Departmental Newsletter, Summer 2004
- NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD
- by Julia Kornegay
- It is rather quiet in Kilgore Hall these days with most of our
students away for the summer. Spring graduation
for the Horticultural Science Department was a festive and happy
occasion. About 200 family and friends joined us at the Ruby McSwain
Center for the May 15th Diploma Presentation Ceremony. Andy Bell
and Todd Lasseigne successfully completed their Ph.D. degrees; Amy
Williams and Melissa Brown (in absentia) finished their M.S. degrees;
and 20 undergraduate students (see below) received B.S. degrees.
Congratulations to all!! Horticultural Science graduates are a lucky
group. Not only are they able to find good jobs (many go on to start
their own businesses), but they can look forward to a lifetime of
enjoyment of working with plants and an enhanced appreciation for
the natural environment.
- B.S. degrees were awarded to: Bree Ann Allison,
Kristen Nicole Cook, Jason Bryan Galloway, Michael Elliott Jones,
Wendy Marie Kanable, Seth Aaron Levkoff, Ben Paul Maley, Amy Elizabeth
McBryde, Judith Virginia Morgan-Davis, Jennifer Michele Pate, Cara
Lee Rose, Nicholas Peter Sagan, Daniel Lee Shires, Sean Michael
Simmons, Ashley Jean Smith, Christopher Alan Smith, Jack Carlton
Templeton II, Robert Nicholas Waddell, David Garett West, and Jennifer
Lane Yarbrough.
- You would also be hard pressed to find many faculty in Kilgore
Hall these days. Those who have commodity-based research and extension
programs are conducting field trials on research stations and farms
across the state. Summer is also the time when many of our faculty
attend annual meetings of professional societies and associations.
I recently returned from six days in Dallas where I attended the
annual conference of the American Association of Botanical Gardens
and Arboreta. For the last two years, I have served as secretary
of the AABGA Board of Trustees and on the Executive Committee. A
number of our faculty will be giving talks at the American Society
of Horticultural Science annual meeting in July. I will be participating
on a panel to discuss the status of regional horticultural programs
at US universities. We have several examples of successful regional
programs in our department.
- Bryce Lane and Stu Warren are both on six-month
sabbatical leave. It began in Italy with the summer international
field trip for 12 horticulture students to visit botanical gardens,
arboreta, and private estates in Italy. What a great opportunity
this is for our students to see and experience horticulture in other
parts of the world!
- We have a number of horticulture field days and
other events across the state this summer:
- Strawberry Field Day, Clayton (May 5)
- Landscape Field Day, JC Arboretum and Horticulture Field Lab
(May 19)
- Nursery Short Course, JC Raulston Arboretum (June 15-16)
- Cucumber field trial visit, Clinton (June 24)
- Specialty Crops, Kinston (July 13)
- Landscape Color Field Day at the Arboretum (July 21)
- Apple and Specialty Crops, Fletcher (July 22)
- Fresh Market Tomato Field Day, Fletcher (August 5)
- Ornamentals Twilight Field Day, Horticulture Field Lab (September
17)
- Sweetpotato Field Day (October)
- Amy Williams won the departmental logo contest
with a logo featuring a brick shape and flowery letters.
- Amidst all these events, many of our faculty and staff will take
a few days of vacation with families and friends. I'm looking forward
to a week at the beach! Best wishes to all for a safe and relaxing
summer vacation.
