Journal of Horticultural Science and Research

Dr. Arthur Ragauskas held the first Fulbright Chair in Alternative Energy and is a Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Academy of Wood Science and TAPPI. In 2014, he assumed a Governor’s Chair for Biorefining based in University of Tennessee’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, with a complementary appointment in the UT Institute of Agriculture’s Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries and serves in the US Energy and Environmental Sciences Directorate, Biosciences Division, at ORNL. His research program is directed at understanding and exploiting innovative sustainable bioresources. This multifaceted program is targeted to develop new and improved applications for nature’s premiere renewable biopolymers for biofuels, biopower, and bio-based materials and chemicals. His research program has been sponsored by NSF, USDA, DOE, GA Traditional Industry Program, a consortium of industry partners, and several fellowship programs. His Fulbright sponsored activities at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden were focused on the forest biorefinery and new biofuel conversion technologies for lignocellulosics. Currently, Dr. Ragauskas manages a research group of graduate students, postdoctoral research fellows, a research scientist, and visiting scientists. He is the recipient of the 2014 TAPPI Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award and the ACS Affordable Green Chemistry award and his students have won several awards, including the ACS graduate research award.

Dr. C B Rajashekar is a Professor in Department of Horticulture at Kansas State University, USA. Currently, he is involved in studying effects of light characteristics and elevated carbon dioxide levels on secondary metabolism and the accumulation of phytochemicals in food crops. Dr. Rajashekar obtained his Ph.D from Colorado State University studying membrane role in plant injury to low temperatures. He worked as a Research Associate at University of Minnesota before joining as an Associate Professor in Department of Horticulture, Kansas State University where he is actively involved in teaching and research. He and his team work on understanding the mechanism of plant survival against various abiotic stresses including extremes of temperature and water deficits. In recent years, their research focus has been to explore the role of environmental factors in secondary metabolism, especially in the accumulation of health-promoting phytochemicals in horticulture food crops.

Dr. Margherita Beruto is the Director of the Regional Institute for Floriculture, Sanremo(IM), Italy. In 1981, she obtained her B.Sc. degree in Biological Science, with honors, at University of Genoa, Italy. In 1984 she has been enrolled in the National Biologists register. In 1997, she obtained the degree of Doctor (Ph.D.) in Applied Biological Sciences: Cell and Gene Biotechnology at the University of Gent, Belgium, where she defended, with greatest distinction, the thesis titled ”Agar and gel characteristics with special reference to micropropagation systems of Ranunculus asiaticus L.”. In 1999, she obtained the title of Research Doctor granted in compliance with the law of the Italian Universities. In 2013 she achieved the title of part-time Professor at the Henan University of Science and Technology- Luoyang Key Laboratory of Peony Biology- China. Her research is focusing on some members of Ranunculaceae family used for ornamental purpose (ranunculus, hellebore, peony...) for which micro-propagation protocols were studied by using axillary bud stimulation and somatic embryogenesis processes. Histochemical and biochemical studies related to the tuberous roots of ranunculus obtained under in vivo and in vitro conditions and research on in vivo and in vitro storage of propagated plant material have been pursued as well in order to obtain an efficient nursery production for this species. She obtained the grants of Community Plant Variety Right for one cultivar of ranunculus and five cultivars of hellebore derived from the breeding and propagation activities carried out to select the best performant genotypes suitable for Mediterranean conditions.

Dr. Jianyong Li is a Professor, Department of Biochemistry,Virginia Tech United States of America. Dr. Jianyong Li (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1990) is a protein biochemist and has extensive experience in protein-related research (protein expression and purification, analysis protein modification by mass spectrometry, and determination of protein structure-function relationships by crystallography). His research fields included tryptophan metabolism and melanization pathway in mammals and insects, and aromatic amino acid metabolism in insects and plants.

