ASHS Newsletter Vol. 25, No. 4 In this issue: Reid to Speak on Applying Molecular Tools to Horticultural Crops ............1 Announcing: Expanded HortTalks ...........................2 Reflections .........................3 2009 ASHS Outstanding Undergraduate Horticulture Students .........6 2009 ASHS Collegiate Scholars .............................9 Welcome New ASHS Undergraduate Student Members ..........................11 Grants/Scholarships .........11 Notes from the Archivist ...........................12 ASHS Top 10 Lists for March ..............................13 Announcements ...............14 Degree Awarded ..............15 New Certified Professional Horticulturist ...................15 People in the News ..........15 Reported Deaths ..............15 International Opportunities for Horticulturists ............18 HortOpportunities ...........21 Horticultural Science Calendar ..........................23 Dedicated to advancing horticultural research, education, and application for over 100 years April 2009 B.Y. Morrison Memorial Lecture Series Reid to Speak on Applying Molecular Tools to Horticultural Crops The Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA’sprincipal in-house scientific agency, and ASHS are pleased to announce that Michael S. Reid, Professor of Envi- ronmental Horticulture at the University of California, Davis, has been named the 2009 B.Y. Morrison Memorial Lecturer. The Lecture will be presented during the ASHS Annual Conference July 24-28 in St. Louis. Reid plans to speak about “Fulfilling the Promise: Applying Molecular Tools to Horticultural Crops.” According to Reid, “Molecular strategies provide powerful tools for breeding novel horticultural crops by readily incorporating important phenotypes that improve quality and production traits into existing elite cul- tivars. Although the ‘FlavrSavr’tomato was the fi rst commercial crop to be developed using these new tools, biotechnology has primarily been applied to large-scale ag- ronomic crops. Recent discoveries in plant biology are already driving the laboratory testing of new strategies for modifying the architecture, flowering, longevity, and pest and disease resistance of horticultural plants. Fulfi lling the promise of biotechnol- ogy requires a concerted effort to remove the fi nancial, regulatory, and intellectual property roadblocks to releasing these plants for commercial production.” Reid is a leading expert in the further understanding of the fundamental basis of fl ower and leaf senescence, with a view toward extending the postharvest life of ornamental plants. His work covers a spec- Michael S. Reid University of California, Davis trum from the biochemistry of senescence to application in the fi eld of new methods of postharvest technology (handling and marketing of environmental plants). Among his major accomplishments are the identifi cation of the cause of posthar- vest leaf blackening in cut flower proteas and the development of strategies for using G. robustus as a tolerant rootstock for grafting ornamental grevilleas. To- gether, proteas and ornamental gravilleas represent a multimillion dollar industry in the United States. As the Postharvest Cooperative Extension Specialist assigned to work with ornamentals, he has served the ornamentals industry throughout California, providing information on techniques for improving the postharvest life of ornamental crops. He continually evaluates new techniques for improving the life of cut fl owers, and maintains a Continued on p. 17 American Society for Horticultural Science • 113 South West St. • Suite 200 • Alexandria, Va. 22314 USA phone 703.836.4606 • fax 703.836.2024 • ashs.org • ashs@ashs.org ASHS Newsletter, Vol. 25(4), April 2009 1
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