research Associate, Dept. Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, 

University of Pittsburgh 

Ren Yan – Scientist, Phillips Research 

Murli Manohar – Postdoctoral Fellow, Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University 

Rammohan Uckoo – Postdoctoral Research Associate, Texas A&M AgriLife Research 

Kranthi Chebrolu – Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University



Jennifer Waters. 2008. Ph.D. Dept. of Horticultural Sciences. Carotenoid in planta development, storage and bioaccessibility: 

a comprehensive approach to nutrient analysis. 

Sunita Negi. 2008. M.S. Dept. of Biological & Agricultural Engineering. Optimization of process variables in adsorption of 

ferulic acid by XAD-4 resin. 

Sean Thompson. 2010. M.S. Dept. of Molecular & Environmental Sciences. Understanding Calcium Partitioning by 

Expression of Membrane Transport and Binding Proteins in Tobacco and Carrots 

Leonnard On Wang. 2012. Ph.D. Anti-inflammatory properties of cowpea phenotypes with different phenolic profiles. Dept. 

of Molecular & Environmental Sciences. 


Molecular & Environmental Plant Sciences 

Faculty of Nutrition 


$2,143,671 “Chemoprotective effects of natural products on colonic adult stem cells,” NIH-NCCAM- 

1R01CA168312-01, PD’s: Chapkin, R. and Patil, B.S. July 2011 – June 2015. (BP-$61,340) 

$489,929 “The Science of Foods for Health: A multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary effort for undergraduate 

education,” USDA-Higher Education Challenge Grant 2006-38411-17095-PD: Patil; Co-PD: S. 

Schwartz (Ohio State University), N. Knobloch (Purdue University), D. Birt (Iowa State 

University) Sept 2006–Aug 2011. (BP-$239,929) 

$1,219,218 “Designing Foods for Health,” USDA-Special Grant 2009-34402-19831, 

PD: Patil, B.S., Sept 2009-Aug 2012. 

$294,000 “Optimization of postharvest storage conditions to maintain fruit quality and health maintaining 

properties of grapefruit,” TIE-BARD-8056-08.; PD &PI (Texas): Patil, B.S. and PI (Israel): Porat, 

R. Collaborators: Jayaprakasha, G.K. and Murthy, K.N.C., June 2008–June 2011 (BP-$144,000). 

$1,375,095 “Designing Foods for Health,” USDA-Special Grant 2008-34402-19195, PD: Patil, B.S., Sept 

2008-Aug 2011. 

$10,000 “Second International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables,” USDA- 

NRI-conference grant, PI: Patil, B.S., June 2007–May 2008. 

$1,848,440 “Designing Foods For Health,” USDA-CSREES-Special Grant 2006-34402-17121, PD: Patil, B.S., 

Sept 2006-Aug 2009 

$61,052 “Evaluation of citrus limonoids against neuroblastomas- Animal Studies,” Super Jake Foundation, 

PD: Harris, E.; Co-PD: Patil, B.S., May 2005–April 2008. 

$1,270,000 “Designing Foods for Health,” USDA-Hatch, PD: Patil, B.S., Sept 2007-Aug 2008. 

$99,000 “Second International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables,” 

Symposium Chair: Patil, B.S, May 2006–March 2008. 

**Special grants are allocated to approximately 23 scientists based on their competitive research focused on 

foods for health and the lead PI is responsible for writing proposal and project management. 

***Total amount (Patil). 



Invited by the USDA-CSREES as Ad hoc Reviewer- USDA-ARS NP306 Quality- December 2011. 

Invited by the USDA-CSREES as Ad hoc Reviewer- USDA-ARS NP306 Quality- August 2011 

USDA-CSREES as Peer Panel Member- USDA-ARS NP306 Quality- April 21-24, 2010 

Invited by the USDA-CSREES as Ad hoc Reviewer- USDA-ARS NP306 Quality- August 2010 

Invited by the USDA-CSREES as Peer Review Panel Member to evaluate the proposals- Washington, D.C. April 2007 and 

April 2008. 


Editor-Acta Horticulturae 841 

Editor-American Chemical Society Symposium Series-1093



Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 

Food Chemistry 

Journal of Food Science and Technology 

Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 

Life Sciences 

HortScience 

Expert reviewer for Sunkist Citrus Nutrition Platform 

Book chapter- American Chemical Society 

Internal university/agency service on committees 2007 – 2012 

Elected member, Council of Principal Investigator, Texas A&M University-2010-present 

Member, Council on Built Environment, Texas A&M University-2012-present 

Chair-Selection Committee, Vegetable molecular breeding/functional food faculty position, TAMU-2006-2008. 

Member- Vice Chancellor’s Agriculture Faculty Advisory Committee, TAMU, College Station, TX 2007-2008. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences, Graduate Faculty, College Station, TX 2007-2012 

TAMU Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences, Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 

TAMUK Department of Agronomy and Resource Sciences, Adjunct Graduate Faculty, Kingsville, TX 2007-2012 

TAMU Department of Nutrition, Member Faculty of Nutrition, College Station, TX 2007-2012 

Program Director and Convener for the Workshop on curriculum development for developing a course “The Science of 

Foods for Health,” 2007 

TAMU coordinator for the US-India Knowledge Based Initiative on Agricultural Research and education, 2007-2012 

Leadership role in Service activities to industry 

Advisory Board: 

Florida Department of Citrus Health and Wellness Advisory-2011 

Texas Vegetable Association: 2010- until now 

Tropicana Nutrition Advisory:2008-until now 

Sunkist Nutrition Group-Advisory 2009 

Co-chair, Goal-3 and member of steering committee-National Vegetable Research Initiative-This is a national level industryacademic 

effort. 


Served as a committee member of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences, 

Publications Committee 2002-2007 

International Advisory Committee 2002-2012 

Citrus Committee 2007-2012 

Teaching Methods Committee 2007-2012 

Postharvest Committee 2007-2012 

Produce Quality and Safety and Health Properties 2007-2012 

Tropical Horticulture 2012 

Leadership Role in Professional Societies 


Fellow, American Society for Horticultural Sciences-‐2009 

Chair-Tropical Horticulture (TROP) working Group (2001-02; 2005-06; 2008-2011) 

Chair-International Topics of Concern (ITCH) working group-1999-00 

Founding Chair- Association of Horticulturists of Indian Origin (AHIO)-2005-07 

International Society for Horticultural Science 

Vice Chair, Commission Fruits and Vegetables and Health (2011-present) 

International Advisory Scientific Committee member- First workshop “Networking the FAV and Health Networks”-28 th 

ISHS Congress, Lisbon, Portugal-2010. 

Chair- Citrus Biochemistry Session- 11 th International Citrus Congress, October 2008, Wuhan, China. 

Chair- Symposium on “Human Health Benefits of Citrus”- IX International Citrus Congress-2000, Orlando, FL.


FAV symposium series. Yves Dejardins and Patil established an international symposium on Human Health Effects of 

Fruits and Vegetables (FAV Health) in 2005. As a Chair of the second international symposium on FAV Health 2007, 

which was hosted by the VFIC in Houston and sponsored by the ASHS and ISHS. Number of participants increased to 

300 from 38 countries. FAV Health continues to succeed; symposia were held in 2009 (France), 2012 (India) and are 

scheduled be hosted in 2014 (Australia) and 2016 (Brazil). 

Chaired FAV Health 2007 and the number of countries participated in 2007 was almost double the number attending 

FAV health 2005 in Quebec City. 

American Chemical Society- Division of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 

Fellow, American Chemical Society, Division of Ag Food Chemistry 

Program Chair-2006- Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2,700 members) of the American Chemical Society 

(14,000 members). 

Chair-2007-Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2,700 members) of the American Chemical Society (14,000 

members). 

Nomination Committee Chair- 2008. Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 

Co-Chair: International symposium on "Pre-and postharvest and processing effect on bioactive health maintaining 

properties” as a part of the AGFD division of the American Chemical Society-2008 

Co-chair: International Symposium on "Agricultural and Food Derived Natural Products for Preventing and Combating 

Disease" as a part of the AGFD division of the American Chemical Society- 38 speakers-2010 

Member, International Society for Horticulture Sciences 

Member, International Society of Citriculture 

Association of Horticulturists of Indian Origin: Chair 2007, Life Member 

Moderator of the Third biennial Society meeting for Free Radical Research-Asia and Sixth Annual meeting of the Society for 

Free radical research-India (SFRR-India), 2007 

Rio Grande Horticulture Society: President 2007, Life Member 

Served as a member of the International Society for Nutraceutical and Functional Conference 2009 

Served as a member of the International Organizing Committee- Second International Symposium on Translational Research: 

Natural Products and Cancer 2007-2008 

Served as a member of the Southern American Society for Horticultural Sciences 2007-2012 

Adjunct Graduate Faculty – Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agril. Sciences, Dharwad, India 2007-2012 

Adjunct Graduate Faculty – Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agril. Sciences, Dharwad, India 2007-2012 


Received the 2010 Vice Chancellor Research Excellence Award, Texas A&M University, Texas AgriLife -2010. 

Special Recognition for outstanding Contribution and dedicated Services to the Kannada Community of North America by 

the Association of Kannada Koota of North America, Edison, New Jersey, USA-September 2010. 

Inducted as a fellow of the Division of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 2009. 

Inducted as a fellow of the American Society for Horticulture Sciences, 2009. 

Inducted as a Faculty Fellow of the Texas A&M University AgriLife, College Station, TX 2009.


Harold Brent Pemberton 

Professor of Ornamental Horticulture 

b-pemberton@tamu.edu 


Dr. Pemberton has a research appointment at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and 

Extension Center at Overton, Texas. He has been a project leader for Ornamental 

Research since 1982. His research specialties include bedding plant production and 

greenhouse and garden performance evaluations, postharvest performance, field and 

nursery production of garden roses, and plant growth regulators. He is Chair of the 

Executive Board for the Texas Superstar® Program. His research efforts are highly 

integrated with Extension programs through joint efforts with the Texas Superstar ® 

program and the Master Gardener programs in Smith and Rusk Counties. 



Ph.D 1983 University of Minnesota Ornamental Horticulture 

B.S. 1978 Texas Tech University Ornamental Horticulture 


September 1999 to present - Professor - Horticulture, Texas AgriLife Research. Texas AgriLife Research & Extension 

Center, PO Box 200, Overton, Texas. Member of the Graduate Faculty since 1985. Member of the Plant Physiology Faculty 

from 1991 to 2005. 

September 1988 to September 1999 - Associate Professor - Horticulture, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Texas 

A&M University Agricultural Research & Extension Center, PO Box 200, Overton, Texas. 

October 1982 - September 1988 - Assistant Professor - Horticulture, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Texas A&M 

University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, PO Box E, Overton, Texas. 

September 1978 - October 1982 - Research Assistant - University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota. 

1980 and 1981 (Winter Quarters) - Teaching Assistant - University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota. 

October 1977 to May 1978 - Student Assistant - Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas. 



1. Schuch, U.K., H.B. Pemberton, and J.J. Kelly. 2007. Post harvest moisture loss from bare-root roses affects 

performance of containerized plants. HortScience 42(3):622-625. 

2. Mackay, W.A., H.B. Pemberton, J. Maxim, and S. Pillai. 2008. Ionizing irradiation using electron beam to control 

importation of biothreat agents in geranium cuttings inhibits rooting. HortScience 43(3):955-956. 

3. Beach, S.E., T.W. Starman, K.L. Eixmann, H.B. Pemberton, and K.M. Heinz. 2009. Reduced end-of-production 

fertilization rate increased postproduction shelf life of containerized vegetative annuals. HortTechnology 19(1):158- 

167. 

4. Pemberton, H.B. M.A. Arnold, T. Davis, D. Lineberger, C. McKenney, D. Rodriguez, L. Stein, C. Hall, M. Palma, 

and R. De Los Santos. 2011. The Texas Superstar® Program: Success through Partnership. HortTechnology 

21(6):698-699. 

Refereed Symposium proceedings 2007-2012 

1. Byrne, D.H., N. Anderson, and H.B. Pemberton. 2007. The use of Rosa wichuraiana in the development of 

landscape roses adapted to hot humid climates. Fourth International Symposium on Rose Research and Cultivation. 

Acta Horticulturae 751:267-274. 

2. Pemberton, H.B. and U.K. Schuch. 2007. Relationship between visually determined starch content and flowering 

of containerized field-grown garden roses. Fourth International Symposium on Rose Research and Cultivation. 

Acta Horticulturae 751:105-109. 

3. Shupert, D., D.H. Byrne, and H.B. Pemberton. 2007. Inheritance of flower traits, leaflet number, and prickles in 

roses. Fourth International Symposium on Rose Research and Cultivation. Acta Horticulturae 751:331-335.


4. Schuch, U.K. and H.B. Pemberton. 2010. Growth and water use of garden roses in two climates in the 

southwestern United States. Fifth International Symposium on Rose Research and Cultivation. Acta Horticulturae 

870:39-45. 

5. Greyvenstein, O.F.C., T.W. Starman, H.B. Pemberton, G. Niu, and D.H. Byrne. 2012. Towards phenotyping heat 

tolerance in garden roses. Acta. Hort. 961:181-186. 


1. Anonymous. 2007. Overton field day planned June 28. Tyler Morning Telegraph Thursday 14 June 2007:C11. 

Written about faculty member research. 

2. Snow, D. 2007 (October). Goldsmith’s Cora vinca: strength and beauty. Greenhouse Grower 25(12):86. Includes 

section about faculty member research. 

3. Rodda, K. 2007 (October). Trial sites put plants to the test. GMPro 27(10):49. Includes section about faculty 

member research. 

4. White, B. 2007 (November). Evaluating new varieties. Livescapes - November 1 issue. Includes section about 

faculty member research. Also includes several images taken by faculty member. 

5. Anonymous. 2008 (January). North Texas Winner’s Circle Awards. TNLA Green 10(1):36. Includes section 

about faculty member research. Also includes images taken by faculty member. 

6. Burns, R. 2008. East Texas Hort Day attracts professional and amateur gardeners. AgNews News and Public 

Affairs Texas A&M AgriLife http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=552 . Written about faculty member 

research. 

7. Burns, R. 2009 (10 June). Overton horticultural field day to include flowers and vegetables. AgriLife News. 

http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1248 . Written about faculty member research. 

8. Evans, G. 2009 (14 June). Luscious Landscapes. Longview News-Journal Section C:1-2. Includes section about 

faculty member research. 

9. Burns, R. 2009 (25 June). East Texas horticultural field day serves $500 million market. AgriLife News. 


10. Burns, R. 2009 (2 July). Two Iowa transplants among those thriving at field day in Overton. The Overton Press 

81(27):1 and 6. Article about faculty member research. 

11. Anonymous. 2009 (14 October). Seminar. Henderson Daily News page 3. Includes section about faculty member 

research. 

12. Kuack, D. 2009 (October). Field trials report: best performers. Greenhouse Management & Production 29(10):24- 

29. Includes section about faculty member research. 

13. Onofrey, D. 2009 (November). Taking the field. Greenhouse Grower 27(13):68-74. Includes section about faculty 


14. Fried, D. 2010. North Texas Winner’s Circle Awards for 2009. TNLA Green 12(2):19. Written about faculty 

member research. Received third most clicks in online version. 

15. Burns, R. 2010 (3 May). Grandma’s Yellow Rose selected as Texas Superstar. AgriLife News. 


16. Burns, R. 2010 (14 May). Dakota Gold: a Texas Superstar ‘weed-to-riches’ story. AgriLife News. 


17. Burns, R. 2010 (2 June). Satsuma Miho mandarins tolerate 14 degrees Fahrenheit. AgriLife News. 


18. Burns, R. 2010 (10 June). East Texas Horticultural Field Day set June 24. AgriLife News. 


19. Kuack, D. 2010 (11 June). Universities schedule plant trial events. Greenhouse Management. 

http://www.greenhousemanagementonline.com/universities-schedule-plant-trial-events.aspx . Written about faculty 


20. Anonymous. 2010 (19 June). Horticultural field day set for June 24. Kilgore News Herald p. 2A. Written about 

faculty member research. 

21. Macha, L. 2010 (22 September). More summer-time winners for your garden. El Campo Leader-News p. 6-C. 


22. Kuack, D. 2010. (5 October). Field Trials report. Greenhouse Management. 

http://www.greenhousemanagementonline.com/gmpro-1010-field-trials-report.aspx. Written about faculty member 

research. 

23. Onofrey, D. 2010 (November). 2010 Field Trials: Texas A&M University. Greenhouse Grower. 

http://www.greenhousegrower.com/varietycentral/?storyid=3854 . Written about faculty member research. 

24. Pemberton, H.B., M. Arnold, and C. McKenney. 2011. 2011 Texas Superstars®. TNLA Green 13 (1):14-16. 

25. Pemberton, H.B. 2011. Labor day report 2010: summer survivors East Texas ornamental plant evaluations. TNLA


Region III News. January 9-12. 

26. Burns, R. 2011 (April 20). ‘Faux snapdragon’ Superstar can thrive in Texas heat. AgriLife News. 

http://agrilife.org/today/2011/04/20/%e2%80%98faux-snapdragon%e2%80%99-superstar-can-thrive-in-texas-heat/ . 


27. Burns, R. 2011 (May 25). Turk’s cap named new Texas Superstar. AgriLife News. 

http://agrilife.org/today/2011/05/25/turks-cap-named-new-texas-superstar/ Written about faculty member research. 

28. Burns, R. 2011 (May 27). East Texas horticultural Field Day set June 23. AgriLife News. 

http://agrilife.org/today/2011/05/27/east-texas-hort-day/ Written about faculty member research. 

29. Huber, K. 2011 (June 4). Splendor in the grasses. San Antonio Express-News Saturday June 4 Section E:1-2. 


30. Burns, R. 2011 (June 10). Baby’s Breath euphorbia a Texan plant at heart. AgriLife News. 

http://agrilife.org/today/2011/06/10/babys-breath-euphorbia/ . Written about faculty member research. 

31. Hansen, K. 2011 (June 23). Horticulture field day to feature newest plants. Tyler Morning Telegraph Thursday 

June 23 Section A:8. Written about faculty member research. 

32. Burns, R. 2011 (June 24). Master gardeners, seed company reps, attend East Texas horticultural field day. AgriLife 

News. http://agrilife.org/today/2011/06/24/east-texas-horticultural-fieldday/ . Written about faculty member 

research. 

33. Kuack, D. 2011 (October). Field trials report. Greenhouse Management 31(10):38-39. 

http://gmpro.texterity.com/greenhousemanagement/201110?sub_id=abFcpQsaR9DR&folio=12#pg51 . Written 

about faculty member research. 

34. Burns, R. 2011 (October 31). Fight droughty dullness with cool-season euphorbias. AgriLife News. 

http://agrilife.org/today/2011/10/31/cool-season-euphorbias/ . Written about faculty member research. 

35. Drotleff, L., and K. Yanik. 2011. The must-have, Field-Trial-Proven Plants. Today’s Garden Center 8(11):20. 


36. Burns, R. 2012 (May 21). New Texas Superstar kept blooming through 2011’s blistering days. AgriLife Today. 

http://today.agrilife.org/2012/05/21/gomphrena-superstar-2012/ . Written about faculty member research. 

37. Burns, R. 2012 (May 31). East Texas horticultural field day set June 28. http://today.agrilife.org/2012/05/31/easttexas-hort-day-2/ 

. Written about faculty member research. 

38. Burns, R. 2012 (June 21). Rio Series mandevilla named new Texas Superstar. AgriLife Today. 

http://today.agrilife.org/2012/06/21/mandevilla-superstar/ . Written about faculty member research. 

39. Burns, R. 2012 (June 27). Lowrey’s Legacy Cenizo named Texas Superstar. AgriLife Today. 

http://today.agrilife.org/2012/06/27/lowreys-legacy-superstar/ . Written about faculty member research. 

40. Burns, R. 2012 (September/October). Lowrey’s Legacy Cenizo named Texas Superstar. Texas Gardener 31(6):24- 

25. Written about faculty member research. 

41. Pemberton, H.B. 2012 (November 8). 2012 Field Trials: Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center. 

Greenhouse Grower. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/article/31490/2012-field-trials-texas-a-m-agrilife-researchand-extension-center 

. 

42. Pemberton, H.B., M. Arnold, and D. Rodriguez. 2012 (January). Texas Superstar® Promotions for 2012. TNLA 

Green 14(1):18-20. 

43. Siktberg, R. 2012 (November 6). Best In Show: 2012 Field Trials Results. Greenhouse Grower. 

http://www.greenhousegrower.com/article/31705/best-in-show-2012-field-trials-results . Written about faculty 



1. Maintain the following website: http://flowers.tamu.edu/ 


1. Pemberton, H.B., editor. 2007. Proceedings of the fourth international symposium on rose research and cultivation. 

Acta Horticulturae 751. International Society for Horticultural Science. Leuven, Belgium. 512 pages. 



1. Ockert Greyuenstein – PhD 

2. Andrew King – PhD 

3. Qianni Dong – PhD 


1. USE OF CONTROLLED RELEASE FERTILIZER ON POTTED BARE-ROOT ROSES GROWN FOR BUD


AND BLOOM SALES. B. Uber. 2007. $12,500 for 1 year. 

2. USE OF TIBERON (CYCLANILIDE) IN CONJUNCTION WITH PRUNING TO PROMOTE BRANCHING IN 

WOODY SPECIES. Bayer Environmental Science. 2007. $6000 for 1 year. 

3. PLANT GROWTH REGULATOR STUDIES. IR4 Program. 2007. $3000 for 1 year. 

4. FUNDING FOR FIELD DAY SPONSORSHIP. Kinney Bonded Warehouse, Syngenta, PanAmerican Seed, 

Chamblee’s Roses, and Floranova, Goldsmith, Greenleaf Nursery, Fafard, Takaii, Benary, Ball Seed, Sakata. 2007. 

$2400 for 1 year. 

5. UNRESTRICTED GIFT. Texas Nursery and Landscape Association. 2006-2007. $1000 for 1year. One third to 

my project with the balance to Co-PIs K. Steddom and S. Ludwig. 

6. USE OF CONTROLLED RELEASE FERTILIZER ON POTTED ROSES GROWN FROM LINERS FOR FINAL 

MARKETING AS OWN ROOT PLANTS. B. Uber. 2007. $15,000 for 1 year. 

7. SCREENING QUERCUS VIRGINIANA ACCESSIONS FOR ADAPTATION TO DEMANDING 

ENVIRONMENTS. Tom’s Tree Place. 2007. $52,584 for 2 years. $3672 to my project as Cooperator. Rest to PI 

C. Mckenney (Texas Tech University) and Cooperators M. Arnold and G. Niu. 

8. EVALUATING NEW MIST PROPAGATION SCHEDULING TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRESENCE OF 

DISEASE. Texas Ornamental Enhancement Endowment. 2007. $6,000 for 1 year. $1000 to my project as 

Cooperator with the rest to PI K. Steddom. 

9. EAST TEXAS BEDDING PLANT PACK AND GARDEN TRIALS. Various Bedding Plant Seed Companies. 

2007-2008. $22,740 for 1 year. 

10. EFFECTS OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON POSTHARVEST PERFORMANCE OF POTTED 

FLOWERING SPECIES. IR4 Program. 2007. $6000 for 1 year. 

11. PLANT GROWTH REGULATOR STUDIES. IR4 Program. 2008. $6000 for 1 year. 

12. DETERMINATION OF DROUGHT TOLERANCE AND PARENTAGE OF LIVE OAK (Quercus virginiana) 

AND ESCARPMENT LIVE OAK (Quercus fusiformis) ACCESSIONS FOR ADAPTATION TO DEMANDING 

ENVIRONMENTS. Tom’s Tree Place. 2008. $52,584 for 2 years. $3672 to my project as Collaborator with PI 

C. McKenney (Texas Tech University) and other Collaborators T. Montague, R. Wright, and D. Auld (Texas Tech 

University) and M. Arnold and G. Niu. 

13. FUNDING FOR FIELD DAY SPONSORSHIP. Ball Horticultural Company, Chamblee’s Nursery, Goldsmith 

Seed, Greenleaf Nursery, Kinney Bonded Warehouse, Oro Farms, Proven Winners, and Syngenta. 2008. $1850 for 

1 year. 



15. DETERMINATION OF DROUGHT TOLERANCE AND PARENTAGE OF LIVE OAK (Quercus virginiana) 

AND ESCARPMENT LIVE OAK (Quercus fusiformis) ACCESSIONS FOR ADAPTATION TO DEMANDING 

ENVIRONMENTS. Tom’s Tree Place. $1836 for 2009 to my project as Collaborator with PI C. McKenney (Texas 

Tech University) and other Collaborators T. Montague, R. Wright, and D. Auld (Texas Tech University) and M. 

Arnold and G. Niu. 

16. COORDINATED EDUCATION AND MARKETING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TAG SALES. Various Tag 

Companies. 2009. $3500 for 1 year. 

17. FUNDING FOR FIELD DAY SPONORSHIP. Ball Horticultural Company, Benary Seed, Certi-Pro Horticulture, 

Chamblee’s Roses, Floranova, Goldsmith Seed, Kinney Bonded Warehouse, Seville Farms, Syngenta Horticultural 

Services. 2009. $2000 for 1 year. 

18. MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER WORK HOURS. Smith County and Rusk County Master Gardener 

Associations. 2008-2009. In kind: 1782.5 hours of labor valued at $20.25 per hour for a total of $36,096. 

19. SUPPLIES FOR BEDDING PLANT TRIALS. SunGro Horticulture and Fafard. 2008-2009. In kind: growing 

media valued at $1814. 





22. FUNDING FOR FIELD DAY SPONORSHIP. Ball Horticultural Company, Benary Seed, Certi-Pro Horticulture, 

Color Spot Nursery, Goldsmith Seed, Greenleaf Nursery Co., GroLink, Kinney Bonded Warehouse, Oro Farms, 

Seville Farms, Syngenta Horticultural Services. 2010. $2450 for 1 year. 

23. IMPACT OF CONTEGO (ABA) ON SHELF LIFE OF NEW GUINEA IMPATIENS GROWN IN POTS. Valent 

Biosciences. 2009-2010. $6000 for 1 year. 


Associations. 2009-2010. In kind: 1555 hours of labor valued at $21.47 per hour for a total of $33,386. 

25. SUPPLIES FOR BEDDING PLANT TRIALS. SunGro Horticulture and Fafard. 2009-2010. In kind: growing





27. PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS FOR BRANCHING IN VERBENA AND CALIBRACHOA. IR-4. 2011. 

$6000 for 1 year. 



29. FUNDING FOR FIELD DAY SPONSORSHIP. Ball Horticultural Company, Benary Seed, Calloway’s Nursery, 

Certi-Pro Horticulture, Goldsmith Seed, Greenleaf Nursery Co., GroLink, Kinney Bonded Warehouse, Seville 

Farms, Syngenta Horticultural Services, Texas Nursery and Landscape Association. 2011. $3250 for 1 year. 





32. SUPPLIES FOR BEDDING PLANT TRIALS. Ball Horticultural Company. 2011. In kind: fertilizer valued at 

$2000. 



34. IN SEASON LIQUID HERBICIDE CROP SAFETY ON AUCUBA AND SCAEVOLA. IR-4. 2012. $5300 for 1 

year. 

35. TEXAS SUPERSTAR® PROGRAM TAG SALES. Various Tag Companies. 2012. $6100 for 1 year. 

36. FUNDING FOR FIELD DAY SPONSORSHIP. Various Ornamental Plant Companies and Trade Organizations. 

2012. $5125 for 1 year. 





39. SUPPLIES FOR BEDDING PLANT TRIALS. Ball Horticultural Company. 2012. In kind: fertilizer valued at 

$2000. 



1. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences 


1. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences 

2. HortScience 

3. HortTechnology 

4. European Journal for Horticultural Science 

5. Horticultural Science 

6. Scientia Horticultural 

7. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 


1. Texas A&M AgriLife Research Safety Officer for the Overton Center, 

2. Texas A&M AgriLife Research Representative on the WRCC-58 regional working group for Production, 

Postharvest Handling, and Re-establishment of Woody Ornamental Crops 1990-2010. Hosted the annual meeting at 

the Overton Center and in the Dallas area in 1992. Served as Secretary in 1996, Vice-Chair in 1997, and Chair in 

1998. 

3. TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Tenure and Promotion Committee, 2000 – present 

4. TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences Mentoring Committee for Dr. Xin Wang Wang at the Dallas Research 

Station, 2009 – present 

5. Texas A&M AgriLife (TCE/TAES) Executive Committee of the Texas Superstar® Program, member 1999 – 

present; chair 2009 – present 

6. Texas A&M AgriLife Research Ornamentals Plant Development Position at Dallas Search Committee, 2008 

7. TAMU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Horticultural Sciences Department Head Search Committee, 

member 2012 

8. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Steering committee for the IPM specialist program at the Overton Center, 2002-


2011 


1. Serve as a Consulting Editor for The Journal of American Society for Horticultural Sciences in the area of 

development physiology, 2004-present 

2. Served on the International Society for Horticultural Science Scientific Committee for the 5 th International Rose 

Symposium in Gifu, Japan, 2009 

3. Serve as Chair of the Roses Working Group for the International Society for Horticultural Science, 2004-present. 


1. Friend of Master Gardeners – 2010. Awarded for his ongoing support of the Smith County Master 

Gardener program. Awarded by Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the Smith County Master Gardeners. April 

2011.


Elizabeth A. Pierson 

Associate Professor, Plant-microbe Interactions 

eapierson@tamu.edu 


Dr. Pierson’s appointment includes Research, Teaching, and Service. Areas of research 

include plant-microbe interactions, biological control, and sustainable agriculture. She 

is a member of the Graduate Faculties of Horticultural Sciences, Plant Pathology, and 

the Molecular & Environmental Plant Sciences (MEPS) interdisciplinary program. She 

teaches the undergraduate course Garden Science (HORT301) and the graduate course 

Plant-associated Microorganisms (HORT/MEPS/PLPM689). She also serves as chair 

or member of graduate research committees and provides undergraduate laboratory 

research experience. She is a member of the Horticultural Sciences Graduate 

Committee and the Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences Admissions 

Committee and is the advisor for the Horticulture Graduate Council. 

A major focus of the Dr. Pierson’s research is on interactions between microbes and 

their plant or insect hosts that provide benefits or costs to plant health. One research 

area involves the use of Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain 30-84 for the biological control of take-all disease of wheat. Our 

work has focused on the ecological significance of molecular signaling between bacterial populations on plant roots and the 

roles of secondary metabolites produced by strain 30-84 in pathogen inhibition, biofilm formation, and rhizosphere 

competence. Recent work with strain 30-84 involves the genetic and ecological characterization of sensory transduction 

pathways, which likely provide the mechanisms for the evolution of interactions between microbial species and possibly with 

plants. Current work is focused on testing specific hypotheses regarding how different signal transduction pathways affect 

microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions on plant surfaces. Our collaborations with research groups focused on other 

biological control Pseudomonas species have resulted in the sequencing of the genomes of eight plant-associated 

Pseudomonas strains (including strain 30-84) facilitating genomic comparisons among biological control strains and other 

Pseudomonas species including human-pathogenic ones. Other ongoing work is focused on two emerging plant diseases that 

are threatening potato (zebra chip disease) and citrus (citrus greening) production in Texas and elsewhere in the United 

States. Both diseases are caused by insect (psyllid) transmission of newly discovered, non-culturable bacterial plant 

pathogens (Candidatus Liberibacter species). Our collaborative research has included the development of better detection 

methods (improved PCR primers, LAMP, and one-step detection) and enhancements to screening methods for the selection 

of disease tolerant plant material. An important goal has been the development of knowledge and applications to assist 

growers. 



Ph.D. 1987 Washington State University Botany (Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics) 

B.S. Honors 1982 Indiana University Biology 


2009-present Associate Professor, Horticultural Science, Texas A&M University and Texas AgriLife Research, College 

Station, TX (75% Research, 25% Teaching, 5% Service). 

1999-2009 Research Associate Professor, Division of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Department of Plant 

Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. 

1990-1999 Research Assistant Professor, Dept of Plant Pathology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. 

1989-1990 Research Associate, USDA-ARS Root Disease and Biological Control Research Unit, Washington State 

University, Pullman, WA. 

1987-1988 Statistical Consultant, Computer Information Center, Washington State University, Pullman, WA. 

1982-1987 Teaching/Research Assistant, Dept. of Botany, Washington State University, Pullman, WA. 

Publications 2007-2012 ( P Post-doctoral scholars, G Graduate students, and U Undergraduate students mentored by me. This 

includes students I worked with directly in lab or on whose committees I served or chaired). 


Recently submitted: 

Lévy P , J, J Hancock, A Ravidnran, D Gross, C Tamborindeguy, and E Pierson. Methods for rapid and effective PCR-based 

detection of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ from insect vectors Bactericera cockerelli: streamlining the 

DNA extraction/purification process (accepted Journal of Economic Entomology).


Wang P , DP, SH Lee G , C Seeve P , JM Yu G , LS. Pierson III, and EA Pierson. Roles of the Gac-Rsm pathway in the regulation 

of phenazine biosynthesis in Pseudomonas chlororaphis 30-84. (In review, MicrobiologyOpen). 

Rodriguez-Buritica, S, H Raichle, T Birt, RH Webb, RM Turner, EA Pierson, L Venabel. (In prep). Spatially explicit 

population dynamics of Sonoran Desert Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) at Desert Laboratory (Tucson, 

Arizona) (In review, Ecology archive). 

Estes, A.M., D.F. Segura, A. Jessup, V. Wornoayporn and E.A. Pierson. Does Candidatus Erwinia dacicola hasten mating 

initiation in wild and laboratory populations of Bactrocera oleae? (In review, International Journal of Tropical 

Insect Science Special Edition: FAO/IAEA Coordinated Research Project on the “Development of Mass Rearing for 

African, Asian and New World Fruit Fly Pests in Support of the Sterile Insect Technique”). 

Published: 

Pierson, EA, RM Turner and JL Betancourt. 2013. Regional Demographic Trends from Long-Term Studies of Saguaro 

(Carnegiea gigantea) across the Northern Sonoran Desert. Journal of Arid Environments 88: 57-69. 

Ravindran A, J Levy P , E Pierson, and D Gross. 2012. Development of LAMP as a sensitive and rapid method for detection 

of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum,’ in potatoes and psyllids. Phytopathol. 102(9):899-907. 

Loper, JE, KA Hassan, D Mavrodi, EW Davis II, CK Lim, BT Shaffer, LDH Elbourne, VO Stockwell, SL Hartney, K 

Breakwell, MD Henkels, SG Tetu, LI Rangel, TA Kidarsa, NL Wilson, J van Mortel, C Song, R Blumhagen, D 

Radune, JB Hostetler, LM Brinkac, AS Durkin, DA. Kluepfel, WP Wechter, AJ Anderson, YC Kim, LS Pierson III, 

EA Pierson, SE Lindow, JM Raaijmakers, DM Weller, LS Thomashow, AE Allen, and IT Paulsen. 2012. 

Comparative genomics of plant-associated Pseudomonas spp.: Insights into diversity and inheritance of traits 

involved in multi-trophic interactions. PLoS Genetics. PLoS Genet 8(7): e1002784. 

doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1002784 

Wang P D, JM Yu G , LS Pierson III, and EA Pierson. 2012. Differential regulation of phenazine biosynthesis by RpeA and 

RpeB in Pseudomonas chlororaphis 30-84. Microbiol. 158(7): 1745-1757. 

Estes G AM, HJ Burrack, R Polychronis, and EA Pierson. 2012. Widespread colonization of the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera 

oleae (Rossi), by the endosymbiotic bacterium Candidatus Erwinia dacicola suggests a specific and long-term 

interaction. Environ Entomol. 41(2):265-74. 

Ravindran A, J Levy P , E Pierson, and D Gross. 2011. Development of Primers for Improved PCR Detection of the Potato 

Zebra Chip Pathogen, ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum.’ Plant Disease 95(12):1542-1546. 

Levy P J, A Ravindran, D Gross, C Tamborindeguy and E Pierson. 2011. Translocation of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter 

solanacearum’, the zebra chip pathogen, in potato and tomato. Phytopathol. 101(11):1285-91. 

Driscoll G WW, JW Pepper, LS Pierson III, and EA Pierson. 2011. Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain 30-84 Gac 

mutants in the biofilm context: social parasite or mutualist? Applied & Environ. Microbiol. 77(20): 7227-7235. 

Nachappa P, J Levy P , E Pierson and C Tamborindeguy. 2011. Diversity of endosymbionts in the potato psyllid, Bactericera 

cockerelli (Triozidae), vector of zebra chip disease of potato. Current Microbiol. 62(5):1510-20. 

Young Cheol Kim, Johan Leveau, Brian B. McSpadden Gardener, Elizabeth A. Pierson and Leland S. Pierson III, Choong- 

Min Ryu. 2011. The multifactorial basis for plant health promotion by plant-associated bacteria. Applied and 

Environmental Microbiology 77: 1548-1555. 

Pierson, III, LS and EA Pierson. 2010. Metabolism and function of phenazines in bacteria: impacts on the behavior of 

bacteria in the environment and biotechnological processes. Invited review. Applied Microbiology and 

Biotechnology, Published Online and in print 86:1659-1670. 

Pierson III LS and EA Pierson. 2010. Metabolism and function of phenazines in bacteria: impacts on the behavior of 

bacteria in the environment and biotechnological processes. Applied Microbiol. & Biotechnol. 86:1659-1670. 

Estes, AM, DJ Hearn, J Bronstein, EA Pierson. 2009. The olive fly endosymbiont, 'Candidatus Erwinia dacicola', switches 

from an intracellular to an extracellular existence during host insect development. Applied & Environ. Microbiol. 

75: 7097-7106. (Cover image of issue 75(24)). 

Wen, F, HH Woo, EA Pierson, TD Eldhuset, CG Fossdal, NE Nagy, and MC Hawes. 2009. Synchronous elicitation of 

development in root caps induces transient gene expression changes common to legume and gymnosperm species. 

Plant Molec. Biol. Reporter 27(1):58-68. 

Maddula G , VSRK, EA Pierson, and LS Pierson III. 2008. Altering the ratio of phenazines in Pseudomonas chlororaphis 

(aureofaciens) 30-84: Effects on biofilm formation and pathogen inhibition. J. Bacteriol. 190(8):2759-66. 

Pierson III LS and EA Pierson. 2007. Roles of diffusible signals in communication among plant associated bacteria. 

Phytopathol. 97:227-232). 


E. Pierson and D. Gross. 2012. Development of New Technologies for Detection and Visualization of the ZC Pathogen and 

Application for Improved Field Detection and Identification of Selectable Markers for Improved Disease Resistance.


In: J. Supak editor, Final Performance Report Texas Zebra Chip Disease Research Grant Program. Submitted to 

Grantor: Texas Department of Agriculture. 

Levy P , J, DScheuring, J Koym, D Henne, C Tamborindeguy, E Pierson, and JC Miller, Jr. 2013. Investigations on Putative 

ZC Tolerant Potato Selections. Proceedings of the 2012 ZC Conference, San Antonio, TX, October 30-November 2, 

2012. 

Levy P J, J Hancock, A Ravindran, D Gross, C Tamborindeguy, and E Pierson. 2012. New methods for streamlining the 

DNA extraction process for detection of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ from insect vectors. Proceedings of 

the 2012 ZC Conference, San Antonio, TX, October 30-November 2, 2012. 

Ravindran A, D Gross, E Pierson and J Levy P . 2011. LAMP PCR Lights the Way for a Simple, Fast Method for Detection of 

Lso in Infected Potatoes and Psyllids. Proceedings of the 2011 ZC Conference, San Antonio, TX, November 6-9, 

2011. 

Levy P J, E Pierson, A Ravindran, D Gross, and C Tamborindeguy. 2011. Translocation and Quantification of ‘Candidatus 

Liberibacter solanacearum’ in Potato and Tomato. Proceedings of the 2011 ZC Conference, San Antonio, TX, 

November 6-9, 2011. 

Miller C, D Scheuring, J Koym, D Henne, J Jifon, J Levy P , and E Pierson. 2011. Further Studies on Host-Plant Tolerance to 

ZC. Proceedings of the 2011 ZC Conference, San Antonio, TX, November 6-9, 2011. 

Ravindran A, D Gross, E Pierson and J Levy P . 2010. New approaches for developing and improving PCR diagnostic 

methods for the ZC pathogen. In: F. Workneh and CM Rush, Editors. Proceedings of the 10th Annual Zebra Chip 

Reporting Session pp 130-135. 

Levy P J, E Pierson, A Ravindran, D Gross, and C Tamborindeguy. 2010. Translocation of the zebra chip pathogen in potato 

and tomato. In: F. Workneh and CM Rush, Editors. Proceedings of the 10 th Annual Zebra Chip Reporting Session pp 

136-140. 