Dr. Stanislaw Gawronski is a Professor of Plant Science, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Warsaw, Poland. He earned his BS, MS and PhD from Warsaw University of Life Sciences. He worked as a postdoc and then as a visiting professor at the University of Idaho, USA. He worked as a senior scientist at Nagoya University, Japan. In the last years his research is focused on phytoremediation of heavy metals, organic contaminants and particulate matter in urban environment. Dr. Gawronski actively participated in development and dissemination of phytoremediation in Europe, represented Poland in 2 COST Actions dedicated to phytoremediation and 1 to urban forest. He is Member of the International Phytotechnology Society from the beginning (one of the creator) being for four years a member of Board of Directors of IPS. In 2000 he won the Award for Achievements in Science by the president of Poland. In 2015, he was awarded with highest international distinction for the excellence in the field of Phytotechnologie- the Milton Gordon Award. Dr. Gawronski elaborated phytoremediation as a subject, which is taught since 15 years on few Faculties at Warsaw University of Life Sciences and at the Warsaw Technical University.

Ligita Balezentiene is a Professor in Institute of Ecology and Environment at the Aleksandras Stulginskis University, Lithuania. Currently, she is involved in studying effects of fluorescence characteristics and evaluated photosynthesis effectivity levels in both natural and agroecosystems of different farming types. Dr. L. Balezentiene obtained her PhD from University of Lithuanian Agriculture studying agro climatic and agro technology role in forming seed potential ofLoliummultiflorum. Dr. L. Balezentiene is actively involved in teaching and research in Aleksandras Stulginskis University. She researches the allelochemical communication mechanism of invasive plant. Additionally, the impacts of various abiotic, edaphic and farming on C inventories are investigated in agroecosystems of different farming types. In recent years, the research focus has been to explore the role of environmental factors in fluorescence, especially in the efficiency in situ to characterize photo activity of chlorophyll, electron transport in photo system II (PS II) and validate the efficiency of photosynthetic energy conversation in different environment.

Prof. Zdravko Spiric is scientific adviser in technical and interdisciplinary sciences (chemical engineering and public health). He is licenced manager for Technological projects with long experience in EHSQ in petroleum industry. He is scientific director of OIKON and professor at Medicine Faculty in Rijeka. Prof. Spiric obtained PhD and Master of Technical Sciences, scientific field Chemical Engineering from University of Zagreb. He has extensive experience in the implementation/ coordination of scientific projects in Croatia and is registered in the EU database as an expert/evaluator/ reviewer FP5/6/7/H2020–since 2002. His research interests include R&D, Technology and Innovations, environment & health, industrial and medical ecology, biomonitoring, energy, transport, sustainable development, education, science to support R&D, policy and entrepreneurship / business.

Dr. Esmaeil “Essie” Fallahi is a professor and research Director of Pomology and Viticulture Program at the University of Idaho, USA. Prof. Dr. Fallahi is currently the Vice–Chair of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) Irrigation and Water Relations, Vice Chairman of the ISHS Physiology Division (the largest Division within the International Society for Horticultural Science), Convener of Irrigation and Nutrition Symposium of the 2018 Horticultural World Congress, and former Vice-President of the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS). Prof. Fallahi is a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science (the most prestigious award in horticultural science) and has received numerous other professional awards. Dr. Fallahi has been the recipient Governor’s Award of Excellence in Agriculture in Innovation and Discovery. Dr. Fallahi has received the Outstanding International Horticulturists Award from the ASHS. He served as the President of American Pomological Society (APS) in 2004-2005, and has chaired numerous committees at the ASHS, APS, and ISHS. He has authored over 220 refereed journal articles, books, book chapters, and popular articles during some 42 years in various aspects of pomology and vinicultural research, particularly growth regulators, peach and nectarine physiology/gemplasm, rootstocks, mineral nutrition physiology and water relations. He served as an editor for 7 scientific fruit journals published in the USA and other countries. Dr. Fallahi has been invited to speak in numerous conferences around the globe about his research activities in many aspects of fruit tree physiology, high density systems, irrigation, peach and apple selections and postharvest physiology.