 DEPARTMENTAL
HIGHLIGHT
- by Todd Wehner
- The tomato breeding program run by Randy
Gardner helps growers sustain and increase production and
profitability through improved cultivars. Consumers benefit from
improvements in fruit quality and diversity in types of fresh-market
tomatoes. Disease resistance genes incorporated into cultivated
types from wild germplasm will benefit tomato production and cultivar
development worldwide. For tomato breeding, see: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/programs/tomato/;
for Randy Gardner, see:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/staff/rgardner/
- INTERESTING WEB SITES
 FERTCALC
- Fertilizer Mixing Calculator by Brian A. Krug, Brian
E. Whipker, and Mary Peet. FERTCALC, a Microsoft Excel–based
program (launched summer 2003) is a companion to PGRCALC. It was
designed to assist growers in calculating fertilizer mixtures with
precision and ease. See:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/floriculture/software/FERTCALC.htm- Plant breeding is a web site maintained by Todd
Wehner for information on the interdepartmental plant breeding program
at NC State. It has been revised and given a newer appearance recently
with help from Chris Glenn. See:
http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/breeding/
- ALUMNI NEWS
- Sergio Carballo (MS, 1993) returned to NCSU for
a short visit April 5. Sergio got his degree under the direction
of Sylvia Blankenship, with Doug Sanders providing assistance. He
was amazed at the changes, with new greenhouses, Centennial Campus,
the additional 100,000 people in Raleigh, and other things. Sergio
is employed at INIA in Montevideo, Uruguay as a postharvest researcher
and owns a fresh cut salad company that services the Montevideo
area. He was in the US to attend the First World Congress on Organic
Food at Michigan State University, where he gave a presentation
on Organic Food Safety Issues and Attitudes in Latin America. While
at NCSU, Sergio visited with Doug Sanders and Dennis Osborne about
their food safety education program and possible cooperation, and
talked with Sylvia Blankenship, CALS and Maria Correa, Vet Med,
about postharvest and food safety interests and possible cooperation
between NCSU and INIA. He was able to visit old professors like
Mason Pharr and Jim Ballington. Sergio is one of 4 INIA researchers
to get a MS from our department.
- FACULTY NEWS
- by David Monks
- Nancy Creamer received a Kellogg grant for improved
hog production in North Carolina.
- Dick Bir is now emeritus faculty member; his
position will be advertised at the assistant professor level.
- Wayne Buhler was promoted to Associate Professor
with tenure.
- Will Hooker's HS 400 studio completed a sculpture
titled, "Seussian Dew Drops" that was the stage decoration
for the Park Class of 2004 symposium on creativity, put on March
25th in Stewart Theater. The sculpture then moved to the front of
Kilgore Hall for a couple of weeks, and now resides at the JCR Arboretum,
where it will be on display for the next month. Also, Will Hooker
is building "The Trail of Zephyros", an ephemeral bamboo
sculpture at the NC Museum of Art (in the field behind the old youth
prison) that serves as a path leading to the new exhibit, "The
Cloud Chamber." The sculpture was started for this year's SE
Ecological Restoration Annual Conference held at the NC Museum of
Art on March 25-27. It consists of 160 bamboo poles that flow sinuously
both horizontally and vertically, to emulate the movement of the
wind through a reconstructed Piedmont Prairie.
- Will Hooker's TV course, "Introduction to
Permaculture", shown on the CRC education channel this past
spring, proved to be so popular that it will be shown again this
summer on M, T, W and Th nights from 10:00 - 11:30 on cable channel
18. Also, Will Hooker is an ex-officio member of the Dorothea Dix
Hospital Property Study Commission to obtain a master plan for the
remaining Dix property, after which some of the land will be sold
or preserved as Raleigh's version of Central Park.
 Julia
Kornegay was a guest lecturer (see photo) in Doug
Sanders' postharvest physiology class in spring semester
on the topic of the business of importing flowers.- Mary Peet traveled to the Guangzhou Agricultural
Institute in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China (formerly known
as Canton) to present a series of lectures on organic production
techniques in the greenhouse and field. Guangzhou is in the southeastern
part of China, near Hong Kong and has a tropical climate (no frost).
This is a very industrialized part of China, and the beginning of
the rainy season, but Chinese hospitality is legendary, and scientists
are very interested in sustainable and organic techniques.
- In June, Mary Peet traveled to Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, to deliver the keynote paper in Plant Physiology at an
ISHS Symposium on ‘Greenhouses, Environmental Controls and
In-house Mechanization for Crop Productions in the Tropics and Sub-Tropics’
held in the Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia.
- In July, Todd Wehner will travel to Poland to
give a presentation on chilling resistance in cucumber, and tour
the Research Institute of Vegetable Crops in Skierniewicz. Following
that, he will attend the EUCARPIA cucurbit conference in Olomouc,
Czech Republic to present two papers.