Miller C, R Novy, J Trumble, C Nansen, TX Liu, J Munaneza, S Turner G , E Pierson, C Rush, J Jifon, D Scheuring, and J 

Koym. 2010. Progress in Identifying host plant tolerance/resistance to ZC in potato germplasm. In: F. Workneh and 

CM Rush, Editors. Proceedings of the 10th Annual Zebra Chip Reporting Session pp 96-98. 

Pierson E, D Scheuring, C Miller, TX Liu, X Yang, J Jifon. 2010. Investigations on putative zebra chip tolerant advanced 

selections. In: F. Workneh and CM Rush, Editors. Proceedings of the 10th Annual Zebra Chip Reporting Session pp 

99-102. 


None 


All courses are available to registered students via the Horticultural Sciences eLearning website: https://wwwhorticulture.tamu.edu/courses/. 

Participant: “Scientists Talk”. The Zebra Chip Annual Reporting Session website: http://zebrachip.tamu.edu/. 

Participant: Earth Emphasis website. This website featured our publication, “Regional demographic trends from long-term 

studies of saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) across the northern Sonoran Desert” as being of special interest to the progress 

in the Earth Sciences field. The paper was featured on their website as a Key Research Article in January 2013, Earth 

Emphasis: www.EarthEmphasis.com 


None 



HORT 301: Garden Science, Fall 2011, 2012 

BESC 484: Field Experience, Spring 2013 



HORT689/MEPS689/PLPM689: Plant Associated Microbes, Taught Spring 2013, Fall 2010. 

HORT691/PLPM691: Research, each semester year-round from Fall 2010 - present. 

University of Arizona: 

PLP 550: Principles of Plant Microbiology, Fall 2013, 2008 

PLP 551: Biology and Characterization of Plant Pathogenic Agents, Fall 2007


Postdoctoral Research Associates and visiting scientists (2007-2012) 

Dr. Yan Ma, visiting scientist from China, 2012, Texas A&M University 

Dr. Dongping Wang, 2011 to present, Texas A&M 

Dr. Candace Seeve, 2010 to 2012, Texas A&M University 

Dr. Julien Levy, 2009 to present, Texas A&M University 

Dr. Meenal Vyas, 2008 to 2009, The University of Arizona 



Co-Chair: Anne McCoy Estes, PhD. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, Graduated 2009 

Chair: Jun Myoung Yu, Ph. D candidate, Plant Pathology and Microbiology, start 2010. 

Co-Chair: Jenita Thinakaran, Ph. D candidate, Horticultural Sciences, start 2011. 

Chair: Yan Yang, Ph. D candidate, Horticultural Sciences, start 2012. 

First job taken by each of your graduate students or post-doctoral associates 2007-2012 

Dr. Candace Seeve: Lecturer, Baylor University, Waco, TX 

Dr. Anne Estes: Visiting Assistant Professor & Instructor for General Biology, Towson University, Towson, MD 


Graduated, University of Arizona: 

William Wallace Driscoll, Ph.D. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, 2012 

Carol Rowand, MS. Plant Pathology and Microbiology/Department Plant Sciences, 2010 

Perisamy (Ravi) Chitrampalam, PhD. Plant Pathology & Microbiology/Department Plant Sciences, 2009 

VSR Krishna Maddula, PhD. Division Plant Pathology & Microbiology/Department of Plant Sciences, 2008 

Monica Mendez, Ph.D. Department of Soil Water and Crop Sciences, 2007 

Graduated, Texas A&M: 

Poulami Basu Thakur, MS. 2011, Plant Pathology and Microbiology 

Sarah Turner, MS. 2012, Horticultural Sciences. 

Justin Park Ho Ng, PhD. 2012, Soil and Crop Sciences 

Brandon Hassett, MS. 2012, Plant Pathology and Microbiology 

Current Students: 

Vanessa Vaughn, Ph. D candidate, Plant Pathology and Microbiology 

Brittany Sousa, MS candidate, Soil and Crop Sciences 

Ryan Syrenne, Ph. D candidate, MEPS 

Sasha Kay, Ph. D candidate, Entomology 

Wenwei Lin, Ph. D candidate, Plant Pathology and Microbiology 


Member, Graduate Faculties of Horticultural Sciences, Plant Pathology, and the Molecular & Environmental Plant Sciences 

(MEPS) interdisciplinary program, Texas A&M University (TAMU), 2009- 


Agency: Texas Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Title: Development of Simplified Methods 

for Rapid and effective Screening of Psyllids and Plant Tissues for the Citrus greening and potato zebra chip pathogens. PI: 

Dennis C, Gross, Co-PI: Elizabeth Pierson. Amount: $54,600 (27,300 to EA Pierson). Duration: 1/01/13-12/31/13 

Agency: SCRI Mini Grant Program: Zebra Chip Research. Title: Evaluation of commercially acceptable and ZC-tolerant 

advanced selections: the roles of plant resistance and insect preference in disease avoidance. PI: Elizabeth Pierson, Co-PIs: 

Creighton Miller and Dennis Gross. Amount: $30,000 ($30,000 to EA Pierson). Duration: 12/12-12/13 

Agency: SCRI Mini Grant Program: Zebra Chip Research. Title: Evaluation of ZC-tolerant advanced selections and fieldselected 

sub-clones under carefully monitored insect pressures and in medium scale field trials. PIs: Elizabeth Pierson, Co- 

PIs: Creighton Miller, Don Henne, and John Jifon. Amount: $25,000 ($25,000 to EA Pierson). Duration: 12/11-12/12 

Agency: Texas AgriLife Research Potato Zebra Chip Disease Program, Texas Department of Agriculture. Title: 

Development of New Technologies for Detection and Visualization of the ZC Pathogen and Application for Improved Field 

Detection and Identification of Selectable Markers for Improved Disease Resistance. PIs: Elizabeth Pierson and Dennis 

Gross. Amount: $200,000 ($100,000 to EA Pierson). Duration: 12/09-12/11. Agency: USDA-CREES/NIFA. Title: Role of 

phenazine structural derivatives on bacterial gene expression, biofilms, root colonization and host nutrient uptake. PIs: LS 

Pierson III and Elizabeth Pierson. Amount: $393,833 ($196,917 to EA Pierson). Duration: 08/08- 08/13 (Time extended 

due to move).


Agency: NSF, Integrated Organismal Biology, Behavioral Systems Cluster. Title: Novel two component regulation of 

quorum sensing & secondary metabolite production in bacteria. PIs: LS Pierson III and Elizabeth Pierson. Amount: 

$480,000 ($240,000 to EA Pierson). Duration: 03/01/06- 02/28/13 (Time extended due to move). 

Other grant support contributing research community: 

Agency: USDA/NSF Microbial Genome Initiative. Title: Genomics Based Discovery of Novel Traits in Beneficial Plant- 

Associated Pseudomonas Species. PIs: JE Loper and IT Paulson; Collaborators: AA Anderson, YC Kim, DA Kluepfel, SE 

Lindow, D Mavrodi, EA Pierson, LS Pierson III, JM Raaijmakers, VO Stockwell. LS Thomashow, WP Wechter. Amount: 

$1,703,943 (All money to Sequencing/Bioinformatics Project). Duration: 4/2008-12/2012. 

Agency: USDA/NSF Microbial Genome Initiative. Title: The genomic sequence of Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5. PIs: JE 

Loper and IT Paulsen; Co-PIs: LS Thomashow, D Kobayashi, LS Pierson III, and EA Pierson. Amount: $450,000 (All 

money to Sequencing/Bioinformatics Project). Duration: 2001-2007. 

Agency: Texas A&M University FY2009 PUF Fund—Horticultural Sciences. Title: Phase III Renovation of Controlled 

Environment Growth Rooms for Functional Genomics. Based Approaches to Studying Osmotic Stress, Plant-Microbe 

Interactions Studies, and General. Research and Teaching in Horticultural Sciences. PIs: Hisashi Kiowa and Elizabeth 

Pierson. Amount Requested: $33,000 (All money for improvements). Duration: 2009. 

Agency: Texas A&M University FY2009 PUF Fund—Plant Pathology and Microbiology. Title: Laser Scanning/Con-focal 

Microscope CSLM for Use in Pathology Studies. PIs: Paul De Figueiredo, Brian Shaw. Collaborators: Karen Scholthof, 

Herman Scholthof, Elizabeth Pierson, Leland Pierson, Dan Ebbole, Heather Wilkinson. Amount Requested: $100,000 (All 

money for purchase). Duration: 2009. 


National Institute of Health: Host-Associated Microbial Communities Panel 2012 

US Department of Agriculture: Microbial Biology Panel 2009 

Grant programs for which you reviewed proposals: 

NSF Division Integrative Organismal Biology: NSF CAREER, NSF Division of Integrative Organismal Systems: 

Symbiosis, Defense, and Self-Recognition; USDACREES/ NIFA Plant-associated microbes and biological control; 

Department of Energy Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DOE/EPSCoR); Pierce's Disease 

Control Program of the California Department of Food and Agriculture; The University of Florida/IFAS Citrus Canker and 

Citrus Greening Program. 


Associate Editor, Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, April 2013- 


American Journal of Botany, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ecology, FEMS Microbiology Letters, Journal of 

Pest Science, Journal of Applied Microbiology, Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, Molecular Plant Pathology, 

Phytopathology, Plant Science, Southwestern Naturalist. 


Faculty Advisor, Horticulture Graduate Council, TAMU 2010- 

Member, Horticultural Sciences Graduate Curriculum Committee, TAMU 2011- 

Member, Horticultural Sciences Undergraduate Sustainable Agriculture Curriculum Development Committee, TAMU 

2011- 

Member, Horticultural Sciences Safety Committee, TAMU 2011- 

Member, MEPS Graduate Student Recruitment Committee, TAMU, 2010- 

Member, MEPS Curriculum Revision Committee, TAMU, 2010- 

Research Host, NSF-REU Summer Undergraduate Research Program, TAMU, 2012 

Member, AgriLife Faculty Leadership Committee, TAMU, 2009-10 

Appointed Member, Professional Advisory Council: College of Agriculture & Life Sciences (CALS), UA 2008-9 

Member, Department of Plant Pathology (Dept. PP) Peer Review Committee, UA 2007 

Student Research Host, Department of Plant Pathology Winter-term Fellowship Program, UA, 2002-9 

Professional association roles 2007-2012


Member, American Phytopathological Society (formerly, Pacific Division; now Southern and Caribbean Divisions) 

Member, American Society of Horticultural Science (Sustainable Agriculture Working Group) 

Member, American Society for Microbiology 

Member, Texas Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Advisory Committee, 2010- 

Member W2147: Managing Plant Microbe Interactions in Soil to Promote Sustainable Agriculture 


Selected by students as Faculty Advisor, Horticulture Graduate Council, 2010-present


David Wm. Reed 

Professor of Horticulture 

Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Faculty Development 

dwreed@tamu.edu 


David Wm. Reed is Professor of Horticulture in the Department of Horticultural 

Sciences at Texas A&M University. He is also the Associate Dean for Graduate 

Programs and Faculty Development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. 

He is a native of Krotz Spring, Louisiana. He obtained his B.S. degree from the 

University of Southwestern Louisiana (now called University of Louisiana – Lafayette) 

in Lafayette, LA... He received both his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy 

degrees from Cornell University. He has been on the faculty at Texas A&M University 

since 1978, and has a joint teaching and research appointment. His research ranges 

from basic to applied and primarily focuses on nutrition, especially iron nutrition, and 

the effects of water quality and salinity on greenhouse crops. He Chaired seventeen 

and mentored nearly fifty graduate students, has authored or co-authored forty-five 

refereed publications and sixty-five conferences papers and abstracts. His “first love” 

is teaching, and he has taught four different undergraduate and four different graduate 

courses, both at Texas A&M University and invited at International Universities. He has taught the introductory science 

elective Horticulture Science and Practices for thirty-four years to a packed house of 250 to 340 students each semester for a 

total of over 19,000 students. As an extension of his desire to teach, he has presented nearly seventy talks at various industry 

and professional meetings throughout the country. His presentations incorporate demonstrations and workshops so the 

participants take home “how to” as well as “academic” knowledge. He is the Co-Author and Editor of Water Media and 

Nutrition for Greenhouse Crops, Ball Publishing, and Reed, D.W. Horticulture – Science and Practices. 1999. Burgess 

Publishing. 



Ph.D. 1979 Cornell University Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture 

M.S. 1977 Cornell University Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture 

B.S. 1974 University of Southwestern Louisiana Agriculture 


1978-83 Assistant Professor, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 

1983-90 Associate Professor, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 

1990-present Professor, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 

Administrative Experience 

Interim Head, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, Oct. 1989 - Aug. 1990. 

Interim Head, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, Sept. 1994-May 1995. 

Interim Head, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, Sept. 2001 – Jan. 2003 

Interim Head, Dept. Agriculture Leadership, Education & Communications, Jan.-Sept. 2008 

Chair, Graduate Program Council, College of Agriculture and Life Sci., Member 88-91, Chair 1992-present. 

Chair, Graduate Council, Texas A&M University, Member 1992-present, Chair 2007-2010 

Graduate Coordinator, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, 1984-1995 

Associate Head for Graduate Studies, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, 1995-2002 

Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Faculty Development, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Sept. 2008- 

present 

Awards and Honors: 

Special Honors 

Keynote Speaker “Become the Best You Can Be”, 2004 Freshman Convocation, Texas A&M University, 

College and University Teaching Awards and Honors 

Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching, College Level, 1990, Association of Former Students, Texas A&M 

University


Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence for Undergraduate Teaching, 1995, College Level, The Agriculture Program, Texas 

A&M University 

Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching, University Level, 1999, Association of Former Students, Texas A&M 

University 

Council of Master Teachers, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, member 2004 

Student Originated Teaching Awards and Honors 

Professor of the Year in Agriculture, 1995, Delta Delta Delta Sorority, Texas A&M Chapter 

Outstanding Contributions as a Professor, 1998, Pi Beta Phi, Texas A&M Chapter 

Faculty Award, Horticulture Graduate Council, 2002, Texas A&M University 

Fish Camp Namesake, Camp Reed, the Sea Surfin’ Canaries, August 1993, Texas A&M University 

T Camp Namesake, Camp Reed, the Red Hot Reggae Rainmakers, August 1996, Texas A&M University 

T Camp Namesake, Camp Reed, the Rockin’ Red Hot Crawdaddy Pinchers, August 2002, Texas A&M Univ. 

Professional Scientific Society Teaching Awards 

L.M. Ware Distinguished Teaching Award, 1989, Regional Level, Southern Region of the American Society for Horticultural 

Sciences 

Outstanding Undergraduate Educator Award, 2002, National Award, American Society for Horticultural Sciences 

Professional Society Honors 

President-Elect 2003, Southern Region of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences 

Courses Taught 

Undergraduate: 

HORT 201 - General Horticulture (fall, spring 1979-present) 

HORT 202 - General Horticulture Laboratory (fall, spring 1979-present) 

HORT 225 – Horticulture Learning Community (spring 2004, every fall 2004-present) 

HORT 320 - Exotic Plants (fall 1984-87) 

Graduate: 

HORT 602 - Environmental Relations of Horticultural Crops (alt. fall 1980-84) 

HORT 604 - Applied Physiology of Horticultural Crops (alt. spring 1985-present) 

FLOR 616 - Asexual Plant Propagation (alt. spring 1979-83) 

PPHY 620 – Exp. Tech. in Plant Physiology; lab on Use of Liquid Scintillation Counting (spr. 1983-87) 

Invited International Undergraduate 

Plant Propagation, Soilless Growing Media and Simple Soil and Water Testing. July 2007 University of Veracruz at Xalapa, 

Xalapa, Mexico. Condensed 2 -day undergraduate lecture and laboratory demonstration course 

Invited International Graduate: 

Applied Physiology of Horticultural Crops, Fall 1985, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka 

Applied Physiology of Horticultural Crops, July 2007, Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Montecillo, Montecillo, Mexican. 

An invited condensed 5-day graduate lecture course sponsored by the Mexican Academy of Sciences in cooperation with 

the Colegio de Postgraduados. 

Theses and Dissertations: 

Personal: 

1. Reed, D.W. 1977. Factors affecting foliar absorption of phosphorus and rubidium compounds by chrysanthemum. 

M.S. Thesis, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 

2. Reed, D.W. 1979. Ultrastructural studies on plant cuticles: Environmental effects, permeability, electron microscopy 

preparation and specific staining. Ph.D. Dissertation, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 

Graduate Students: 

1. Blessington, T. 2002. Potassium nutrition of New Guinea Impatiens in subirrigation. M.S. Thesis, Texas A&M 

University, College Station, TX 

2. Cartmill, Andrew. 2004 (started). Studies on phosphorus nutrition of ornamental crops, Ph.D. Candidate, Texas A&M 


3. Campos Nunez, R. 1990. The influence of irrigation water salinity on optimal nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium 

liquid fertilizer rates. M.S. Thesis, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 

4. Davis, Emily. 2006(started). Master of Agriculture student, in progress 

5. Lang, H.J. 1986. The iron nutrition of tropical foliage plants. M.S. Thesis, Texas A&M University, College Station, 

TX


6. Lee, L.W. 1989. Leaf burn due to foliar fertilizer salts. Ph.D. Dissertation, Texas A&M University, College Station, 

TX 

7. McDonald, G.V. 1990. The iron reductase activity of selected rose rootstocks. M.S. Thesis, Texas A&M University, 

College Station, TX 

8. Neary, B.C. 1986. The feasibility of a nursery operation at Due Process Stables. M.Ag. Professional Paper, Texas 

A&M University, College Station, TX 

9. Rajapakse, N. 1986. Modeling transpiration and water use of ornamental plants during shipping and storage. Ph.D. 

Dissertation, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 

10. Richards, D. 1999 The growth of New Guinea impatiens with controlled release fertilizer in recirculating subirrigation 

systems, M.S., 1999. 

11. Shafer, W.E. 1984. Foliar absorption of potassium and cuticular penetration characteristics of potassium and selected 

organic compounds, Ph.D. Dissertation, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 

12. Spurlin, Q. 1986. An instructional unit on plant propagation for use in secondary horticulture and science courses. 

M.Ag. Professional Paper, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 

13. Stevens, A.B. 1990. Cost of production analysis for greenhouse grown foliage plants in the Rio Grande Valley of 

Texas. Ph.D. Dissertation, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 

14. Todd, N. 1996. The response of New Guinea impatiens to varying salinity levels in a subirrigation system, M.S. Thesis, 

Texas A&M University. 

15. Turner, M.A. 1984. The effects of light quality, fertility and ethylene on performance of foliage plants in low light 

environments. Ph.D. Dissertation, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 

16. Valdez-Aquilar, L. 2004. Identify levels of carbonate tolerance of ornamental crops. Ph.D. Dissertation, Texas A&M 


17. Vollmar, C.. 1998 (started). Greenhouse production/management. M.Agr., Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 

Refereed Publications: 

1. Blessington Haley, T. and D.W. Reed. 2004. Optimum potassium concentrations in recirculating subirrigation 

for selected greenhouse crops. HortScience 39(6):1441-1444. 

2. Campos, R. and D.W. Reed. 1993. Determination of constant-feed liquid fertilization rates for Spathiphyllum 

'Petite' and Dieffenbachia 'Camille'. J. Environ. Hort. 11(1):22-24. 

3. Campos, R. and D.W. Reed. 1994. Influence of irrigation water salinity on optimal nitrogen, phosphorus and 

potassium liquid fertilization rates for Spathiphyllum ‘Petite’. J. Environ. Hort. 12(2):104-107. 

4. Cinelli, F., R. Vin, D.H. Byrne, and D.W. Reed. 1995. Physiological characterization of two peach seedling 

rootstocks in bicarbonate nutrient solution. I. Root iron reduction and iron uptake. In Iron Nutrition in 

Soils and Plants, J. Abadia (ed.), pp. 323-328, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands. 

5. Egilla, J.N., D.H. Byrne and D. W. Reed. 1994. Iron stress response of three peach rootstocks cultivars: Ferric 

iron reduction capacity. J. Plant Nutr. 17(12):2079-2103. 

6. Kent, M.W. and Reed. 1996. Nitrogen nutrition of New Guinea Impatiens ‘Barbados’ and Spathiphyllum 

‘Petite’ in a subirrigation system. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 121(5):816-819. 

7. Krafka, B.D., C.R. Shumway and D.W. Reed. 1989. Space allocation in foliage production greenhouses. J. 

Environ. Hort. 7(3):95-98. 

8. Lang, H.J. and D.W. Reed. 1987. Comparison of HCl extraction versus total iron analysis for iron tissue 

analysis. J. Plant Nutr. 10(7):795-804. 

9. Lang, H.J. and D.W. Reed. 1987. Differential response of foliage plants to iron deficiency. J. Plant Nutr. 

10(8):951-959. 

10. Lang, H.J., C.L. Rosenfield and D.W. Reed. 1990. Response of Ficus benjamina and Dracaena marginata to 

iron stress. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 115(4):589-592. 

11. Lee, L.W. and D.W. Reed. 1989. A comparison of methods for measuring phytotoxicity from foliar sprays of 

ammonium nitrate. J. Plant Nutr. 12(6):733-742. 

12. Lee, L.W. and D.W. Reed. 1990. Effects of calcium on phytotoxicity of foliar - applied nitrogen salts. J. Plant 

Nutr. 13(2):187-200. 

13. Nolte, B.A., D. A. Lineberger, D.W. Reed and M.E. Rumpho. 2001. Rapid Micro-Assay of Camptothecin in 

Camptotheca acuminata. Planta Med. 66:376-378. 

14. Rajapakse, N.C., D.W. Reed and J.W. Kelly. 1989. Effect of pre-treatments on transpiration of 

Chrysanthemum morifolium during the dark. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 24(6):998-1000. 

15. Rajapakse, N.C., D.W. Reed and J.W. Kelly. 1990. Use of antitranspirants under low light environments to 

control transpiration of Epipremnum aureum leaves. Scientia Hort. 43:307-312.


16. Rajapakse, N.C., D.W. Reed and J.W. Kelly. 1991. Storage temperature and duration affect quality and poststorage 

recovery of vegetative Dendranthema Xgrandiflora. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 116(1):73-76. 

17. Rajapakse, N.C., J.W. Kelly and D.W. Reed. 1988. Transpiration and water use of floricultural plants under 

light conditions. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 113(6):910-914. 

18. Reed, D.W. 1982. Wax alteration and extraction during electron microscopy preparation of leaf cuticles. The 

Plant Cuticle. eds. D.F. Cutler, K.L. Alvin and C.E. Price, Academic Press, NY 

19. Reed, D.W. 1983 Triton X-100 as a complete liquid scintillation cocktail for counting aqueous solutions and 

ionic nutrient salts. Internat. J. Appl. Rad. Isotopes 35(5):367-370 

20. Reed, D.W. 1983. Methods to assay absorption of foliar applied nutrients and removal of unabsorbed residue. 

J. Plant Nutrition 6(8):667-677 

21. Reed, D.W. 1988. Effect of urea, ammonium and nitrate on foliar absorption of ferric citrate. J. Plant Nutr. 

11:1429-1437 

22. Reed, D.W. and A.E. Nightingale. 1983. Height control in chrysanthemum as affected by foliar spray solution 

pH of several growth retardants. HortScience 18(6):881-882 

23. Reed, D.W. and H.B. Tukey, Jr. 1978. Effect of pH on foliar absorption of phosphorus compounds by 

chrysanthemum. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 103(3):337-340 

24. Reed, D.W. and H.B. Tukey, Jr. 1978. Effect of pH on foliar absorption of rubidium compounds by 

chrysanthemum. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 103(6):815-817 

25. Reed, D.W. and H.B. Tukey, Jr. 1982. Cuticular permeability of Brussels sprouts and carnation from leaves 

developed in different temperatures and light intensities. The Plant Cuticle, eds. D.F. Cutler, K.L. Alvin 

and C.E. Price, Academic Press, NY 

26. Reed, D.W. and H.B. Tukey, Jr. 1982. Ultrastructural localization of polysaccharides in Malus sylvestris leaf 

cuticles. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 107(5):775-778. 

27. Reed, D.W. and H.B. Tukey, Jr. 1987. Factors affecting foliar absorption of nutrients by various landscape and 

herbaceous plants. J. Environ. Hort. 5(2):72-76. 

28. Reed, D.W., C.G. Lyons and G.R. McEachern. 1988. Field evaluation of inorganic and chelated iron fertilizers 

as foliar sprays and soil application. J. Plant Nutr. 11:1369-1378 

29. Reed. D.W. and H.B. Tukey, Jr. 1982. Light intensity and temperature effects on epicuticular wax morphology 

and internal cuticle ultrastructure of carnation and Brussels sprouts. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 107(3):417-420 

30. Richards, D.L. and D.W. Reed. 2004. New Guinea impatiens growth response and nutrient release from 

controlled release fertilizer in a recirculating subirrigation and top-watering system. HortScience 39(2):280- 

286 

31. Rosenfield, C-L., D.W. Reed and M.W. Kent. 1991. Dependency of iron reduction on development of a 

unique root morphology in Ficus benjamina L. Plant Physiology 95:1120-1124. 

32. Shafer, W.E. and D.W. Reed. 1986. The foliar absorption of potassium from organic and inorganic potassium 

carriers. J. Plant Nutrition 9(2):143-157. 

33. Shi, Y., D.H. Byrne, D.W. Reed and R.H. Loeppert. 1993. Influence of bicarbonate level on iron-chlorosis 

development and nutrient uptake of the peach rootstock Montclar. J. Plant Nutr. 16(9):1675-1689. 

34. Shi, Y., D.H. Byrne, D.W. Reed and R.H. Loeppert. 1993. Iron chlorosis development and growth of peach 

rootstocks to bicarbonate. J. Plant Nutr. 16(6):1039-1046 

35. Todd, N and D.W. Reed. 1998. Characterizing Salinity Limits of New Guinea Impatiens in Recirculating 

Subirrigation. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 123(1):156-160. 

36. Turner, M.A., D.L. Morgan and D.W. Reed. 1987. The effect of light quality and fertility on long term 

maintenance of selected foliage plants. J. Environ. Hort. 5(2):76-79. 

37. Turner, M.A., D.W. Reed and D.L. Morgan. 1987. A comparison of light acclimatization methods for 

reduction of leaf drop in Ficus spp. J. Environ. Hort. 5(3):102-104. 

38. Turner, M.A., D.W. Reed and D.L. Morgan. 1988. Ethylene induced defoliation in Ficus sp. and ethylene 

depletion by soil bacteria in peat-amended media and in vitro. J. Amer. Soc. Hort Sci. 113(5):794-796. 

39. Valdez-Aguilar, L. and D.W. Reed. 2007. Response of selected greenhouse ornamental crops to alkalinity in 

irrigation water. J. Plant Nutrition 30(3):441-452 

40. Valdez-Aguilar, L. and D.W. Reed. 2006. Comparison of growth and alkalinity-induced responses in two 

cultivars of hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.). HortScience 41(7):1704-1708 

41. Valdez-Aguilar, L. and D.W. Reed. 2008. Influence of Potassium Substitution by Rubidium and Sodium on 

Growth, Ion Accumulation, and Ion Partitioning in Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) under High Alkalinity, J. 

Plant Nutrition (accepted)


42. Valdez-Aguilar, L., J. Cornell and D.W. Reed. 2008. Quantitative Separation of the Bicarbonate from the 

Counter-cation Effect in Bean Plants. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. (accepted) 

43. Witcher, C. and D.W. Reed. 2005. Phosphorus concentration affects New Guinea impatiens and vinca in 

recirculating subirrigation. HortScience 40(7):2047-2051 

44. Juarez-Lopez, P., R.C. Castro-Bindis, T. Colinas-Leon, P. Ramirez-Vallejo, M. Sandoval. Villa, D.W. Reed, L. 

Cisneros-Zevallos and S. King. 2009. Evaluation of quality in fruits of seven native genotypes of tomato 

(Lycopersicon esculentum bar. Cerasiforme) Revista Champingo Sene Horticultura 15(2): 5-9. (in Spanish) 

45. Valdez, L. A. and D.W. Reed. 2010. Growth and nutrition of young bean plants under high alkalinity as 

affected by mixtures of ammonium, potassium and sodium. J. Plant Nutr. 33:1472-1499. 

Abstracts and Conference Papers: 

1. Alarcon, A., F.T. Daives, D.W. Reed, R.L. Autherieth and D.A. Zuberer. 2004. Glomus intraradices Enhances 

Growth and Gas Exchange of Lolium perenne Seedlings in Petroleum-contaminated Soil. HortScience 

39(4):770. 

2. Alarcon, A., F.T. Davies, R.L. Autherieth, D.W. Reed and D.A. Zuberer. 2006. Phytoremediation of petroleum 

hyudrocarbons with a Lolium mulitflorum x Glomus intraradices inorganic fertilization system: Influence 

on plant growth, antioxidant activity, microbial respiration, and hydrocarbon degradation. HortScience 

41(4):941 

3. Alarcon, A., F.T. Davies, R.L. Autherieth, D.W. Reed and D.A. Zuberer. 2006. Phytoremediation of 

benzo[a]pyrene utilizing Glomus irtraradices and hydrocabonoclastic microorganisms. HortScience 

42(4):994. 

4. Armstrong, T, M.W. Kent and D.W. Reed. 1996. Response of New Guinea impatiens to various water qualities 

in subirrigation, HortScience 31(4):70. 

5. Blessington-Haley, T. and D.W. Reed. 2001. Identification of optimum potassium nutrition in greenhouse 

plants grown in subirrigation. 61th Annual Meeting of the Southern Region Meeting of the American 

Society for Horticultural Sciences, Fort Worth, TX 

6. Brown, J.A., A.E. Nightingale, D.W. Reed and R.E. Pettit. 1984. Biological control of damping-off in bedding 

plant production. HortScience 19(3):211. 

7. Caldwell, J.D. and D.W. Reed. 1994. Teaching Introductory Horticulture. HortScience 29(5):436. 

8. Campos-Nunez, R. and D.W. Reed. 1989. Influence of salinity on optimal N-P-K liquid fertilizer rates with 

Spathiphyllum and Dieffenbachia. HortScience 1989 ASHS Annual Meetings / Program and Abstracts. 

9. Campos, R. and D.W. Reed. 1992. Influence of irrigation water salinity on optimal nitrogen, phosphorus and 

potassium fertilizer rates on Spathiphyllum 'Petite'. HortScience 27(6):636. 

10. Andrew Cartmill and David Wm. Reed. 2007. Effect of Phosphorus Concentration on Catharanthus roseus (L.) 

G. Don cv. Pacifica Red in a Recirculating and Top Watering System. 2007 Southern Region ASHS Annual 

Meetings 

11. Denny, G.C., M.A. Arnold, L.A. Valdez-Aguilar and D.W. Reed. 2004. A comparison of factorial and mixture 

experimental designs applied to container crop production. Abstract, Southern Regional Meetings, 

American Society for Horticultural Sciences, Tulsa, OK. 

12. Egilla, J.N., D.H. Byrne and D.W. Reed. 1989. Determination of iron intake mechanisms in prunus rootstocks. 

HortScience 1989 ASHS Annual Meetings / Program and Abstracts. 

13. Grauke, L.J., J.B. Storey, E.R. Emino and D.W. Reed. 1979. Foliar absorption of zinc by Zea mays. 

HortScience 14(3):453. 

14. Grauke, L.J., J.B. Storey, E.R. Emino and D.W. Reed. 1981. Removal of unabsorbed Zn residue and foliar 

absorption by Zea mays. HortScience 16(3):415. 

15. Grauke, L.J., J.B. Storey, E.R. Emino and D.W. Reed. 1982. The influence of leaf surface, leaf age, and 

humidity on the foliar absorption of zinc from two zinc sources by pecan. HortScience 17(3):474. 

16. Janssen, A.H., E.L. McWilliams and D.W. Reed. 1981. The detrimental effects of salinity on rooting of coleus 

cuttings and their alleviation with gypsum. HortScience 16(3):449. 

17. Kent, M.W. and D.W. Reed. 1995. Nitrogen nutrition of New Guinea Impatiens and Spathiphyllum in a 

subirrigation system. HortScience 30(4):724. 

18. Lang, H.J. and D.W. Reed. 1984. Differential iron chlorosis of foliage plants. HortScience 19(3):569. 

19. Lang, H.J. and D.W. Reed. 1986. Iron utilization and mechanism of uptake by a Fe-efficient and Fe-inefficient 

foliage plant. HortScience 21(3):763.


20. Lee, L.W. and D.W. Reed. 1983. Effect of growth regulators on rooting of Ficus benjamina L. air layers. 


21. Lee, L.W. and D.W. Reed. 1984. Leakage of UV absorbing constituents as a method of measuring leaf 

phytotoxicity from foliar sprays. HortScience 19(3):521. 

22. Lee, L.W. and D.W. Reed. 1985. A comparison of methods for measuring leaf burn from foliar fertilizer salts. 

HortScience 20(4):596 and 22(5)1094. 

23. Lee, L.W. and D.W. Reed. 1987. Calcium effects on foliar fertilizer damage. HortScience 22(5):1094. 

24. Lee, L.W. and D.W. Reed. 1988. Screening foliar fertilizer damage to Salvia. HortScience 23(3):779. 

25. Lee, L.W. and D.W. Reed. 1989. Foliar absorption of N at phytotoxic concentration using 15 N labelling. 

HortScience 1989 ASHS Annual Meetings / Programs and Abstracts. 

26. McDonald, G.V. and D.W. Reed. 1989. Iron reduction ability of various rose rootstocks. HortScience 1989 

ASHS Annual Meetings / Programs and Abstracts. 

27. McDonald, G.V. and D.W. Reed. 1991. The iron reductase activity of selected Rosa rootstocks. VIth 

International Iron Symposium, July 14-19, 1991, Logan, UT. 

28. Mahamane, S. . , W. A. Payne, R. H. Loeppert, J. C. Miller, and D. W. Reed. 2006. Screening of Cowpea for 

Phosphorus Use Efficiency from Rock Phosphate. Abstract, 18th World Congress of Soil Science, July 9- 

15, 2006 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

29. Mahamane, S. . , W. A. Payne, R. H. Loeppert, J. C. Miller, and D. W. Reed. 2007. Organic acid exudation as a 

phosphate-deficiency stress adaptation by selected cowpea genotypes. 19th World Congress of Soil Science 

30. Nolte, B., L. Griffing, D.W. Reed, D. Lineberger and M. Rumpho. 1998. Production and subcellular 

localization of the anticancer alkaloid camptothecin. Annual Meetings American Society of Plant 

Physiology. 

31. Rajapakse, N.C., J.W. Kelly and D.W. Reed. 1985. Chemical control of transpiration in Epipremnum aureum 

Bunt. HortScience 16(3):416. 

32. Reed, D.W. 1980. Liquid scintillation counting of radioactive ions in pure Triton X-100. HortScience 

15(3):412. 

33. Reed, D.W. 1981. Comparison of methods to assay foliar absorption and removal of unabsorbed radioactive 

nutrients from leaf surfaces. HortScience 16(3):416. 

34. Reed, D.W.. 1982. Proposal for Development of a Standardized Laboratory Manual for General Horticulture. 

79 th Annual Conference of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences, Ames, IA 

35. Reed, D.W. 1983. Foliar absorption of P and Rb from ortho-, pyro-, and tripoly- phosphates. HortScience 

18(4):619. 

36. Reed, D.W. 1984. Foliar absorption of inorganic sulfur compounds. HortScience 19(3):569. 

37. Reed, D.W. 1986. Screening inorganic, organic and chelated iron compounds for alleviation of iron chlorosis. 


38. Reed, D.W. 1988. Geotropic and thigmotropic effects on Epipremnum aureum leaf size. HortScience 

23(5):819. 

39. Reed, D.W. 1997. Plant selection versus fertilizer selection strategies to combat iron nutrition problems in 

ornamental plants. 94 th Annual Conference of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences, Salt Lake 

City, UT. 

40. Reed, D.W. 2001. Web-assisted teaching general horticulture – Where’s the “steak” in all that “sizzle”. 61th 

Annual Meeting of the Southern Region Meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences, Fort 

Worth, TX 

41. Reed, D.W. 2003. Use of animated GIFs for teaching horticulture techniques. Abstract, Southern Regional 

Meetings, American Society for Horticultural Sciences, Mobile, AL. 

42. Reed, D.W. 2004. Active classroom participation and demonstrations to excite non-science majors about the 

science of horticulture. Abstract, Southern Regional Meetings, American Society for Horticultural 

Sciences, Tulsa, OK. 

43. Reed, D.W. 2004. Managing water quality in growing media, Workshop: Getting Down and Dirt-less with 

Container Substrates. HortScience 39(4):696. 

44. Reed, D.W., P. Sullivan and M. Kazemzadeh. 1986. Inhibition of adventitious rooting of Chrysanthemum 

morifolium by fungicides. HortScience 21(4):935. 

45. Reed, D.W. and H.B. Tukey. 1976. Effect of pH on foliar absorption of phosphorus and rubidium compounds 

by Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. HortScience 11(3):317.


46. Reed, D.W. and H.B. Tukey. 1978. Effect of environment on epicuticular wax morphology, internal cuticle 

ultrastructure and subsequent cuticular penetration. HortScience 13(3):370. 

47. Reed, D.W. and H.B. Tukey. 1978. Preparation of leaf cuticles for electron microscopy - Cuticular wax 

extraction and morphological alterations. HortScience 13(3):383. 

48. Reed, D.W. and H.B. Tukey. 1979. Electron microscopy staining of polysaccharides in apple leaf cuticles. 


49. Reed, D.W. and H.B. Tukey. 1979. Permeability characteristics of leaf cuticles isolated from plants grown 

under different environmental regimes. HortScience 14(3):468. 

50. Reed, D.W. and H.B. Tukey. 1980. Factors allowing maximum foliar absorption of rubidium phosphate by 

ornamental plants. HortScience 15(3):274. 

51. Reed, D.W., Y-T Wang and B.H. Pemberton. 1992. Field screening of Rosa rootstocks for tolerance to 

alkaline soil. HortScience 27(6):635. 

52. Richards, D. and D.W. Reed. 1998. The growth of New Guinea impatiens with controlled-release fertilizer in a 

recirculating subirrigation system. HortScience 33(3):556. 

53. Rosenfield, C.L., D.W. Reed and M.W. Kent. 1990. Dependency of iron reduction on development of a unique 

root morphology in Ficus benjamina. International Symposium on Iron Transport, Storage and Metabolism 

II. July 20-22, 1990. Austin, TX. 

54. Shafer, W.E. and D.W. Reed. 1983. Foliar absorption of potassium from organic and inorganic potassium 

compounds. HortScience 18(4):619. 

55. Sistrunk, L.A. and D.W. Reed. 1985. Use of condensed phosphorus as phosphate fertilizers. HortScience 

20(4):554. 

56. Sistrunk, L.A. and D.W. Reed. 1988. Hydrolysis and absorption of condensed phosphates from nutrient 

solution measured by solution depletion. HortScience 23(3):816. 

57. Stevens, A. and D.W. Reed. 1989. Cost of production analysis: Greenhouse production of foliage plants. 

HortScience 1989 ASHS Annual Meetings / Programs and Abstracts. 

58. Todd, N. and D.W. Reed. 1995. Response of New Guinea Impatiens to various levels of salinity in a 

subirrigation system. HortScience 30(4):703. 

59. Tukey, Jr., H.B., D.W. Reed, E.T. Paparozzi and G.J. Keever. 1978. Application of nutrients to ornamental 

plants through the foliage. XXII Internat. Hort Congress, Sidney, Australia. 

60. Turner, M.A., D.W. Reed and D.L. Morgan. 1983. Light quality and fertilizer effects on long term 

maintenance of four foliage plants in simulated interior environments. HortScience 18(4):573. 

61. Turner, M.A., D.W. Reed and D.L. Morgan. 1983. Interaction of ethylene and leaf abscission in two Ficus spp. 


62. Valdez-Aguilar, L.A. and D.W. Reed. 2001. Effect of bicarbonate irrigation water on selected greenhouse 

crops. 61th Annual Meeting of the Southern Region Meeting of the American Society for Horticultural 

Sciences, Fort Worth, TX 

63. Valdez-Aguilar, L.A. and D.W. Reed. 2004. Determination of the Alkalinity Toxicity Limits of Selected 

Greenhouse Ornamental Plants. HortScience 39(4):878. 

64. Valdez-Aguilar, L.A. and D.W. Reed. 2004. Use of Mixture Experiments to Determine the Effect of Counterions 

of Bicarbonate on Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) 'Poncho' in Hydroponics. HortScience 39(4):872. 