Dr. Andrey A Zamyatnin is the Head of the laboratory of molecular biology and biochemistry and Institute of Molecular Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia. Dr. Zamyatnin graduated from the Department of Virology, Biological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia in 1998. He received his PhD from Department of Virology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia in 2001. He then completed Postdoc from Department of Plant Biology and Forest Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden. Dr. Zamyatnin started working as an Assistant Professor in Department of Plant Biology and Forest Genetics at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden from 2006. He is a Senior researcher in Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia. Dr. Zamyatnin is the Vice Head for Innovative Development of the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia. He is also the Head of the laboratory of molecular biology and biochemistry, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.

Dr. Shulu Zhang is a Senior Research Scientist in Agdia Incorporated., USA. He did his doctoral study on rice tungro viruses with Professor Roger Hull at John Innes Institute, Norwich, United Kingdom, and obtained his PhD through University of East Anglia in Norwich in 1994. Since then, he has been working on all sorts of plant pathogens in Canada and in the United States. This includes his postdoctoral studies with Dr. Theodor Diener at USDA/ARS in Beltsville, Maryland and with Professor Terry Bricker at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge. He was also a Research Assistant Professor leading a group working on geranium bacterial blight at University of Toledo, Ohio. Shulu's interest is mainly in plant pathology and biology. He has over 30-years research experience with plants and plant-associated microbes, and has been a member of the American Phytopathological Society since 1996. Shulu has published over 37 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and served as reviewers of several academic journals.

Dr. Yinghui Dan is a faculty member and senior scientist at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. She has been an Adjunct Professor in the Departments of 1) Horticulture and 2)Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University since 2003. As principal investigator, she leads projects in plant genetic engineering, molecular biology, high throughput micropropagation, functional genomics, mutation breeding and in vitro oxidative stress. Dr. Dan completed her Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy at South West University in China, her Master’s degree in Genetics and Plant Breeding at Paris XI University in France and her Ph.D. degree in Botany and Plant Pathology at Michigan State University in the United States in 1994. Dr. Dan has more than 15 years of professional experience in developing plant transformation technology, including 5 years as a senior scientist and post-doctoral scientist at Monsanto Company and 2.5 years as a project director for Syngenta Biotechnology Inc. funded project. She is an author, co-author and editor on 52 scientific journal articles, book and book chapters, and conference publications. Dr. Yinghui Dan’s research interests plant genetic engineering, molecular biology, high throughput micropropagation, functional genomics, mutation breeding and in vitro oxidative stress.

Dr. Chunxian Chen is a Research Horticulturist, leading a USDA stone fruit breeding, genetics, and genomics program. Dr. Chen completed M.S. in Horticulture from Huazhong Agricultural University, China and Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Genetics from Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Beijing, China. He worked as a Associate Research Scientist at CREC, University of Florida, USA and Adjunct Faculty in Florida Southern College, Department of Biology, USA. Dr. Chen’s research interests include genotyping and genome comparison of parents to optimize breeding efficiency, linkage and association analysis of populations to dissect interested horticultural traits, utilization of genomics and bioinformatics tools to develop molecular markers in functional genesfor marker-assisted selection, and ultimately, manipulation of conventional hybridization and genomics-assisted approaches to provide novel and improved stone fruit cultivars for the industry.

Dr. Shahla Mahdavi is a Pomologist/Horticulturist. She received her ph.D in Horticulture-Physiology and Breeding in joint research between University of Idaho and University of Tehran. She was honored with Second Place, in the 2016 American Pomological Society (APS) UP Hedrick Student Award competition, Plant Growth Regulation Society of America (PGRSA) Travel Award, etc. She has registered patents on vertical mobile planting system consistent with the pattern of sun solar radiation, use of Cinnamomum camphora extract (CC Factor) on cut flowers vase life enhancement, in Preservation solution. Dr. Mahdavi's research interests includes in fruit production and root stock physiology, specialty/alternative crops, impact of environmental interactions on crop quality, precision agriculture, etc.