- Bryce Lane and Stu Warren are on study leave
June 1 to December 1.
- Faculty Awards
- Stu Warren received the Alumni Distinguished
Undergraduate professor to honor his teaching work at NC State.
- Dennis Werner was awarded the Outstanding
Teacher for 2003-2004 at NCSU. As a result of being identified
by students, alumni and colleagues as an excellent teacher,
he has become a member of the Academy of Outstanding Teachers.
- Bob Lyons received the Faculty and Student
Organization Resource Development award in the college of agriculture
and life sciences.
- Paul Nelson received the H Marc Cathey Award
from the American Horticultural Society at their awards banquet
in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes research achievements
in U.S. research institutions and Land Grant universities that
solve fundamental horticultural problems in gardening and landscape
restoration.
- STAFF NEWS
- by Barb Amos
- We say goodbye to Anne Calta who went with her
partner, Patrick Pitzer, to Appalachian State. Anne has a position
at a regional garden center there.
- UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
- by Bryce Lane
- Graduation was May 15 at the JC Raulston Arboretum.
There were 2 PhD, 2 MS, and 19 BS degrees awarded.
- GRADUATE PROGRAMS
- by John Dole
- Graduate student news
- In the spring semester, we have 22 MS, 19
PhD, and 6 MHS students in Horticultural Science.
- The Graduate students will be taking an outing to a Durham
Bulls game on July 21 courtesy of Georgina Werner.
Any graduate students interested in attending should let Rachel
know..
- Beth Larrea received a $10,000 grant from
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, Southern
Region for: optimizing substrates, composts and fertilizer additions
for organic transplant production.
- Graduate students finishing
- Melissa Pline, Andy Bell, and Todd Lasseigne
received their degrees this spring.
- Graduate student awards
- Pi Alpha Xi was chosen as the winner of the
College's Faculty and Student Organization Resource Development
Award, sponsored by the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation.
This award is in recognition of our fundraising and support
of the college. I will be attending a luncheon on April 14th
at the University Club to receive a plaque and $500.00 will
be deposited into our account. How exciting! Special thanks
to Dr. Frank Blazich for the nomination, this year's president
Peter Conden, and Denise McKinney for providing the necessary
information to the award committee.
- NC Beautiful has named James S. Owen as a
2004 recipient of The Governor and Mrs. Dan K. Moore Fellowship
To Keep North Carolina Clean & Beautiful, equally funded
by NC Beautiful and North Carolina State University. He is one
of only 19 recipients designated since 1995. Congratulations
Jim!
- Richard Olsen won the 2003 Phenomenal Teaching
Assistant award. Carrie Judge won the 2003
Outstanding Teaching Assistant award.
- Brian Krug was awarded the Harold F. Wilkins
International Foreign Study scholarship. He was the only person
selected for program, and will spend 3 months this fall in The
Netherlands conducting initial PhD research on plug production.
- GRADUATE STUDENT FEATURE
- by Richard Olsen
- The annual changing of the guard has occurred in the graduate
student organizations, resulting in a mix of the new and old faces
in leadership positions for the 2004-2005 academic year. New officers
in the Horticultural Science Graduate Student Association
are: Jessica Gaus, President; Leslie Titchner, VP/Social Chair (complain
to her if you don’t like the doughnut selections!); Trevor
Chlanda, Secretary / Treasurer; Michelle McGinnis, GSA Representative;
and Monica Santa Maria, International Student Representative.
- In the horticultural science honors fraternity, Pi Alpha
Xi, the new officers are: Richard Olsen, President; Beth
Larrea and Ryan Contreras, Vice Presidents; Aliya Donnell, Secretary;
Roland Leatherwood, Treasurer (good experience for learning how
to manage a $70,000 budget!); and Melisa Crane and Daniel Jon, Marshals
(it takes two people to keep us fed!). As you can see, the burden
of leadership is spread among our many capable graduate students,
with all chipping in at some point in their careers to make the
graduate experience here a memorable one. Good luck to the new administrations!