Invited Papers at Scientific Symposia and Academic Institutions: 

1. Reed, D.W. 1980. Absorption of foliar-applied compounds. First Annual Foliar Fertilizer Conference 

sponsored by Allied Chemical Corp., Morristown, NJ, Sept. 1980. 

2. Reed, D.W. 1981. Foliar absorption of sulfur compounds. Second Annual Foliar Fertilizer Conference 

sponsored by Allied Chemical Corp., Morristown, NJ, Sept. 2-3, 1981. 

3. Reed, D.W. 1982. Wax alteration and extraction during electron microscopy preparation of leaf cuticles. The 

Plant Cuticle, eds. D.F. Cutler, K.L. Alvin and C.E. Price, Academic Press, NY. Presented at "The Plant 

Cuticle - An International Symposium" sponsored by the Linnean Society, London, England, Sept. 8-11, 

1980. 

4. Reed, D.W and H.B. Tukey, Jr. 1982. Cuticular permeability of Brussels sprouts and carnation from leaves 

developed in different temperatures and light intensities. The Plant Cuticle, eds. D.F. Cutler, K.L. Alvin 

and C.E. Price, Academic Press, NY. Presented at "The Plant Cuticle - An International Symposium" 

sponsored by the Linnean Society, London, England, Sept. 8-11, 1980.


5. Reed, D.W. 1997. Plant selection versus fertilizer selection strategies to combat iron nutrition problems in 

ornamental plants. 94 th Annual Conference of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences, Salt Lake 

City, UT. 

6. Reed, D.W. 2004. Managing water quality in growing media, Workshop: Getting Down and Dirt-less with 

Container Substrates. HortScience 39(4):696, 2004 Annual Conference of the American Society for 

Horticultural Sciences, Austin, TX. 

7. Fertilizer selection versus plant selection strategies to combat iron nutrition problems. July 2007, Colegio 

Postgraduados, Campus Montecillo, sponsored by the Mexican Academy of Sciences. 

Books and Manuals: 

1. Reed, D.W. 1982, 1985, 1993 2nd Ed.. General Horticulture Laboratory Manual, Burgess Publishing, Edina., 

MN. 167 pp. 

2. Reed. D.W. (Editor and Author). 1996. Water, Nutrition and Media for Greenhouse Crops, Ball Publishing, 

Batavia, IL. 

3. Reed, D.W. Horticulture – Science and Practices. 1999. Burgess Publishing, Edina, MN, 100 pp. 

4. Also see papers in The Plant Cuticle under REFEREED PUBLICATIONS. 

Grants and Contracts: 

$500 Chemical and ultrastructural studies on cuticles. Faculty/Staff Mini-Grant Texas A&M, Jan. 1979-1980. 

$2,000 Quantitative analysis of parameters of cuticular permeability. Organized Research Development Funds. Texas 

A&M, Oct. 1979-1980. 

$4,000 Foliar nutrition - factors affecting performance, Program Development Funds, Texas Agri. Exp. Station, 1982. 

$27,396 Improving production efficiency and utilization of greenhouse crops, Expanded Research Area, Texas Agri. Exp. 

Station, 1985-87. 

$30,000 Nutrition of ornamental crops, Expanded Research Area, Texas Agri. Exp. Station, 1987-89. 

$13,775 Nutrient analysis by ion exchange chromatography, Program Development Funds, Texas Agri. Exp. Station, 

1989. 

$29,500 Selection of Rosa rootstocks for iron efficiency and adaptation to alkaline soil, Co-Principle Investigators Y. 

Wang and B. Pemberton. Expanded Research Area, Texas Agri. Exp. Station, 1989-1991 

$75,000 Minimizing nitrogen runoff from greenhouses and nurseries using recycled irrigation water and constructed 

wetlands. Co-Principle investigators H. Lang, E. McWilliams and D. Wilkerson. Research Enhancement 

Program, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, 1993-95. 

$5,200 Development of a HORT 201 Home Page on the Internet, V.F. and Gertrude Neuhaus Teaching Grant, COALS, 

1996-97. 

$50,000 Develop strategies to maximize accumulation of the anti-cancer compound camptothecin in Camptotheca – A 

new crop for Texas agriculture. Co-Pi M. Rumpho and d. Lineberger. TAES Faculty Research Development 

Program, 1997-98. 

$500 Cuticle and leaf surface characteristics related to the effectiveness of compounds applied to the foliage of 

ornamental plants. R.P. White Grant, Horticultural Research Inst. (HRI), Washington DC, June 1979-1980. 

$6,000 A study of cuticle and leaf surface properties to determine the effectiveness of compounds applied to the foliage 

of ornamental plants. The Fred Gloeckner Equipment Grant, Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation, June, 1979-1980. 

$4,000 Alleviation of nutrient deficiencies and maintenance of optimum nutrient levels, especially through foliar 

application, for maximum production efficiency. Weyerhaeuser Co., Dec., 1979-1980. 

$292,000 Foliar nutrition - Factors affecting performance. Co-Principle investigators: J.B. Storey and E.R. Emino. Allied 

Chemical Corp., June 1980-1983. 

$3,500 Studies on improved production efficiency of selected greenhouse crops. Co-Principal investigators: A.E. 

Nightingale, E. McWilliams, E.R. Emino and M. Kamp. Texas State Florist Association - Growers Division, 

July 1980-1981. 

$8,692 Effectiveness of iron foliar sprays. Allied Chemical Corp., June 1983-1984. 

$4,717 Effectiveness of iron fertilizers. Arcadian Corp., Aug., 1985-1986. 

$5,344 Foliar and root absorption of nitrogen carriers. Arcadian Corp., Nov., 1987-1988. 

$2,000 Growth response and release rates from slow release N-P-K fertilizers. Haifa Chemicals, Trans-Resources, Inc., 

April 1989-1990. 

$2,000 Sumagic on bedding plants. Valent USA Corp., April 1991-92. 

$2,000 Phytotoxicity of Select on Ornamentals. Valent Corp., March 1992-93. 

$2,000 Sumagic on bedding plants. Valent USA Corp., June 1992-93. 

$3,500 Sumagic on bedding plants. Valent USA Corp., April 1993-94.


$2,000 Minimizing nitrogen runoff from foliage production facilities using recycled irrigation water and constructed 

wetlands. National Foliage Foundation, Apopka, FL, Jan. 1994-95. Co-Principal investigators: E.L. McWilliams 

and H. Lang. 

$2,000 Evaluating irrigation water quality and predicting ornamental crop growth and quality response. Ornamental 

Enhancement Endowment, 1997-98. 

$4,000 Evaluating irrigation water quality and predicting ornamental crop growth and quality response. Ornamental 

Enhancement Endowment, 1999-01. 

$12,000 Reassessing water quality for greenhouse crop production. The Fred Gloeckner Foundation, Inc., June 2000-01. 

$12,000 Reassessing water quality for greenhouse crop production. The Fred Gloeckner Foundation, Inc., June 2001-02, 

extension. 

$5,000 Studies on water quality for ornamental crops. Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, 2002. 

$2,600 Testing electromagnetically treated water for enhancement of seed germination and plant growth, Roger 

Holland, 2002 

$5,000 Testing plant growth response to irrigation with recycled/reused water from nursery operations. Texas Nursery & 

Landscape Association Education & Research Foundation, 2006-2007


Terri Woods Starman 

Professor of Floriculture/Horticulture 

tstarman@tamu.edu 


Dr. Starman holds a three way split between teaching, research and service. Teaching 

responsibilities include three undergraduate courses and one graduate course in the field 

of floriculture production and marketing and greenhouse management. She also serves 

as the co-chair of two Ph.D. student committees and as a member of about three graduate 

student committees within the Department. Her research program involves 

investigations in three primary areas, including stress physiology, postharvest 

physiology, and greenhouse water conservation. Much of the stress physiology program 

has been aimed at determining stress tolerance of landscape roses and other ornamentals 

to salinity, heat, and drought exposure. The postharvest physiology program is to 

investigate greenhouse production practices which maximize shelf life of potted 

flowering plants and garden/bedding plants. Greenhouse water conservation projects use 

time domain transmissometry (TDT) sensors to apply constant soil moisture content 

(SMC) to landscape roses and other greenhouse crops. In a service capacity, Dr. 

Starman holds or has recently held officer positions with the national level American 

Society for Horticultural Sciences and with the national Pi Alpha Xi honors organization, 

as well as positions on the editorial board for HortScience. 



Ph.D. 1986 Texas A&M University Floriculture 

M.S. 1980 University of Missouri Horticulture 

B.S. 1977 University of Missouri Horticulture 


2012 – present Professor, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University 

(60% teaching, 39% research, 1% service) 

2000-2012 Associate Professor, Dept. Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University 

(60% teaching, 39% research, 1% service) 

1997-2000 Associate Professor, Dept. of Ornamental Hort. & Landscape Design, University of Tennessee 


1991-1997 Assistant Professor, Dept. of Ornamental Hort. & Landscape Design, University of Tennessee 


1986-1991 Assistant Professor, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Southern Illinois University 


1977-1981 Instructor, Department of Horticulture, University of Missouri 

(100% teaching) 



Cai, X., T.W. Starman, G. Niu, C. Hall, and L. Lombardini. 2012. Response of selected garden roses to drought stress. 

HortScience 47(8): 1050-1055. 

Spiers, J.D., F.T. Davies, Jr., C. He, T.W. Starman, S.A. Finlayson, S.A. Senseman, and K.M. Heinz. 2011. Fertilization affects 

constitutive and wound-induced chemical defenses in Gerbera jamesonii. J. Environ. Hort. 29(4):180-184. 

Lin, M., T.W. Starman, Y.T. Wang, G. Niu, and J.T. Cothren. 2011. Deferring flowering of nobile dendrobium hybrids by holding 

plants under low temperature after vernalization. Scientia Hort. 130:869-873. 

Niu, G., R.I. Cabrera, T. W. Starman, and C. Hall. 2011. Water conservation in ornamental plant production through the use of 

alternative irrigation water sources. HortTechnology 21(6):694-695. 

Lin, M., T.W. Starman, Y.T. Wang, and G. Niu. 2011. Vernalization duration and light intensity influence flowering of three 

hybrid nobile dendrobium cultivars. HortScience 46(3):406-410. 

Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, and T.W. Starman. 2010. Response of bedding plants to saline water irrigation. HortScience 

45(4):628-636. 

Beach, S.E., T.W. Starman, K. Eixmann, H.B. Pemberton, and K.M. Heinz. 2009. Reduced end-of-production fertilization 

rate increased postproduction shelf life of containerized vegetative annuals. HortTechnol. 19(1):158-167.


Yen, C., T.W. Starman, Y.T. Wang, and G. Niu. 2008. Effects of cooling temperature and duration on flowering of nobile 

dendrobium orchid. HortScience 43:1765-1769. 

Yen, C., T.W. Starman, Y.T. Wang, A. Holzenberg, and G. Niu. 2008. Timing of nutrient termination and reapplication on 

growth, flower initiation, and flowering of the nobile dendrobium orchid. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 133(4):501-507. 

Mason, S., T.W. Starman, D.L. Lineberger, and B. Behe. 2008. Consumer preferences for price, color harmony and care 

information of container gardens. HortScience 43:380-384. 

Bichsel, R.G., T.W. Starman, and Y.T. Wang. 2008. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium requirements for optimizing 

growth and flowering of the nobile dendrobium as a potted orchid. HortScience 43:328-332. 

Starman, T.W., S.E. Beach, and K. Eixmann. 2007. Postharvest decline symptoms after simulated shipping and during shelf 

life of 21 cultivars of vegetative annuals. HortTechnol. 17(4):544-551. 


Starman, T.W. 2013.Using technology to teach floral design, p, _-_. In: T. Rhodus (ed.), Changing the pace-adopting a 

Pecha Kucha approach to presentations [iBooks 3.0 or later]. Retrieved 1/28/2013 from 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/changing-pace-adopting-pecha/id594201341?ls=1 

Greyvenstein, O.F.C., T.W. Starman, H.B. Pemberton, G. Niu, and D.H. Byrne. 2012. Towards phenotyping heat tolerance in 

garden roses. Proc. 7 th ISHS on In Vitro Culture and Horticultural Breeding. Acta Hort. 961: 181-186, ISHS 2012. 

http://www.actahort.org/books/961/961_21.htm 

Niu, G., D.S. Rodriguez, T.W. Starman, M. Wang, and D. Zhang. 2011. Responses of zinnia to saline water irrigation. Acta 

Hort. 922: 237-244. 

Wang, Y.T., T.W. Starman, R. Bichsel, C. Yen, and M. Lin. 2010. The commercial production of the nobile dendrobium as a 

pot plant: a scientific and practical approach. Proceedings of the 2010 Taiwan International Orchid Symposium p: 

98-143. 

Spiers, J. D., F.T. Davies Jr., C. He, T.W. Starman, and K.M. Heinz. 2007. Reducing fertilization in gerbera production 

enhances host plant resistance to western flower thrips. Combined Proc. Intl. Plant Prop. Soc. 57:(pp). 

Spiers, J. D., F.T. Davies Jr., C. He, K.M. Heinz, and T.W. Starman. 2007. Fertilization affects susceptibility to western 

flower thrips, herbivore abundance, growth, development, and quality of Gerbera jamesonii. Proc. South. Nurs. 

Assn. Res. Conf. 52:41-46. 


Jones, M., T. Starman, C. Hall, C. Pasian, and G. Staby, 2012. Taking it to the Max. How to maintain the quality of your 

plants during shipping and maximize their shelf life. Greenhouse Management (Feb.) 32 (2): 62-66. 

Starman, T., M. Jones, G. Staby, C. Pasion, and C. Hall. 2011. Shrink the shrink. Part 2. Greenhouse Management (July) 

31(7):36-38, 63-64. 

Hall, C., M. Jones, T. Starman, C. Pasion, and G. Staby. 2011. Shrink the shrink. Part 1. (Jan.) Greenhouse Management 

31(1):38-42. 

Wang, Y.T. and T.W. Starman. 2008. The Nobile Dendrobium. International Commercial Orchid Growers Organization 

(ICOGO) 2(3):12-13. 

Spiers, J.D., F.T. Davies, Jr., C. He, K.M. Heinz, C.E. Bogran, and T.W. Starman. 2008. Do insecticides affect plant growth 

and development? Greenhouse Grower 26(2):1-4. 

Starman, T.W., S.E. Beach, and K. L. Eixmann. 2007. Postharvest decline in simulated shipping and retail environments. Big 

Grower 4(2):14-19. 

Starman, T.W. 2007. Creating and selling container gardens. Ohio Florists’ Assoc. Bul. 902: 3-8. 


Maintain four class websites: 

HORT 428 website: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ 





Starman, T.W. 2008. Container Gardens, p. 353-359. In: George Acquaah (ed.) Horticulture: Principles and Practices. 4th 

ed. Pearson/Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J. (This is a widely utilized text for high school and college horticulture 

students). 


None




Horticulture 428, Commercial Greenhouse Management: every fall 2007-2012 

Horticulture 427, Floriculture Crop Production: every spring 2007-2012 

Horticulture 426, International Floriculture Marketing 2009-2013 (every other year) 

Horticulture 485, Problems in Horticulture: Fall 2009 and 2011 


Horticulture 626, International Floriculture Marketing 2009-2013 (every other year) 

Horticulture 691, Research, 2007-2012 



Xiaoya Cai, 2010-present, PhD, TAMU, Proposed dissertation title: Response of Selected Garden Rose Cultivars to Drought 

and Salt Stresses. 

Ockert Greyvenstein, 2010-present, PhD, TAMU, Proposed dissertation title: Screening and Breeding for Heat Tolerance in 

Rose. 

Alison Bingham, 2009-2012, M.S., TAMU, Thesis title: Substrate moisture content effects on growth and shelf life of 

Angelonia angustifolia. 

Min Lin, 2008-2011, M.S., TAMU, Thesis title: Effects of vernalization duration, light intensity during vernalization and low 

temperature holding after vernalization on flowering of nobile dendrobium hybrids 

Jarratt Irwin, 2008-2009, M.Agr., TAMU, Professional paper title: Internship at Pleasant Hill Winery in Brenham, Texas. 

Christine Yen, 2005-2008, M.S., TAMU, Thesis title: Effect of Nutrient Supply and Cooling on Growth, Flower Bud 

Differentiation, and Propagation of the Nobile Dendrobium Orchid. 

Jennifer Burns, 2005-2007, M.Agr., TAMU, Professional Paper title: An Internship at Orchid Express and Leasing in 

Houston, Texas. 

Shannon Mason, 2005-2007, M.S., TAMU, Thesis title: Consumer Preferences for Price, Color Harmony and Care 

Information of Container Gardens. 

First job taken by graduate students 2007-2012 

M. Lin – Breeder for Sakata in California 

J. Irwin – Production Manager, J&L Vineyards and Irwin’s Greenhouses, Amarillo, TX 

C. Yen – Marketing Manager for Rocket Farms, Salinas Valley, CA 

J. Burns – Conservatory & Orchid Greenhouse Manager, Shangri-La Botanical Garden, Orange, TX 

S. Mason – Floral Design Instructor, University of Arkansas 


2013-present, MA, Madeline L. Frazier, Dept. of Hort. Sci., TAMU 

2012-present, M.S., Yanjun Guo (Cecelia), Dept. of Hort. Sci., TAMU 

2011-2012, M.Agr. Xuan Luo (Anthea), Dept. of Hort. Sci., TAMU 

2003-present, PhD. Ching-Jung Tsai (Amy), Dept. of Hort. Sci., TAMU 

2003-2007, PhD. Jay D. Spiers, Dept. of Hort. Sci., TAMU 


None 


$52,964 - Niu, G., T.W. Starman, and M. Goo. 2012. Urban water conservation by irrigation landscapes with reclaimed 

water. Rio Grande Basin Initiative. 

$700 - Starman, T.W. 2011. Travel award to visit Susanna Whelan (undergraduate) during her internship at Molback’s 

Garden Center in Seattle, American Floral Endowment. 

$7,000 - Starman, T.W. 2010. The use of Pageant to improve water use and quality of ornamental plants, BASF. 

$75,000 - Bogran, C.E., T.W. Starman and S.D. Suresh. 2009. Effectiveness of irradiation as a post-harvest quarantine 

treatment of imported cut flowers, Ceniflores. 

$6,000 - Starman, T.W. 2009. The use of Pageant to improve post-shipment shelf life of ornamental plants, BASF.


$3520 - Starman, T.W., H.B. Pemberton, and K. Eixmann. 2009. Spring container plant trials, various floriculture breeding 

companies. 

$5,000 - Starman, T.W., H.B. Pemberton, and K. Eixmann. 2008. Spring container plant trials, various floriculture breeding 

companies. 

$10,000 - Yen, C., Y.T. Wang, and T.W. Starman. 2007. Effect of nutrient supply and cooling on growth, flower bud 

differentiation, and propagation of the nobile dendrobium orchid, The Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation. 

$7,020 - Starman, T.W., H.B. Pemberton, and K. Eixmann. 2007. Fall and spring container plant trials, various floriculture 

breeding companies. 

$5,000 - Mason, S., T.W. Starman, B. Behe, and D.L. Lineberger. 2007. Consumer preferences for price, color harmony and 

care information of container gardens, Calloway’s Garden Centers, gift of incentive gift-certificates for survey 

participants. 



None 


HortScience 



HortScience 


Journal of Plant Growth Regulation 



TAMU, Women’s Faculty Network (WFN), member, College Station, Texas, 2012-present. 

TAMU, Instructional Technol. User’s Group, member, Instructional Technol. Serv., College Station, Texas, 2007 - 2009. 

TAMU, CASNR Event Planning Certificate Committee, member, 2012-present. 

TAMU, CASNR Distance Education Committee, member, 2012-present. 

TAMU, CASNR AWESOME, member, 2010-present. 

TAMU, CASNR Policy Congressional Intern Program Faculty Screening Committee, member, 2001 and 2010, 2011. 

TAMU, Texas A&M Agriculture Conf. Planning Committee, member, 2006-2007. 

TAMU, Dept. Hort. Sci. Scholarship Committee, member, 2011-present. 

TAMU, Dept. Hort. Sci. Curriculum Committee, member, 2011-present. 

TAMU, Dept. Hort. Sci. Search Committee for the Benz Endowed Chair, member, 2010. 

TAMU, Dept. Hort. Sci. Committee to Internationalize Curriculum, member, 2010. 

TAMU, Dept. Hort. Sci. Seminar Committee, member, 2007-2010. 

TAMU, Dept. Hort. Sci. Teaching Matters, member, 2009-2012. 

TAMU, Dept. Hort. Sci. Faculty Panel for Expectations of New Graduate Students, 2010. 

TAMU, Dept. Hort. Sci. Floriculture Degree Evaluation Committee, member, 2007. 

TAMU, Dept. Hort. Sci. Ellison Intl. Floriculture Chair Search Committee, member, 2006-2007. 


International Flower Juror and Speaker, Technical Contest, Proflora, 2009, Bogotá, Sponsored by the Association of 

Columbia Flower Exporters (Asocolflores). 

Consultant 2006 – 2007, Hines Horticulture, for marketing container gardens to The Home Depot in Texas, the Midwest and 

the Northeast territories. 

Consulting Editor for HortScience – Floriculture, 2009-present. 

ASHS Education Publication Award Committee, chair, 2013-present. 

ASHS Outstanding Undergraduate Educator Award Committee, member, 2010-present. 

ASHS Education Publication Award Committee, member, 2010-2012. 

ASHS National Floriculture Forum, member, 1993-present. 

ASHS Teaching Methods Working Group, member, 2006-present. 

ASHS Controlled Environment Working Group, member, 1998-present. 

ASHS Floriculture Research Working Group, member, 1986-present. 

ASHS Floriculture Education Working Group, member, 1986-present


National Floriculture Forum. Organizer for National Academic Conference in 2011. Dallas, Texas. 

Honorary Society of Horticulture - National Pi Alpha Xi, 1982-present, Board member 2001-2007. 

American Floral Endowment (AFE) Board of Director’s Meeting, Co-organizer and presenter for National Industry Board 

Meeting College Station, TX, Jan. 2012. 

OFA Short Course, speaker and co-coordinator of the workshop ‘Crop Management Workshop: Keeping You & Your 

Customers Happy’ Columbus, Ohio, July 2010. 

Floriculture Research Alliance, Multi-State Research Project, collaborator, 2012-present. 

Water Management & Quality for Ornamental Crop Production & Health (NC1186), Multi-State Research Project, member, 

2009-present. 


Kenneth Post Award, 2008, Award for the best floriculture manuscript published in an ASHS journal in 2008 by the 

Floriculture Research Working Group of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences. Manuscript citation: 

Mason, S., T.W. Starman, B. Behe, and D.L. Lineberger. 2007. Consumer preferences for price, color harmony, and 

information level of container gardens. HortScience 42(4):892.


Larry Alfred Stein 

Professor and Extension Horticulturist 

Associate Department Head for Extension Horticulture 

larrystein@tamu.edu 


Dr. Stein is 100% Extension and works on pecans, fruits and vegetable crops. 

He is also a member of the CEMAP Executive Board (Coordinated Education 

and Marketing Assistance Program) which features the Texas Superstar ® 

program. Dr. Stein’s work has focused on finding the best management 

practices for numerous crops including pecans and spinach. His work on crop 

load management on pecans has allowed for a more consistent production of 

high quality pecans from year to year. Trials on growing baby leaf spinach in 

the Texas Wintergarden have lead to a significant industry where before there 

was none. He works with other specialists to evaluate other potential crops for 

Texas, namely cold hardy citrus, pomegranates, blackberries, figs, pears, table 

grapes, and new varieties of tomatoes and watermelons. In addition he travels 

the state presenting programs on these various crops as well as training 

numerous Master Gardeners across the state. Recently he assumed the role of 

Associate Department Head for Extension Horticulture programs in Texas. Dr. 

Stein’s expertise and work in the culture of pecan has allowed the Texas A&M 

AgriLife Extension Service pecan educational program to become the best in the 

world. Numerous years of result demonstrations and research plots on crop load management and best management practices 

have allowed him to stay on the cutting edge of pecan growth and development. Dr. Stein and Monte Nesbitt hosted the 

Texas Pecan Orchard Management Short course on 23 through 27 January 2012 at Texas A&M University. Classes were 

held in Rudder Tower, at the USDA Pecan Breeding Station in Somerville and the newly renovated Texas A&M Pecan 

Orchard. We had 79 participants from two countries; Mexico (10%) and the United States. The following U.S. states had 

students including Arkansas, Arizona, Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Texas. Fifty 

nine percent were from Texas. Seventy one percent of the participants were completely satisfied with the short course with 

the remaining percentage being mostly satisfied and 100 % would recommend the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service 

as a contact for information and assistance on pecan orchard management issues. Ninety eight percent felt like this class 

gave them the ability to analyze their situation and make better orchard management decisions. A large percentage (85 %) 

were completely satisfied with the instructor’s level of subject matter knowledge and 76 % were completely satisfied with the 

instructor’s responses to questions. Lastly 93% felt the practices that they adopted as a result of this program would result in 

real savings and increased profits. Fifty eight % felt this profit or savings would be over $500. 

Dr. Stein also hosted the International Spinach conference in San Antonio, Texas 29, 30 November 2012 and then toured 

numerous farms and research demonstrations in the Winter Garden. He had folks from three countries; United Kingdom, 

Netherlands, and the United States with the following US states represented, Washington, California, Arkansas, South 

Carolina, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. Ninety one percent were mostly or completely satisfied with the event and 93 % 

would attend another such event sponsored by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Most importantly though, 67 % 

thought they would directly benefit economically as a result of attending this event. 



Ph.D. 1985 Texas A&M University Horticulture 

M.S. 1981 Texas A&M University Horticulture 

B.S. 1979 Texas A&M University Horticulture 


September 2012 – present 

September 1999 – present 

September 1992 – September 1999 

December 1991 – August 1992 

Associate Department Head and Professor and Extension 

Horticulturist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service 

Professor and Extension Horticulturist, Texas AgriLife Research and Extension 

Center, Uvalde, TX 

Associate Professor and Extension Horticulturist, TAMU Research and 

Extension Center, Uvalde, TX 

Associate Professor and Extension Horticulturist, 

TAMU Research and Extension Center, Stephenville, TX


June 1985 – December 1991 

Extension Horticulturist, TAMU Research and Extension Center, Stephenville, 

TX 

June 1982 – June 1985 

Extension Assistant in Horticulture, Extension Horticulture, College Station, TX 

January 1982 – May 1982 

Technician II, Department of Horticultural Sciences, 

College Station, TX 

December 1981 – June 1980 

Graduate Assistant in Research, Department of Horticultural Sciences, College 

Station, TX 

August 1979 – May 1980 

Graduate Assistant in Teaching, Department of Horticultural Sciences, College 

Station, TX 

Publications 2007 – 2012 

Stein, L.A., G.R McEachern and M. Nesbitt (eds.) 2012. Texas Pecan Handbook, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, 

College Station. 

Stein, L.A. 2012. For natives, wait for N applications; be ready with zinc. Pecan South, Vol. 45, No. 1, 8 & 11. 

Stein, L.A. 2012. Drought stress symptoms persist. Pecan South, Vol. 45, No. 5, 8 & 15. 

Stein, L.A. 2012. Texas native crop fairly good despite drought. Pecan South, Vol. 45, No. 9, 6. 

Kamas, J. and L.A. Stein. 2011. Texas Peach Handbook. TAMU Press, College Station. 

Moore, J.N., J.R. Clark, J. Kamas, L.A. Stein, F. Tarkington, and M. Tarkington. 2011. ‘Victoria Red’ Grape. HortScience, 

46: 817 – 820. 

Stein, L.A., M. Valdez, and A. Mize. 2011. Evaluation of fungicides for the development of an effective spinach white rust 

control program. International Spinach Conference, Amsterdam. 

Stein, L.A., J.M. Parsons, and R.D. Lineberger. 2011. ‘Lady Bird Johnson Royal Blue’ Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis 

Hook). HortScience, 1206 -1207. 

Stein, L.A. 2011. Vast stands of natives could increase U.S. production. Pecan South, Vol. 44, No. 1, 4 – 5, 7. 

Stein, L.A. 2011. How will weather affect this year’s crop? Pecan South, Vol. 44, No. 5, 8 & 10. 

Stein, L.A. 2011. Assessing your crop: bending limbs and the “pop test”. Pecan South, Vol. 44, No. 9, 6 – 7 and 19. 

Stein, L. A. 2011. 2012 Texas Pecan Shortcourse coming up Jan. 23 - 27. Pecan South, Vol. 44, No. 10, 27. 

Stein, L.A., M. Nesbitt, A. Wagner, W.B. Ree, and G.R. McEachern. 2011. Good Agricultural Practices for Pecans in 

Texas. Texas Pecan Growers Assoc. Bryan, TX. 

Stein, L.A. 2010. Prepare to fertilize. Pecan South, Vol. 43, No. 1, 10 – 11. 

Stein, L.A. 2010. The passing of a legend, Dr. J. Benton Storey. Pecan South, Vol. 43, No. 3, 14 – 17. 

Stein, L.A. 2010. Native crop looks good in Texas so far. Pecan South, Vol. 43, No. 5, 10– 11. 

Stein, L.A. 2010. Steps to protect your pecans this harvest season. Pecan South, Vol. 43, No. 9, 8 and 21. 

J.D. Reed, J.E. Woodward, K.L. Ong, M.C. Black, L.A. Stein. 2010. First Report of Stemphylium botryosum on Spinach in 

Texas. Plant Disease 94(11):1377. DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-06-10-0471 

Stein, L.A. and B. Whitney. 2009. Traditional versus organic. Pecan South, Vol. 42, No. 1, 14 and 15. 

Stein, L.A. 2009. Managing pecan freeze damage requires patience. Pecan South, Vol. 42, No. 3, 11 & 19. 

Stein, L.A. 2009. Texas native crop good; drought persists. Pecan South, Vol. 42, No. 5, 8 & 12. 

Stein, L.A. 2009. Texas rains in time to help nut quality. Pecan South, Vol. 42, No. 9, 7 & 16 - 17. 

Stein, L.A., A. Phillips, and M. Valdez. 2009. “The Effects of Plant Population on Processing and Fresh Market Spinach 

Yield and Quality.” In Abstracts of the International Spinach Conference. University of Arkansas. 

Valdez, M., L.A. Stein and A. Phillips. 2009. “Efficacy of Soil and Foliar Applied Pesticides on White Rust.” In: Abstracts 

Of the International Spinach Conference. University of Arkansas. 

Stein, L.A. 2008. “Texas Natives May Need N, Zinc, Thinning in ’08.” Pecan South, Vol. 41, No. 1, 4 and 6. 

Stein, L.A. 2008. “How Much Management for Small Native Crop?” Pecan South, Vol. 41, No. 5, 6-8. 

Peña, J.G. and L.A. Stein. 2008. “Coping With Increased Costs for the 08/09 Season.” Pecan South, Vol. 41, No. 5, 6-8. 

Stein, L.A. 2008. “Catch and Release? Not an Option!” Pecan South, Vol. 41, No. 9, 4. 

Stein, L.A. 2008. “Annual Texas Pecan Shortcourse Coming Up In January.” Pecan South, Vol. 41, No. 10, 30. 

Stein, L.A. ed. 2008. “Abstracts of the International Spinach Conference.” Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Uvalde, TX. 

Stein, L.A., A. Phillips, and M. Valdez. 2008. “The Effects of Pre-Plant Nitrogen and Plant Population on Processing and 

Fresh Market Spinach Yield and Quality.” In Abstracts of the International Spinach Conference. Texas AgriLife 

Extension Service, Uvalde, TX. 

Phillips, A., L.A. Stein, and M. Valdez. 2008. “Efficacy of Soil and Foliar Applied Pesticides on White Rust.” In: Abstracts 

Of the International Spinach Conference. Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Uvalde, TX. 

Valdez, M., J. Anciso, J. Lopez, O. Gonzales, L.A. Stein, J. Taylor, R. Griffin, R. Zamora, O. Montemayor, and B. Story . 

2008. “Food Safety Gaps Initiative for the Spinach Industry.” In: Abstracts of the International Spinach Conference. 

Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Uvalde, TX.


Stein, L.A. and G.R. McEachern. 2007. Texas Pecan Handbook, Volumes 1 & 2. Texas Cooperative Extension, College 

Station. 

Stein, L.A. 2007. ”What a difference a year makes!” Pecan South, Vol. 40, No. 5, 8 & 10. 

Stein, L.A. 2007. “ Natives not immune from climate, pest problems.” Pecan South, Vol. 40, No. 9, 9 – 10. 

Stein, L.A. 2007. Container citrus. Neil Sperry’s Gardens. Vol. 25, No. 6, 20 – 21. 

Grants and Contracts 2007 – 2012 

2012 

$ 818.38 Helena Chemical 

$ 2,500.00 Syngenta 

$ 5,000.00 BASF 

$ 2,000.00 State wide watermelon 

$ 2,200.00 CEMAP 

$ 750.00 Texas Pecan Growers 

$ 1,000.00 In kind services from Peterson’s 

$10,000.00 Wintergarden Spinach Producers Board 

2011 

$ 1,500.00 Helena Chemical 

$ 3,000.00 FMC Corp 

$ 4,000.00 DuPont 

$ 5,000.00 BASF 

$ 2,000.00 State wide watermelon 

$ 2,200.00 CEMAP 


$ 1,000.00 In kind services from Peterson’s 


2010 

$1,000.00 Valent 

$4,500.00 Gowan 

$7,500.00 Syngenta 

$2,022.66 State wide watermelon 

$2,200.00 CEMAP 


$1,000.00 In kind services from Peterson’s 


2009 

$4,000.00 Valent 


$2,000.00 Statewide watermelon 


$2,000.00 CEMAP 

$ 750.00 Texas Pecan Growers Association 

$1,000.00 In kind services from Peterson Brother’s 

2008 

$1,000.00 Bayer Crop Sciences 

$3,000.00 Valent 

$1,200.00 Agraquest 


$4,000.00 Valent 

$ 68.66 Wharton County 


$1,000.00 CEMAP 

$ 750.00 Texas Pecan Growers Association 

$1,000.00 In kind services from Peterson Brother’s 

2007 

$7,000.00 Winter Garden Spinach Producers Board 

$1,200.00 Agriliance 

$1,200.00 Agra Quest


ASTRID VOLDER 


a-volder@tamu.edu 


Dr. Volder’s current position description is 45% teaching / 45% research and 10% service. Responsibilities include teaching 

two courses each year and conducting a strong research program as well as the advising and mentoring of undergraduate 

and graduate students. Teaching duties include one undergraduate course in plant physiology and two graduate courses; one 

in the area of the ecology of constructed landscape or sustainable landscape management and one in the area of root 

biology, as well as graduate seminar in Fall semesters. Research responsibilities include 1) leadership in application of 

ecological principles and research techniques to cultivated urban landscapes and remnant or fragmented natural landscapes, 

2) developing financially self-supporting research programs and forging working relationships with other faculty within and 

outside the department to address urban landscape and remnant or fragmented natural landscapes issues in a multidisciplinary 

fashion, and 3) communicating research results by publishing in refereed journals and other relevant outlets, 

and making presentations at professional meetings. 



Ph.D. 1998 Utrecht University, Netherlands Biology (Plant Physiological Ecology) 

M.S. 1997 University of Washington Botany 

B.S. 1994 Utrecht University, Netherlands Biology 


2012 – present Associate Professor, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University 2006 – 2012 

Assistant Professor, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University 

2004 - 2006 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Forest Science, Texas A&M University 2000 - 2004 

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, CSIRO Plant Industry and Australian National 

University, Australia 

1998 - 2000 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Horticulture, Penn State University 

Refereed Publications 2007-2013: (underlined names indicate graduate students advised as primary advisor or committee 

member) 

1. Lombardini L, Volder A, Cartmill DL, Nesbitt M. 2013. Consequences of damage caused by blotch 

leafminer on pecan gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence. Journal of the American Society for 

Horticultural Science. Accepted Feb 2013. 

2. Dvorak B, Volder A. 2013. Plant establishment findings for extensive green roofs in a subtropical climate. 

Annals of Botany – Plants 5: doi: 10.1093/aobpla/pls049 

3. Volder A, Tjoelker MG, Briske DD. 2013. Climate warming and precipitation redistribution modify 

tree-grass interactions and tree species establishment in a warm-temperate savanna. Global Change 

Biology 19: 843-857. 

4. Cartmill AD, Valdez-Aguilar LA, Bryan DL, Volder A, Alarcon A. 2013. Arbuscular mycorrhizal 

colonization does not alleviate NaCl-salinity stress in Vinca [Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don].Journal of Plant 

Nutrition 36: 164-178. 

5. Dvorak B, Volder A. 2013. Rooftop temperature reductions from unirrigated modular green roofs in south-central 

Texas. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 12: 28-35. 

6. Cartmill DL, Alarcon A, Volder A, Valdez-Aguilar LA, Arnold MA, Cartmill AD. 2012. Arbuscular 

mycorrhizal fungi alleviate growth of Ulmus parvifolia Jacq. at suboptimal planting depths. Scientia 

Horticulturae 144: 74-80. 

7. Dieleman WIJ, Vicca S, Dijkstra F, Hagedorn F, Hovenden MJ, Larsen KS, Morgan JA, Volder A,


Beier C, Dukes JS, King J, Leuzinger S, Linder S, Luo Y, Oren R, De Angelis P, Tingey D, Hoosbeek MR, 

Janssens IA. 2012. Combined manipulation of atmospheric CO2 and temperature in terrestrial ecosystems: 

Response patterns of biomass and soil patterns. Global Change Biology 18: 2681 – 2693. 

8. Sung CY, Li M, Rogers GO, Volder A, Wang Z. 2011. Investigating alien plant invasion in urban riparian 

forests in a hot and semi-arid region. Landscape and Urban Planning 100: 278-286. 

9. Bryan DL, Arnold MA, Volder A, Watson WT, Lombardini L, Sloan JJ, Alarcon A, Valdez-Aguilar 

LA, Cartmill AD. 2011. Planting depth and soil amendments affect growth of Quercus virginiana 

Mill. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 10: 127-132. 

10. Aitkenhead-‐Peterson JA, Dvorak B, Volder A, Stanley N. 2011. Chemistry of growth medium and 

leachate during an establishment phase to determine optimal species selection for green roofs in 

southcentral Texas. Urban Ecosystems 14: 17-33. 

11. Viswanathan B, Volder A, Aitkenhead-Peterson JA, Watson WT. 2011. Impervious and pervious pavements 

increase soil CO2 concentrations and reduce root production of American sweetgum (Liquidambar 

styraciflua). Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 10: 133-139. 

12. Volder A, Tjoelker MG, Briske DD. 2010. Contrasting physiological responsiveness of establishing trees and a 

C4 grass to rainfall events, intensified summer drought, and warming in oak savanna. Global Change 

Biology 16: 3349-3362. 

13. Bryan DL, Arnold MA, Volder A, Watson WT, Lombardini L, Sloan JJ, Valdez-Aguilar LA, Cartmill 

AD. 2010. Transplant season, irrigation, and planting depth effects on landscape establishment of 

bald cypress and sycamore. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 36: 57-65. NA 

14. Dvorak B and Volder A. 2010. Green roof vegetation findings for North American ecoregions: A literature review. 

Landscape and Urban Planning 96: 197-213. 

15. Bryan DL, Arnold MA, Volder A, Watson WT, Lombardini L, Sloan JJ, Valdez-Aguilar LA, Cartmill AD. 2010. 

Planting depth during container production and landscape establishment affects growth of lacebark elm. 

Hortscience 45: 54-60. 

16. Volder A, Anderson LJ, Smart DR, Bloom AJ, Lakso AN, Eissenstat DM. 2009. Estimating nitrogen uptake of 

individual roots in container- and field-grown plants using a 15N depletion approach. Functional Plant 

Biology 36: 1-8. 

17. Volder A, Watson WT, Viswanathan B. 2009. Potential use of pervious concrete for maintaining existing 

mature trees during and after urban development. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 8: 249 – 256. 

18. Lombardini L, Restrepo-Diaz H, Volder A. 2009. Photosynthetic light response and epidermal 

characteristics of sun and shade pecan leaves. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural 

Science 134: 1-7. 

19. Monson RK, Trahan N, Rosenstiel TN, Veres P, Moore D, Wilkinson M, Norby RJ, Volder A, Tjoelker MG, Briske 

DD, Karnosky DF, Fall R. 2007. Isoprene emission from terrestrial ecosystems 

in response to global change: minding the gap between models and observations. Philosophical 

Transactions of the Royal Society A 365: 1677–1695. 

20. Volder A, Gifford RM, Evans JR 2007. Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 levels, cutting regime and differential 

day/night atmospheric warming on Phalaris sward root growth and turnover. Global Change Biology 13: 1040– 

1052. 

