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Highlights from the 2005 Annual Meeting

Tampa - Over 220 scientists, growers industry representatives and students attended the 118th Florida State Horticultural Society Annual Meeting in Tampa, June 5-7, which featured 119 scientific papers as well as topical seminars for ornamentals, fruit and vegetable production on current issues such as citrus canker, disease resistance, and Best Management Practices for vegetables.

Craig Campbell, outgoing chairman of the board, passed the chairman’s gavel to last year’s president, George Hochmuth. Jacqueline Burns from the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center was elected president for the incoming year.

Also elected into office was member-at-large Richard Tyson. Proceedings editor Edgardo Etxeberria was re-elected for a second term. They join the current slate of officers: treasurer Garvie Hall, secretary Jeffrey Brecht, program coordinator Steven Sargent, newsletter editor Anita Neal, student best paper award committee chair Elizabeth Lamb and member-at-large Chris Oswalt.

Many attendees commented that this was the most exciting meeting in years, with new programs and workshops and attendance up 20% over last year. Hochmuth added that new opportunities will be explored in the coming year, and he encourages all those interested to join or renew their membership. Regular membership is only $50 per year and includes a printed copy of the meeting proceedings and society newsletters and updates. For more information on the society or to download a membership form, visit www.fshs.org or contact FSHS at tel. (863) 956-1151.

Awards for Best Paper, Best Student Paper and other honors were announced at the meeting. Following is a list of awards and incoming sectional vice-presidents and vicepresidents-elect for the 2005-2006 year. The Florida State Horticultural Society congratulates award winners and newly elected officers.

I. BEST PAPER AWARDS (Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society Volume 117)

Awarded to the best and most meritorious paper as printed in the previous year’s Proceedings for the sections listed below.

• Citrus Section: Diane B. Bright, James. H. Graham, Michael. S. Irey and Leslie E. Baucum. 2004. Soil, rootstock, and climatic factors affect populations of Phytophthora nicotianae in South Florida citrus plantings. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 117:148-151. (Medal, certificate and $200)
• Garden and Landscape Section: Ashwin V. Paranjpe, Daniel J. Cantliffe, and Rosalie L. Koenig. 2004. Developing a system to produce organic plug transplants for organic strawberry production. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 117:276-282. (Medal, certificate and $200)
• Handling and Processing Section: Fernando Alferez, Jacqueline K. Burns, and Lorenzo Zacarias. 2004. Postharvest peel pitting in citrus is induced by changes in relative humidity Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 117:355-358. (Medal, certificate and $200)
• Krome Memorial Section: Michael J. Davis, Thomas L. White, and Jonathan H. Crane. 2004. Resistance to papaya ringspot virus in transgenic papaya breeding lines. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 117:241-245. (Medal, certificate and $200)
• Ornamentals Section: Lewis, Angela, Mary Caroniti, and Nancy Morvillo. 2004. Investigating the identity of rose varieties utilizing randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 117:312-316. (Medal, certificate and $200)
• Vegetable Section: Hochmuth, Robert C., Wanda L. Laughlin, Scott S. Kerr and Lei Lani Davis. 2004. Soil fumigant, mulch type, and herbicide treatments affect pepper yield and vigor, and control of nutsedge and root-knot nematode. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 117:11-15. (Medal, certificate and $200)

II. CROSS-SECTIONAL BEST PAPER AWARDS

President’s Industry Award. Paul J. Driscoll for his paper “Copper Toxicity on Florida Citrus-Why Did it Happen?” Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 117:124-127 (2004) (Plaque)

Award granted to Paul J. Driscoll for the single best paper given at the 2004 Florida State Horticultural Society annual meeting by an industry author.

Council Memorial Tomato Research Award. Dr. Timur Momol for his paper: M.T. Momol, S.J. Olson, J.E. Funderburk, J. Stavisky and J.J. Marois, “Integrated Management of Tomato Spotted Wilt on Field-grown Tomatoes.” Plant Disease 88:882-890 (2004) (Certificate and $200)

Award granted to Dr. Tim Momol for the work with the most potential to further the fresh market tomato industry in Florida through advances reported in any single publication in any scientific or technical form published during the two previous calendar years.

III. MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARDS

Outstanding Commercial Horticulturist Award. Mr. James Bowling "Buster" Pratt, Haines City, FL (deceased), (Plaque and certificate).

Award granted to Mr. Buster Pratt, Haines City, FL for significant contribution to the commercial Florida horticultural industry and to the FSHS.

Presidential Gold Medal Award Citrus Section. Dr. Brian J. Boman, UF/IFAS, Indian River Research & Education Center, Ft. Pierce, FL. (Medal, certificate and $500)

Award granted to Dr. Brian Boman, UF/IFAS, Indian River Research & Education Center, Ft. Pierce, FL, for having contributed most to Florida horticulture through work published in the Proceedings of the Florida Horticultural Society over the preceding six-year period in the Citrus Section.

IV. SPECIAL AWARD

Robert E. Wagner Young Scientist Award, Potash & Phosphate Institute. Dr. Eric H. Simonne, UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Dept. Gainesville (Plaque and $5000)

The Robert E. Wagner Award allows for worldwide candidate nominations and has two categories, one for senior scientist, and one for a younger scientist under the age of 45. The Award recognizes outstanding achievements in research, extension, or education, with a focus in the expansion of yield horizons and the integration of production practices and inputs into systems which improve net returns, lower unit costs of production and maintain environmental quality.

V. BEST STUDENT PAPER AWARDS:

First Place ($300): Frank J. Wessels

Paper: Novel From of Caribbean Fruit Fly (Tephritidae) Suppression: Classical Biological Control of the Preferred Host Psidium cattleianum Sabine (Myrtaceae).

Authors: Frank J. Wessels*, UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Dept., James P. Cuda, UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Dept.; and M. Tracy Johnson, USDA Forest Service, Volcano, Hawaii.

Second Place ($200): Christine M. Worthington

Paper: Accumulated Growing Degree Days as a Tool to Determine Key Developmental Stages in Solanum tuberosum.

Authors: Christine M. Worthington* and Chad M. Hutchinson, UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department.

Third Place ($100): S.K. Saha

Paper: Impacts of Extreme Weather and Soil Management Treatments on Disease Development of Pythium spp. In Field Grown Pepper.

Authors: S.K. Saha*, UF/IFAS Doctor of Plant Medicine Program, Plant Pathology Department; R. McSorley, K.H. Wang, UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Dept., and R.J. McGovern, UF/IFAS Plant Pathology Department.

SECTIONAL VICE-PRESIDENTS AND VICE-PRESIDENTS-ELECT

• Citrus: vice-president, Jim Syvertsen; vice president-elect, Mongi Zekri.
• Ornamental, Garden and Landscape: vice-president, Doug Caldwell; vice president-elect, Ralph Mitchell.
• Handling and Processing: vice-president, Jan Narcisco; vice president-elect, Anne Plotto.
• Krome Memorial Institute (tropical and subtropical crops): vice-president, A. Ray Rafie; vice president- elect, Noris Ledesma.
• Vegetables: vice-president, Teresa Olczyk; vice president-elect, Marco Taopanta.