- NEWS FROM AROUND NORTH CAROLINA
- Horticultural Crops Research Station (Castle Hayne)
- by Susan Rooks
- The highbush blueberry season was a little
late but fruit ripened fast in the late spring heat. We are
currently harvesting rabbiteye blueberries
and will finish harvesting them early this year. Growers are
having a good year, almost as good as last year, which was a
record.
- We had a visitor from Chile, Enrique Acevedo,
the Production Manager of Vital Berry Marketing, the largest
exporter from Chile. He was very impressed with our breeding
lines; we are considering them for cultivar release.
 JC
Raulston Arboretum (Raleigh)
- by Bob Lyons
- The extensive Perennial Border at the JC
Raulston Arboretum is the recent recipient of an Award of Merit
for Landscape Design from the Perennial Plant Association of
America. This prestigious award is given to noteworthy examples
of perennial plant use after a panel of judges reviews the design
attributes that are based on design logic, visual impressions,
plant list, bloom succession, and other features which contribute
to the overall value and merits of the perennial garden. The
perennial border was totally renovated and replanted in fall
of 1999 following a new design by Edith Eddleman and Doug Ruhren.
As usual, the renovation was accomplished with the great help
of JCRA staff, volunteers, students, and the industry.....we
are all grateful and invite you to witness the evolution of
the Border throughout 2004!
- LCPTRS-Cunningham Research Station (Kinston)
- by Bill Jester
- There will be a specialty crops field day
on July 13 to show off the research at Kinston on crops such
as Sprite melons and raspberries.
 Mountain
Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center (Fletcher)
- by Tom Ranney
- Activities in Fletcher are in full summer swing. Levels of
productivity, accomplishment, and morale are at an all time
high! The mountain stewartia (Stewartia ovata var. grandiflora)
is in full bloom (see photo).
- Small Fruit Program (Morganton)
- by Andy Allen
- Andy Allen, Extension Associate in Viticulture,
will be leaving the department in mid-June for a new position
as Viticulture Advisor at S.W. Missouri State University. He's
excited about the new position, the opportunity to work with
a team of viticulture researchers, and being closer to home
and extended family. We are appreciative of the extension program
Andy developed for NC grape growers and we wish him well in
his new position.
- Vernon James Research and Extension Center (Plymouth)
- by Mark Clough
- In March, Mark Clough and Craig Yencho began
planting potato trials and finished up in early April. This
year we have eleven variety trials planted; three are with growers,
one is at the Cunningham station and the remaining seven are
here at the Tidewater Station. In addition to this we put in
a trial focusing on spacing at the Cunningham Station, and nine
other trials with breeding materials at Tide Water.
- In May Julia Kornegay, Tom Monaco, Jonathan Schultheis, Craig
Yencho, and Mark Clough attended the NC Potato Association
Meeting and Potato tour in Elizabeth City. Mark Clough
and Craig Yencho had a small demonstration plot on the tour
to present some up and coming varieties. Also in May Mark Clough
set up a poster at the Potato Festival in Elizabeth City to
show off the potato breeding program to the public.
- WISH LIST
- by Julia Kornegay
- Because of on-going budget restrictions, the horticulture department
can no longer purchase all the items needed by our programs. We
hope that our alumni and collaborators will review this list and
help us obtain these items.
- For Kilgore Hall
- stove and extraction hood
- digital camera (5-8 Mpixels)
- For the greenhouses
- two golf carts with back utility beds
- wireless network hubs (802.11b or g)
- For the graduate student office
- double-sided printer
- poster printer (HP 1055CM)
- flatbed scanner
- six replacement computers (Win, Mac)
- computer desks and chairs (8 - 10)
 HORTICULTURE
FACILITIES
- by David Monks
- The USTL greenhouses are in full use, and the courtyard
separating Kilgore from the USTL greenhouses is nearly finished.
 Here
are current (May and June 2004) views of the courtyard.
- DEPARTMENTAL NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE
- Editor: Todd Wehner
- Assistant: Rachel McLaughlin
- Send items for the newsletter to Todd Wehner (todd_wehner@ncsu.edu)
|