Editor Reviewed Publications Or Conference Proceedings 2007-2013 

1. Dvorak B, Byerley B, Volder A. 2012. Plant species findings from three water conserving green roofs in Texas. 10 th 

Annual Green Roof and Wall Conference. Chicago, Illinois. October 17 – 20. 

2. Dvorak B, Volder A, Aitkenhead-Peterson JA. 2011. Stormwater retention findings from unirrigated green roofs in Texas. 

6th Annual International Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities, Conference, Awards & Trade Show, 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 30-December 3, 9 pp. 

3. Bryan, D.L., M.A. Arnold, A. Volder, W.T. Watson, L. Lombardini, J.J. Sloan, and A.D. Cartmill. 2009. Overview of 

selected studies on the influence of planting depth on landscape establishment of container-grown trees. Proc. of the 

Landscape Below Ground III Conference. Lisle, IL, Oct. 7 – 9, 2008. pp. 125-130.


Books Or Chapters In Books 2007-1013: 

1. Urban Ecosystem Ecology. 2010. Editors: Jacqueline Aitkenhead-Peterson and Astrid Volder. ASA, CSSA, 

SSSA. Agron Monogr. 55. 478 pp. ISBN: 978-0-89118-175-0 

2. Volder A. 2010. Urban Plant Ecology. In: Urban Ecosystem Ecology. Editors: J A Aitkenhead- Peterson and 

A Volder. ASA, CSSA, SSSA. Agron Monogr. 55 

3. Volder A and Watson WT. 2010. Urban Forestry. In: Urban Ecosystem Ecology. Editors: J A Aitkenhead- 

Peterson and A Volder. ASA, CSSA, SSSA. Agron Monogr. 55 

4. Aitkenhead-Peterson JA, Volder A and Watson WT. 2010. Ecosystem services. In: Urban Ecosystem 

Ecology. Editors: J A Aitkenhead-Peterson and A Volder. ASA, CSSA, SSSA. Agron Monogr. 55 

Classes Taught (2007-2013): 


HORT 489 Urban Plant Ecology, Fall 2007, 2008 

MEPS 313 Intro Plant Physiology, Fall 2010, 2011, 2012 

HORT 485 Special projects, Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013 

HORT 691 Undergraduate research, Fall 2011, Spring 2012 


HORT/MEPS 689/618, Root Biology: Spring 2008, 2010, and 2012 

HORT 689/618 Ecology of Urban Landscapes, Spring 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 

HORT 681 Graduate Seminar, Fall 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 

HORT 691, Research, each semester year-round from Spring 2007 through Fall 2012 at Texas A&M University. 

Graduate Students (2007-2013): 


1. M. S. Bhavana Viswanathan– “Effect of porous and impervious concrete on soil respiration rates and root 

production of American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)”. Graduated May 2010. 

2. Ph. D. Andrew D. Cartmill – “Effect of warming and rainfall distribution on mycorrhizal symbiosis and soil 

respiration in oak-savanna”. Graduated May 2011. 

3. M. S. Hayley Hannah – “Linking above- and belowground growth of Pecan trees under different N- fertilizer 

regimes”. Expected graduation December 2012. Co-chaired with Dr. Leonardo Lombardini 

(TAMU Horticultural Sciences). Successfully defended Oct. 2012. 

4. M. S. Kirk Laminack. “Physiology of green roof vegetation”. Expected graduation Dec 2013. 

5. M. S. Paige Graves. “Root characteristics of Pecan”. Expected Dec 2013. Co-chaired with Dr. 

Leonardo Lombardini (TAMU Horticultural Sciences). 

6. Ph. D. Catherine Simpson – “Effect of irrigation and cultural practices on run-off water quality”. 

Expected graduation Dec 2013. Cooperative PhD program with TAMU-Kingsville, co-chaired with Dr. 

Chad Nelson (TAMU-Kingsville). 

7. Ph. D. Jose Franco. “Physiological effects of sustainable vegetable production”. Expected graduation December 

2013. Co-chaired with Dr. David Briske (TAMU Ecosystem Science and Management). 

First job taken by each of your graduate students 2007-2013: 

Bhavana Viswanathan (now Iyer) – landscape designer at Transasia Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru, India 

Andrew Cartmill – postdoc at University of Wisconsin – Platteville


Graduate student committees (non-advisees): 

Degree Name Major professor Department Graduated 

MLA E. Thompson Dr. Rodiek Landscape Architecture & May 2008 

Urban Planning 

Ph.D. D. Bryan Dr. Arnold Horticultural Sciences Dec. 2008 

M. S. K. Marr- Dr. Tjoelker 

Molecular and 

May 2009 

Lindgren 

Environmental Plant 

Sciences (MEPS) / 

Ecosystem Science and 

Management (ESSM) 

Ph.D. C. Sung Dr. Ming Han Li Landscape Architecture & May 2010 


Ph.D. D. Young Dr. Srinivasan / Dr. ESSM / Soil and Crop Dec. 2010 

Aitkenhead-Peterson Sciences 

M. S. K. Liu Dr. Moore / Dr. West ESSM Aug. 2011 

MLA M. Swapp Dr. Li Landscape Architecture & Aug. 2012 


Ph.D. K. Chebrolu Dr. Patil Horticultural Sciences Dec. 2012 

M. S. K. Lenoir Dr. Mark Tjoelker 

ESSM May 2013 

(University of Western 

Sydney, Australia) / Dr. 

David Briske (ESSM) 

Ph.D. M. Luckett Dr. Dooley Agricultural Leadership, May 2013 

Education and 

Communications 

M. S. B. Thomas Dr. Rogers ESSM 

Ph.D. R. Wellman Dr. Boutton / Dr. 

ESSM 

Tjoelker 

Ph.D. S. Agehara Dr. Leskovar Horticultural Sciences 

Ph.D. B. Alexander Dr. Aitkenhead-Peterson Soil and Crop Sciences 

Ph.D. S. Sharma Dr. Leskovar Horticultural Sciences 

MLA J. Montano Dr. Rodiek Landscape Architecture & 


Ph.D. P. Mukherjee Dr. Versaw Biology 

Ph.D. Y. Luo Dr. Li Landscape Architecture & 


Ph. D. E. Hall Dr. Vogel / Dr. Gan ESSM 

Ph. D. E. Wilson Dr. Vogel ESSM 

Ph. D. H. Awike Dr. Hays Soil & Crop Sciences 

Post-doctoral scholars supervised 

Dr. Cartmill “Linking root production and soil CO2 efflux”. June 2011 – November 2011


Interdisciplinary Program Participation (2007-2013): 

Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences (MEPS) 

Member since March 2007 

Co-PI on a TAMU-Pathways to the Doctorate fellowship 2011 (PI Gunnar Schade, Atmospheric Sciences) 

Co-PI on an NSF-IGERT proposal June 2011 (PI Dirk Hays, Soil and Crop Sciences) 

GRANTS AND CONTRACTS AWARDED 2007-2013: 

Internal Competitive Grants: 

Year Source Collaborators Total Program 

2012- TAMU B. Dvorak (Landscape Architecture), D. $300,000 $100,000 

2014 

Conlee (Atmospheric Sciences) 

2011 TWRI K. Laminack (M.S. student) $1,500 $1,500 

2011 TWRI J. Franco (Ph.D. student) $1,500 $1,500 

2009 TAMU - A. Cartmill (Ph.D. student) $350 $350 

OGS 

2009 TAMU - B. Viswanathan (M.S. student) $350 $350 

OGS 

2009 College of B. Dvorak $10,000 $2,000 

Architecture 

- CRIC 

2008 TWRI B. Viswanathan (M.S. student) $1,500 $1,500 

2008 TAMU-PUF Dr. Lombardini $15,000 $7,500 

2007 TAMU-PUF Dr. Lombardini $17,500 $10,000 

Totals $347,350 $124,700 

2012-2014 TAMU TOP grant (formerly activity 2). Multidisciplinary Experiential Learning with Green Roof 

Technology. Volder, Dvorak (College of Architecture), Conlee (College of Geosciences). 

$300,000 

2011Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) research grant ($1,500 to K. Laminack, MSc student in Dept. of 

Horticultural Sciences, Green roof research). 

2011Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) research grant ($1,500 to J. Franco, PhD student in Dept. of Ecosystem 

Science and Management, Sustainable agriculture research). 

2009TAMU OGS travel grant to travel to the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Albuquerque 

($350 to A. Cartmill, PhD student in Dept. of Horticultural Sciences) 

2009TAMU OGS travel grant to travel to the annual meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences in St. 

Louis ($350 to B. Viswanathan, MSc student in Dept. of Horticultural Sciences) 

2009TAMU College of Architecture, College Research and Interdisciplinary Council (CRIC) grant. B. Dvorak and A. 

Volder. “A Green Roof Pilot Study at the Texas A&M Architecture Center Langford Building A.” $10,000 

2008Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) research grant ($1,500 to B. Viswanathan, MSc student in Dept. of 

Horticultural Sciences, Pervious pavement research). 

2008Permanent Utility Fund (PUF) grant for equipment purchase ($15,000 shared with Dr. Lombardini (PI), Dept. of 

Horticultural Sciences). Used to buy a Licor 6400 gas exchange system. 

2007PUF grant for equipment purchase ($17,500 shared with Dr. Lombardini (co-PI), Dept. of Horticultural Sciences). 

Used to buy a minirhizotron camera system + tubes and a soil moisture measurement system (TDR) + probes.


External Competitive Grants Funded: 

Funding Cycle Source Collaborators Total Program 

2012-2013 USDA J. Franco & C. Simpson $71,300 $71,300 

(Ph.D. students) 

2011-2013 USDA-SARE Jose Franco (PhD student) $10,000 $10,000 

2008-2011 USDA Specialty 

Crops Initiative 

UC Davis (PI) / Dr. 

Lombardini (co-PI, TAMU 

subcontract) 

$3,221,134 $50,000 

2007-2010 DOE National 

Institute for Climate 

Change Research 

Dr. Tjoelker (PI - ESSM) 

and Dr. Briske (co-PI - ESSM) 

$373,908 $124,636 

2006-2007 DOE National 

Institute for Climate 

Change Research 

Dr. Tjoelker (PI - ESSM) 

and Dr. Briske (co-PI - ESSM) 

$115,000 $38,333 

Totals $3,791,342 $294,269 

2012-2013. USDA Block grant via Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) “Intercropping to Mitigate Salinity 

Stress on Watermelons”. Volder, Franco (grad. student), Simpson (grad. student),and King. Texas 

Department of Agriculture. $71,300. 

2011. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Southern Region. “Evaluating functional 

diversity in an organic intercropping system.” Volder (PI) on behalf of Jose Franco (PhD student). $10,000. 

2008 – 2012 USDA SCRI (Specialty Crops Research Initiative). Advanced sensing and management technologies to 

optimize resource use in specialty crops: case studies of water and nitrogen use in deciduous crops. Total 

value of the grant administered by UC Davis (Dr. Patrick Brown) is $3,221,134. The TAMU sub-contract 

for Pecan root research to Dr. Lombardini (PI) and Dr. Volder (co-PI) is $135,778 for three years and is 

shared between the PI’s. 

2007 – 2010 DOE – NICCR (National Institute for Climate Change Research). Warming and rainfall redistribution 

effects on linkages between plant functional traits and ecosystem processes in oak savanna. Tjoelker (ESSM, 

PI), Briske (ESSM, co-PI), Volder (Horticultural Sciences, co-PI). $373,908. Each PI receives 1/3 share. 

Submitted but non-funded grants were omitted. 

Review Panels For Grants And Journals, Grant Review Panel Service 2007-2013: 

2012 Ad-hoc reviewer of 12 USDA-SARE graduate student grants 

2011 Ad-hoc reviewer for NSF, Career grant 

2010 Ad-hoc reviewer for NSF, DEB – Ecosystem Studies 

2008 Clemson University – Hatch grant 

Journals For Which You Reviewed Papers 2007-2013: 

Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research 

Functional Ecology 

Functional Plant Biology 

Global Change Biology 

HortScience 

Int. Journal of Biodiversity Science and Management 

Journal of Ecology 

Journal of Plant Ecology 

Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 

Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning 

New Phytologist 

Oecologia 

Plant and Soil


Rangeland Ecology and Management 

Science of the Total Environment 

Tree Physiology 

Urban Ecosytem 

Internal University / Agency Service On Committees 2007 – 2013: 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences, Outcome Assessment Committee, 2008 – present. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, 2011- present 

TAMU Molecular and Environmental Interdisciplinary program, Admissions Committee Feb 2012 – present 

TAMU Molecular and Environmental Interdisciplinary program, Symposium committee Dec 2012 – present (incoming 

chair in May 2013) 

TAMU Molecular and Environmental Interdisciplinary program, Executive committee July 2010 – present 

TAMU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Protecting the Environment Grand Challenge Committee 2013 - 

present 

Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Crop Physiologist at Uvalde Search Committee, 2012 - 2013. 

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Ornamentals Position at College Station - Search Committee, 2011 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences, Undergraduate Advisor - Search Committee, 2011 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences, Graduate Program Committee, 2010 - 2012. 

TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences, Seminar Committee, 2007 - 2011. Chair 2010-2011. 

TAMU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department Head Search Committee, member 

2012. 

TAMU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Montague CTE Fellow Teaching Award Evaluator, 2011, 2012. 

Professional Association Leadership Roles 2007-2013: 

Ecological Society of America (ESA) 

Member since 1998 

Member of the Physiological Ecology Section 

Member of the Urban Ecosystem Section 

Served as oral session chair at 2005 annual meeting in Montreal 

Served as student award judge at 2007 meeting in Memphis 

Served as student award judge at 2009 meeting in Albuquerque 

American Society for Horticultural Sciences (ASHS) 


Member of the Southern Region Chapter 

President elect of the rhizosphere working group in 2008 

President of the rhizosphere working group in 2009 

Coordinator and moderator of the rhizosphere workshop, “Genetic control of root 

architectural traits” at the 2009 annual meeting in St. Louis 

Member of endowment committee 2010 – 2012 

American Geophysical Union (AGU) 


International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) 

Member 2007-2009 

Member of the Texas Chapter 

Member of the Arboricultural Research and Education Academy (AREA) 

Awards And Recognitions 2007-2013 

2010-2011 Montague-Center for Teaching Excellence Scholar Award for early career excellence in undergraduate teaching.


Xinwang Wang 

Assistant Professor of Ornamental Molecular Breeding 


Dr. Wang's expertise is in breeding and molecular genetics, particularly in the use 

of molecular markers and other biotechnology tools to assist in ornamental plant 

breeding and genetic mapping in horticultural species (trees, shrubs, and 

herbaceous species). His initial work will be on ornamental plant horticultural 

traits associated molecular marker development and genomic mapping. These 

molecular markers will address some important horticultural gene inheritance and 

be applied in marker-aid selection in ornamental molecular breeding program. His 

final goal will develop broadly adaptive ornamental cultivars with desired 

horticultural traits, disease/insect resistance and environment tolerance. 

My main research objectives include developing improved, disease/pest resistant, 

and stress tolerant, ornamental flowering tress that could be utilized for all 

flowering trees situations throughout Southwest and otherparts of the country. New 

diseases are emerging at a steady rate on crape myrtle, roses and hibiscus. The need 

for the development of improved genetically disease resistant, insect resistant and 

stress tolerant flowering trees is important to the advancement of landscape management in the years to come. 

He is specifically interested in understanding the mechanisms of genetic resistance to powder mildew in crape myrtle, black 

spot in rose. Dr. Wang is conducting classical genetic studies to identify the number of genes and the type of gene action 

involved in resistance as well as the response to selection. He is also using molecular marker techniques to identify markers 

linked to disease resistance. These markers can potentially be used for (crape myrtle and rose) genomic linkage mapping as 

well as marker assisted selection. This will improve the efficiency of selection for improved characteristics and hasten the 

development of pest resistant ornamental cultivars. Overall, Dr. 

Wang has following research interests: 

Breeding, development and improvement of cultivars of ornamental species (crape myrtle, rose and hibiscus etc.) by 

molecular and traditional methodologies. 

Wild germplasm collection, evaluation and application to enhance breeding gene pool. 

Ornamental genomic mapping and identification of molecular markers closely associated with important horticultural traits. 

Marker-assisted breeding and map-based cloning of important genes from ornamental species to accelerate breeding 

process. 

Use of genetic transformation tools to manipulate or engineer ornamental species against environmental stress (cold 

hardiness, drought, salinity/alkalinity etc.) and insect and pathogen damages. 

I am also interested in getting involved in ornamental horticulture training and local/ national/international marketing. 



Ph.D. 1998 China Agricultural University Wheat Genetics & Breeding 

M.S. 1990 Henan Agricultural University Wheat Genetics & Breeding 

B.S. 1986 Huazhong Agricultural University Plant Genetics & Breeding 


2009- Assistant Professor of Ornamental Molecular Breeding, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center 

at Dallas 

2004-2008 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, the University of 

Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. 

2000-2004 STA Fellow and Senior Research Specialist, National Institute of Agrobiological Resources (NIAS), Tsukuba, 

Japan. 

1998-1999 Postdoctoral, Institute of Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 

1995-1998 Research Assistant, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China 

1990 -1995 Research Assistant, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China. 

1986 – 1987 Extension Specialist, Xinzhou Agricultural Station, Wuhan, China. 

Publications (2007-2012)



1. Akond, M., S. Jin, and X. Wang. 2012. Molecular characterization of selected wild species and miniature roses based on 

SSR markers. Scientia Horticulturae 147:89-97. 

2. Wang, X., P.A. Wadl, A. Wood-Jones, G.Windham, R.N. Trigiano, M.Scruggs, C. Pilgrim, and R.Baird. 2012. 

Characterization of Expressed Sequence Tag-Derived Simple Sequence Repeat Markers for Aspergillus flavus: 

Emphasis on Variability of Isolates from the Southern United States. Mycopathologia 174(5): 371-382. 

3. Hadziabdic, D., X. Wang, P.A. Wadl, T. A. Rinehart, B. H. Ownley and R.N. Trigiano. 2012. Genetic diversity of 

flowering dogwood in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Tree Genetics and Genomes 8 (4):855-871. 

4. Akond, M. C. Pounders, E. Blythe, and X. Wang. 2012. Viability and Longevity of Crapemyrtle Pollen Stored at Different 

Temperatures. Scientia Horticulturae 139:53-57. 

5. Yuan, J.S. X. Wang and N. Steward. 2011. Biomass feedstock: diversity as a solution. Biofuels 2(5): 491-493. 

6. Dean, D., P. A. Wadl, X. Wang, W. E. Klingeman, B. H. Ownley, T. Rinehart, B. E. Scheffler, and R. N. 

Trigiano. 2011. Screening and characterization of 11 novel microsatellite markers from Viburnum 

dilatatum. HortScience 46 (11):1456-1459. 

7. La Mantia J, X. Wang, M.L. Binzel and A. Chandra. 2011. Isolation and characterization of eight polymorphic 

microsatellite loci from Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr. Journal of Plant Genetics and Transgenics. 2(1):1-4. 

8. Wadl, P. A., A. M. Saxton, X. Wang, V. R. Pantalone, T. A. Rinehart, and R. N. Trigiano. 2011. Quantitative traits loci 

associated with red foliage in Cornus florida L. Mol. Breed. 27(3):409-416. 

9. Wang X., P.A. Wadl, C. Pounders, R. N. Trigiano, R. I. Cabrera, B.E. Scheffler, M. Pooler, and T. A. Rinehart. 2011. 

Evaluation of genetic diversity and pedigree within crapemyrtle cultivars using simple sequence repeat (SSR) 

markers. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 136(2):116-128. 

10. Wadl P.A, X. Wang, V. R. Pantalone and R. N. Trigiano. 2010. Inheritance of red foliage in flowering 

dogwood (Cornus florida L.). Euphytica 176:99–104. 

11. Hadziabdic D., B. Fitzpatrick, X. Wang, B.H. Ownley, P.A. Wadl, M.T. Windham, and R. N. Trigiano. 2010. 

Genetic diversity of flowering dogwood maintained despite massive mortality caused by dogwood 

anthracnose. Genetica 138:1047-1057. 

12. Wadl P.A., X. Wang, J.K. Moulton, S.C. Hokanson, J.A. Skinner, T.A. Rinehart, S.M. Reed, V.R. Pantalone, 

and R. N. Trigiano. 2010. Transfer of Cornus florida and C. kousa Simple Sequence Repeats to Selected 

Cornus (Cornaceae) Species. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 135(3): 279-288. 

13. Wang X., D. Dean, P. Wadl, D. Hadziabdic, B. Scheffler, T. Rinehart, R. Cabrera and R. Trigiano. 2010. 

Development of Microsatellite Markers from Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia L.). HortSci. 45(5):842-844. 

14. Baird R.E., P.A. Wadl, T.T. Allen, D. McNeill, X. Wang, J.K. Moulton, T.A. Rinehart, H.K. Abbas, T. Shier, 

and R.N. Trigiano. 2010. Variability of United States isolates of Macrophomina phaseolina based on 

simple sequence repeats and cross genus transferability to related Botryosphaeraceae 

genera. Mycopathologia 170:169-180. 

15. Yuan J.S., L.G. Abercrombie, Y. Cao, M.D. Halfhill, X. Zhou, Y. Peng, J. Hu, M.R. Rao, G.R. Heck, T.J. 

Larosa, R.D. Sammons, X. Wang, P. Ranja, D.H. Johnson, P.A. Wadl, B.E. Scheffler, T.A. Rinehart, 

R.N. Trigiano, and C.N. Stewart, Jr. 2010. Functional genomics analysis of horseweed (Conyza 

Canadensis) with special reference to the evolution of non-target-site glyphosate resistance. Weed 

Sciences. 58:109-117. 

16. Wang X., T.A. Rinehart, P.A. Wadl, J.M. Spiers, D.H. Johnson, M.T. Wimdham, and R.N. Trigiano. 2009. A 

new electrophoresis technique to separate microsatellite alleles. African J. of Biotechnology 8:2432-2436. 

17. Wang X., L.L. Good, D.H. Johnson, P.A. Wadl, D.R. Panthee, B.E. Scheffler, T.A. Rinehart, N.R. Stewart, J.S. 

Yuan, C.N. Stewart, and R.N. Trigiano. 2009. Microsatellites from Conyza Canadensis (Horseweed). In 

Molecular Ecology Resources Primer Development Consortium, et al. 2009: Permanent genetic 

resources added to Molecular Ecology Resources database 1 January 2009–30 April 2009. Mol. Ecol. 

Resource 9:1375–1379. 

18. Kanetis L., X. Wang, P. A. Wadl, K. Neufeld, G. Holmes , P.S. Ojiambo, M. A. Cubeta, and R.N. Trigiano. 

2009. Microsatellite loci from the cucurbit downy mildew pathogen Pseudoperonospora cubensis. In 

Molecular Ecology Resources Primer Development Consortium, et al. 2009: Permanent genetic resources 

added to Molecular Ecology Resources database 1 May 2009–31 August 2009. Mol. Ecol. Resource 9(6): 

1460-1466. 

19. Baird R.E., P.A. Wadl, X. Wang, D. Hadziabdic, T.A. Rinehart, H.K. Abbas, T. Shier, and R. N. Trigiano. 

2009. Microsatellites from the charcoal rot fungus (Macrophomina phaseolina). Mol. Ecol. Resources 

9(3):946-948. 

20. Wang X., P.A. Wadl, T.A. Rinehart, B.E. Scheffler, M.T. Windham, J.M. Spiers, D.H. Johnson, and R.N. 

Trigiano. 2009. A linkage map for flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L) based on microsatellite markers. 

Euphytica 165: 165-175.


21. Wadl P.A., X. Wang, A.N. Trigiano, J.A. Skinner, M.T. Windham, and R.N. Trigiano. 2009. Molecular 

identification keys for cultivars and lines of Cornus florida and C. kousa based on simple sequence 

repeat loci. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 133:783-793. 

22. Wang X., S. Sato, S. Tabata, and S. Kawasaki. 2008. A high-density linkage map of Lotus japonicus based on 

AFLP and SSR markers. DNA Research. 15:323-332. 

23. Wang X., R.N.Trigiano, M.T. Windham, B.E. Scheffler, T.A. Rinehart, and J. Spiers. 2008. Development and 

characterization of Simple Sequence Repeats for flowering dogwood. Tree Genetics and Genomes 4: 461- 

468. 

24. Wadl P.A., X. Wang, B.E. Scheffler, T.A. Rinehart, and R.N. Trigiano. 2008. Microsatellites from kousa 

dogwood (Cornus kousa). Mol. Ecol. Resources 8: 780-782. 

25. Wang X., R.N.Trigiano, M.T. Windham, R.E. DeVries, B.E. Scheffler, T.A. Rinehart, and J.M. Spiers. 2007. A 

simple PCR procedure for discovering microsatellites from small insert libraries. Mol. Ecol. Notes 7:558 

561. 

Abstracts and Presentations 

1. Masum, A.S.M.G., S. Islam, and Wang, W. 2012. Genotypic variation for biomass and cell wall polymers in amaranth. 

2012 National Conference: Science for Biomass Feedstock Production and Utilization. New Orlands, LA. October, 

2012. 

2. Akond, M., R.I. Cabrera, and X. Wang. 2012. Evaluation of wild rose species for alkalinity tolerance. 57 th Annual 

Southern Nursery Association, Research Conference Proceedings, Vol. 57:263-267. Mobile, LA, Jan, 2012 

3. Wang X. and M. Akond, 2012. An Initiative Molecular Strategy of Amaranth Breeding for Biomass and Feedstock. Plant 

and Annimal Genome XIV. P0722. San Diego, USA. 

4. Wang X. and M. Akond, R. I. Cabrera, and J. Reinert. 2011. Evaluation of wild rosa species on horticultural traits for 

breeding. ASHS Annual Conference, Waikoloa, Hawaii. 

5. Wang, X., M. Akond, and C. Pounders. 2011. Identification of inter-specific hybrids in Lagerstroemia using SSR 

markers. 5 th Annual Plant Breeding Meeting Coordinating Committee Meeting, 1 st Annual National Association of 

Plant Breeders Meeting. College Station, TX. 

6. Hadziabdic D., X. Wang, P. A. Wadl, T.A. Rinehart, B. H. Ownley, M. T. Windham, and R. N., Trigiano. 2011. 

Evaluation of genetic structure of flowering dogwood in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. ASHS Annual 

Conference, Waikoloa, Hawaii. 

7. Dean D., P. Wadl, R. Trigiano and X. Wang. 2011. Characterization of eleven novel microsatellite markers from 

Viburnum dilatatum. ASHS Annual Conference, Waikoloa, Hawaii. 

8. Wang X., M. Akond, R. Cabrera and J. Reinert. 2011. Seed Strastification, Germiantion and Greenhouse Performance of 

Diverse Rose Species. The 56 th Annual SNA Research Conference, Southern Nursery Association. Mobile, AL, 

USA. (Proceeding) 

9. Akond, M., C. Pounders and X.Wang. 2011. Influence of storage temperature on the viability of crape myrtle 

(Lagerstroemia app.) pollen. The 56 th Annual SNA Research Conference, Southern Nursery Association. Mobile, 

AL, USA. (Proceeding) 

10. Wadl, P. A., X. Wang, A. M. Saxton, T. A. Rinehart, B.E. Scheffler, V.R. Pantalone, and R. N. Trigiano. 2011. Advances 

in molecular breeding of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.). Plant and Animal Genome XIX Conference, San 

Diego, USA. 

11. Wang X., C. Pounders and T. Rinehart. 2010. Verification of inter-specific hybrids in Lagerstroemia using SSR 

markers. 4 th Annual Plant Breeding Meeting. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Johnston, Iowa. 

12. Wang X., A. Genovesi, C. Pounders, and R.I. Cabrera. 2010. A preliminary report on the use of embryo rescue 

techniques with intra- and interspecific hybrids in crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia L). ASHS Annual Conference. Palm 

Desert, California, USA. (Presentation) 

13. Hadziabdic D., B. M. Fitzpatrick, X. Wang, P. Wadl, T. Rinehart, M. Windham, and R. Trigiano. 2010. Genetic diversity 

of flowering dogwood maintained despite massive mortality caused by dogwood anthrancnose. ASHS Annual 

Conference. Palm Desert, California, USA. 

14. Hadziabdic, D., B. M. Fitzpatrick, X. Wang, P. A. Wadl, T. A. Rhinehart, B. H. Ownley, M. T. Windham, and R. N. 

Trigiano. 2010. Fine scale genetic structure of flowering dogwood in the Great Smoky Mountains National 

Park. Phytopathology 100:S45. 

15. Wang X., C. Pounders, R. I. Cabrera, T. Rinehart , and J. McCormick. 2010. Inter- and intra-specific hybrid breeding in 

crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia). The 55 th Annual SNA Research Conference Proceeding, Southern Nursery 

Association. Mobile, AL, USA. 

16. Wang X., J. A. Reinert and R. I. Cabrera. 2010. Identification of unknown crape myrtle cultivar with SSR molecular 

markers. The 55 th Annual SNA Research Conference Proceeding, Southern Nursery Association. Mobile, AL, USA. 

17. Wang X., P.A. Wadl, B.E. Scheffler, T.A. Rinehart, A.M. Gann, S.M. Reed, M.T. Windham, and R.N. Trigiano. 2008.


Applications of microsatellites in two big bracted dogwood species, flowering and kousa dogwood. ASHS Annual 

Conference. Orlando, Florida, USA. 

18. Wang X., R.N. Trigiano, M.T. Windham, B.E. Scheffler, T.A. Rinehart, and J.M. Spiers. 2007. Microsatellites and their 

application in flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.). Plant Biology & Botany Join Congress. Chicago, Illinois, 

USA. 

19. Wang X., A.M. Gann S.M. Reed, W.T. Windham, and R.N. Trigiano. 2007. Identification of interspecific hybrids 

between Cornus kousa and C. florida L. using SSR markers. ASHS Annual Conference. Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. 

HortSci., 42(4):919-1022. 

20. Wadl P.A, X. Wang, T.A. Rinehart, and R.N. Trigiano. 2007. Development of microsatellite (SSR) markers from kousa 

dogwood. ASHS Annual Conference. Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. HortSci., 42(4): 919-1022. 

21. Wadl P.A, J.A. Skinner, X. Wang, T.A. Rinehart, S.M. Reed, V.R. Pantalone, W.T. Windham, and R.N. Trigiano. 2007. 

Breeding intra and inter specific Cornus species. The 52 nd Annual SNA Research Conference, Southern Nursery 

Association. Atlanta, GA, USA. 

22. Wang X., R.N. Trigiano, M.T. Windham, T.A. Rinehart, and J.M. Spiers. 2007. A novel microsatellite array in flowering 

dogwood (Cornus Florida) with device― HDA-GT12. Plant and Annimal Genome XIV. P155 (page140). San 

Diego, USA. 

Book Chapter (2007-2012) 

23. Rinehart, T. A., X. Wang, and R. N. Trigiano. 2008. Molecular Tools for Studying Plant Pathogens. Pages 269-278. In: 

Plant Pathology Concept and Laboratory Exercises, second edition. R. N. Trigiano, M.T. Windham and A.S. 

Windham, eds. CRC Press, LLC, Boca Raton, FL 

24. Rinehart, T.A., X. Wang, R.N. Trigiano, N. Rowland, and R. Devries. 2010. Molecular tools for studying plant genetic 

diversity. In Plant Tissue Culture Development and Biotechnology, Robert N. Trigiano and Dennis J. Gray (eds). 

Chapter 10. CRC Press. P. 139-152. 

25. 3. Dean, D.A., P. A. Wadl, D. Hadziabdic, X. Wang, and R. N. Trigiano. 2012. Analyzing Microsatellites using the 

QIAxcel System. 

Graduate and Postdoctoral Advisors and Advisees (2009-2012) 

Graduate students: Qianni (Tiffany) Dong-TMAU, 2011-2014; 

Muhammad Nadeem-TAMU, 2011-2012 

Postdoctoral Research Associate: Masum Akond-FSU, 2010-2012 

Postdoctoral Fellow: Shumei Jin-NFU, 2011-2012 

Journals Reviewed (2007-2012) (ad hoc) 

Journal of HortScience 


Mycopathologia 

Journal of American Society of Horticultural Science 

Plant Sciences 

Pakistan J. of Agricultural Sciences 

China Agricultural Sciences 

Proposals Reviewed (2007-2012) 

USAID-HortCRSP proposal review (three proposals), 2010 

NIH Review panel program, 2011 

Internal University Service (2007-2012) 

Student Research Poster Competition at the 2010 Texas A&M AgriLife Conference, College Station (judge) 

9 th Texas A&M University System Pathways to the Dotorate student research symposium 2011 (poster judge) 

Professional Activities (since 2007) 

Member of American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) 

Member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 

Member of the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) 

Texas Nursery & Landscape Association (TNLA) 

Funds and contracts received (2007-2012)


1. Evaluation of 40 Wild Rose Species for Horticultural Traits, Alkalinity Tolerance and Aphid Susceptibility. USDA- 

ARS-SCA. $10,725, 2010-2011. PI. 

2. Breeding and marker discovery for resistance to black spot of rose. Monsanto Plant Breeding Assistantship. 

$108,000 ($24,000 salary and $12,000 tuition per year) (Monsanto $54,000, AgriLife $27,000 and supervisor 

$27,000), 2011-2014. Major Advisor. 

3. Participation in the NSF Biological Sciences (DBS) Regional Meeting at the University of Texas at Brownsville. 

$820. Expenses reimbursed to Texas AgriLife Research by NSF. 

4. Evaluation of grain amaranth for biomass characters. USDA-ARS-SCA. $10,721, 2012-2014. PI.


William C. Welch 

Professor & Landscape Horticulturist 

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service 

wc-welch@tamu.edu 


Bill Welch received his B.S. degree in Landscape Architecture from 

Louisiana State University. After working several years as a landscape 

contractor in Houston, he returned to L.S.U. to earn his masters and 

doctoral degrees in Extension Education and Horticulture. He joined 

the Faculty at Texas A&M University in 1972. 


Dr. Welch writes a monthly column for Southern Livingmagazine and 

contributes regularly to Neil Sperry’s Gardens magazine and others. 

He is also a contributing editor for the HORTICULTURE UPDATE 

newsletter. 

Gardening books have been an important part of Dr. Welch’s 

educational program. Beginning with Perennial Garden Color ( Taylor Press, 1989), a national “best 

seller” which goes beyond describing numerous perennials, annuals and roses for southern gardens to explain 

how to harmonize these plants in the landscape. In 1990, he authored Antique Roses for the South (Taylor) that 

pioneered a resurgence of interest in old garden roses and documented their histories and value. The Southern 

Heirloom Garden was published in (Taylor 1995) and co-authored by Greg Grant. From small swept plots to 

large formal landscapes southern gardeners have inherited a gardening legacy as rich and varied as the peoples 

who created them. In 2000, Dr. Welch coauthored The Bountiful Flower Garden with Dr. Neil Odenwald. It 

focuses on cut flower gardening starting with the influences of European, American and Asian heritage and sheds 

light on the rich southern tradition of sharing flowers. His most recent work is with Greg Grant and is a greatly 

expanded version titled Heirloom Gardening in the South (Texas A & M University Press, 2012). More than 500 

color images and 530 pages of text brings to life the opportunities to include time tested heirloom plants and 

design ideas in today’s gardens. 

As a Professor and Texas AgriLife Extension Service Horticulturist, Dr. Welch provides educational information 

and programs for county extension agents, nursery professionals, and civic groups, as well as the general public. 

In November 1988, the Texas Agricultural Extension Service presented Dr. Welch with the Superior Service 

Award citing his successful educational programs. Dr. Welch has been instrumental in developing the Texas 

Certified Nursery Professional program and has served on the Board of that organization within the Texas 

Association of Nurserymen. In 1986, he was presented the Arp Award by the Texas Association of Nurserymen 

for his contributions to the Texas nursery industry. 

He has served on the Board of the Texas Garden Clubs, Inc. as Landscape Design Course Chairman for the past 

24 years and has been awarded a Lifetime membership in that organization. He is a past president and an honorary 

member of the Board of Directors of the Southern Garden History Society. In May, 1993, Dr. Welch was made a 

Member-at-large of the Garden Club of America in recognition of his programs and writings on exploring and 

interpreting our gardening heritage. In 2007 Zone 9 of the Garden Club of America recognized him for his 

contributions toward the preservation of our gardening heritage and in 2008 he was presented their Distinguished 

Service medal for his passion, knowledge and unselfish contributions in the name of horticulture. In June, 2009 

the American Horticulture Society is presenting the Great American Gardeners Award to Dr. Welch for his 

accomplishments in gardening communications. 

In addition Dr. Welch is also affiliated with the American Horticultural Society, American Society of 

Horticultural Sciences, American Rose Society, Southern Garden History Society, Heritage Roses Group, Royal 

Horticultural Society, Royal National Rose Society, the Garden Conservancy, and the Alliance for Historic 

Landscape Preservation.


Jayne M. Zajicek 

Professor of Urban Horticulture 

j-zajicek@tamu.edu 



Ph.D. 1986 Kansas State University Horticulture 

M.S. 1982 University of Nebraska Horticulture 

B.S. 1980 University of Nebraska Horticulture 


1998 - present Professor of Urban Horticulture, Texas A&M University, Department of Horticultural Sciences. 

2003-2008 Associate Department Head for Undergraduate Programs, Texas A&M University, Department 

of Horticultural Sciences. 

1995-2002 Associate Department Head for Undergraduate Programs, Texas A&M University, Department 

of Horticultural Sciences. 

1992-1998 Associate Professor of Urban Horticulture, Texas A&M University, Department of Horticultural 

Sciences. 

1986-1992 Assistant Professor of Ornamental Horticulture, Texas A&M University, Department of 

Horticultural Sciences. 

1983-1986 Assistant Instructor, Kansas State University, Department of Horticulture. 

Courses Taught 

HORT 203 - Floral Design. *HORT 203 – Floral Design Web-based 

HORT 207 - Woody Ornamental Plants. *HORT 432 - Landscape Design 

HORT 335 - Sociohorticulture 

HORT 428 - Greenhouse Management. 

HORT 435 – Urban Horticulture 

HORT 489 – Cooperative Teams in Horticulture 

HORT 690,691 - Theory Research and Research 

HORT 485,685 - Problems in Horticulture 

HORT 484,684 - Professional Internship 

Graduate Students Supervised 

Served or am currently serving as advisor to 38 graduate students. Students listed are only for the last 5 years. 

M.S. 2008 Aimee Lillard 

M.S. 2009 Danielle Cannon 

Ph.D. 2011 Amy McFarland 

Ph.D. Current Aime Lillard 

Ph.D. Current Cole Etheredge 

Ph.D. Current Taylor Paine 

M.AG Current Heather Salopek 

Honors and Awards 

College Former Student Distinguished Teaching Award (1998) 

Aggie Access certificate of appreciation (2001-2008) 

Professional Memberships, State, National Committees 

Member, American Society for Horticultural Science 

Member of the Human Issues in Horticulture Working Group and Public Horticulture Working Group. ACB National 

Advisor (1990-1992), Member and Chair of Student Travel Grants Subcommittee (1992-1995), Chair of Computer 

Working Group (1993), Chair of Landscape Working Group (1996), Chair of Human Issues in Horticulture Working 

Group (1997-1998), Member of Programs Committee (1997-1999), Member of Nomination Committee (2009-2011), 

Gamma Sigma Delta - Honor Society of Agriculture – Member 

Pi Alpha Xi - Honor Society for Horticulture – Member 

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi – Member


Current Teaching Activities 

Horticulture 203 – Floral Design – Pioneer in converting traditional lecture method of teaching to more of a computer, visual 

and creative method. The course is now offered in two formats, traditional lecture and computer assisted. 

Horticulture 335 – Sociohorticulture 

2004-2005 – Instrumental in promoting the new Bachelor of Arts degree in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas 

A&M. The first of its kind at this University and throughout the Colleges of Agriculture in the United States. 

Refereed Publications (2007-2012) 

Pilat, M., A. McFarland, A. Snelgrove, K. Collins, T.M. Waliczek and J.M. Zajicek. 2012. The effect of tree cover and 

vegetation on incidence of childhood asthma in metropolitan statistical areas of Texas. HortTechnology, 22:5. 

Nolan, G. A. McFarland, J.M. Zajicek and T.M. Waliczek. 2012. The effects of nutrition education and gardening on 

attitudes, preferences and knowledge of 2nd-5th graders toward fruit and vegetables. HortTechnology, 22:3. 

McFarland, A., D. Hammond, J. Zajicek and T.M. Waliczek. 2011. Growing Minds: the development of an instrument to 

measure parental attitude toward nature and their child's outdoor recreation using the Dillman method, 

HortTechnology, 21(2):225-229. 