Dr.Liwang Liu ia a Professor, Vice Director of Engineering Research Center of Horticultural Crop Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, China. He completed his Ph.D in Crop Genetics and Breeding and M.S. in Vegetable Sciences from Nanjing Agricultural University, China. He worked in the Department of Plant Sciences, NDSU, USA as a Postdoc. Dr. Liu worked as Associate Professor College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University. He played instrumental role in some international collaborative projects with USA, Australia, East African, etc. He is associate Editor-in–Chief of some monograph and textbooks including Chinese radish, The Science of Seed and Seedling. Dr. Liu's research interests include Vegetable Crop Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology in Horticulture, Applied plant genomics, Plant genomics.

Dr. Tianyong Zhao is a Professor in Northwest ASF University, China. He received his B.S. degree in Pomology from Hebei Agricultural University in Baoding, Hebei Province, China, in 1990, and got his Ph.D. degree in Plant Genetics and Breeding from China Agricultural University in Beijing, China, in 1998. After finishing his Ph.D studies, Dr. Zhao went to U.C.Berkeley and University of Kentucky for postdoc training and then worked at University of Kentucky as a research scientist. Dr. Zhao joined the faculty at Northwest A&F University in 2011. Dr. Zhao's current research interest focus on the functional analysis and expression regulation of key enzyme genes involved in maize raffinose metabolism pathway. His research goal is to breed drought stress tolerance maize plant by regulation of maize raffinose metabolism pathway using both classic and biotechnology approaches.

Dr. Qiang-Sheng Wu is currently Professor at College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, China and also is the Lead Direction at Institute of Root Biology, Yangtze University. He received his BS degree in Horticulture from Jiangxi Agricultural University and obtained the PhD degree of Pomology from Huazhong Agricultural University. Dr. Wu focused on arbuscular mycorrhizal research in fruit trees. He concerns the functioning and physiology of arbuscular mycorrhizas in plant and soil, especially in citrus plants. Recently, Dr. Wu worked on root hairs, drought tolerance by mycorrhization, common mycorrhizal network, and glomalin-related soil protein released by extra radical hyphae. Obtained the Fourth SCOPUS Young Research Award. Dr. Wu's Research interests include : Physiological mechanisms of citrus plants colonized by mycorrhizal fungi under drought, salt stress and temperature stress; Mycorrhizal symbiosis and root hairs in citrus plants; Glomalin-related soil protein functionings released by extraradical hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizas in rhizosphere of citrus.

Dr. Yuezhi Wang is an Associate Professor, Institute of Horticulture, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou City, China. He earned his BS in agronomy from Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU), China, in 2002. He did his doctoral study on mechanisms of cereal abiotic stress tolerance at physiological and molecular genetics aspects, and got his PhD in Crop Genetics and Breeding from NAU, in 2009. He worked in the Institute of Horticulture, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China since 2010. His study interests are focused on Plant Physiology, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Plant Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Fruit Tree Breeding.

Dr. Zhi-xiong Liu is an Associate Professor in College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, China. He received his bachelor's degree in Biology at Hubei Normal University in 2001, Master’s degree in Botany at Central China Normal University in 2004 and Ph.D. in Botany at Beijing Forestry University in 2010. He served as faculty of Botany at College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University since 2004. His research interests focus on the evolution of the flower and the floral developmental program, ornamental plant reproduction development and breeding, ornamental tree somatic embryogenesis, and genetic modifications for plant improvement.

Dr. Huipeng Pan is an Associate Professor of Entomology in South China Agricultural University, China. His research focused on 1) the plant-insect-plant virus interactions, 2) environmental risk assessment of RNAi-based transgenic crops on the non-target organisms, 3) using RNAi for the pest control, 4) insect endosymbiont.