Hammond, D., A. McFarland, J. Zajicek and T.M. Waliczek. 2011. Growing Minds: The relationship between parental 

attitudes toward their child's outdoor recreation and their child's health, HortTechnology, 21(2):217-224. 

DeWolfe, J., T.M. Waliczek and J.M. Zajicek. 2011. The relationship between levels of greenery and landscaping at track 

and field site, anxiety, and sports performance of collegiate track and field athletes. HortTechnology, 21(3):329- 

335. 

McFarland, A., T.M. Waliczek and J.M. Zajicek. 2010. Graduate student use of campus green spaces and the impact on their 

perceptions of quality of life, HortTechnology, (accepted for publication). 

Doxey, J., T.M. Waliczek and J.M. Zajicek. 2009. The impact of interior plants in university classrooms on course 

performance and student perceptions of the course and instructor, HortScience, 44(2)384-391. 

-Featured on Columbian National Public Radio. 

-One of Top Ten most downloaded publications at ashs.org, American Society for Horticultural Science website. 

Gorham, M., T.M. Waliczek, A. Snelgrove and J.M. Zajicek. 2009. The effect of community gardens on incidence of crime 

in Houston, HortTechnology, 19(2)291-296. 


Lombardini, L., T.M. Waliczek and J.M. Zajicek. 2008. Consumer preferences and knowledge of nutritional attributes of 

pecans, HortTechnology, 18(3)481-488. 

Danforth, P., T.M. Waliczek, S.M. Macey and J.M. Zajicek. 2008. The effect of the National Wildlife Federation's 

Schoolyard Habitat Program on fourth grade students' standardized test scores. HortTechnology, 18(3)356-360. 


Williams, P., C. Kissel Bales, T.M. Waliczek and J.M. Zajicek. 2008. Development of Assessment Standards and a 

Computerized Assessment Tool for Use in Prevocational Horticulture Training Programs for Head-Injured 

Individuals. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture. 18:58-73. 

Dravigne, A., T.M. Waliczek, R.D. Lineberger and J.M. Zajicek. 2008. The effect of live plants and window views of green 

spaces on employee perceptions of job satisfaction, HortScience, 43(1)183-187. 

-Featured in Self, Health and Real Simple magazines among others. 


McFarland, A., T.M. Waliczek and J.M. Zajicek. 2008. The relationship between student use of campus green spaces and 

perceptions of quality of life, HortTechnology, 18(2)232-238. 

Aguilar, O.M., T.M. Waliczek and J.M. Zajicek. 2008. Growing environmental stewards: The effect of a youth gardening 

program on environmental attitudes and environmental locus of control of elementary school children, 

HortTechnology, 18(2)243-249. 

Koch, S., T.M. Waliczek, T.M. and J.M. Zajicek, J.M. 2006. The effect of a summer garden program on the nutritional 

knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of children. HortTechnology. 16(4)620-624. 

Pigg, A., T.M. Waliczek and J.M. Zajicek. 2006. The effect of a school gardening program on the math and science 

achievement of elementary students. HortTechnology, 16(2)262-264.


8. APPENDICES 

Appendix 2.1 – Bachelor of Arts Emphases 8.2 

Appendix 2.2 – Bachelor of Science Emphases 8.8 

Appendix 2.3 – Horticultural Sciences Undergraduate Student Handbook 8.19 

Appendix 3.1 – 18 Characteristics of Texas Public Doctoral Programs – TAMU Horticulture 8.36 

Appendix 3.2 – Horticulture Graduate Policy Manual 8.38 

Appendix 5.1 – Department of Horticultural Sciences Promotion and Tenure Policy 8.59 

Appendix 6 – Department of Horticultural Sciences Strategic Plan 8.68


Appendix 2.1 - Bachelor of Arts Emphasis Areas [Minor Required] 

Urban Horticulture 

The urban horticulture concentration is intended for students interested in professional careers which promote 

horticulture and emphasize people and their education and enjoyment of plants in an urban setting. Students 

in this emphasis area can choose to gain skills and experiences in a broad range of areas. This emphasis area 

prepares students for a variety of career opportunities including careers in public gardens, federal, state, and 

city horticulture programs, Cooperative Extension Service, professional garden writer/editor or publication 

manager, horticulture marketing, horticulture education and print and electronic media. Directed technical 

electives allow the student to concentrate in an area of their interest while encouraging the development of 

good people skills. 

Floral Design/Event Planning 

This emphasis provides a strong foundation for undergraduate students who wish to receive a Bachelor’s 

degree in Horticulture that is concentrated in the area of the art of floral design. Graduates in this area are 

highly skilled for careers in many areas of floral design including: retail floristry, international and national 

wholesale and retail floral marketing, floral design publishing, event planning, and floral design education. 

Horticulture Landscape Design 

This emphasis is tailored to provide the skills necessary for undergraduate students who wish to receive a 

Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture that is concentrated in the area of landscape design. This expanding field 

allows students with artistic capabilities to work in the horticulture arena. Landscape designers create 

aesthetic concepts and practical plans for improved outdoor living. Students electing this emphasis will gain 

the skills necessary for designing residential and small scale landscapes. Landscape designers are highly 

sought by garden centers, botanical gardens, arboreta, landscape maintenance and installation firms, nurseries, 

and governmental agencies. Private consulting is also a possibility. Some jobs will involve consumer 

relations and retail sales including landscape communication and publishing, landscape marketing and 

landscape design education. 

BA HORTICULTURE: Urban Horticulture 

Career Opportunities: 

Horticulture teacher in high schools, technical schools and colleges 

Garden writer for magazines, newspapers, TV, radio and computer technology. 

Director of public garden education and administration 

Employee of federal, state and city horticulture program education and administration 

Horticulture Specialization Requirements (18 hours required) 

These courses are required for this emphasis area: 

HORT 301 Garden Science 

HORT 306 Woody Ornamental Plants or HORT 308 Landscape Plant Materials or HORT 309 Interior Plants 

HORT 335 Sociohorticulture 

Writing Intensive HORT course (choose from HORT 225 or 315) 

Choose the additional hours from the following: 

HORT 306 Woody Ornamental Plants 

HORT 308 Landscape Plant Materials 

HORT 309 Interior Plants 

HORT 423 Tropical Horticulture 

HORT 426 International Floriculture Marketing 

HORT 428 Commercial Greenhouse Management 

HORT 429 Floriculture Crop Production 

HORT 431 Nursery Production and Management


HORT 435 Urban Horticulture 

HORT 440 International Horticulture 

HORT 484 Internship 

HORT 489 Urban Plant Ecology 

Study Emphasis Electives (34 hours required)- Choose from the following: [Includes required MINOR 

coursework] 

Recommended 

Any HORT Course up to 15 hours 

The following HORT courses are Highly Recommended: HORT 225 Horticulture Learning Community, HORT 306 

Woody Ornamental Plants, HORT 308 Landscape Plant Materials, HORT 309 Interior Plants, HORT 423 Tropical 

Horticulture, 

HORT 426 International Floriculture Marketing, HORT 428 Commercial Greenhouse Management, HORT 429 

Floriculture Crop Production, HORT 431 Nursery Production and Management, HORT 440 International 

Horticulture, HORT 484 Internship, HORT 489 Urban Plant Ecology 

ALED 340 Survey of Leadership Theory 

ALED 341 Team Learning 

AGEC 314 Marketing Agriculture and Food Products 

BIOL 328 Plants and People 

FRSC 421 Urban Forestry 

MGMT 309 Survey of Management 

MKTG 409 Principles of Marketing 

Other Suitable Electives 

Any AGCJ Course 

AGEC 105 Intro to Agricultural Economics 

AGEC 315 Food and Agricultural Sales 

AGLS 101 Modern Agriculture Systems and Renewable Natural Resources 

ALED 342 Learning Organizations 

ALED 343 Human Resource Management in Agriculture and Life Sciences 

ALED 344 Leadership of Volunteers 

ALED 425 Principles of Program Evaluation in Agriculture and Life Sciences 

ALED 426 Methods in Adult Agricultural Education 

ALED 440 Principles of Technological Change 

ALED 441 Agricultural Extension Organization Methods 

ALED 442 Professional Communications in Agriculture and Life Sciences 

ANTH/WFSC 421 Museums and Their Functions 

COMM 210 Group Communication and Discussion 

Computer Course – Choose from: AGLS 201 Computer Applications in Agriculture or INFO 209 Business 

Information Concepts or RENR 201 Computer Applications in Agriculture 

ECHE 244 School, Family and Community Dynamics in Early Childhood Education 

ECON 202 Principles of Economics 


EHRD 374 Organizational Development 

EHRD 479 Grants and Contracts 

ENTO 405 Horticultural and Floricultural Entomology 

FINC 201 Personal Finance 

GIS Course – Choose from: AGSM 461 Geographic Information Systems for Resource Management or ESSM 351 

Geographic Information Systems for Resource Management or RENR 405 GIS for Environmental Problem Solving 

HLTH 221 Safety 

MEPS 201 Social and Environmental Aspects of Plant Physiology 

NUTR 202 Fundamentals of Human Nutrition


POLS 341 Urban Administration 

PSYC 352 Organizational Psychology 

RENR 205 Fundamentals of Ecology 

RPTS 201 Foundations of Recreation and Parks 

RPTS 202 Foundations of Tourism 

RPTS 311 Recreation and Tourism Programs 

RPTS 340 Recreation, Parks and Diverse Populations 

RPTS 370 Youth Development Organization and Services 

RPTS 402 Park Planning and Design 

SCSC 302 Recreation Turf and/or SCSC 312 Introductory Turfgrass Management Laboratory 

SOCI 321 Urban Sociology 

SPAN 101 Beginning Spanish I 

SPAN 102 Beginning Spanish II 

URSC 415 Urban Issues 

Minor REQUIRED in one of the following: 

Agricultural Communication and Journalism 

Agricultural Economics 

Business 


Forestry 

Teaching Certification through Agricultural Science or 

http://www.science.tamu.edu/cmse/mass/content.php?id_dir=46 

Tourism Resource Mgmt 

BA HORTICULTURE: Floral Design/Event Planning 


Floral designer 

Retail florist 

Floral crops wholesaler 

Floral design educator 

Floral design garden writer 

Event planner 



HORT 203 Floral Design 

HORT 451 Retail Floristry 

HORT 452 Floral Design: Weddings and Personal Flowers 


Choose the additional 6 hours from the following: 





HORT 429 Floriculture Crop Management 


HORT 453 Floral Art 

HORT 454 Special Event Design and Production 

HORT 484 Internship



coursework] 

Recommended 


The following HORT courses are Highly Recommended: HORT 225 Horticulture Learning Community, HORT 301 

Garden Science, HORT 308 Landscape Plant Materials, HORT 309 Interior Plants, HORT 426 International 

Floriculture Marketing, HORT 429 Floriculture Crop Management, HORT 440 International Horticulture, HORT 

453 Floral Art, HORT 454 Special Event Design and Production, HORT 484 Internship 

ACCT 209 Survey of Accounting Principles or ACCT 229 Introductory Accounting 



AGEC 314 Marketing Agriculture and Food Products 


AGEC 330 Financial Management in Agriculture 

Computer course – Choose from: AGLS 201 Computer Applications in Agriculture or RENR 201 Computer 

Applications in Agriculture or INFO 209 Business Information Concepts 

ECON 202 Principles of Economics or AGEC 105 Intro to Agricultural Economics 


MGMT 105 Intro to Business 



RPTS 320 Festivals, Fairs and Events 

RPTS 321 Festivals, Fairs and Event Management II 


ACCT 210 Survey of Managerial and Cost Accounting Principles or ACCT 230 Intro. Accounting 

AGEC 340 Agribusiness Management 

AGCJ 105 Intro to Agricultural Communications 

AGCJ 203 Agricultural Media Writing I 


ARTS: Any ARTS Course 

ENDS: Any ENDS Course 


RPTS 202 Foundations of Tourism 

RPTS 311 Recreation and Tourism Programs 

RPTS 331 Tourism Marketing 



Art and Architectural History 

Business 


Tourism Resource Mgmt (option to include: Professional Event Manager Certificate courses as part of minor) 



BA HORTICULTURE: Horticulture Landscape Design 


Landscape designer 

Interiorscaper 

Landscape garden writer 

Landscape marketing representative


Landscape design educator 

Landscape customer sales and service representative 

Garden Artist/Consultant 





HORT 332 Horticulture Landscape Graphics 

HORT 432 Horticulture Landscape Design 

HORT 442 Horticulture Landscape Design II 

Writing Intensive HORT course (choose from HORT 225, 315, or 418) 

Choose the additional 1 hour from the following: 

HORT 203 Floral Design 


HORT 425 Landscape Maintenance and Construction 


HORT 452 Floral Design: Weddings and Personal Flowers 

HORT 453 Floral Art 



HORT 489 Horticulture Bidding and Sales 

HORT 489 Water Management in Urban Landscapes 


coursework] 

Recommended 


The following HORT courses are Highly Recommended: HORT 203 Floral Design, HORT 225 Horticulture 

Learning Community, HORT 309 Interior Plants, HORT 425 Landscape Maintenance and Construction, HORT 451 

Retail Floristry, HORT 452 Floral Design: Weddings and Personal Flowers, HORT 453 Floral Art, HORT 484 

Internship, HORT 489 Urban Plant Ecology, HORT 489 Horticulture Bidding and Sales, HORT 489 Water 

Management in Urban Landscapes 


ALED 340 Professional Leadership Development 


AGEC 314 Marketing Agricultural and Food Products 





ENDS: Any ENDS Course 

LAND: Any LAND Course 

MGMT 309 Survey of Management


BA HORTICULTURE: 

Horticulture Landscape Design (continued) 


ACCT 210 Survey of Managerial and Cost Accounting Principles or ACCT 230 Accounting Comm. 

ALED 341 Team Learning 

ALED 343 Human Resource Management in Agriculture and Life Sciences 


AGEC 340 Agribusiness Management 

AGCJ 105 Intro to Agricultural Communication 


AGLS 101 Modern Agricultural Systems and Renewable Natural Resources 

Computer Course – Choose form: AGLS 201 Computer Applications in Agriculture or INFO 209 Business 


ARTS 103 Design I 

ARTS 111 Drawing I 

ARTS 112 Drawing II 

COSC 253 Construction Materials and Methods I 

COSC 254 Construction Materials and Methods II 

ENTO 405 Horticultural and Floriculture Entomology 


FRSC 420 Arboriculture 




RPTS 201 Fundamentals of Recreation and Parks 

RPTS 402 Park Planning and Design 

SCSC 302/312 Recreational Turf/Lab 


Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness 

Business 


Teaching Certification through Agricultural Science


Appendix 2.2 - Bachelor of Science Emphasis Areas [Minor Optional] 

Fruit and Vegetable Production and Management 

More people today are aware of the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diets than at any time in 

history. As a result, the production of these crops is increasing for domestic use and export. 

The emphasis area of fruit and vegetable production specializes in the science and practice of growing, 

harvesting, handling, storing, processing, and marketing fruits and vegetables. This emphasis area provides 

students with the knowledge and skills needed to be current on new varieties, cultural practices, 

mechanization, weed and pest control, harvesting, storage, processing, marketing, and personnel and financial 

management. Students graduating in this emphasis area are prepared for careers as growers and farm 

managers; as production field advisors for fresh market, processing, and vegetable seed companies; or as field 

advisors for allied industries that manufacture production and harvest machinery, fertilizers, and agricultural 

chemicals. They can also find careers in fruit and vegetable marketing as managers of produce firms; as 

supervisors of storage; or as sales people, field advisors, buyers, brokers or managers of marketing and 

promotional organizations. Fruit and vegetable majors also enter the field of international horticulture as 

overseas supervisors for commercial companies, as participants in Peace Corps and other humanitarian 

endeavors, or technical assistants with USAID or international food production, research or teaching 

programs. 

Nursery/Floral Crop Production and Management 

Production of floral and nursery crops has been a rapidly expanding industry and has become a major 

contributor to the economy of Texas and the nation. This industry requires college graduates who understand 

the basics of ornamental plant production and use, and have a keen sense of business and management skills. 

Greenhouses provide a protected environment for producing potted and bedding plants, cut flowers, 

transplants for field production and out-of-season fresh vegetables and berries. Excellent career opportunities 

exist for graduates specializing in greenhouse crop production. 

Nursery production includes field and/or container growing of the many woody and herbaceous species 

utilized in landscapes or planted in orchards and vineyards. Crops types include shade and flowering trees, 

narrow-leafed evergreens, broad-leafed evergreens, deciduous shrubs, tree and small fruits, vines and ground 

covers and herbaceous perennials. 

In addition, the demands for plants for environment enhancement and the need for personnel trained in the 

requirements of production, maintenance, marketing and utilization of these plant materials are creating 

exciting career opportunities. Students who study production are employed as growers and production 

managers in greenhouses and nurseries and as research technicians, extension specialists, and teachers. 

Students with interests in marketing may work with producers, wholesale suppliers, garden centers and other 

retail outlets. 

Landscape Management 

Landscape trees, shrubs, bedding plants, foliage and flowering potted plants and cut flowers have long been 

valued for their contributions to the quality of the environment in which we live, work and play. Successful 

landscape management companies provide an integrated approach to landscape contracting and managing 

landscape projects from inception through maintenance. The Landscape Management emphasis area focuses 

on plants and landscape materials, plant identification and culture, plant installation, and landscape 

construction and maintenance. Students in this emphasis area gain knowledge and skills to prepare them to 

create preliminary landscape designs, install plantings and steward their creations. Job opportunities are 

plentiful for individuals with targeted educational backgrounds and experience in landscape management 

including careers in installation, management and maintenance of interior as well as exterior landscapes. 

Landscape management careers span from hotels and resorts, planned communities, corporate campuses,


private estates, municipal properties, golf courses, theme parks, retail and entertainment centers, sports 

complexes and residential developments. 

Science & Biotechnology 

The Science and Biotechnology emphasis area is intended for, but not limited to, those students who feel they 

will go to graduate school and provides these students with a strong foundation in basic sciences. Career 

opportunities for graduates in this area who complete advanced graduate degrees include teaching and 

research at universities and private industry research. Graduates with good communication skills may also 

have career opportunities with consulting firms and the Cooperative Extension Service communicating 

scientific research findings to the public in an applicable and understandable format. Students graduating with 

a BS and MS degrees, with research experience and skills, will be very competitive for lab bench positions, 

but the MS will facilitate promotions to supervisor and leadership positions. In addition to larger companies, 

there are many smaller companies and start-ups looking for recent biotechnology graduates. Skills in tissue 

culture and transformation, recombinant DNA and molecular biology, protein and nucleic acid biochemistry, 

genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics are particularly useful. 

BS HORTICULTURE: Fruit & Vegetable Production & Management 


Orchard Manager 

Vegetable Farm Manager 

Technician or field representative for fruit or vegetable processor 

Federal or state inspector for fruit and vegetables 

Producer of fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs 

Commercial Seed Producer 

Border, Port and Homeland Security Agents 

Sales or technical representative for seed companies, horticultural supply firms and chemical companies 

Wholesale or retail purchaser/ sales/technical service dealing with fresh or processed fruits and vegetables for 

chain stores, garden centers, government institutions and wholesale distributors. 

Marketing and Sales Representative of Fruits & Vegetables 

Marketing and Sales Representative of any product associated with the production of fruits and vegetables 



HORT 319 Fruit and Nut Production 

HORT 325 Vegetable Crop Productions 




HORT 311 Principles of Food Processing 

HORT 404 Plant Breeding 

HORT 418 Nut Culture 

HORT 419 Grape and Small Fruit Culture 

HORT 420 Concepts in Wine Production 

HORT 421 Enology 



HORT 431 Nursery Production and Management 


HORT 446 Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Processing 

HORT 484 Internship


Study Emphasis Electives (30 hours required)- Choose from the following: 

Recommended 


The following HORT courses are Highly Recommended: HORT 225 Horticulture Learning Community, HORT 

301 Garden Science, HORT 311 Principles of Food Processing, HORT 404 Plant Breeding, HORT 418 Nut 

Culture, HORT 419 Grape and Small Fruit Culture, HORT 420 Concepts in Wine Production, HORT 421 

Enology, HORT 423 Tropical Horticulture, HORT 428 Commercial Greenhouse Management, HORT 431 

Nursery Production and Management, HORT 440 International Horticulture, HORT 446 Commercial Fruit and 

Vegetable Processing , HORT 484 Internship 




AGSM 201 Farm Tractors and Power Units 

AGSM 301 Systems Analysis in Agriculture 

AGSM 335 Water and Soil Management 

AGSM 360 Occupational Safety Management 

AGSM 435 Irrigation Principles and Management 




ENTO 320 Honey Bee Biology 

ENTO 401 Principles of Insect Pest Management 

ENTO 402 Field-Crop Insects 




SCSC 422 Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrient Management 





AGEC 325 Principles of Farm and Ranch Management 


AGEC 344 Food and Agricultural Law 

AGEC 413 Agricultural Cooperatives 

AGEC 452 International Trade and Agriculture 

AGEC 453 International Agribusiness Marketing 


AGCJ 306 Theory and Practice of Agricultural Public Relations 


ATMO 201 Atmospheric Science 

COMM 203 Public Speaking 



ENGL 210 Scientific and Technical Writing or ENGL 301 Technical Writing 


FSTC 201 Food Science and Technology 


MGMT 209 Business, Government and Society 

MGMT 212 Legal and Social Environment of Business 

NUTR 202 Fundamentals of Human Nutrition


NUTR 203 Scientific Principles of Human Nutrition 

SCSC 105 World Food and Fiber Crops 

SCSC 303 Crop Ecology 

SCSC 435 Ecology of Agricultural Chemicals in Field Crops and Turf 

SCSC 450 Chemical Weed Control and/or SCSC 452 Chemical Weed Control Laboratory 

SCSC 455 Environmental Soil Science and Water Science 

SCSC 465 Crop Management: An Extension Perspective 


Minors Accepted in: 


Agronomy 

Business 

Entomology 



BS HORTICULTURE: Nursery/Floral Crop Production & Management 


Producer of nursery/floral crops, cut flowers, herbs 

Greenhouse Crop Manager 

Wholesale Nursery Manager 

Plant Propagator 

Sales or technical representative for seed companies, horticultural supply firms and chemical companies 

Wholesale or retail purchaser/ sales/technical service dealing, cut flowers, nursery/floral crops for chain 

stores, garden centers, government institutions and wholesale distributors 

Marketing and Sales representative of nursery/floral crops 

Marketing and Sales representative of any product associated with the production of nursery/floral crops 

Retail Garden Center Manager 



HORT 306 Woody Ornamental Plants or HORT 308 Landscape Plant Materials 
















HORT 484 Internship



Recommended 



301 Garden Science, HORT 306 Woody Ornamental Plants, HORT 308 Landscape Plant Materials, HORT 309 

Interior Plants, HORT 404 Plant Breeding, HORT 423 Tropical Horticulture, HORT 426 International 

Floriculture Marketing, HORT 429 Floriculture Crop Production, HORT 431 Nursery Production and 

Management, HORT 440 International Horticulture, HORT 451 Retail Floristry, HORT 484 Internship 













BS HORTICULTURE: 

Nursery/Floral Crop Production & Management (continued) 









AGEC 344 Food and Agricultural Law 

AGEC 452 International Trade and Agriculture 

AGEC 453 International Agribusiness Marketing 



AGLS 101 Modern Agri. Systems and Renewable Natural Resources 




ATMO 201 Atmospheric Science 





ESSM 203 Forest Trees of North America 




MGMT 212 Legal and Social Environment of Business



RENR 410 Ecosystem Management 






Agronomy 

Business 

Entomology 

Forestry 



BS HORTICULTURE: Landscape Management 


Development and maintenance supervisor of landscapes in parks, recreation areas, residential homes, 

businesses, estates, botanical gardens, public and private gardens 

Landscape supervisor 

Lawn and grounds maintenance manager 

Landscape contractor 

Arborist 

Landscape Construction manager 

Landscape Installation manager 

Botanical gardens research scientist- plant identification and research 

Horticulturist in city, state or national parks 

Horticulturist in golf courses or other recreational parks 

Environmental consultant 

Corps of Engineers employee 





HORT 425 Landscape Maintenance and Construction 









HORT 489 Horticulture Bidding and Sales 



Recommended 


The following HORT courses are Highly Recommended: HORT 225 Horticulture Learning Community , HORT 

301 Garden Science, HORT 309 Interior Plants, HORT 332 Horticulture Landscape Graphics, HORT 428


Commercial Greenhouse Management, HORT 429 Floriculture Crop Production, HORT 431 Nursery 

Production and Management, HORT 432 Horticulture Landscape Design, HORT 442 Horticulture Landscape 

Design II, HORT 484 Internship, HORT 489 Urban Plant Ecology, HORT 489 Horticulture Bidding and Sales, 









AGSM 435 Irrigation Principles and Management 


COSC 253 Construction Materials and Methods I 

COSC 254 Construction Materials and Methods II 





ESSM 203 Forest Trees of North America 

















BIOL 301 Taxonomy of Flowering Plants 




CVEN 201 Plane Surveying 



GIS Course – Choose from: AGSM 461 Geographic Information Systems for Resource Management or ESSM 

351 Geographic Information Systems for Resource Management or RENR 405 GIS for Environmental Problem 

Solving 

LAND 329 Landscape Construction I 



MGMT 212 Legal and Social Environment of Business



RENR 410 Ecosystem Management 

SCSC 428 Advanced Turf Ecology and Physiology 

SCSC 429 Turf Management Systems 

SCSC 430 Turfgrass Maintenance 


SCSC 455 Environmental Soil Science and Water Science 



Agronomy 

Business 

Entomology 

Forestry 



BS HORTICULTURE: Science and Biotechnology 


Research scientist or technician at a university, government agency or lab (USDA, NSF, germplasm resource 

centers) 

Industry research scientist (agrochemical, pharmaceutical, food, seed and nursery) 

Professor, lecturer, instructor or teacher in a college or university, K-12 or museums, parks, nature centers 

Science writing and communication 

Science advisor for patent law, public policy, lawmakers 





HORT 491 Research (Research in Faculty Lab) *Must enroll in course 1 year prior to anticipated 

graduation date 





HORT 311 Principles of Food Processing 

HORT 319 Fruit and Nut Production 

HORT 325 Vegetable Crop Production 

HORT 418 Nut Culture 

HORT 419 Grape and Small Fruit Culture 

HORT 421 Enology 





HORT 446 Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Processing 


HORT 489 Urban Plant Ecology



Recommended 



306 Woody Ornamental Plants, HORT 308 Landscape Plant Materials, HORT 311 Principles of Food 

Processing, HORT 319 Fruit and Nut Production, HORT 325 Vegetable Crop Production, HORT 418 Nut 

Culture, HORT 419 Grape and Small Fruit Culture, HORT 421 Enology, HORT 423 Tropical Horticulture, 

HORT 429 Floriculture Crop Production, HORT 431 Nursery Production and Management, HORT 440 

International Horticulture, 

HORT 446 Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Processing, HORT 484 Internship, HORT 489 Urban Plant 

Ecology 


AGLS 105 Research in Agriculture and Life Sciences 

AGLS 125 Life Sciences Learning Community I 


BICH: Any Biochemistry Course (example, BICH 410/411 Comprehensive Biochemistry) 

CHEM: Any Chemistry Course 


ENTO 315 Biotechnology and Society 

GENE/MEPS 411 Biology for Crop Improvement 

GENE: Any Genetics Course (example, GENE 450 Introduction to Genomics) 

PHYS: Any Physics Course 

STAT 302 Statistical Methods 



AGCJ 306 Theory and Practice of Agriculture Public Relations 


AGSM 461 GIS for Resource Management 

BESC 201 Intro to Bioenvironmental Sciences 

BESC 314 Pathogens, the Environment and Society 

BIOL 111 and 112 Introductory Biology 

BIOL 206 Microbiology 

BIOL 213 Molecular Cell Biology 

BIOL 281 Seminar in Quantitative Biology 

BIOL 301 Taxonomy of Flowering Plants 

BIOL 328 Plants and People 

BIOL 330 Molecules & Life 

BIOL 401 Critical Writing in Biology 

BIOL 451 Bioinformatics 


COMM 205 Communication for Technical Professions 



EHRD 479 Grants and Contracts 


ENGL 320 Technical Editing and Writing 



FSTC 201 Food Science 

GEOG 435 Principles of Plant Geography


GEOS 411 Vegetation Response to Climate Change 

NUTR 202 Fundamentals of Human Nutrition 

NUTR 203 Scientific Principles of Human Nutrition 

PHIL 314 Environmental Ethics 


SCSC 303 Crop Ecology 

SCSC 465 Crop Management: An Extension Perspective 


Agricultural Communications and Journalism 

Agronomy 

Biochemistry 

Bioenvironmental Sciences 

Chemistry 

Entomology 

Genetics 


http://www.science.tamu.edu/cmse/mass/content.php?id_dir=46


Appendix 2.3 - Horticultural Sciences Undergraduate Student Handbook 

Introduction 

Horticulture is a continually growing profession full of challenging, rewarding, and enjoyable careers. Horticulture 

encompasses the art, science, and technology of production, utilization, and distribution of fruits, vegetables, and 

nursery/floral crops throughout all facets of our society. The undergraduate program focuses on traditional areas of 

production, marketing, and processing of horticultural crops. In addition, horticultural programs in urban areas have 

added social sciences, creativity and design. Students are provided with technical and scientific skills as well as 

communication, leadership, and interpersonal capabilities necessary to function effectively as horticultural professionals. 

The purpose of this handbook is to provide information about the undergraduate program in horticulture so that you can 

get the greatest benefit during your studies at Texas A&M University. There are many programs and agencies available 

to assist you, offer opportunities, and help you solve problems during your stay at Texas A&M University. We hope this 

manual will help you to better understand our program, and encourage you to use the many services available. 

Each year a revised edition of the Texas A&M University Undergraduate Catalog is available at 

(http://catalog.tamu.edu/). This Undergraduate Handbook for the Department of Horticultural Sciences does not replace 

the Undergraduate Catalog and is intended to supplement the catalog with information specific to the Department of 

Horticultural Sciences. Each student should be familiar with the Undergraduate Catalog (http://catalog.tamu.edu/) at 

Texas A&M University and has the responsibility to be fully acquainted with and to comply with the Texas A&M 

University Student Rules (http://student-rules.tamu.edu/). Read the materials carefully and do not hesitate to seek help if 

you have questions. 

We are happy that you are here! We hope that your experiences in the Department of Horticultural Sciences, both 

personally and professionally, will meet all of your expectations, and we wish you the best for a great educational 

experience! 

People Who Can Help and Where to Find Them 

Undergraduate Advising Office 


Department of Horticultural Sciences 

204 Horticulture/Forest Science Building 

College Station, TX 77843-2133 

Phone (979) 862-3116 Fax (979) 845-0627 

http://hortsciences.tamu.edu/ 

***This office is your first stop if you are enrolling in the Department for the first time. We will help plan your first class 

schedule, evaluate transfer credits for use within the department, and work up a preliminary degree plan.*** 

Katie Marek, Senior Academic Advisor 

HFSB 204B / 979.862.3116 

ktmarek@tamu.edu 

Additional Departmental Contacts 

Dr. Dan Lineberger , Department Head 

HFSB 202 / 979.845.5278 

dan-lineberger@tamu.edu 

Debbie Perez, Academic Advisor 

HFSB 204C / 979.845.5343 

Debbie Perez Debbie.Perez@ag.tamu.edu 

Dr. Leo Lombardini 

Professor & Internship Coordinator 

979.458.8079 


Marissa Faris, Experiential Education Program Coordinator 

979.845.6068 

mfaris@tamu.edu 

Academic Dean's Office, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 

515 Agriculture and Life Sciences Building (AGLS) , College Station, TX 77843 

Phone (979) 845-3712 

Dr. Kim Dooley 

Associate Dean for Academic Operations 

k-dooley@tamu.edu 

Dr. Danielle Harris 

Assistant Dean for Student Success 

danielleh@tamu.edu 

http://aglifesciences.tamu.edu/ 

Dr. Chris Skaggs 

Associate Dean for Student Development 

cskaggs@tamu.edu


Faculty 

One of the greatest assets in the Department of Horticultural Sciences is our devoted, caring and knowledgeable Faculty. 

As students enter the Department, they are encouraged to interact with our Faculty who will guide them throughout their 

academic career. They may advise students in their areas of expertise and are trained to be effective referral sources to 

other Texas A&M University services for specific problems or concerns. Faculty members can be a nonjudgmental ear 

for students to talk with about topics including: career choices, graduate school, internships, finding a job, academic 

burnout, course selection advice, joining social activities, letters of recommendation, and much more. 

The following information can aid you in finding faculty members working in areas specific to your interests. 

Current contact information is also available at: http://hortsciences.tamu.edu/faculty/index.html 

FACULTY MEMBERS AND RESOURCES FOR EMPHASIS AREAS 

RM: (979) 

Dr. Michael Arnold - Landscape Horticulture 207 845-1499 

Dr. David Byrne - Fruit and Nut Production 428 862-3072 

Dr. Luis Cisneros - Food Sciences 511 845-3244 

Dr. Gregory Cobb - Plant Physiology 525 845-5615 

Dr. Kevin Crosby – Plant Breeding 412 845-0664 

Dr. Fred Davies - Nursery Production 416 845-4524 

Dr. Tim Davis – Ornamental Production 519 458-2048 

Dr. Charles Hall – Ornamental Production 222 458-3277 

Mr. James Johnson - Retail Floristry 211 845-3841 

Mr. Matt Kent – Ornamental Production 407 845-4528 

Dr. Patricia Klein – Plant Genomics (Borlaug Center) 862-6308 

Dr. Hisashi Koiwa – Plant Physiology 522 845-5282 

Dr. Dan Lineberger – Technology 507 845-5278 

Dr. Leo Lombardini - Fruit & Nut Production 426 458-8079 

Dr. George Ray McEachern – Grapes &Wine 225 845-8559 

Mr. Bill McKinley - Floral Design/Event Plan. 210 862-2768 

Dr. Creighton Miller – Plant Breeding 516 845-3828 

Dr. Bhimu Patil – Plant Breeding (Centeq Bldg.) 120 862-4521 

Dr. Betsy Pierson -Plant-Microbe Interaction 427 862-1307 

Dr. David Reed - Ornamental Production 408 845-0139 

Dr. Terri Starman - Ornamental Production 424 458-3932 

Dr. Astrid Volder – Landscape Ecology 405 845-9277 

Dr. Jayne Zajicek - Urban Horticulture 422 845-4482 

WORKING WITH FACULTY 

Our Faculty and the Undergraduate Advising Office are dedicated to serve you and help you with your educational goals. 

In most cases, a scheduled meeting is the preferred method to meet with the Horticulture Faculty as well as other 

Professors for your courses. Once you have an appointment, please follow these guidelines to make the most of your 

meeting. 

! Give thoughtful consideration to your personal, educational, and career goals. 

! Become familiar with your own academic program including all applicable requirements and policies. 

! Accept responsibility for your choices and decisions. 

! Ask questions if you do not understand. 

! Be on time to all scheduled appointments, and try to be organized so you can make the best use of 

everyone's time. 

! Listen to your advisor and faculty rather than well-meaning friends and acquaintances when it comes to 

your academic progress. 

! Keep your address and telephone numbers updated with your advisor and the Records Section of the 

Registrars Office (845-1031). You may update your own information on HOWDY 

(https://howdy.tamu.edu ). 

Degree Plan 

The degree plan is the framework of courses that a student is required to complete for their degree in the Department of


Horticultural Sciences. Each degree plan is unique to the student's individual career goals and is developed by the 

student, in conjunction with the Advising Worksheets, staff advisors and the Faculty. Advising Worksheets for each 

“Emphasis Area” are presented on the following pages. The following sections include components of the degree plan 

that are common for all horticultural sciences students. 


The core curriculum requirements are set by the Faculty Senate and are required of all students attending Texas A&M 

University. To be sure that your program is in accordance with the core curriculum, check the Undergraduate Catalog 

(http://catalog.tamu.edu/) for the core curriculum requirements in the year that you entered the University, or a more 

recent year. Ask your advisor what catalog might be best for your circumstances. 

The University Core Curriculum also requires that each student earn two years of high school foreign language credit 

before attending TAMU, or take two semesters of foreign language at the university level. Students seeking the BA 

degree have an additional language requirement and should ask an advisor for details. 

HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE & SUPPORTING FIELD REQUIREMENTS 

The courses listed under these categories on the degree plans are required of all horticulture students seeking a BS or BA 

degree. Courses transferred from other universities must be approved by the Department Head of the Department of 

Horticultural Sciences and in some cases, by the instructor of the comparable course taught at TAMU. 

HORTICULTURE SPECIALIZATION REQUIREMENTS 

Students will be required to complete certain Horticulture electives based in the “Emphasis 

Area” he/she selects. Additional HORT electives will be chosen from approved electives on 

the Advising Worksheets. 

STUDY EMPHASIS ELECTIVES 

The study emphasis allows you to choose a block of technical electives, both inside and outside the Department of 

Horticultural Sciences, which will best support your career goals. Once a student selects an “Emphasis Area”, electives 

will be chosen from approved electives on the Advising Worksheets. Horticulture courses used in the Study Emphasis 

area may not exceed 15 hours of the total hours of these electives. A student may petition the use of additional courses 

not included on the Advising Worksheet by completing an Appeal Form for “Study Emphasis Electives”. It is highly 

advised that the student submit this paperwork prior to taking the course to guarantee that the course will be 

acceptable towards their degree plan. (see the last paragraph on page 6 for procedure) 

Experiential Learning 

The Department of Horticultural Sciences strongly recommends that horticulture majors enroll in Experiential Learning 

coursework. These opportunities allow students to gain course credit applicable towards the degree plan and to ‘learn by 

doing’. Experiential learning programs include Internships, Study Abroad Programs, Undergraduate Research, 

Service Learning, and Honors coursework. 

To learn about experiential learning options, visit http://hortsciences.tamu.edu/experiential-learning/ or speak with the 

Experiential Education Program Coordinator: 

Marissa Faris 

Experiential Education Program Coordinator 

HFSB 509/ 979.845.6068 

mfaris@tamu.edu 

PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS 

Professional Internships provide students with the chance to gain field-related work experience while at the same time 

trying out a potential career path and/or prospective employer. In addition, internships allow students to put what they 

learn in class into practice. 

Internship opportunities abound; TAMU students have interned nationally and internationally. Public gardens, private 

landscape and retail firms, non-profit organizations, growers, florists, designers, and tree care companies are just a few of 

the places with which students can intern. 

Although many students choose to intern in the summer months, there are opportunities year-round. Enrollment in 

HORT 484 allows students to receive academic credit and provides access to the Internship Coordinator who will help 

ensure an educational component in your internship. If you are interested in an internship, contact the Experiential


Learning Program Coordinator or the faculty Internship Coordinator, Dr. Leo Lombardini. More information and the 

complete internship packet are available at http://hortsciences.tamu.edu/experiential-learning/experientiallearning/internships2-2/ 

Dr. Leo Lombardini 

Faculty, Internship Coordinator 

HFSB 426 / 979.458.8079 


STUDY ABROAD 

Study abroad programs give students a first-hand view of another country and culture. With today’s global economy, an 

international perspective is more important than ever before for those entering the workforce. Students can earn core 

curriculum credit, elective credit, internship/research credit, or transfer credit from a foreign university depending on the 

details of the program. 

Study abroad opportunities are available for all students and can last from a week to a year. With good planning, study 

abroad can help you gain valuable international experience while completing your degree on time. Funding resources 

are available, both through the Department of Horticultural Sciences and through the Study Abroad Programs Office. 

Not sure if you want to study abroad? Talk to students who have done it. An active study abroad mentor program is 

available to help you make your decision and begin planning. Speak with the Experiential Learning Program Coordinator 

or visit http://hortsciences.tamu.edu/experiential-learning/experiential-learning/study-abroad/ to get started. 

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH & DIRECTED STUDIES 

Undergraduate Research and Directed Studies enable the student to form special working relationships with faculty 

members within the department and, at the same time, gain valuable learning experiences. The student is responsible for 

contacting the faculty member that she or he wishes to work with, and together they must fill out the HORT 491 or 485 

contract form available from the Advising Office (HFSB 204). 

HORT 491 (Undergraduate Research) allows students to gain hands-on experience in plant science and laboratory 

methods while working on a research project. Students may have the opportunity to travel to scientific meetings to 

present their findings. 

HORT 485 (Directed Studies) allows students to work with the guidance of a faculty member to gain further 

knowledge in a particular area of Horticulture while participating in special projects. 

Curriculum in Horticultural Sciences 

The Department of Horticultural Sciences offers a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Horticulture. 

These degrees include 6 emphasis areas described in the following pages. Graduates in all emphasis areas are prepared 

for graduate studies in horticulture and other plant related sciences, as well as other academic areas including but not 

limited to; agricultural business, teacher certification and landscape architecture. 

CHOOSING AN EMPHASIS AREA AND SUITABLE ELECTIVES 

The following pages include the most current TAMU Catalog Degree Plans for the Department of Horticultural Sciences 

along with the approved electives for the "Horticulture Specialization Requirements" and the "Study Emphasis 

Electives" for each of our six Emphasis Areas. The Advising Worksheets were developed by Departmental Faculty and 

Staff to insure students select the proper coursework to meet their career objectives. 

! Read the Emphasis Area Advising Worksheets thoroughly to help select the Emphasis Area most suited to your 

career goals 

! Discuss career objectives with your staff advisors and Faculty to help aid in your career decision. 

! Register for courses suited to your classification. For example, freshman and sophomores should concentrate 

on required Core Curriculum courses as well as 100-200 level courses in HORT. Always refer to the most 

current TAMU catalog (http://catalog.tamu.edu/) for current course descriptions and prerequisites to insure your 

success. 

! If you are undecided about which Emphasis Area is best for you, choose courses that are required for all majors 

or electives that apply to all Emphasis areas. For example, INFO 209 (Business Information Concepts) applies


as an elective for most Emphasis Areas. Ask a HORT Advisor if you have problems choosing suitable 

electives. 

! If an Emphasis Area looks appealing, choose a "Highly Recommended" HORT course from that Advising 

Worksheet to learn more about the subject. Ask a HORT Advisor which courses may point you in the right 

direction. 

! Once a student has completed 45 credit hours, selecting an Emphasis Area is strongly suggested. Students must 

complete an “Emphasis Area” form so that elective courses may be loaded into the student’s degree plan audit 

available at https://howdy.tamu.edu/. 

! If you find a course that you would like to enroll in but it is not included on the Advising Worksheet for your 

Emphasis Area, you may file an appeal. Students will complete a simple form including the reason that the 

course relates to your emphasis area and should be considered as a “Study Emphasis Elective”. Appeals will be 

due on or before October 15 th or February 15 th and students will be notified by their NEO email no later than 

November 1 st or March 1 st , respectively. Once the appeal is granted, the elective course will be applied as a 

“Study Emphasis Elective” on the student’s degree plan. It is highly advisable to file the appeal form before 

taking the course. 

Second Degrees, Double Majors, and Minors 

Students at Texas A&M University have the option of seeking second degrees, double majors, and minors. These 

programs enable students to gain valuable information in more than one academic department, and gain University 

recognition on the transcript and/or diploma. Students majoring in Horticulture may pursue these options in other 

Departments. Interested students should consult with the academic advisor in the Department that they wish to seek a 

second degree, double major, or minor from about the requirements of the program. 

SECOND DEGREE 

A second degree is awarded to students who have completed all of the requirements for two separate degrees. A 

candidate pursuing a second degree will receive two separate degrees and diplomas (i.e., two BS degrees, or a 

combination of two degrees, such as a BS and a BA). Students who have pursued second degrees in horticulture have 

commonly come from majors within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; however, students from other colleges 

are also eligible to apply. 

DOUBLE MAJOR 

A candidate for a double major receives one degree (i.e., BS), with both majors indicated on the diploma. A double 

major usually requires less total course work than a second degree, and it may be integrated, as electives, in the student 

degree plan. This program is designed to give a student an excellent background in another related field of study. 

Students currently enrolled at TAMU must receive approval for the second degree or double major before the student 

reaches senior standing. Students pursuing a second degree or double major in horticulture must be in good academic 

standing, with a GPR of 2.0 or above. 

MINOR 

Horticulture students may also pursue a minor. The minor program provides a concentration of study in another 

scholastic department, and is recognized on the transcript after graduation, but not on the diploma. Classes taken for a 

minor may count as Study Emphasis Electives, depending on the Emphasis Area selected by the student. Minor 

requirements include a minimum of 15-18 hours of course work in a Department, of which at least 9 must be 300-400 

level. Students interested in pursuing a minor should contact an advisor in that department, and proceed with 

the necessary paperwork. Minor requirements may be viewed at: http://unst.tamu.edu/minors.aspx


Dates, Deadlines, and Policies 

FULL-TIME STATUS 

! Twelve hours or more is considered a full-time load. Part time students (those taking 1-11 semester credit 

hours) will be charged tuition and fees based on the number of hours they take, plus course fees and other 

fees charged on a fixed rate per semester basis. Full-time undergraduate students (those taking 12 semester 

credit hours or more) will be charged a flat rate for designated tuition irregardless of the number of hours 

taken. Students are encouraged to take at least 15 semester credit hours to receive full value under the flat 

rate policy and will benefit from significant savings for hours in excess of 15. 

! A student who drops below 12 hours in a given semester may become ineligible for certain campus 

activities (i.e., Corps of Cadets, athletics, fraternity or sorority pledging, campus or college organizations); 

become ineligible for scholarships, financial aid, loans, campus housing (must carry a minimum of nine 

hours), or be dropped from your family insurance and/or Social Security or Veteran’s benefits. You may 

also fall behind the pace required to graduate in four years. 

TRANSFER CREDIT 

Many students transfer into the Department of Horticultural Sciences from other curricula at Texas A&M University or 

from other colleges or universities. Guidelines for the acceptance of credits earned in other program(s) include: 

! Once a student has selected an “Emphasis Area” he/she may use the designated Advising Worksheet to 

determine if the transfer course credit is appropriate for their degree plan. If a student has taken a course 

not included on the Advising Worksheet the student may submit an Appeal Form to have the course 

considered for inclusion on the degree plan. (see page 6 for details) 

! Credits earned within the TAMU system will be evaluated by TAMU course number. Students will receive 

credit on courses with a grade of “D” or above. 

! Students will receive credit on courses with a grade of “C” or above when transferred from institutions 

outside of TAMU. 

! Courses transferred by number from institutions outside the TAMU system are considered the equivalent 

of the numbered courses at TAMU. 

! Courses transferred by title from institutions outside the TAMU system either have no comparable course 

at TAMU or an evaluation to determine which course is comparable has not been made by the department 

offering the course. The advising staff and the Department Head will determine whether, and how, these 

courses can be used in the degree plan. In many cases, that student will need to discuss the course with the 

instructor of a comparable course at TAMU. 

! As a general rule, only horticulture courses that transfer in by number or where a 2+2 agreement has been 

developed will be accepted within the Department. Approval of any other horticulture courses must be 

determined by the comparable course instructor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences. A letter 

verifying equivalent course work must be submitted to the Advising Office (HFSB 204). 

! Grades from transfer courses from other colleges and universities are not included into your grade point 

average at Texas A&M University. 

! A minimum of 36 semester hours of 300 and/or 400 level course work must be successfully completed 

in residence at Texas A&M University to obtain a baccalaureate degree. A minimum of 12 of these 

36 semester hours must be in Horticulture. 

CO-ENROLLING 

It is very common for students to co-enroll at TAMU and Blinn College. It is the responsibility of the student to meet all 

of the admission requirements, course prerequisites and procedures of Blinn College (http://www.blinn.edu). 

If you plan to take courses at another community college, equivalent course numbers may be found under the “Course 

Matrix” on the Texas Common Course Numbering System website (http://www.tccns.org). 

CHANGING YOUR MAJOR 

For many reasons, a TAMU student may wish to change from one curriculum to another. After consultation with his/her 

advisor, a student should initiate a change of curriculum by scheduling an appointment with an advisor in the new 

college or department. Students in good academic standing, with a GPA of 2.0 or higher, may be permitted to transfer 

into the Horticulture Department.


! First semester freshmen may initiate a curriculum change through the fifth day of the semester. After the 

fifth class day, no curriculum change will be considered until after the end of the semester. 

! New transfer students cannot change majors until final grades are recorded after completion of the first 

spring or fall semester at TAMU. 

! A student in good academic standing (based on the receiving college’s requirements) may initiate a 

curriculum change during the semester no later than the last day of Q-drops. 

! Five days after final grades are available, curriculum changes may once again be initiated for all students. 

(See Rules and Regulations.) 

ADDING/ DROPPING A COURSE OR ENROLLING FOR THE TERM: 

! Adding/Dropping a class is permitted during the first 5 class days during Fall/Spring. 

! Adding/Dropping a class is permitted during the first 4 class days during summer semesters. 

! A student requesting to add a course after these deadlines must have the approval of the student’s dean and 

department. 

Q-DROP POLICY (CHANGES EFFECTIVE 2013-2014) 

CURRENT POLICY 

! Allowed through the 50th day of classes during Fall/Spring. 

! Allowed through the 15th day of classes during summer semesters. 

! Student completes form requesting Q-drop and receives approval from the Department (HFSB 204). The 

form is processed by the HORT Advising Office. This form is available at: 

http://registrar.tamu.edu/forms/Q-Drop_Form.pdf 

! The course will appear on your transcript with the designation “Q”. A Q-drop does not affect grade point 

ratio. 

! No money will be refunded. 

! You are allowed only THREE (3) Q-drops during your undergraduate studies at TAMU. 

! After the Q-drop period, individual courses may NOT be dropped - you must complete the class or 

withdraw from the University. 

! Simply not attending class is NOT considered dropping the class. If a student fails to drop a course(s) by 

filling out and submitting the appropriate forms, the student will earn a grade of “F” in the course(s). 

REVISED POLICY (PLANNED CHANGES FOR 2013-2014, EFFECTIVE 5:00 P.M., FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2013) 

! Extended to the 60th day of classes during Fall/Spring 

! Allowed FOUR (4) Q-drops during your undergraduate studies at TAMU. 

FIRST YEAR GRADE EXCLUSION POLICY (TERMINATED AFTER 2012-2013) 

A fully admitted, currently enrolled Texas A&M undergraduate student as defined by the Texas Higher Education 

Coordinating Board as "first time in college" may elect to exclude from his/her undergraduate degree and cumulative 

GPR calculation grades of D, F, or U. This exclusion shall be permitted for up to a maximum of three courses taken for 

credit at Texas A&M University during the twelve month period beginning with the student's initial enrollment at Texas 

A&M University. 

Information on this policy is available at: http://registrar.tamu.edu/Current/GradeExPolicy.aspx 

**IMPORTANT: First Year Grade Exclusions (FYGE) are being terminated after the 2012-2013 Academic Year. 

FYGE termination is in effect the last work day before fall semester begins in 2013, 5:00 p.m., Friday, August 

23, 2013. 

SCHOLASTIC PROBATION AND SUSPENSION 

Scholastic Probation will occur in any semester that your GPR drops below 2.0. Student Rules http://studentrules.tamu.edu/ 

contains definitions and procedural outlines for matters like “scholastic deficiency,” “scholastic 

probation,” and other related matters upon which these guidelines are based. 

A grade point deficiency is calculated by determining the number of grade points below a C average (below a 2.0). The 

following formula is used to calculate your grade point deviation from a C average:


Using HOWDY Terminology→ “QUALITY POINTS” - “GPA HOURS” * 2 

GRADE POINT DEVIATION FROM A C AVERAGE = (TOTAL GRADE POINTS EARNED) - (TOTAL CREDIT HRS. ATTEMPTED X 

2) 

The following rules apply to students who are on probation while majoring in Horticulture: 

! A student whose grade point average falls below a 2.0 will be on academic probation the following 

semester or summer term. 

! A registration block will be placed on a student who is on scholastic probation. 

! The student will be notified in writing that he/she has been placed on academic probation, and will be 

required to have a conference with the Department Head to discuss probationary conditions before 

continuing at TAMU in the Department of Horticultural Sciences. 

! The student will be notified in writing of the conditions of his/her probation, as discussed during the 

conference with the Department Head. 

! A student on probation who fails to meet her or his probationary requirements as set by the Associate 

Department Head for Undergraduate Programs, may be suspended from the Department of Horticultural 

Sciences for the following semester. The student may have the option to apply for readmission to the 

Department after his/her probationary term has expired. 

! If special circumstances warrant, exceptions may be made to these policies. Appeals to these policies 

should be made first through the Department Head, If the issue has not been resolved satisfactorily, at that 

point, the appeal should be made to the Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. 

REGISTRATION BLOCKS 

Registration blocks prevent you from registering for the next semester. Many offices at TAMU can block you from 

registering. Only the program that put the registration block in the computer can remove it. 

For example, registration blocks are used in the Horticultural Sciences Department when a student is on academic 

probation. Lifting or removing a block to allow registration activity can only be done by meeting with the Department 

Head or advising staff. You may check for blocks at Howdy (https://howdy.tamu.edu ) 

WITHDRAWAL 

! Students are responsible for personally withdrawing from the University. 

! It is recommended that you talk with your professors before withdrawing. 

! The last date to withdraw from the University is the last day of the Q-drop period. 

! No student will be allowed to withdraw from the University after final exams begin. 

! To withdraw from the University, you must obtain the appropriate form and signature from the Dean’s 

Office (AGLS 515). Procedures are available at: http://registrar.tamu.edu/Current/Withdrawal.aspx 

! The student’s department, the student’s Dean’s Office, or professors cannot withdraw a student from the 

University. Should mitigating circumstances arise and the student is unable to “personally” withdraw from 

the University, the University Department of Student Affairs (979-845-5262) should be contacted for the 

correct steps. 

TUITION CHARGED FOR EXCESS CREDIT HOURS 

Texas A&M University will charge tuition at the non-resident rate to all students who exceed the semester credit hour 

limit for their program. Excess semester credit hours are those which accrue after the student exceeds by 30 hours the 

number of semester credit hours required for the completion of the degree program in which the student is enrolled. 

Thus, the student may accumulate up to 30 hours beyond those required for the chosen degree program and not exceed 

the limitation. 

Information on this policy is available at: http://registrar.tamu.edu/General/ExcessCredHr.aspx 

THIRD REPEAT SUPPLEMENTARY FEE 

A non-repeatable course that is attempted by a student more than twice at a public institution of higher education in 

Texas may not be reported for state funding. As a result, the institution must either pass the non-funded portion to all 

students, or charge a supplementary fee to the student who is repeating the course. Texas A&M University has chosen to 

assess a supplementary fee to only those students repeating the course more than twice.


A student attempting certain courses more than twice at Texas A&M University will be subject to a supplementary fee of 

$125 per semester credit hour ($375 for a 3 hour course) for the repeated course, in addition to tuition and required fees 

associated with the course. 

Information on this policy is available at: http://registrar.tamu.edu/General/ThreePeat.aspx 

Department of Horticultural Sciences Undergraduate Clubs 

TAMU HORTICULTURE CLUB 

The Horticulture Club enables members to increase their knowledge and skills in many areas of horticulture while 

enhancing people skills and positive work attitudes. It provides opportunities to meet people within the department, 

industry and profession. The Horticulture Club is a great place to meet new friends, gain experience, and have a lot of 

fun. Members also may pursue an optional path toward Master Gardener certification. The TAMU Horticulture Club 

is a growing organization and would love to have you as a member. The club meetings and announcements are posted 

on the departmental bulletin boards, banners in the Atrium, and their web site (http://hortclub.tamu.edu/). 

STUDENT CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF FLORAL DESIGNERS (SAIFD) 

This organization’s primary functions are in floral design. Any student with an interest in floral design may join. 

Students sponsor speakers, attend field trips, and participate in special programs of the Benz School of Floral Design. 

SAIFD participates in several social activities each semester, and holds meetings each month. SAIFD earns its funds, 

and members acquire vital hands-on design experience, by doing floral arrangements for other organizations on campus, 

by decorating area homes for the Christmas holidays, and by special floral sales. More details can be found at 

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/saifd/Welcome.html 

PI ALPHA XI 

This organization is the national floriculture and ornamental horticulture honor society. Members invited to join must 

have at least a junior standing and have a minimum GPR of 3.25. The organization promotes at least one major project 

each year. Among its activities is an annual initiation event. 

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE STUDENT ASSOCIATION (SASA) 

The Sustainable Agriculture Student Association (SASA) is a student organization formed to unify a body of volunteers 

and foster an experiential learning community to expose students to aspects of local and organic agriculture in 

conjunction with the Howdy! Farm. The association accomplishes this goal by creating educational opportunities for 

those individuals interested in sustainable agriculture. The Howdy Farm currently sees around 350 students a semester 

from a combination of volunteer students and courses offering credit for service. Students involved with the farm come 

from various colleges and backgrounds. Learn more at http://studentfarm.tamu.edu 

Special Programs 

HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT SCHOLARSHIPS 

A large number of scholarships are available to Horticulture students. These scholarships are usually awarded at the 

Departmental Annual Awards Banquets held on Parent’s Weekend each spring. Students apply using the University 

Continuing Student Scholarship Application. You may obtain application forms from the following website: 

https://scholarships.tamu.edu/. Application deadline for these scholarships is February 1. 

The William C. Welch Landscape Horticulture Scholarship has a separate application found at 

http://hortsciences.tamu.edu/undergraduate-programs/scholarships-financial-aid/. Application deadline for this 

scholarship is also Feb. 1. 

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES SCHOLARSHIPS 

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers scholarships to qualified students. Students apply using the 

University Continuing Student Scholarship Application. You may obtain application forms from the following website: 

https://scholarships.tamu.edu/. Application deadline for these scholarships is February 1. 

UNIVERSITY HONORS PROGRAM


The Honors Programs at Texas A&M University challenges promising students to participate in an intellectual 

community of life-long learners who excel academically, advance knowledge through research, and pursue cultural 

understanding through international experiences. Incoming freshmen apply to the University Honors Program by 

December of their senior year in high school. Continuing students at Texas A&M may also apply to the University 

Honors Program up until they have completed 60 hours at TAMU. Any continuing student with a 3.5+ cumulative GPR 

may register for Honors courses, but only students admitted to the University Honors Program or those participating in 

college or departmental Honors tracks have access to resources such as specialized advising, Honors Priority 

Registration, Honors Course Contracts, etc. Honors courses are noted in the Schedule of Courses with the designation of 

200-series section numbers for the fall and spring semesters. A list of available Honors courses for each semester is 

available by searching the schedule of courses in Howdy by the Honors course attribute. Honors and Undergraduate 

Research also provides opportunities for all students to get involved with research and other hands-on learning 

opportunities. For more information go to: (http://honors.tamu.edu ). 

SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION 

Texas A&M University’s Supplemental Instruction (SI) program targets traditionally difficult core curriculum courses, 

and provides regularly scheduled, out-of-class study sessions. The SI sessions are led by undergraduate students who 

have taken the course and been trained in pro-active learning and study strategies. The SI leaders attend all course 

lectures, take notes, and read the assigned materials. They serve as leaders for organized group study, and help students 

develop pro-active learning skills. Supplemental Instruction works. Nationally, SI participants earn course grades 

between one-half and one full letter grade higher than the average course grade of students not participating. SI is 

offered for many Texas A&M University core curriculum courses. Sessions are open to all students in the course 

section; participation is free and voluntary. If you are interested in this program, contact Student Learning Center at 

979.845.2724 (http://slc.tamu.edu/). 

STUDENT COUNSELING SERVICE 

The Texas A&M University Student Counseling Center, located in Cain Hall (979.845.4427), is dedicated to improving 

skills in academic, career planning, and personal areas. The mission of the Learning Skills Center is to provide students 

with an opportunity to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes which will enhance their study and test-taking ability, 

while decreasing anxieties related to academic performance. Services include academic counseling, conferences with 

student volunteers, faculty grade distribution lists, weekly academic workshops, academic support groups, and self-help 

study guides. 

The Student Counseling Center also provides confidential personal counseling. Counseling provides an opportunity to 

talk about yourself, your feelings, your values, the way you relate to other people, or any other topic that concerns you. 

There is no charge for these services. 

Academic or personal counseling appointments are available from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. If 

you find yourself in a crisis/emergency situation, you are encouraged to immediately go to Cain Hall, 8-5 weekdays. 

After hours, students may call the Helpline at 845-2700, or go to the nearest hospital emergency room 

(http://scs.tamu.edu ). 

Graduation 

In order to graduate with a degree from Texas A&M University, the following requirements for graduation must be met 

(http://graduation.tamu.edu ) 

! Completion of all course work on the degree plan. 

! A minimum overall GPR of 2.0. 

! A minimum GPR of 2.0 in course work within your major field. 

! A minimum of 36 semester hours of 300 and/or 400 level course work must be successfully completed in 

residence at Texas A&M University to obtain a baccalaureate degree. A minimum of 12 of these 36 semester 

hours must be in Horticulture. 

! Graduation application and diploma fee during the semester in which graduation is to occur. 

! Other requirements as outlined in the catalog year of the degree plan 

APPLICATION 

The application deadline for graduation occurs shortly after the semester begins. The procedure includes the following:


! Apply for graduation using Howdy → My Record tab → Degree Evaluation section → Apply for 

Graduation OR go to http://graduation.tamu.edu/applica.html. Follow the deadlines posted on 

http://graduation.tamu.edu. 

! If you have not had the diploma fee included with your tuition fees, it will be assessed at the time you apply 

online. All questions should be directed to the Registrar's Office (979.845.1089) at the General Services 

Building. 

GRADUATION WITH HONORS 

In order to graduate with honors, a student must have completed at least 60 credit hours at Texas A&M University, and 

have at least a 3.50 GPA. The following categories are recognized: 

Summa cum Laude (GPR of 3.90 - 4.00) 

Magna cum Laude (GPR of 3.70 - 3.89) 

Cum Laude (GPR of 3.50 - 3.69) 

COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY 

The graduation ceremony is held at Reed Arena. For fall/spring semester graduates, there are 3 - 4 separate exercises; 

the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences only participates in one of them. The commencement ceremony in which 

COALS students will participate is announced around mid-semester. 

SENIOR EXIT INTERVIEWS 

Senior exit interviews are conducted by the Head of the Department of Horticultural Sciences. The student will receive 

an e-mail from the Advising Office telling them when and where to sign up for these interviews. The interviews are 

usually held during the last few weeks of the semester. These interviews are very important to our Department. We 

solicit and respect your opinions and concerns about the teaching program, and encourage you to take advantage of this 

opportunity. 

DEPARTMENTAL BREAKFAST/LUNCHEON 

The Department of Horticultural Sciences holds a breakfast, luncheon, or reception for its graduates, their relatives, and 

the faculty in conjunction with the commencement exercises. This event gives the faculty an opportunity to meet the 

students’ families and gives the families an opportunity to learn a little about the department. All graduates are 

encouraged to attend even if their families are unable to attend. 

SENIOR RING 

Senior Rings may be ordered at the Former Student's Association Building. Students in good academic standing with a 

GPR of 2.0 or above, 90 earned undergraduate cumulative hours, 45 earned undergraduate resident, and no blocks are 

eligible to order a ring. Visit http://www.aggienetwork.com/ring/qualifications.aspx for more details on the 

qualifications and requirements. Applications for rings are taken at the end of the semester when 90 hours have been 

completed and verified by the Registrar’s office. Rings are usually available 3 months after they are ordered and paid for 

(http://www.aggienetwork.com/ring).


SCHEDULE OF REQUIRED COURSE OFFERINGS IN HORTICULTURE 

A tentative listing of required courses and the semester offered are listed below. 

Course 12-13 13-14 14-15 

Fa Sp SS Fa Sp SS Fa Sp SS 

HORT 101 XX XX XX XX XX XX 




HORT 225 XX XX XX 

HORT 301 XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX 









HORT 332 XX XX 


HORT 404 

XX 


HORT 419 

XX 

HORT 420 XX XX XX XX XX 


HORT 423 

XX 




HORT 429 

XX 



HORT 435 

XX 



HORT 446 

XX 



HORT 453 

XX 



SCSC 301 XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX 

CHEM 222 XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX 

ENTO 201 XX XX XX XX XX XX 

GENE 310 XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX 

PLPA 301/303 XX XX XX XX XX XX 

MEPS 313 XX XX XX XX XX XX


Texas A&M University - Department of Horticultural Sciences 

EMPHASIS AREA FORM 

In order to plan your course of study, it is important to select one of the EMPHASIS AREAS from either the B.S. or 

B.A. degrees early in your educational career. Please select one EMPHASIS AREA before completing 45 hours of 

coursework from the following list: 

Check the appropriate box: 

□ B.A. Urban Horticulture Minor_______________________ 

□ B.A. Floral Design Minor_______________________ 

Check with the Department offering the minor for availability and necessary paperwork. 

--Business Administration minor is the exception. You declare this minor in HFSB 204 with your major academic 

advisor. 

□ B.S. Nursery/Floral Crop Production and Management 

□ B.S. Science and Biotechnology 

□ B.S. Fruit and Vegetable Production and Management 

□ B.S. Landscape Management 

Name UIN# E-mail Address 

__________________________ _____________ _______________________ 

________________________________ 

_______________________ 

Signature 

Date 

Texas A&M University - Department of Horticultural Sciences 

Appeal Form for “Study Emphasis Electives” not included on the approved elective lists 

Student name _______________________________ 

UIN# ________________________ 

NEO Email _________________________________ Date ________________________ 

Check the appropriate box: 

Catalog 128□ 129□ 130□ 131□ 132□ 133□ 134□ 135□Other__________ 

Degree BS Horticulture □ BS Floriculture □ 

Emphasis Area Fruit/Vegetable Prod. & Mgmt. □ Landscape Management □ 

Nursery/Floral Crops Prod. & Mgmt. □ Science & Biotechnology □ 

BA Horticulture □ 

Emphasis Area Floral Design/Event Planning □ 

Urban Horticulture □ 

Course Number and complete name: ____________________________________________________ 

____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Semester/Year course taken ____________________________________________________________ 

Name of institution where course was taken _______________________________________________ 

Please state the reason that the course you took relates to your emphasis area and should be considered as a “Study 

Emphasis Elective” (you may include additional information such as syllabi, exams, course description, etc.) 

_______________________________________________________________________ 

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Appeals are due on October 15 th or February 15 th . Students will be notified by their NEO email no later than November 

1 st or March 1 st , respectively. Once the appeal is granted, the elective course will be applied as a “Study Emphasis 

Elective” on the student’s degree plan. 

Approved □ Denied □ Date ______ email student □ Degree plan □ 

Comments on back




HORT 485 - Special Problems Agreement 

(Must be completed before registration) 

Student Name___________________________________ 

ID #________________________ 

Major__________________ Classification ________ GPA________________________ 

(Must be Jr. or Sr. class) (Must be 2.0 or >) 

Campus Address________________________________ 

Local telephone_______________ 

E-mail Address_________________________________ 

HORT 485 Semester_____________ HORT 485 Faculty Member_________________________ 

HORT 485 Credit (1-4 cr. hr.)_______ (1 credit assigned for each 3 hrs. of work expected per week during the 

fall/spring semester. Summer semester requires more weekly hours due to the condensed timeframe. A total of 6 cr. hrs. 

may be applied to HORT degree with approval) 

Prerequisites or previous HORT experience___________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

Proposed HORT 485 project (Attach any additional information)__________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

Final Product: Report______ Presentation ______ Other_______________________ 

The final product must be submitted to the faculty member and to Dr. Dan Lineberger, Head for Horticultural Sciences at 

least one week prior to the last day of the semester before a grade will be assigned. The approved paperwork should be 

submitted to the advising office in HFSB 204. 

Anticipated completion date: ________________________________ 

Approval: 

____________________________ 

Student's Signature 

____________________________ 

HORT 485 Instructor's Signature 

_______________________________ 

Dr. Dan Lineberger, Head for 

Horticultural Sciences




HORT 291/491 – Research 

(Must be completed before registration) 

Student Name___________________________________ 

ID #________________________ 

Major__________________ Classification ________ GPA________________________ 

(Must be Jr. or Sr. class) (Must be 2.0 or >) 

Campus Address________________________________ 

Local telephone_______________ 

E-mail Address_________________________________ 

HORT 291/491 Semester_____________ 

HORT 291/491 Faculty Member_____________________ 

HORT 291/491 Credit (1-3 cr. hr.)_______ (1 credit assigned for each 3 hrs. of work expected per 

week during the fall/spring semester. Summer semester requires more weekly hours due to the condensed timeframe. A 

total of 6 cr. hrs. may be applied to HORT degree with approval) 

Prerequisites or previous HORT experience___________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

Proposed HORT 491 project (Attach any additional information)__________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

Final Product: Report______ Presentation ______ Other_______________________ 

The final product must be submitted to the faculty member and to Dr. Dan Lineberger, Head for Horticultural Sciences at 

least one week prior to the last day of the semester before a grade will be assigned. The approved paperwork should be 

submitted to the advising office in HFSB 204. 

Anticipated completion date: ________________________________ 

Approval: 

____________________________ 

Student's Signature 

____________________________ 

HORT291/491Instructor's Signature 

Student must register for HORT 491 one 

year prior to expected graduation 

_______________________________ 

Dr. Dan Lineberger, Head for 

Horticultural Sciences


Department 

Appendix 3.1 - Texas A&M University - 18 Characteristics of Texas Public Doctoral Programs 

Programs included only if in existence 3 or more years. Program is defined at the 8-digit CIP code level. 

Doctoral Degree Program 

1 

2 

Horticultural Sciences 

Horticulture 

Number of Degrees Per Year 2009-2010 0 

Average, 2009-2012 2010-2011 3 

Three-year average of the number of degrees awarded per academic 

year 

Graduation Rates 

Starting Cohorts: 2000-2002 

Three-year average of the percent of first-year doctoral students who 

graduated within ten years. First-year doctoral students: Those 

students who have been coded as doctoral students by the institution 

and have either completed a master’s program or at least 30 SCH 

towards a graduate degree. 

2011-2012 4 

3 Year Average 2.3 

% Graduating 

within 10 Years 

Years with Cohort 

greater than 0 

92.31% 

2000, 2001, 2002 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

Average Time to Degree 

Average Years to 

4.54 

Students Starting 2000-2002 

Degree 

Three-year average of the registered time to degree[3] of first-year doctoral students within a ten year period. [3] Registered time to 

degree: The number of semesters enrolled starting when a student first appears as a doctoral student until she completes a degree, 

excluding any time taken off during graduate study. The number of years is obtained by dividing the number semsters by three. 

Employment Profile 

(In field within one year of graduation). For each of the three most recent years, the number and percent of graduates 

by year employed, those still seeking employment, and unknown 

Employed Still Seeking Employment Unknown 

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 

2009-2010 0 0 0 

2010-2011 3 66.7 1 33.3 0 

2011-2012 100 0 0 0 0 

Admissions Criteria Description of admission factors 

GPR>3.00, competitive GRE in verbal and quantitiative, acceptable TOEFL for non-English langauage 

international students, strong letters of recommendation, and well developed statement of purpose. 

Percentage Full-time Students Fall 2010 73.3% 

FTS/number of students enrolled for the last three fall semesters. Fall 2011 90.0% 

Fall 2012 85.0% 

Average Institutional Financial Support Provided $19,903.47 

For those receiving financial support, the average monetary institutional financial support provided per full-time 

graduate student for the prior year, from assistantships, scholarships, stipends, grants, and fellowships. Does not 

include tuition or benefits. 

Percentage Full-Time Students with Institutional Financial Support 83.30% 

In the prior year, the number of full-time studentswith at least $1,000 of annual support/the number of full-time students 

Number of Core Faculty 27 

Number of core faculty in the prior year 

10 Student-Core Faculty Ratio .7


Three-year average of full-time student equivalent (FTSE) /three-year average of full-time faculty equivalent (FTFE) of 

core faculty. Core Faculty: Full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty who teach 50 percent or more in the doctoral 

program or other individuals integral to the doctoral program who can direct dissertation research. 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

Core Faculty Publications 5.85 

Three-year average of the number of discipline-related refereed papers/publications, books/book chapters, juried 

creative/performance accomplishments, and notices of discoveries filed/patents issued per year per core faculty member. 

Core Faculty External Grants 

Three-year average of the number of core faculty receiving external funds, average external funds per faculty, and total 

external funds per program per academic year. All external funds received from any source including research grants, 

training grants, gifts from foundations, etc., reported as expenditures. 

Average of the Number of Core Faculty receiving 

16.33 

external funds 

Average External Funds per Faculty $164,555.05 

Total External Funds $2,689,311.00 

Faculty Teaching Load 5.4 

Total number of semester credit hours in organized teaching courses taught per academic year by core faculty divided by the number 

of core faculty in the prior year 

Faculty Diversity 

Core faculty by ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic, 

Other) and gender, updated when changed 

Student Diversity 

Male 

Female 

White 13 6 

Black 0 0 

Hispanic 3 0 

Other 3 2 

Enrollment headcount by ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic, Other) 

Fall 2012 

and gender in program in the prior year 

Male 

Female 

White 2 2 

Black 0 0 

Hispanic 2 0 

Other 4 6 

Date of Last External Review May, 2005 

Date of last formal external review, updated when changed 

External Program Accreditation 

Name of body and date of last program accreditation review, if applicable, updated when changed 

External review sponsored by COALS & University 

Student Publications and/or Presentations 2.2 

For the three most recent years, the number of discipline-related refereed papers/ publications, juried 

creative/performance accomplishments, book chapters, books, and external presentations per year by student FTE


Appendix 3.2 – Horticulture Graduate Policy Manual 

GRADUATE POLICY MANUAL 

DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES 

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY 

(Revised November 2012) 

PURPOSE 

The purpose of the Department of Horticultural Sciences Graduate Policy Manual is to summarize those policies 

that frequently are encountered or misunderstood by graduate students in the Department. In addition, specific 

policies established by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (COALS) and the Department of Horticultural 

Sciences are presented. These policies appear in the text in italics. The Policy Manual is a supplement to the 

Graduate Catalog and does not replace it. 

GRADUATE CATALOG 

The official policies of Texas A&M University are published annually in the Graduate Catalog and updated on the 

Office of Graduate Studies website (http://ogs.tamu.edu). It is the responsibility of each graduate student to study 

and abide by the policies set forth in the most recently published Graduate Catalog and on the Office of Graduate 

Studies Website. 

The Department cannot stress enough that it is the graduate student's responsibility and duty to become 

intimately familiar with all policies that affect their graduate program and to correctly follow all policies in a 

timely manner. 

OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES 

The Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) is the University office responsible for administering the graduate programs 

of Texas A&M University. OGS is located on main campus in the Jack K. Williams Administration Building 

(Room 302). All petitions, requests and proposals are turned in to OGS for final approval. Technical questions that 

cannot be answered at the Department level should be addressed to OGS. The Office of Graduate Studies publishes 

a Graduate Student Calendar every semester which gives the precise dates for all deadlines, and it should be 

consulted regularly. The calendar can be obtained from OGS in the Administration Building or the OGS website. 

The OGS also produces a Graduate Handbook that contains much helpful information which is available on their 

website (http://ogs.tamu.edu). 

The OGS has much of the information relative to graduate programs on their website. The OGS website can be 

accessed at http://ogs.tamu.edu. All university level forms relative to your graduate program must be obtained from 

the OGS website. All Department level forms can be obtained from HFSB 204 or the Department’s Home Page – 

http://hortsciences.tamu.edu. 

DEPARTMENT’S HOME PAGE 

The Department of Horticultural Sciences’ website http://hortsciences.tamu.edu. contains a wealth of information 

about the Department, including the Graduate Policy Manual, biographical sketches of all graduate faculty members 

in the Department, and links to other useful information, such as the OGS website. Aggie-Horticulture.tamu.edu is 

also a good source to keep up with the activities of the Department. 

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE 

To maximize efficient use of funds and facilities, graduate students should move toward fulfillment of their degree 

requirements as rapidly as possible. Students should work with their Graduate Advisor and Advisory Committee to 

establish the courses to be taken to satisfy their degree requirements (see section on Degree Program). The 

registration procedure is as follows: 

l. Select the courses in consultation with your Graduate Advisor and Advisory Committee.


2. You may register on-line during your designated registration period at http://howdy.tamu.edu and accessing “my 

record”. It is advisable to pre-register. There are monetary penalties for late registration 

(http://finance.tamu.edu/sbs). 

MINIMUM REGISTRATION AND CONTINUOUS REGISTRATION 

The Graduate Catalog and OGS website contain the latest official information on this topic. Policies specific to 

Horticulture graduate students or frequently asked questions are as follows: 

Minimum and Maximum Registration 

Table 1 lists the minimum and maximum registration requirements for graduate students. It is basically a tabular 

interpretation of the guidelines specified in the Graduate Catalog as modified by policies set forth by the 

Department, COALS, and OGS. In the event of a conflict in requirements, the default is always to those 

requirements of the University and College over those of the Department. 

Departmental Policy on Minimum and Continuous Registration 

All graduate students in the Department (regardless of major) must maintain a continuous enrollment of a minimum 

of 1 credit hour per semester (fall, spring and summer) from the semester of first enrollment until the semester of 

graduation. The student can request a waiver based on full-time employment by Texas A&M University System 

(TAMUS), medical reasons, leaves of absence, etc. If a waiver is granted, the student cannot be on-campus or at a 

Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center or other TAMU System facility actively completing requirements for their 

degree, except for a waiver granted to full-time TAMUS employees. The Minimum Registration Waiver form (see 

Form 1) can be obtained from the Department (HFSB 204). This continuous registration requirement is in addition 

to the University requirement for continuous registration for students that have completed all course requirements 

(other than 684, 691 and 693) on their Degree Plan. A waiver from the University requirement can only be 

obtained by filing a Leave of Absence petition with the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS). Any student in violation 

of the continuous registration requirement will have their registration blocked. The block can be removed only after 

the student consults with the Associate Head for Graduate Programs, who will consult with the Chair of the 

Advisory Committee before removing the block. A letter of reinstatement must be sent from the Associate Head for 

Graduate Programs to the Director of OGS for students blocked by OGS. If a student is allowed to register after 

missing continuous registration for 1 or more semesters, then they must register for 1 credit hour for each semester 

in violation plus the current semester. 

Waiver of Minimum Registration 

If you feel your situation justifies registration below that stated in Table 1, fill out a Minimum Registration Form 

(Form 1) and turn it in to the Associate Head for Graduate Programs (HFSB 204) for approval before the first day of 

classes for that semester. Waivers cannot be granted for students on assistantships. 

Time Limit on Course Work 

Masters degree candidates must complete their course work within seven years of the first semester registration, and 

Ph.D. degree candidates must complete their course work within ten years. Course work taken before these periods 

of time cannot be used towards the degree. 

100 Hour Cap Rule 

Ph.D. students exceeding seven years will be penalized on hours enrolled above 100 hours in following semesters. 

Tuition equivalent to that of out-of-state tuition will be charged on the excess hours. This is a TAMU policy which 

cannot be waived by the Department. 

MINIMUM COURSE PREREQUISITES 

Suggested Course Prerequisites 

Suggested course prerequisites vary among the M.Ag., M.S. or Ph.D. degrees depending upon the desired internship 

experience, research project desired, which subdiscipline within the field is chosen, and the post-graduation goals of 

the prospective student. Most prerequisites for programs within the Department are accomplished by a B.S. in 

Horticulture, Agronomy, Biology or related sciences. Some remedial course work may be required for applicants 

with Bachelors degrees from widely divergent fields of academia. 

Departmental Policy on Course Prerequisites


All graduate students in the Department of Horticultural Sciences must have taken or will take 6 credit hours of 200, 

300, 400 or 600 level HORT courses prior to admission. In the event that the student is deficient in HORT, the 6 

hours must be taken at TAMU as a prerequisite of their degree. The courses must be approved by the Chair of their 

Advisory Committee. Any 300, 400 or 600 level courses may be applied towards the student’s Degree Plan with the 

Chair and Committee’s approval. These 6 hours of HORT courses will be in addition to the 9 hour Master’s and 12 

hour Doctoral requirement at the 600 level for all HORT graduate students. If the student is deficient in non-HORT 

supporting field courses (for example, chemistry, soils, plant physiology, etc.), the Chair will determine course 

prerequisites that need to be taken. 

Graduate students in the Department of Horticultural Sciences majoring in molecular and environmental plant 

physiology (MEPS), genetics (GENE), food science and technology (FSTC), or plant breeding (PLBR) must meet the 

course prerequisite requirements set forth by the Interdisciplinary Faculty of that major. 

Courses Specified by the Graduate Admissions Process 

In addition to the above Departmental course prerequisites, the graduate admissions process may specify certain 

courses as a condition of acceptance into the Department’s graduate program. Individual Chair or Advisory 

Committees may also require certain courses to be taken as a prerequisite to a degree. These decisions are made 

based on the student’s background, degree pursued and/or type of research or internship to be undertaken, and are 

made on a case by case basis. 

DEGREE PLAN AND GRADUATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE 

Degree Plan 

The Degree Plan establishes all course work required for the graduate degree and also establishes the Graduate 

Advisor and Advisory Committee. 

The Degree Plan will list the courses that a student must complete for their degree. In addition, prerequisite courses 

that the committee feels are necessary to fill-in gaps in the student's previous training or education may be listed. 

See Degree Plan Deadlines for pertinent deadlines. 

The degree plan is submitted on-line. Please see the OGS website (http://ogs.tamu.edu) under current student tab for 

specific instructions. 

Departmental Policy on Minimum Course Requirements 

All graduate students in the Department must: 

1) regardless of major, take or have taken one graduate level statistics course per degree (i.e. one for the Masters 

and another for the Ph.D.; if none were taken for the Masters, then two are required for the Ph.D.). This may be 

satisfied by a graduate level statistics course or a graduate level experimental design/data analysis course in a 

subject matter department; 

2) regardless of major, take one 681 seminar course per degree (i.e. one for Masters and another for Ph.D.). The 

seminar may be in Horticulture (i.e. HORT 681) or in the student’s major (i.e. MEPS 681, GENE 681 or FSTC 681). 

If a student transfers from another major and has already taken a 681 equivalent in that major, then the 681 

requirement will be waived for that degree. It is also expected that all Horticulture graduate students attend the 

biweekly seminar series organized by the Department of Horticultural Sciences throughout their studies in the 

Department. This series is designed to expose students and faculty to the wide diversity of activity in horticulture. 

3) All Master of Agriculture or Master of Science students must take nine hours and Ph.D. students must take twelve 

hours of graduate level instructional HORT courses (excluding HORT 684, 685, 690, 691 or 693) in addition to the 

HORT 681 seminar requirement. Ph.D. students who have taken nine hours during their M.S. program in the 

Department can use these nine hours as part of the 12 hour requirement for their degree (effective August 2011). 

4) All other curricular matters are at the discretion of the student and his/her Graduate Advisor and Advisory 

Committee, assuming the requirements of the Department and Graduate Catalog are met.


Schedule of Horticulture Graduate Course Offerings 

Table 3 lists all graduate courses offered in the Department and the tentative semesters in which they are projected 

to be offered. This table is intended for planning purposes, but due to a variety of reasons impacting faculty 

schedules and Departmental resources is subject to change without notice. 

Use of Transfer Courses 

Consult the latest edition of the Graduate Catalog for the section on Limitation on the Use of Transfer, Extension 

and Certain Other Courses. These guidelines located under the degree type section (M.Ag., M.S., Ph.D) must be 

followed in preparing a Degree Plan. 

Degree Plan Deadlines 

Degree Plans must be completed and filed with OGS: 1) during the 2 nd regular semester and prior to registration (or 

preregistration) for a third term for Master candidates and during the 4 th regular semester and prior to registration (or 

preregistration) for the fifth term for Doctoral candidates and 2) no later than 90 days prior to the date of the final 

oral examination or thesis defense for Masters candidates or preliminary exam for Doctoral candidates. The student 

will be blocked from registering by OGS if the degree plan has not been filed by the specified semester. 

Graduate Advisor or Chair of the Graduate Advisory Committee 

The graduate advisor serves as the Chair of the Graduate Advisory Committee. The student may request a particular 

faculty member to serve as their graduate advisor. If the student does not have enough knowledge to make this 

decision, then a graduate advisor is assigned to the student prior to admission to the program. The graduate advisor 

should be selected based on the interest and goals of the student, workload and interest of the faculty, funding 

availability, and availability of facilities and equipment. Students seeking to apply for a M.Ag., M.S., or Ph.D. 

degree in Horticulture should have identified a member of the graduate faculty to serve as their advisor as students 

applying for Horticulture degree programs are not admitted unless a faculty member indicates agreement to serve as 

their advisor. 

The graduate advisor plays the primary role in the development of a graduate student's program. The graduate 

advisor assists the student in preparation of a Degree Plan. 

The student should work closely with the graduate advisor to determine that the graduate program is meeting the 

student's goals, and to seek advice from the advisor on problems that may develop during the course of graduate 

study. 

Members of the Graduate Advisory Committee 

In addition to the graduate advisor, who functions as the Chair, Master candidates must select two faculty members 

to serve on their Advisory Committee, and Doctoral candidates must select three faculty members to serve on their 

Advisory Committee. At least one of the committee members must be from outside the student’s Department or 

major. 

Any member of the Graduate Faculty can serve as a committee member. Graduate Faculty in the Department of 

Horticultural Sciences include those faculty who hold Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor rank or 

a Distinguished Lecturer designation and have been approved at the Department, COALS, and University levels for 

inclusion as Graduate Faculty. A list of all Graduate Faculty in the Department appears in Table 2. A Biographical 

Sketch of all Graduate Faculty and Adjunct Graduate Faculty in the Department is available on the Department’s 

website, http://hortsciences.tamu.edu. The Graduate Catalog contains a list of all members of the Graduate Faculty 

in the University. The Advisory Committee may include Texas A&M University faculty or staff that are nonmembers 

of the Graduate Faculty (such as post-doctoral Research Associates, Research Scientists, Lecturers, 

Research Assistant Professors, Research Associate Professors, or Research Professors), or even qualified individuals 

from outside the University, with special permission from the Director of OGS. Non-members of the graduate 

faculty must be in addition to the normal contingent of graduate faculty members on the committee. 

Preliminary Graduate Advisory Committee Meeting 

The student should schedule an advisory committee meeting prior to the second semester's registration. The purpose 

of this meeting is to determine a student's level of competence, and to guide the student in developing a plan of


study which meets his or her career goals. The meeting is informal and consists of an interchange between the 

student and the committee members. The student, with the help of the graduate advisor, should prepare a 

preliminary Degree Plan and a preliminary research/internship plan for discussion at the meeting. The meeting will 

end with suggestions for the student on preparing the Degree Plan and the internship/thesis/dissertation proposal. 

The committee may suggest an additional meeting at a later date to finalize the program of study and proposal as 

needed. 

THESIS/DISSERTATION PROPOSAL 

An M.S. candidate must develop a thesis proposal, and a Ph.D. candidate must develop a dissertation proposal. The 

proposal describes the area of research, lists the objectives of the research, and presents the methodology and 

approach that will be used. A cover page for the proposal (Form 3) and the guidelines for preparing the proposal 

can be obtained from the OGS website. If the research involves human or animal subjects, an approved form from 

the Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects or The University Laboratory Animal Care Committee for 

animal use must accompany the proposal. All M.S. students in the Department of Horticultural Sciences must file a 

thesis proposal with the OGS prior to registration (or preregistration) for a third regular term. All Ph.D. students 

in the Department of Horticultural Sciences must file a dissertation proposal with the OGS prior to registration (or 

preregistration) for a regular fifth term. If the thesis or dissertation proposal is not filed by this time, students will 

be blocked from registration by the Department. 

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 

A preliminary examination is required for all Ph.D. students; waivers are not permitted. Refer to the latest issue of 

the Graduate Catalog and OGS website for details. All Ph.D. students are eligible, beginning the semester after 

successful completion of the preliminary examination, for a $50 per month increase if they have successfully 

completed their preliminary examination and are employed on an assistantship. This increase will be provided from 

the same source of funds used to fund their assistantship during a given semester. It is the student’s responsibility 

to notify payroll in the Horticultural Sciences Departmental office of the new status. 

M.S. THESIS AND Ph.D. DISSERTATION 

In the Department of Horticultural Sciences, an M.S. degree requires a thesis and a Ph.D. degree requires a 

dissertation. Research problems should be carefully selected by the student, their Graduate Advisor, and Advisory 

Committee to investigate areas of mutual interest with significant research potential. 

The M.S. thesis and Ph.D. dissertation must be prepared according to the guidelines set forth in the “Thesis 

Manual”, which can be accessed at http://ogs.tamu.edu. 

Master of Agriculture students within the Department are required to provide a CD containing one electronic copy 

of the professional paper in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format and an original paper copy of the signed signature page in 

paper copy format to the Associate Head for Graduate Programs by the last Friday of regularly scheduled classes 

during the semester in which the student intends to graduate. If these are not provided, a block will be placed on 

graduation. Copies of the thesis and dissertation for M.S. and Ph.D. students, respectively, are maintained by the 

Texas A&M University library and clearance from the thesis office by their published deadlines is required prior to 

graduation. 

EXIT SEMINAR 

An exit seminar summarizes the major findings, experiences and accomplishments of a Master of Agriculture 

internship, Master of Science thesis or Doctor of Philosophy dissertation. The exit seminar is presented at the end of 

a graduate student’s graduate program. See OGS Calendar for deadlines. 

Departmental Policy on Exit Seminar 

All graduate students in the Department, regardless of major, must present a final exit seminar (not for course 

credit) on the final results of their internship and professional paper for M.Ag. students, or their thesis or 

dissertation research for M.S. and Ph.D. students. These seminars must be announced by the graduate student 

between 1 to 2 weeks in advance of the seminar by placing fliers in mailboxes and posting on bulletin boards on all 

floors of the HFSB and sending a copy of the announcement to the Department's Associate Head for Graduate 

Programs or their designated representative for electronic distribution. The exit seminar must have open 

attendance. The scheduled time for the exit seminar is determined by the student and graduate advisor, and is often


held just prior to the final examination. Alternatively, the exit seminar may be presented as a part of the 

Department’s seminar series during the last semester of the student’s graduate program. 

MINIMUM GRADE POINT RATIO (GPR) 

Graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point ratio (GPR) of 3.000 on both the courses on the 

Degree Plan and on all graded graduate (600) and advanced undergraduate (300, 400) courses eligible to be applied 

toward a graduate degree. The cumulative GPR is calculated from all graded (excludes S/U) courses taken at Texas 

A&M University that are eligible to be used on the Degree Plan (i.e. all 300, 400 and 600 level courses). The 

University policy and method of calculation of the GPR is described in detail in Graduate Catalog. 

Departmental Policy on Minimum GPR 

If a graduate student’s GPR falls below a cumulative 3.000, then the following Departmental policy details the 

procedures that are followed. 

All graduate students must maintain a cumulative grade point ratio (GPR) of 3.000 or greater. Any student whose 

cumulative GPR falls below a 3.000 will be allowed the next semester in which they are enrolled to raise their 

cumulative GPR to or above a 3.000. For students on an assistantship or fellowship, funding for that semester will 

be allowed only if justified to the satisfaction of the Associate Head for Graduate Programs, Department Head, 

Executive Associate Dean of COALS, and Director of OGS. A letter of justification for continued funding is 

forwarded from the Chair of the Advisory Committee, through the Associate Head for Graduate Programs, and to 

the Department Head. The Department will then make a recommendation to the Executive Associate Dean of 

COALS and Director of OGS for a final decision. 

If the student’s cumulative GPR is not raised to 3.000 or above after the next semester of enrollment, or if the 

student’s cumulative GPR falls below 3.000 in any subsequent semester (i.e. if a student ever has two semesters with 

a cumulative GPR below a 3.000, whether the semesters are consecutive or not), the Chair and Advisory Committee 

will be asked to recommend if the student should be allowed to continue their graduate program. A written 

recommendation as to the future of the student’s graduate program will be sent from the Chair, through the 

Associate Head for Graduate Programs, and to the Department Head. If the student is allowed to continue, all 

graduate assistantship and fellowship funding will be terminated immediately, unless extraordinary justification is 

presented. The Department will then make a recommendation to the Executive Associate Dean of COALS and 

Director of OGS for a final decision. 

If, after the second violation, the student’s cumulative GPR is not raised to 3.000 or above after the next semester of 

enrollment, or if the student’s cumulative GPR falls below 3.000 in any subsequent semester (i.e. if a student ever 

has three semesters with a cumulative GPR below a 3.000, whether the semesters are consecutive or not), the 

graduate student will be terminated from the graduate program immediately, unless extraordinary justification is 

provided by the Chair, through the Associate Head for Graduate Programs, and to the Department Head. The 

Department will then make a recommendation to the Executive Associate Dean of COALS and Director of OGS for 

a final decision. 

ELEMENTS OF A MASTER OF AGRICULTURE PROGRAM 

Internship 

All M.Ag. students must devote a minimum of three consecutive months full-time, or its equivalent, to an internship 

experience. The internship is selected in cooperation with their Graduate Advisor and Advisory Committee and 

approved by the Associate Head for Graduate Programs. In the interest of broadening a student’s experiences, 

advisory committees are discouraged from approving internships at the student’s family business or at a firm at 

which the student is currently or formerly employed. Along this same reasoning, advisory committees are 

discouraged from approving internships that allow students to remain on campus. 

Professional Paper 

The professional paper is based on the internship experience and has three main parts: preliminary pages, the text, 

and, supplementary pages.


1. Preliminary Pages (in the following order) 

a. Title page 

b. Approval page (Form 2 in Appendix) 

c. Abstract (the first numbered page, iii) 

d. Dedication page (optional) 

e. Acknowledgment (optional) 

f. Table of Contents 

g. List of Tables (if more than one table is used) 

h. List of Figures (if more than one figure is used) 

2. Text (normally requires the following) 

a. Introduction (problem studied at internship site) 

b. Review of Literature 

c. Objectives (for the problem-solving experience) 

d. Results 

e. Conclusions and/or Recommendations 

f. Additional Internship Experiences 

3. Supplementary Pages (in the following order) 

a. Bibliography, references or literature cited 

b. Appendices (if needed) 

c. Vita 

APPROVAL AND FILING OF PROFESSIONAL PAPER 

a) During their final semester, Master of Agriculture students are required to enroll, in addition to any other course 

requirements, in one hour of HORT 693 under the direction of the Associate Head for Graduate Programs. 

b) The Head will only sign the signature page after the paper has been cleared by the Associate Head for Graduate 

Programs. The Head may designate the Associate Head for Graduate Programs as an alternate signatory. 

c) One CD containing one electronic copy of the professional paper in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format and an original 

signed paper copy of the signature page for the professional paper will be provided to the Associate Head for 

Graduate Programs by the last Friday of regularly scheduled classes during the semester in which the student 

intends to graduate. If these are not provided, a block will be placed on graduation. 

ASSISTANTSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS 

Types of Assistantships and Fellowships 

The following graduate assistantships are available: Graduate Assistant Research (GAR), Graduate Assistant 

Teaching (GAT), Graduate Assistant Non-Teaching (GANT), Graduate Assistant Extension (GAE) and Graduate 

Fellowship (GF). Assistantships and fellowships are awarded by the Department, College, University, endowments 

or sponsoring agencies. Assistantships require a work commitment, such as teaching undergraduate laboratory 

sections or working in a research laboratory. Fellowships do not require a work commitment and are more 

comparable to a scholarship. 

Competitively Awarded 

All graduate assistantships and fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis. Those awarded for a given semester 

will be for the specified academic semester only. Those awarded for multiple semesters or for the duration of the 

student's graduate program (subject to Departmental guidelines) are contingent on continued satisfactory 

performance as a graduate assistant as well as their overall graduate performance and availability of funds. 

Graduate Application Deadlines 

Two soft deadlines for evaluation of graduate program applications occur each year, September 15 each fall and 

January 15 each spring. Applications received by that date will be given full consideration by the Department’s 

graduate application evaluation committee (GAEC) for open assistantships. 

i.) The GAEC will consist of all full and associate members of the graduate faculty in the Department of 

Horticultural Sciences.


ii.) Assignment of teaching assistantships will be based on the strength of the qualifications of the student and their 

suitability to teach the courses associated with the available slot. Although students will be assigned to assist 

with a given course or courses, the need to change course assignments to accommodate budget changes, 

undergraduate curriculum changes and other considerations may exist. Students assigned to a given course will 

be independent of whether or not their advisor instructs the course(s). There will be an attempt to minimize 

shifts in teaching assignments, in order not to over burden students with preparation of new lesson/lab plans nor 

faculty with retraining student teaching assistants each semester. 

iii.) Recruitment of the highest quality students for graduate research and quality instruction in the 

classroom/laboratory will be the first priority. This is combined with a fair and equitable rotation of 

assistantships to various programs in the department including due consideration of faculty participation in 

undergraduate and graduate classroom instruction, student organization advising, and departmental service. 

Individual faculty seeking to recruit individual students for grant-funded assistantships may request evaluation of 

students’ applications outside of the general departmental application deadlines. Evaluation of the applications for 

these students will follow our previous model of an ad hoc evaluation committee of six faculty members from 

related fields to those areas of interest indicated by the student in their statement of purpose. These committee 

members will be appointed by the Associate Head for Graduate Programs at the request of the faculty member(s) 

interested in recruiting the students. 

Minimum GPR and GRE 

The Department requires all students on assistantships and fellowships to have a minimum entrance GPR of 3.000 

and to maintain a minimum graduate GPR of 3.000 throughout their program. Successful applicants to the M. Ag. 

or M.S. programs typically have an undergraduate GPR of 3.000 or better, GRE scores of approximately 500 in 

verbal and 500 in quantitative or greater, strong letters of support for admission to the graduate program from 

faculty mentors, a well written letter of application, and in the case of international students strongly demonstrated 

competency in English via TOEFL scores or other testing instruments. Applicants for the Ph.D. program whom 

have successfully completed a prior M.S. degree usually have similar or greater qualifications than those outlined 

for admission to the Masters programs. Applicants for a Ph.D. program directly from an undergraduate program 

without a prior M.S. degree are typically successful in being admitted only if able to demonstrate abilities beyond 

those usually demonstrated by applicants to the Masters programs. Examples might include a combination of more 

highly competitive GPR or GRE scores, very strong letters of reference, and especially evidence of prior research 

experience. Evidence of prior research experience might include authorship or co-authorship on peer reviewed 

research articles, experience in an undergraduate research program or course, or a letter from a faculty member 

detailing your direct involvement in research efforts in their laboratory. Students successfully admitted to the Ph.D. 

program with only a B.S. are strongly discouraged from transferring to a Masters program later in their term of 

study. 

Transfer from M.S. to Ph.D. programs 

Transfer from a M.S. program to a Ph.D. program of study is permitted with unanimous approval of their graduate 

program committee. A consenting committee member will likely need to be added to reach the required minimum 

number as outlined by OGS. 

Minimum Registration - Full-Time Status 

Graduate students on any level of assistantship or fellowship funding must register for full-time course load. For the 

fall and spring semesters, full-time status is 9 credit hours. Full-time status for summer semesters is 6 hours. Fulltime 

registration cannot be waived for students on assistantships or fellowships. Full-time status may also be 

required for certain scholarships, insurance coverage, loan eligibility or international student status. These 

requirements should be investigated by the student when less than full-time enrollment is being considered. 

Time Limit on Assistantships 

As a general policy, appointment to a graduate assistantship or fellowship will not be granted to persons who go 

beyond 24 months of full-time graduate study or equivalent at the Master's level, and 36 months of full-time 

graduate study or equivalent at the Doctoral level. Extensions can be granted with approval of the Associate Head 

for Graduate Programs. Full-time graduate study is defined as 9 or more credit hours in a fall/spring semester and 6 

or more credit hours during the summer. Each student's performance is reviewed each semester by their supervisor


for that semester. Continuation as a graduate assistant will be contingent on a satisfactory evaluation. The length of 

Fellowships varies, and is specified when the Fellowship is awarded. 

Medical Benefits 

Graduate students on 1 / 2 time (20 hours/week) or greater assistantships receive medical benefits through the 

Graduate Student Insurance Plan after 90 days for new employees (students should consult the appropriate agency or 

university personnel office to obtain the latest rules relating to employment and benefits). The benefits can be 

extended to their spouse and dependents for an additional fee. Graduate students on fellowships do not receive 

medical benefits. Medical insurance policy information is available on the Office of Graduate Studies 

(ogs.tamu.edu) website. 

Outside employment 

According to the Payroll Office, if a graduate student is on a 20 hour per week or greater teaching or research 

assistantship they cannot be employed in any other capacity on-campus. The Payroll Office conducts computer 

checks of all students for additional employment on-campus on a semester basis, and actively enforces this policy. 

Off-campus employment is not restricted by the Department unless a conflict of interest is involved. Any potential 

conflicts of interest between on-campus and off-campus employment should be reported immediately to the 

Department Head and the appropriate financial disclosure forms must be filed. 

Training & Safety Documentation 

Each graduate student working in research or teaching laboratories is responsible to provide evidence of the 

introductory laboratory safety training course to the Main Administrative Offices of the TAMU Department of 

Horticultural Sciences prior to beginning employment with the Department. For those students working in 

greenhouses or nurseries, a Texas Department of Agriculture Pesticide Handler’s Card is required before beginning 

work in the greenhouse or nursery. Training for pesticide handler’s certification is offered in the Department on a 

regular basis and students should consult with the office staff to determine the next available training date. Graduate 

students are periodically required by TAMUS, COALS, the Department, or their graduate advisors to obtain 

additional safety and employment related training. Documentation of all such training should be provided to 

appropriate personnel in the Main Administrative Offices of the Department. 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE 

Wherein possible, all students should be encouraged to obtain a minimum of one semester's teaching experience as a 

teaching assistant in an undergraduate laboratory section during their tenure at Texas A&M University. All graduate 

students are eligible, beginning the semester after successful completion of the Center For Teaching Excellence 

Graduate Teaching Academy Fellow program (gta.tamu.edu), for a $25 per month increase if they have successfully 

completed the GAT Fellow program and are employed on an assistantship. This increase will be provided from the 

same source of funds used to fund their assistantship during a given semester. It is the student’s responsibility to 

provide documentation to payroll in the Department of Horticultural Sciences of their new status. 

NONRESIDENT TUITION EXEMPTIONS 

The following conditions allow a non-resident of the State of Texas to obtain a non-resident tuition waiver as a 

result of House Bill (HB) 1147. Current information on this topic can be found in the appendix of the most current 

catalog in “Rules and Regulations for Determining Residence Status” which can be obtained through OGS. 

Competitive Scholarships 

A scholarship is one, which is designated as competitive by the institution, whose sum either singularly or in 

combination with other competitive scholarships totals the amount of $1000, that is publicized and open to all 

students including Texas residents; and which has been selected by the institution to be a basis for the waiver of 

nonresident tuition charges. 

Faculty and Dependents 

Teachers, professors, and research associates who are employed at least one-half time on a regular monthly basis by 

a Texas institution of higher education are entitled to register themselves, their spouse, and their children in a Texas 

institution of higher education by paying the tuition and fees required of Texas residents. This is subject to change 

by the Texas state legislature.


Assistantships and Fellowships 

Teaching assistants, research assistants, and graduate assistants non-teaching who are employed at least one-half 

time at a Texas institution of higher education and whose job duties are related to teaching or research in an 

academic program associated with their field of study are entitled to register themselves, their spouse and their 

children in the employing Texas institution of higher education by paying the tuition and fees required of Texas 

residents subject to change by the state legislature. 

Provisions for Improper Registration for Tuition Purposes 

HB 1147 requires that if a student falsely registers as a resident student when he or she is actually a nonresident, the 

student has 30 days from the date of notification by the University to pay the amount he or she should have paid as a 

nonresident. If the individual fails to make a timely payment as required by law, the individual is not entitled to 

receive a transcript or to receive credit for courses taken during the time the individual was falsely registered as a 

resident student. 

Nonresident Tuition Exemption Form 

Blank forms can be obtained from HFSB 204 and must be completed each semester. The form is completed by the 

student, signed by their employer, and then signed by the Associate Head for Graduate Programs or designated 

Departmental representative (currently Ms. Jennifer Jakubik). If the student is employed by the Department of 

Horticultural Sciences, the form is filed and processed in HFSB 202 before fees are to be paid. If a student is 

employed by another department, the form should be filed with the Office of Graduate Studies. Student is required 

to be registered


Blocks (such as registration blocks) placed on the student by the Department can only be removed by the 

Department Head or Associate Head Graduate Programs. Blocks placed by other units within TAMUS (Deans 

Office, OGS, Parking and Transit, Fiscal Office, etc.) can only be removed by that unit. 

ANNUAL GRADUATE STUDENT EVALUATION 

At the end of each academic year all graduate students adloced to the Department of Horticultural Sciences are 

required to complete in cooperation with their advisor (co-advisors) the Annual Graduate Student Evaluation form. 

The latest version of this form is available on the graduate section of the TAMU Department of Horticultural 

Sciences website. The purpose of this evaluation is to determine a student’s progress toward fulfilling their degree 

requirements, enhancing goal setting for the coming year, documenting the student’s accomplishments, and 

encouraging timely feedback between the student and advisor on the student’s professional development and career 

goals. 

GRADUATE RECORDS CONFIDENTIALITY 

The Graduate Records in the Department offices are confidential and as such you are not allowed access to your 

complete graduate folder without permission of the Department Head or Associate Head Graduate Programs, subject 

to TAMU System guidelines. If you would like to view any of the information in your folder, you may ask the 

Associate Head's Administrative Assistant, who will make you a copy of the appropriate materials when time 

permits. Confidential letters of reference, evaluations, etc. will not be copied if the prospective student has signed a 

waiver of the right to view those documents. 

FINAL COMMENT: 

Every attempt is made to meet the needs of individual students. You are encouraged to discuss your goals and 

objectives fully with your Graduate Advisor, Advisory Committee, Department Head, or Associate Head for 

Graduate Programs. Solicit the help of the Associate Head for Graduate Programs if the Department, College or 

University policies are unclear or if you feel a policy is in conflict with your objectives. Suggestions for changes, 

additions or deletions to all policies are welcomed. Your views and suggestions are taken seriously by the 

Department and have a real impact on formulating Departmental policies. Therefore, please speak up when you feel 

it is appropriate. Communication is the key to a successful graduate program. 

Table 1. Minimum Z and maximum Y registration requirements 

Each Fall and 

Spring Semester 

For Entire 10-Week SSI / 

Summer x SSII 

Student Status Min. Max. Min. Max. Max 

Assistantship (research/teach) 

1) State Funds 9 13 6 10 5/5 

2) Grants/Contracts 9 13 6 10 5/5 

Fellowship 9 16 6 14 7/7 

International Students 

1) Self Supported 9 16 1 14 7/7 

2) Government Support 9 16 1 14 7/7 

Self-supported 

1) On-Campus entire or portion 

of semester 

1 16 1 14 7/7 

2) In Absentia Registration 1 16 1 14 7/7


3) Off campus registration 1 16 1 14 7/7 

4) Full-time Employee W 0 4 0 4 4/4 

Thesis/Dissertation cleared by 

Thesis Clerk by 1st class day 

0 0 0 0 0 

Z All graduate students must maintain a minimum continuous enrollment of 1 credit hour each fall, spring 

and summer (all 10 weeks) semester(s) from the semester of first enrollment until the semester of 

graduation, unless 1) a Leave of Absence is granted, 2) a Minimum Registration Request is granted (for 

example, full-time employees), or 3) thesis or dissertation is cleared by Thesis Clerk before the start of the 

semester of graduation. 

Y Requests to exceed the maximum registration requires a petition approved by the Department and OGS. 

X Minimum summer enrollment requirements for students on assistantships and fellowships is 6 hours in any 

combination. 

W Full-time employees must fill-out a Minimum Registration Form if 0 credit hours registration is chosen. 

Table 2. 

Graduate faculty listed by area of specialization and (degrees that can be obtained under 

their direction). 

Floral Design and Event Planning (Horticulture) 

On-Campus 

William McKinley 

Jim Johnson (retired) 

Jayne Zajicek 

Off-Campus 

Food Science & Technology / Bioactive Compounds / Postharvest Physiology (Horticulture, Food Science) 

On-Campus 

Off-Campus 

Luis Cisneros-Zewallos 

Bhimu Patil 

Al Wagner 

Greenhouse / Floriculture Production and Marketing (Horticulture) 

On-Campus 

Off-Campus 

Charles Hall 

Brent Pemberton (Overton) 

Terri Starman 

Horticulture Information Technology (Horticulture) 

On-Campus 

Off-Campus 

Dan Lineberger 

International Horticulture (Horticulture) 

On-Campus 

Tim Davis 

Fred Davies 

Raul Cabrera 


Mengmeng Gu 

Bhimu Patil 

Nursery / Floriculture Economics (Horticulture) 

On-Campus 

Charles Hall 

Off-Campus 

Daniel Leskovar (Uvalde) 

Off-Campus 

Ornamental Horticulture / Landscape Plant Estabishment / Landscape Plant Development (Horticulture, 

MEPS, Plant Breeding) 

On-Campus 

Off-Campus 

Michael Arnold 

Raul Cabrera (Uvalde)


David Byrne 

David Reed 

Astrid Volder 

Douglas Welsh (retired) 

Plant Microorganisms / Pathology (Horticulture) 

On-Campus 

Elizabeth Pierson 

Steve George (Dallas) 

Genhua Niu (El Paso) 

Brent Pemberton (Overton) 

Off-Campus


Table 2. continued 

Plant Physiology(Horticulture, MEPS) 

On-Campus 

Gregory Cobb 

Fred Davies 

Hisashi Koiwa 


David Reed 

Patricia Klein 

Elizabeth Pierson 

Terri Starman 

Astrid Volder 

Off-Campus 

Raul Cabrera (Uvalde) 

John Jifon (Weslaco) 

Daniel Leskovar (Uvalde) 

Genhua Niu (El Paso) 

Kendal Hirschi (Baylor) 

Plant Breeding and Genetics (Horticulture, Plant Breeding) 

On-Campus 

Off-Campus 

David Byrne 

L.J. Grauke (USDA, College Station) 

Kevin Crosby 

Tommy Thompson (USDA,College Station) 

Patricia Klein 

Xinwang Wang (Dallas) 

Creighton Miller (retired) Eliezer Louzada (Weslaco) 

Richard Jones (adjunct) 

Sociohorticultue / People:Plant Interactions (Horticulture) 

On-Campus 

Off-Campus 

Jayne Zajicek 

Tina Waliczek Cade (adjunct) 

Sustainable Horticulture Production / Nursery Production (Horticulture) 

On-Campus 

Off-Campus 

Michael Arnold 

Raul Cabrera (Uvalde) 

Mengmeng Gu 

Vegetable Production (Horticulture) 

On-Campus 

Off-Campus 

Joe Masabni 

John Jifon (Weslaco) 

Richard Jones (adjunct) 

Don Henne (Weslaco) 

Creighton Miller (retired) Daniel Leskovar (Uvalde) 

Gene Lester (USDA, Weslaco) 

Shad D. Nelson (Kingsville) 

Viticulture / Enology (Horticulture) 

On-Campus 

Off-Campus 

Gregory Cobb 

Edward Hellman (Lubbock) 

George Ray McEachern (retired) 

DEGREES OFFERED THROUGH THE DEPT. OF HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES z 

M.Ag. M.S. Ph.D. 

Horticulture X X X 

Plant Breeding X X 

Molecular & Environmental Plant Sciences (MEPS) X X 

Genetics X X 

Food Science and Technology X X X 

z M.Ag=Master of Agriculture -Non-Thesis, Internship and internship summary paper required 

M.S. = Master of Science - Thesis required 

Ph.D. = Doctor of Philosophy - Dissertation required 

Degrees obtained under the direction of off-campus faculty, require a co-advisor on campus for the student’s 

benefit while they are on-campus completing coursework.


Table 3. Projected graduate course offerings by the Department of Horticultural Sciences. 

COURSE # AND TITLE 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 

HORT 

F Sp Su F Sp Su F Sp Su F Sp Su F Sp Su 

604 Applied Physiology of Horticultural Plants LL LL LL 

605 Internet Technology for Horticulture 

608 Plants for Landscape Design MA MA MA MA MA 

609 Plants for Landscape Design II MA MA MA MA MA 

610 Physiological & Molecular Basis for Plant 

Stress Response 

611 Ecology of Urban Landscapes AV AV 

618 Root Biology AV AV AV 

689 Science of Foods for Health BP BP 

626 International Floriculture Marketing TS & 

CH 

640 Phytochemicals in Fruits and Vegetables to 

Improve Health 

HK 

& 

LL 

HK 

& 

LL 

TS & 

CH 

BP BP BP 

630 Postharvest Biology LC LC 

681 Seminar AV AV AV AV AV 

689 Plant Associated Microorganisms EP EP EP 

ABBREVIATIONS: AV=Astrid Volder, BP = Bhimu Patil, CH = Charlie Hall, DL= Daniel Lineberger, EP = Betsy Pierson, HK = Hisashi Kiowa, LC= 

Luis Cisneros, LL = Leonardo Lombardini, MA= Michael Arnold, TS = Terri Starman , S=staff. 

Form 1. Example of the form used to request registration below the minimum. 

Minimum Registration Request 


All graduate students are required to maintain continuous enrollment during their graduate program. 

Fill out this form if you wish to register for hours below the required minimum of 1 credit each semester. Students 

on assistantships and fellowships cannot register below the minimum required. You may also use this form to 

request a leave of absence. Submit the completed form to the Associate Head for Graduate Programs prior to the 

first day of classes for each requested semester. 

Semester 

Credit Hour Request 

STUDENT INFORMATION 

NAME ___________________________________________ 

CLASSIFICATION _________________________________ 

MAJOR 

DEGREE SOUGHT 

LOCAL TELEPHONE ______________________________________ 

JUSTIFICATION


Student’s Signature 

Graduate Advisor’s Signature 

Approved: 

Associate Head for Graduate Program's Signature 

Date


Form 2. Example of professional paper approval page. 

TITLE OF PROFESSIONAL PAPER IN BOLD CAPS 

A PROFESSIONAL PAPER 

By 

(Insert name of student here) 

Approved as to style and content by: 

Dr. (Insert name), Department Head 

Dr. (insert name), Committee Chair 

Dr. (insert name), Committee Member or Co-chair 

Dr. (insert name), Committee Member


Form 3. Example of research proposal title page for thesis, dissertation, or record of study consult the OGS 

website for the latest version.


Form 4. Example title page for a thesis from OGS (see http://ogs.tamu.edu/current-students/thesisdissertation/).


Graduation Checklist (see http://graduation.tamu.edu) 

The following is a general list of items adapted from OGS recommendations (the Department does not imply that 

this is everything a student needs to do) that a student will need to complete in order to graduate. Students are 

expected to refer to the current Graduate Catalog (see OGS website) for issues related to your specific degree. 

1. Apply for graduation by the deadline published on the OGS website. 

2. Order your academic regalia by the published deadline. 

3. Familiarize yourself with the OGS deadline calendar and meet all deadlines. 

4. Run a degree audit on http://howdy.tamu.edu. Discuss any concerns with your advisor, the Associate 

Department Head for Graduate Programs, or OGS as appropriate. 

5. Finalize your degree plan. Submit any petitions needed to correct deficiencies. Confirm that any incomplete 

grades have been changed to letter grades or back to an incomplete. 

6. Schedule your final oral exam by the posted OGS deadlines. 

7. Advertise the location, time and date of your exit seminar within 1 and 2 weeks of the seminar and notify the 

Department of such as indicated in this policy manual. 

8. Submit your thesis or dissertation to the Thesis Office by the posted OGS deadlines. 

9. Obtain all necessary original signatures from your graduate committee and the Department and submit your 

thesis or dissertation revisions to the Thesis Office in time for them to clear before the posted deadlines. M. Ag. 

students should submit the paper copy of the original signed signature page for your internship paper and an 

electronic copy of the internship paper on CD to the Associate Head for Graduate Programs prior to the last 

Friday of regular classes. 

10. Clear your academic record. Confirm that all incomplete grades have been converted to the appropriate grades. 

11. Satisfy all financial obligations with Texas A&M University. 

12. If you plan to continue for another graduate degree at TAMU, submit a Letter of Intent to the OGS.


Byline 

This version of the Graduate Policy Manual for the Texas A&M University Department of Horticultural Sciences 

was revised and updated in October 2012 by Michael A. Arnold from the original versions written by David Wm. 

Reed and subsequently updated by Michael Arnold or David H. Byrne, with assistance from Carol Nesbitt. All 

materials in this departmental graduate policy manual are subordinate to policies set forth by the Texas A&M 

University System, Texas A&M University, the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 

and the TAMU Office of Graduate Studies as well as all local, state, and federal regulations. Programmatic 

issues at the Department level represent decisions reached by the TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences 

Graduate Faculty as a whole, while other policy issues are the results of guidelines from governing entities above the 

Department level or were determined by the Associate Head for Graduate Programs in consultation with the 

Department Head and College Administration. Please forward suggestions and corrections to this manual to the 

attention of the Associate Head for Graduate Programs, Texas A&M University, Department of Horticultural 

Sciences, College Station, TX 77843-2133.


Appendix 5.1. Horticultural Sciences Departmental Promotion and Tenure Policy 

DEPARTMENTAL PROMOTION AND TENURE POLICY 



(Revised and approved September 23, 2009; January 11, 2013) 

Sections 

page 

Introduction 1 

I. Definition of Faculty, Rights and Privileges 2 

II. Composition, Voting and Tenure on the Promotion and Tenure Committee 3 

III. Timing of Reviews 6 

IV. Mid-Term Review (3-Year Review for 7-Year Probationary Period) 8 

V. Promotion and Tenure Review 10 

VI. Post-Tenure Review 25 

Introduction 

The Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences is judged by the quality of its academic, 

extension and research programs and the total professional contributions of its faculty. For this reason, 

the Department of Horticultural Sciences seeks to hire and retain faculty members who develop 

distinguished teaching programs, at the graduate and undergraduate levels, develop distinguished research 

and/or extension programs, and share their time and professional expertise in service both within and 

outside of the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS). 

In order to increase the probability of retaining outstanding faculty, various guidelines and 

policies for promotion and tenure have been developed. The policies and procedures for promotion 

and/or tenure set forth in this document apply to both tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty within the 

Department of Horticultural Sciences on the Texas A&M University campus and at off-campus locations. 

These guidelines are intended to inform candidates concerning the expectations of the faculty of 

the Department of Horticultural Sciences and the procedures for promotion and tenure within this 

program. In all cases, the policies and procedures of Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and 

Life Sciences, Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension supersede those contained herein. 

Candidates are urged to familiarize themselves thoroughly with the policies and procedures of the 

appropriate system part(s) and to exercise due diligence in adhering to deadlines and expectations. The 

Rules for TAMU are set forth in University Rule 12.01.99.M2 - University Statement on Academic 

Freedom, Responsibility, Tenure, and Promotion. The Dean of Faculties Office publishes yearly 

guidelines and the process to follow for that year. 

I. Defintion of Faculty, Rights and Privileges 

Consistent with Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas 

AgriLife Research, and Texas AgriLife Extension policy, to be considered a faculty member of the 

Department of Horticultural Sciences, an individual must hold one of the following titles: 

Professor 


Assistant Professor 

Research Professor 

Research Associate Professor 

Research Assistant Professor 

Adjunct Professor 

Adjunct Associate Professor 

Adjunct Assistant Professor 

Visiting Professor 

Visiting Associate Professor


Visiting Assistant Professor 

Instructor 

Lecturer 

Senior Lecturer 

Distinguished Lecturer 

Assistant Lecturer 

Rights and Privileges of Faculty Members 

All faculty members should receive communications intended for “faculty” and are invited to 

participate in faculty meetings. To be a voting member of the faculty, individuals must be adloc’d to the 

Department of Horticultural Sciences (with a title of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, 

Instructor, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, or Distinguished Lecturer), and have Horticultural Sciences 

designated as their home department (as in the case of off-campus Texas AgriLife Research 

appointments), and have no modifiers in their professorial titles. Therefore, Adjunct, Visiting, and 

Research modifiers are non-voting faculty members. Issues which require a faculty vote typically include 

department-wide issues (e.g. hiring of a new faculty member or Head, changes in departmental policy). In 

addition, for agency (TAMU COALS, Texas AgriLife Research, Texas AgriLife Extension) specific 

issues, votes may be taken that are restricted to faculty that carry those agency appointments. 

II. Composition, Voting and Tenure on the Promotion and Tenure Committee 

The Promotion and Tenure Committee is composed of all full Professors in the Department of 

Horticultural Sciences, including Professors with TAMU, Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife 

Extension appointments, both on-campus and off-campus, but not including Professors with modifiers 

(Research, Visiting or Adjunct). There will be a minimum of 2 full Professors each from the following 

categories: 

A. On-campus, TAMU or joint Texas AgriLife Research-TAMU or joint Texas AgriLife 

Extension-TAMU appointments 

B. On-campus, Texas AgriLife Extension appointment 

C. Off-campus, Texas AgriLife Research appointment 

D Off-campus, Texas AgriLife Extension appointment 

If no or only one full Professor in any of these categories exists in the current Department of 

Horticultural Sciences and/or off-campus units, then the remaining slot(s) in the category(ies) will be 

filled by an Associate Professor(s) from the deficient category as recommended by the T&P Committee 

and appointed by the Department Head. 

Voting 

The whole committee will vote on matters related to promotion with the following exceptions. 

Associate Professors cannot participate in decisions regarding promotion to full Professor. 

When tenure considerations are made, all committee members may participate in discussion of 

the candidate's credentials and all members may register a vote. The vote will be reported separately for 

tenured committee members and non-tenured and/or non-tenure-track committee members. As per 

TAMU policy, only the vote of committee members already holding tenure will be reported as the formal 

tenure vote. 

The Chair of the P&T Committee will tally votes, communicate committee decisions to the 

department head, and communicate the department head's comments to the committee. 

Abstain, Absent and Recuse Votes 

The committee should attempt to minimize abstain and absent votes in order for the committee’s 

recommendation to carry maximum influence as the packets move forward through the process. Recuse 

votes should be used sparingly, and for valid reasons that compromise one’s decision. 

Tenure on Departmental Promotion and Tenure Committee


Appointment to the Departmental Promotion and Tenure Committee is permanent, but contingent 

on participation as follows: 

• If a committee member fails to participate and register a vote in tenure and promotion 

considerations for two consecutive academic years, then they will be removed from the 

committee. Abstain or absent votes do not constitute a participating vote. A recuse vote 

(given a valid reason) does constitute a participating vote. 

• Two years after removal, the faculty member will regain eligibility, and may be re-appointed 

to the committee by petition to the Head. 

III . Timing of Reviews 

Tenure and Promotion from Assistant to Associate Professor 

The general time line for reviews is as follows (exact dates will vary from year to year): March- 

May, candidate solicits input on dossier from senior faculty members; mid-June, candidate submits 

dossier and names of possible external peer reviewers to the Department Head; mid-August, dossier is 

assembled in preparation for going to the Department Promotion and Tenure Committee; early to mid- 

September, Department Promotion and Tenure Committee convenes and votes on cases; late September, 

Department Promotion and Tenure Committee report and Department Head letter is submitted to Dean’s 

or Director’s offices. Candidates are strongly encouraged to seek input from their mentoring committee 

and other senior faculty members regarding the timing for submitting their dossiers. 

Any individual hired in a tenure-track position will be required to submit materials for review 

during the academic year prior to the end of their probationary period. The exact timing of this depends 

upon the length of the probationary period (see the formula below or as superceded by TAMU system 

policy). The start of a tenure-track faculty member’s mandatory consideration year (academic year) can 

be calculated as follows: 

Calendar year hired + Probationary period – 2 years = Tenure Consideration Year 

For example, for a faculty member hired in 2009: 

If probationary period is: 

Mid-Term Review will occur 

between: 

Mandatory Tenure Review (at all 

levels) will occur: 

7 years Mar – Dec 2012 2014/15 

6 years 

5 years 

4 years 

Mar – Dec 2011 

(encouraged) 


(encouraged) 


(encouraged, but usually not done) 

2013/14 

2012/13 

2011/12 

3 years N/A 2010/11 

NOTES: 

(1) Semester of hire does not necessarily constitute “hire year.” 

(2) The probationary period will be found in the faculty member’s original letter of hire. 

(3) The Board of Regents will review recommendations in the spring semester of the tenure 

consideration year. 

(4) See the separate Guidelines for Annual and Midterm Reviews for more information about 

midterm review timing.


A faculty member must be informed of a negative tenure decision at least 1 year before the 

termination of employment (except in the case of financial exigency as defined by TAMU System 

policy). 

Promotion from Assistant to Associate Professor, with or without the granting of tenure, will take 

place prior to the beginning of the last probationary year (i.e. going up for tenure and/or promotion early) 

only in exceptional cases. Such an action recognizes the accomplishments of the faculty member in 

making unusually quick progress in the development of teaching, research or extension programs. 

Promotion from Associate Professor to Professor 

There is no set schedule for consideration of promotion from Associate Professor to Professor. 

The timing should be part of the discussion between the faculty member and the Head, Resident Director 

or Associate Head for Texas AgriLife Extension during the Annual Review. Twelve total years in rank 

(Assistant plus Associate) would be a typical time in rank to begin the discussion on timing of promotion 

to Professor; however, the exact timing is dependent on the progress and accomplishments of the faculty 

member. 

IV. Mid-Term Review 

(3-Year Review for 7-Year Probationary Period) 

http://dof.tamu.edu/admin/faculty/annual-midtermguidelines.pdf 

The Mid-Term Review often is referred to as “3 rd Year Review” because many tenure-track 

faculty are hired with a 7 year probationary period; therefore, the mid-term review would take place in the 

third year. Tenure-track faculty with a probationary period of 7 years are required (by University Rule 

12.01099.M2) to have a Mid-Term Review. Tenure-track faculty with a probationary period between 4 

and 6 years are encouraged to have a Mid-Term Review. Unless the appointment letter states otherwise, 

the probationary period in the department will be 7 years. See the previous table on Timing of Review for 

the when the Mid-Term Review is to be conducted. 

Purpose of Mid-Term Review 

The purpose of the Mid-Term Review is mentoring. The decisions and opinions of the Head, 

Resident Director, Associate Head, and Tenure and Promotion Committee are not terminal. The Mid- 

Term Review informs faculty members as to how they are progressing towards promotion and/or tenure, 

and in sufficient time in advance to allow the faculty member to correct deficiencies. The Annual Review 

by the Head, Resident Director or Associate Head for TCE allows annual mentoring. The Mid-Term 

Review gives candidates an indication as to how the Tenure and Promotion Committee views their 

progress towards promotion. Candidates are expected to confer with their mentoring committee in 

preparation for the mid-term review. 

Mandatory for all Faculty – TAMU, AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension 

Mid-Term Reviews are mandatory for TAMU faculty with seven year probationary periods. 

Since the main purpose of the Mid-Term Review is mentoring, departmental policy also requires Mid- 

Term Reviews for Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension faculty, both on-campus and 

off-campus. 

Mid-Term Review Process 

The Mid-Term Review should be similar to the tenure/promotion review process, including the 

submission of a dossier. However, no outside letters are sought; but internal letters of recommendation 

can be included. The Mid-Term Review packet is put together according to the Guidelines for Tenure 

and Promotion Packages for that year (http://dof.tamu.edu/admin/tp/tenure_guide.doc ) 

At the discretion of the Head, Resident Director or Associate Head for Texas AgriLife Extension, 

the Mid-Term Review can take the place of the Annual Review during the year of the Mid-Term Review. 

The Mid-Term review package goes only to the level of Dean of the College, or Directors of 

Texas AgriLife Research or Texas AgriLife Extension.


V. Promotion and Tenure Review 

(http://dof.tamu.edu/) 

Eligibility for Promotion and Tenure 

To be eligible for tenure consideration, an individual must hold the title of Instructor, Assistant 

Professor, Associate Professor, Professor or Distinguished Professor, and have a minimum salaried 

appointment of 33% on a 9-month basis (25% on a 12-month basis) with Texas A&M University 

(TAMU). Persons with majority appointments with the Texas AgriLife Research, Texas AgriLife 

Extension, or with joint appointments with less than 33% funding on a 9-month basis, or 25% on a 12- 

month basis through TAMU are eligible for professorial rank, but are not eligible for tenure 

consideration. Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, Visiting, Adjunct, and Research Professors of any rank, 

graduate students serving as teaching assistants, post-doctoral fellows, technicians or Research Scientists 

are not eligible for tenure consideration and are evaluated annually for reappointment by the department 

head or his/her designate. 

New faculty members who have only recently earned terminal degrees or have only postdoctoral 

training, are accorded a probationary period not to exceed 7 years during which they must demonstrate 

competence for promotion, and if the position is on the tenure-track, for the awarding of tenure. The 

duration of this probationary period must be clearly stated in the initial letter of offer and is governed by 

the policies of Texas A&M University. Persons with prior appropriate full time service at other 

institutions of higher education may be accorded lesser probationary terms. Under certain circumstances, 

advanced professorial rank and tenure or advanced professional rank and tenure probation may be 

awarded during the process of hiring. Typically, hiring of faculty at advanced professorial rank or 

granting of tenure upon hiring only will be considered if the individual currently possesses that rank 

and/or tenure at another institution of higher education, and in all cases, the Department of Horticultural 

Sciences Promotion and Tenure Committee will vote on this action. 

Assistant Professors in the tenure-track will not be recommended for promotion without also 

being recommended for tenure. Associate Professors in tenure-track positions, hired without tenure, may 

have a maximum of 7 years to qualify for tenure as agreed upon at the time of hiring. The awarding of 

tenure to an Associate Professor is not always accompanied by promotion to Professor. 

Promotion of tenured faculty from Associate Professor to Professor will be based on the 

documentation of distinguished achievement in teaching, research and extension/professional/public 

service activities. Consideration may be given to promotion of an individual whenever criteria as set 

forth in the following section are met. 

There are four ways in which candidates to be considered for promotion and/or tenure may be 

identified: 

1. As mandated by the probationary period. 

2. By recommendation of the Department Head or Resident Director; 

3. By the Department of Horticultural Sciences Promotion and Tenure Committee; 

4. By the request of the individual faculty member; 

Except with the mandatory probationary period, the candidate is ultimately the person who makes 

the decision as to when consideration for promotion will occur. This decision should be made after 

strongly considering the advice from their mentoring committee, other senior faculty members and the 

Department Head. 

Criteria for Promotion and the Awarding of Tenure 

General Policy 

The criteria for promotion and for the awarding of tenure (if on the tenure-track) in the 

Department of Horticultural Sciences are identical, that is, tenure or promotion is recommended only if 

the candidate clearly meets the criteria for promotion not only among others in the Program, but also in 

comparison with scientists throughout the System and those at peer institutions with horticulture 

programs.


Assistant Professor 

The rank of Assistant Professor usually pertains to an initial appointment, rather than a 

promotion. 

Qualifications for appointment to this rank include receipt of the terminal degree in the discipline, 

high potential for future teaching, research or extension programming ability, which is based on 

evaluation of service as a teaching assistant and/or instructor, the candidate's dissertation or other written 

evidence of original research, prior involvement in extension programming activities, or prior service as 

an Assistant Professor at another institution. 

An Assistant Professor with a teaching appointment will have responsibility for teaching 

undergraduate and/or graduate courses and for assisting in course and curriculum development, may 

supervise the efforts of undergraduate and graduate student assistants, assist student organizations within 

the Department, College or University, and, as a member of the graduate faculty, advise graduate students 

and serve on graduate student committees. The Assistant Professor may also assume major responsibility 

for supervising graduate students who are completing theses or dissertations, and may serve as a member 

of College and/or University committees. The Assistant Professor with a joint research or extension 

appointment will also have a responsibility to develop a productive research or extension program, to seek 

external support for such programs and publish the results of these efforts, to advise students on curricular 

and career choices, engage in public service activities and serve on faculty committees. The Assistant 

Professor will develop scholarly maturity as evidenced by professional achievement, such as publication 

of research results in refereed journals, and by creative and effective teaching or extension activities. 

Mentoring Committee: A Mentoring Committee will be assigned by the Department Head to 

all new Assistant Professors within one year of employment. The Mentoring Committee normally will 

consist of two to four senior faculty (Associate Professor or Professor) who have experience relevant to 

the new Assistant Professor. Once the Mentoring Committee is assigned, it is the responsibility of the 

new faculty member to communicate with them on a regular basis regarding professional development 

activities and progress towards promotion. One member of the Mentoring Committee will assume the 

role of primary contact. The Assistant Professor is encouraged to solicit an annual review of their 

progress from the mentoring committee. 


Appointment or promotion to the rank of Associate Professor requires evidence of superior ability 

as a teacher, researcher and/or extension professional. The demonstration of a substantive research or 

extension program, excellence in classroom instruction, and publications that reflect one's original 

contributions are required for advancement to this grade. Other professional and scientific activities, as 

well as involvement in departmental improvement programs, are positive factors. 

The Associate Professor with a teaching appointment will be responsible for teaching 

undergraduate and/or graduate courses, and for assisting in course and curriculum development. The 

Associate Professor must have demonstrated skill in teaching undergraduate and/or graduate courses, 

must have received favorable evaluations from students and departmental administrators, and must have 

demonstrated a sincere interest in working with students. If assigned research responsibilities, he/she 

should manifest a high degree of scholarly maturity by conducting research programs of a high caliber in 

a disciplinary or commodity specialty, by seeking external support for such research, and by publishing 

the results of these efforts. If assigned extension responsibilities, the individual should have organized an 

effective extension program to include publications, media development, programs, workshops, and 

collaborative efforts with county extension professionals, and other means considered appropriate to a 

comprehensive program. The Associate Professor with teaching and/or research appointments will 

assume major responsibility for supervising graduate students who are completing theses or dissertations, 

and may serve as a member of college, university, or agency committees. He/she might have other 

responsibilities, as assigned by the Department Head. He/she may also be responsible for serving as a 

resource person for appropriate commodity groups, and for undertaking leadership roles in appropriate 

professional organizations at the state, regional, or national level. 

Professor


Appointment or promotion to the rank of full Professor requires evidence of superior and 

sustained performance as a teacher, researcher and/or extension professional. Some individuals are better 

teachers than others, just as some are better researchers than others. The combination of these principal 

academic functions, at a level of superiority and as appropriate to the appointment, is required of a full 

Professor. The Professor must have achieved national/international recognition for scientific 

accomplishment or creative activity. In addition, significant contributions are expected by way of faculty 

governance and visible participation in national academic and scientific affairs. 

The Professor should be recognized as a highly competent professional in his/her discipline, 

should also have a record of success in assigned teaching, research or extension responsibilities and 

should continually strive for professional improvement. 

Measures that weigh heavily in evaluation for promotion to this rank include quality of teaching; 

quality of theses and/or dissertations prepared under the candidate's active supervision; chairing/cochairing 

Ph.D. student committees for those with on-campus research and teaching appointments; the 

candidate's own research productivity, quality of extension programming, grantsmanship, participation in 

departmental, college, Texas AgriLife Research, Texas AgriLife Extension, and university affairs, and 

leadership in the affairs of relevant professional and scientific organizations, and where appropriate, 

commodity organizations. 

The Professor is responsible for providing leadership in developing the educational and/or 

research program(s) in his/her area of expertise and for attracting high-quality students. He/she assumes 

major responsibility for discharging successfully the tasks assigned to department, college, agency, and/or 

university committees. The Professor exhibits the highest caliber of instructional, extension 

programming, and/or scholarly skills, and is uniquely responsible for, and capable of, providing 

leadership for the overall good of the Texas A&M University System. As a seasoned and mature 

professional, the Professor contributes significantly to regional and national organizations. Likewise, the 

Professor is responsible for using his/her skills and reputation to advance the horticulture professions, and 

to seek ways in which the discipline can assist in improving the quality of life. 

Criteria for Evaluation 

All faculty are expected to develop distinguished teaching, research and/or extension programs, 

consistent with the expectations of their position descriptions and annual plans of work, and to serve their 

profession and TAMUS by participating on committees and in administrative functions as needed. 

Teaching, research and extension performance will be evaluated with respect to the proportion of 

budgeted time assigned to each activity. However, the major emphasis for evaluation will be on the 

quality and balance of effort in the individual's overall academic and professional programs. The criteria 

for evaluation are (in no particular order of importance): 

1. Criteria for the Teaching Function 

a. Superior teaching performance in the classroom based on student evaluation, etc. 

b. Development of innovative and effective instructional approaches, materials, books, 

manuals, and techniques 

c. Development of new academic programs 

d. Incorporation of activities and instructional materials that enhance students’ exposure to 

diversity and international awareness and/or increase the students’ involvement in 

interdisciplinary courses and curricula. 

e. Chairship/co-chairship of graduate advisory committees and direction of graduate 

programs, particularly Ph.D. students for those faculty with the rank Associate 

Professor or Professor 

f. Publication in educational journals 

g. Recipient of awards for teaching from the university and/or professional organizations 

h. Effective student advising 

i. Effective student recruitment 

2. Criteria for the Research Function 

a. Evidence of independent research in a well-planned and developed program and/or a 

key role in strong multi-disciplinary research


b. Demonstration of significant contributions to interdisciplinary research collaborations 

involving faculty with different departments in the College of Agriculture and Life 

Sciences, faculty in other colleges at Texas A&M University, or colleagues from other 

institutions. International and interdisciplinary collaborations which result in 

publication of scholarly works are encouraged. 

c. Publication of research in scholarly and professional refereed journals 

d. Publication of research in forms that are targeted for user groups 

e. Recipient of awards for excellence in research 

f. Significant research funding from external sources 

g. Presentation of invited papers at regional, national, or international professional and 

scientific meetings 

h. Maintenance of effective relationships with research user groups 

i. Evidence that research has contributed to the advancement of knowledge or has 

produced a tangible benefit to society, e.g., improved crop variety 

j. Chairship/co-chairship of graduate advisory committees and direction of graduate 



3. Criteria for the Extension Function 

a. Evidence of leadership in extension programming, as judged by substantial impact on 

clientele served 

b. Quantity and quality of extension materials including bulletins, pamphlets, fact sheets, 

electronic or multimedia presentations, videos, computer programs, newsletters, web 

pages and other educational works prepared by the individual 

c. Quantity and quality of extension educational efforts in mass media 

d. Quantity and quality of educational activities in service to individuals, county 

programs, and commodity groups 

e. Participation in research, independently or in cooperation with others, and the 

subsequent publication of results in refereed journals and/or industry and trade journals 

f. Demonstrate ability to obtain grant support from external sources 

g. Presentation of invited papers at regional, national, or international industry, 

professional and/or scientific meetings 

h. Maintenance of effective relationships with commodity groups 

i. Receipt of awards, commendations, or other recognition indicative of excellence in 

scholarly or service activity 

j. Evidence of effectively communicating research findings of TAMUS research 

personnel, or evidence of effective communication or cooperation with TAMUS or 

researchers from other institutions or entities. 

4. Criteria for the Public Service Function 

a. Service to the College, University, and System through committee assignments and 

leadership roles 

b. Service to professional and scientific societies 

c. Maintenance of strong working relationships with counterparts in the Department 

d. Service to state, regional, and national levels of government 

e. Service to students, student organizations, etc. 

f. Presentation of technical information to commodity groups 

5. Contributions to a Safe Workplace 

Faculty must demonstrate an awareness of and their support for making the 

departmental environment a safe workplace for themselves, their employees, their students 

and the University community. Criteria to be assessed in this regard include completion of 

all mandated safety and risk management trainings, integration of safety instruction and 

accountability into classroom and laboratory instruction, on-the-job training of all 

employees and graduate students in appropriate safety measures to be taken in their research,


teaching, and extension programs, and correction of variances under their control noted in 

University safety inspections. No faculty member will receive an unqualified satisfactory 

performance evaluation who is deemed by the Department Head to be out of compliance 

with University training and safety guidelines. 

International activities related to teaching, research and service toward the broadest mission of the 

TAMUS will be recognized as a contribution toward faculty professional development. 

In addition, where appropriate, consulting is considered a recognition of unique abilities and 

programmatic excellence, and will be evaluated in the tenure and promotion processes. Consulting, when 

done in accordance with university/agency policy, improves academic competence and can bring 

recognition to the individual, Department and University. 

Tenure and Promotion Responsibilities 

Individual Responsibilities 

Each faculty member has the responsibility to be aware of the criteria for tenure and promotion 

within the Department, College, University and System and to meet or exceed these criteria. Faculty 

members should insure that their annual achievement reports and plans of work are current and complete. 

The faculty member being evaluated for tenure or promotion or both is responsible for 

accumulating the information for review as outlined by TAMU policy, and to ensure its accuracy and 

completeness. The faculty member is also responsible for timely submission of required documents to 

the appropriate administrative supervisor when requested. 

Faculty members should also be prepared to provide a list of three to six peers (who are not their 

major Professor or former students) external to the University who can provide an evaluation of their 

merit for promotion and tenure. A similar list of industry leaders or clientele can also be submitted. The 

faculty member may submit a “do-not-contact” list, and letters from individuals on the “do-not-contact” 

list cannot be submitted to the Tenure and Promotion Committee. When called upon for evaluations, each 

referee will be provided with an up-to-date achievement report of the candidate. The department head or 

resident director will provide additional names and will select the group to be contacted. The group to be 

contacted will consist of approximately one third to half of the peers suggested by the faculty member and 

the remainder to be selected independently by the department head or resident director. 

Department of Horticultural Sciences Responsibilities 

All faculty will be reviewed yearly, based on their annual achievement reports, by the Department 

Head, Associate Department Head for Extension/Program Leader, and/or Resident Director, as 

appropriate. Assistant Professors will be comprehensively reviewed in their mid-term review with the 

timing depending upon their probationary period. Associate Professors and Assistant Professors will be 

evaluated by the Department Head, Resident Director and/or Associate Department Head for 

Extension/Program Leader and informed annually about their progress toward promotion and/or tenure. 

The role of the Promotion and Tenure Committee is advisory only. The Department Head (for TAMU or 

TAMU/Texas AgriLife Research), the Department Head in consultation with the Associate Department 

Head for Extension/Program Leader (for Texas AgriLife Extension) or the Resident Director in 

consultation with the Department Head (for off-campus Texas AgriLife Research) makes the 

recommendation for the Department of Horticultural Sciences. The faculty member has the right to seek 

counseling from the Promotion and Tenure Committee, as well as from the Department Head, Associate 

Department Head for Extension/Program Leader, Resident Director or Mentoring Committee, as 

appropriate. 

Promotion & Tenure Review and Evaluation Process 

Department of Horticultural Sciences Level Review 

The dossier of candidates recommended for promotion and/or tenure will be reviewed by the 

Promotion and Tenure Committee, which will then vote on the recommendation. Only tenured committee 

members may vote on tenure decisions. The Department Head, the Department Head in consultation with 

the Associate Department Head for Extension/Program Leader or the Resident Director in consultation 

with the Department Head, as appropriate, will prepare his or her own recommendation, but must include


the vote of the Promotion and Tenure Committee in the recommendation and letter to the Dean or 

Director. After the vote and final decision is made, the Department Head (or Resident Director, in the 

case of off-campus Texas AgriLife Research personnel, or Associate Department Head/Program Leader 

in the case of Texas AgriLife Extension personnel) shall inform the candidate of the decision. The 

recommendation is then forwarded to the Vice Chancellor for Agriculture (who is the Dean, COALS and 

Director, Texas AgriLife Research) or the Director of Texas AgriLife Extension as appropriate. 

College, University, and System Level Review 

Reviews by promotion and tenure committees and/or administrators at the College, University, 

and System levels follow according to their current respective policies. Efforts will be made by the Unit 

Head to keep the candidate notified of the recommendations made at each step in the process in a timely 

manner. Only the Board of Regents can grant tenure. Promotion and tenure approved by the Board of 

Regents typically becomes effective the following September 1. 

Non Reappointment 

Since the probationary period consists of a series of one-year contracts, a decision not to 

reappoint an individual who is on probation can be made any time up to the year of the mandatory review. 

Non-reappointment should be considered if performance is unsatisfactory to the point that it is clearly 

unlikely the person will qualify for tenure, as neither party benefits from prolonging an unsatisfactory 

situation. Such a decision is made, of course, with great care and only in compelling circumstances. 

Please note that notification of non-renewal may be made in spite of a prior decision to extend the 

probationary period. However, once notification of non-renewal is made, no probationary period 

extension may be requested. 

Candidate’s Right to Withdraw 

At any point in the process, a candidate may elect to withdraw his or her name from further 

consideration. This must be a written request. In the case of mandatory tenure considerations, this will 

mean submitting a written resignation. 

Right of Appeal 

All appeals and grievances will follow the procedure as outlined (http://dof.tamu.edu/) in the 

Statement on Academic Freedom, Responsibilities, Tenure, and Promotion Policy cited in the Faculty 

Handbook. 

VI. Post-Tenure Review 

(http://www.tamut.edu/administrative/12.06.99.pdf) 

Post-tenure review at Texas A&M University applies to tenured faculty members and is 

comprised of annual review of performance (University Rule 12.06.99.M1) and, in case of unsatisfactory 

performance as delineated in this policy, the construction of, and subsequent review of, performance in a 

professional development plan. 

As specified in University Rule 12.06.99.M1, annual reviews of performance are to be conducted 

for all faculty; must result in a written document of expectations for each faculty member, commensurate 

with his or her rank and seniority; and provide that evaluations of performance in scholarship, teaching, 

service, and other assigned responsibilities be made in writing. In order for annual review to be an 

integral part of post-tenure review, it will have these additional characteristics: 

1. In each department, stated criteria for categories of performance to be assessed in the annual review 

will be established by departmental faculty and approved by the department head and dean. The 

categories established will range from a level deemed most meritorious to one deemed unsatisfactory 

by departmental standards.


2. An annual review finding unsatisfactory performance shall state the basis for finding unsatisfactory 

performance in accordance with the criteria. 

3. A report to the dean of unsatisfactory performance as assessed by annual review will be accompanied 

by a written plan for near-term improvement 

Criteria for Categories of Performance to be Assessed in Annual Review 

1. Criteria for the Teaching Function 

a. Superior teaching performance in the classroom based on student evaluation, etc. 

b. Development of innovative and effective instructional approaches, materials, books, 

manuals, and techniques; development of new academic programs 

c. Chairship/co-chairship of graduate advisory committees and direction of graduate 



d. Publication in educational journals 

e. Recipient of awards for teaching from the university and/or professional organizations 

f. Effective student advising; effective student recruitment 

2. Criteria for the Research Function 

a. Evidence of independent research in a well-planned and developed program and/or a 

key role in strong multi-disciplinary research 

b. Publication of research in scholarly and professional refereed journals; publication of 

research in forms that are targeted for user groups 

c. Recipient of awards for excellence in research 

d. Significant research funding from external sources 

e. Presentation of invited papers at professional and scientific meetings 

f. Chairship/co-chairship of graduate advisory committees and direction of graduate 



3. Criteria for the Extension Function 

a. Evidence of leadership in extension programming, as judged by substantial impact on 

clientele served and or relationship within commodity groups. 

b. Development of extension materials including bulletins, pamphlets, fact sheets, 

electronic or multimedia presentations, videos, websites, computer programs, 

newsletters, mass media and other educational works prepared by the individual 

c. Development of educational activities in service to individuals, county programs, and 

commodity groups 

d. Participation in research, independently or in cooperation with others, and the 

subsequent publication of results in refereed journals and/or industry and trade journals; 

evidence of effectively communicating research findings of TAMUS research 

personnel, or evidence of effective communication or cooperation with TAMUS or 

researchers from other institutions or entities 

e. Demonstrate ability to obtain grant support from external sources 

f. Presentation of invited papers at industry, professional and/or scientific meetings 

g. Receipt of awards, commendations, or other recognition indicative of excellence in 

scholarly or service activity 

4. Criteria for the Public Service Function 

a. Service to the College, University, and System through committee assignments and 

leadership roles 

b. Service to professional and scientific societies 

c. Maintenance of strong working relationships with counterparts in the Department 

d. Service to state, regional, and national levels of government 

e. Service to students, student organizations, etc.


Mandatory Periodic Review of Tenured Faculty 

In accordance with University Rule 12.06.99.M1, Post-Tenure Review, prior to the sixth 

anniversary of the date of the awarding of tenure and once every six years thereafter, or in the year 

following a second successive unsatisfactory annual performance review, each tenured faculty member 

will submit to the departmental Promotion and Tenure Committee (exclusive of the individual(s) being 

reviewed) the same documentation submitted to the department head for the annual review for that year. 

The Committee will review the faculty member’s scholarly productivity, in accordance with the criteria 

for categories of performance to be assessed in the annual review defined in this document, make a 

determination of its merit, and report this determination as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory to the 

department head. The Committee will consider the faculty member’s position description when making 

the determination of merit. 

Three Consecutive Unsatisfactory Reviews 

If a faculty member receives three consecutive unsatisfactory reviews, a professional review is 

initiated. See the university guidelines for the professional review, hearings, appeals and grievances 

(http://tamus.edu/offices/policy/policies/pdf/32-01-01.pdf); University Rules at http://rulessaps.tamu.edu/; 

and "Faculty Grievance Procedures Not Concerning Questions of Tenure, Dismissal, or 

Constitutional Rights at http://rules-saps.tamu.edu/PDFs/12.01.99.M4.pdf)


HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENTAL STRATEGIC PLAN 

UPDATED, April 15, 2008 

VISION: We will be widely recognized for excellence in all of our programs and as the best university 

horticulture department in the United States. 

MISSION: The Department of Horticultural Sciences exists to improve the quality of life through 

teaching, research, and extension programs related to the aesthetic disciplines of horticulture and the 

production of high quality, healthful fruits and vegetables. This is accomplished by: 1) providing 

educational opportunities for students in the pursuit of careers in horticulture and related fields; 2) 

developing and delivering research-based knowledge upon which efficient and profitable horticultural 

crop production can be built; 3) improving the competitive position of the Texas horticulture industry; 4) 

increasing the quality, variety, and availability of horticultural products; 5) developing and delivering 

research-based knowledge related to how horticulture improves our environment and serves as a source 

of personal enrichment 

GOAL 1: Attract and retain students with high potential who represent diverse backgrounds and 

experiences 

OBJECTIVE: Increase the total number of undergraduate majors in the Department to 200 by early 

2010, with at least 30% of the majors being enrolled in the new BA degree program 

BENCHMARK: There are approximately 140 undergraduate majors in the Department as of spring 

semester 2007. 

STRATEGY 1: Implement the newly approved Bachelor of Arts degree program 

TIMELINE 1: by late 2007: develop recruiting materials including department CD and distribute via 

podcasting aimed at student recruitment 

STRATEGY 2: Hold annual undergraduate planning retreat to address recruitment and other issues 

related to our undergraduate program. Follow-up retreat to be held one year later 

TIMELINE 2: First retreat in summer 2008; Follow-up retreat in summer 2009 

STRATEGY 3: Add two new undergraduate courses to support BA degree and to broaden our course 

offerings 

TIMELINE 3: Add urban plant ecology course by 2008; add science of foods for health course by 2010 

GOAL 2: Sustain healthy ecosystems and conserve our natural resources 

OBJECTIVE: Improve documentation of research efforts and their impact (Objective also relates to 

Research Imperatives of "Improving Public Health and Well-Being" and "Conduct Discovery and 

Translational Research...") 

BENCHMARK: Department has averaged a total of 35-40 refereed publications per year over the past 5 

years and has not produced impact statements for individual faculty projects. 

STRATEGY 1: Improve documentation of research through publication of refereed journal 

articles. 

TIMELINE 1: Maintain an average total number of refereed publications per year of 45 for FY 08 and 

FY 09 

STRATEGY 2: Require that all faculty members submit an annual impact statement as part of their 

annual review. 

TIMELINE 2: Impact statements arranged into a departmental report by April 15 of each year 

GOAL 3: Enhance Natural Resource Conservation and Management


OBJECTIVE: Provide improved mentoring and professional development opportunities for county 

horticulturists to improve program delivery to clientele 

BENCHMARK: Primary interaction with county horticulturists is when problems arise-- a more 

proactive professional development approach is needed. The number of "Agents Only" page downloads 

from Aggie Horticulture was 6,932 in FY 06. 

STRATEGY 1: Associate Department Head for Extension will increase personal interaction with county 

horticulturists 

TIMELINE 1: Semi-annual contact with each county horticulturist will be made by Associate 

Head via phone or site visits. 

STRATEGY 2: Increase involvement and leadership of county horticulturists in annual Extension 

professional development and planning conference held by Department. 

TIMELINE 2: At least two county horticulturists to play a prominent role in planning and 

implementation of professional development and planning conference to be held May- June each year 

STRATEGY 3: Enhance "Agents Only" section of Aggie Horticulture Web site 

TIMELINE 3: Annual number of page downloads to increase by 10% each year from 2008 through 2010 


experiences 

OBJECTIVE: Increase number of graduate students in the Department to 50 by fall 2010 BENCHMARK: 

For spring semester 2007, the current number of graduate students in the 

Department is about 40 (including those in interdisciplinary programs) 

STRATEGY 1: Consolidate current non-thesis graduate degree programs into a single, new Masters 

of Horticulture degree program 

TIMELINE 1: early 2008--begin faculty discussion at faculty meeting; new degree program approved by 

2011 

STRATEGY 2: Enhance graduate student recruiting efforts 

TIMELINE 2: By Summer 2008--develop web-based recruiting materials for prospective graduate 

students 

STRATEGY 3: Add three new graduate courses to current course offerings 

TIMELINE 3: By 2008--add a graduate-level course in urban ecology; By 2009--add one course taught 

by Floriculture Chair related to horticultural marketing; By 2010--add a course in root biology 

GOAL 5: Increase fiscal resources for teaching, research, and extension programs. 

BENCHMARK: External grant and contract funding averaged about $1.75 million for the period of FY 

02 through FY 05 and the Department has never had a formal development plan. 

KEYWORDS: funding, development 

STRATEGY 1: Increase efforts to obtain external funding through grants and contracts 

TIMELINE 1: Maintain a 5-year rolling annual average of $2.6 million in external grants and contracts 

obtained by departmental faculty (rolling average is needed to buffer unusually high or low years) 

STRATEGY 2: Improve organization and coordination of fund-raising efforts within the Department 

TIMELINE 2: by mid 2008--create a development plan for the Department with specific goals and 

objectives; 2008 and beyond--implement plan 

STRATEGY 3: Develop strategies for increasing funding for green industry research and education 

TIMELINE 3: by late 2007--complete statewide ornamentals research plan with strategies for


improving funding 

STRATEGY 4: Continue to pursue funding opportunities related to viticulture 

TIMELINE 4: Maintain funding for Pierce's Disease and SB 1370 projects 

GOAL 6: Improve Department-level collaboration and teamwork 

BENCHMARK: No specific effort has been focused at improving collaboration and teamwork between 

departmental faculty members; fragmentation of programs is a weakness 

STRATEGY 1: Increase interaction between on- and off-campus research faculty via meetings (retreats, 

statewide faculty meetings, meetings with TAMU-K faculty) and joint grant proposals 

TIMELINE 1: 2008--hold research planning retreat for on- and off-campus research faculty at an offcampus 

Center; 2009-- submit at least 5 grant proposals jointly authored by on- and off-campus faculty; 

2007-2010--have at last three statewide faculty meetings per year 

STRATEGY 2: Improve connectivity between Department and VFIC via improved interactions at both 

the administrative (Department Head and VFIC Director) and faculty levels 

TIMELINE 2: 2007-2010--Quarterly meetings to be held between Department Head and VFIC Director 

to discuss specific ways to improve connectivity; hold at least one special event per year aimed at 

fostering faculty interaction and continue special theme luncheons 

STRATEGY 3: Foster interaction between food crop and ornamentals faculty by providing a financial 

incentive in the form of a special mini-grant to be used as seed money to address a problem of common 

interest 

TIMELINE 3: 2008-2010: Allocate at least $2,000 per year from indirect cost returns to the unit for 

joint efforts between food crop and ornamentals faculty 

GOAL 7: Improve departmental communication and marketing efforts 

BENCHMARK: Other than a bi-monthly newsletter (current distribution is to 200 persons), no specific 

effort has been made to improve communication and marketing. For FY06, the number of page 

downloads and unique hosts for Aggie Horticulture were 56 and 5.7 million, respectively. 

STRATEGY 1: Continue producing a bi-monthly electronic newsletter for department stakeholders and 

increase circulation 

TIMELINE 1: 2007-2010--bi-monthly newsletter distributed via e-mail announcement; expand mailing 

list by 10% by 2010 

STRATEGY 2: Enhance Aggie Horticulture web site as a vehicle to better tell our story 

TIMELINE 2: 2007-2010: increase number of page downloads and unique hosts by 10% per year 

(contingent upon how the new content management system is implemented) 

STRATEGY 3: Produce CD which highlights Departmental programs 

TIMELINE 3: mid-2008--finish CD production; late 2008--distribute CD via Department newsletter and 

podcasting 

STRATEGY 4: Increase materials for podcasting 

TIMELINE 4: 2008 & 2009--develop at least 10 new podcasts per year OVERSIGHT 4: D. 

GOAL 8: Enhance Natural Resource Conservation and Management OBJECTIVE: 

Increase efforts to support sustainable horticultural systems 

BENCHMARK: We presently have an Earth Kind stewardship program but increased efforts are 

needed for implementation. Earth Kind electronic newsletter circulation was about 500 in November 

2006.


STRATEGY 1: Enhance efforts related to the Earth Kind environmental stewardship program 

TIMELINE 1: 2007-2009: hold special Earth Kind session at annual Extension horticulture professional 

development and program planning conference held by Department 

STRATEGY 2: Develop professional training modules for greenhouse workers with emphasis on 

sustainable production practices and safety 

TIMELINE 2: early 2008--complete training modules 

STRATEGY 3: Ensure timely communication of Earth Kind principles and practices 

TIMELINE 3: 2007: produce monthly Earth Kind electronic newsletter (12 issues per year); 2008 

and beyond: produce Earth Kind blog 

NEW STRATEGIC GOALS BEGINNING IN 2008 


experiences 

OBJECTIVE: Explore new opportunities for recruiting undergraduate majors and for increasing 

weighted student credit hours taught by our Departmental faculty--Increase the total number of 

undergraduate majors in the Department to 200 by early 2010 and increase the number of weighted 

student credit hours taught per year to 28,000 by 2011. 

BENCHMARK: In spring 2008, we have about 165 undergraduate majors and in FY 07 we taught a 

total of 25,585 WSCH 

STRATEGY 1: Explore the possibility of offering a “sustainable residential landscapes” course that 

could satisfy the University Core Curriculum for visual/performing arts. 

TIMELINE 1: Summer, 2008—discuss at undergraduate retreat; Fall, 2008--further discussion at a 

faculty meeting; 2009--if course seems feasible, identify instructor(s) and develop course syllabus 

STRATEGY 2: Explore the possibility of strengthening our faculty and teaching efforts related to the 

landscape services sector. 

TIMELINE 2: Summer, 2008—discuss at undergraduate retreat; Fall, 2008—further discussion at a 

faculty meeting; 2009—develop specific strategies for strengthening the curriculum and enhancing 

faculty capacity in this area 

STRATEGY 3: Explore possibility of developing an area of emphasis related to 

viticulture/enology 

TIMELINE 3: Spring/Summer, 2008—hold discussions with relevant faculty and with representatives 

from the Department of Nutrition and Food Science; Summer, 2008— discuss at undergraduate retreat; 

2009—if area of emphasis seems feasible, identify faculty participants and draft requirements; also 

explore possibility of a “wines and international culture” course for the Humanities Core Curriculum 

GOAL 10: Conduct discovery and translational research in the biological/physical/ social and 

behavior sciences 

OBJECTIVE: Improve plant biotechnology/molecular biology research capacity within the 

Department 

BENCHMARK: For FY 07, our faculty had 12 refereed journal articles and generated about 

$288,000 in external grants and contracts related to the general area of plant 

biotechnology/molecular biology. We have little or no ongoing effort in bioenergy. 

STRATEGY 1: Hire at least one new faculty member in the area of plant 

biotechnology/molecular biology 

TIMELINE 1: early 2009—Identify funding sources for position, including salary and start-up; 2010—


develop position description and begin recruiting 

STRATEGY 2: Support Dallas Center in hiring a new faculty member in plant 

biotechnology 

TIMELINE 2: Mid 2008—Have at least two departmental faculty members participate in search 

process; Mid 2009—Make hire 

STRATEGY 3: Investigate opportunities for involvement in bioenergy-related research 

TIMELINE 3: By mid 2009—one or more faculty members participate in a bio-energy related meeting; 

2010—submit at least one grant proposal related to bioenergy research 

GOAL 11: Conduct discovery and translational research in the biological/physical/ social and 

behavior sciences 

OBJECTIVE: Maintain strength in translational, industry-oriented production research efforts within the 

Department 

BENCHMARK: For FY 07, our faculty had 19 refereed journal articles (0 in viticulture) and generated 

about $196,000 ($95,000 related to viticulture) in external grants and contracts related to translational, 

industry-oriented production research. We do not presently have a single, unified approach for dealing 

with this type of work and disseminating the results/recommendations. 

STRATEGY 1: Evaluate opportunities for increasing research efforts in viticulture. 

TIMELINE 1: By late 2009—develop a list of specific research priorities in this area; 2010—determine 

if more research FTE are needed in viticulture; 2011—generate 

$150,000 in external support, publish at least 3 refereed journal articles and 4 trade- oriented articles 

related to viticulture 

STRATEGY 2: Develop a long-term plan to have a single, unified brand/marketing strategy for 

recommended plant selections related to the green industry. 

TIMELINE 2: mid 2008—appoint a faculty committee to make recommendations regarding a 

single, unified brand/marketing strategy; early 2009—formulate strategy; 2010 and beyond— 

implement strategy 

STRATEGY 3: Explore the possibility of creating a faculty position related to 

sustainable/organic small farm niche market production 

TIMELINE 3: 2008-2009—explore options for funding the position (e.g. exceptional item, re-direction 

of existing position); 2010—if position is feasible, begin recruiting

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