Three Mid-Florida Research and Education Center graduate students, Linhchi Nguyen, Yuvraj Khamare and Hang Duong, have received scholarships from the National Horticulture Foundation. Take a few minutes to get to know them below:

Linhchi Nguyen

• Major: Environmental Horticulture
• Degree Seeking: Doctorate
• Why do you love horticulture? I think plants are amazing and there is so much to be discovered.
• Where do you see yourself after graduation? I would like to continue doing research after graduation.
• Can you give us a two-sentence summary of your thesis/dissertation research project? My research focus on understanding the effect of interactions between microRNAs and other genes on regulating seed dormancy and flowering of lettuce in responses to environmental cues.

Hang Duong

• Major: Environmental Horticulture
• Degree Seeking: Doctorate
• Why do you love horticulture? I love plants, love gardening and very curious of the nature
• Where do you see yourself after graduation? I’m very much into research and teaching so I want to stay in Academia, but could try different things if other opportunities come!
• Can you give me a two sentence summary of your thesis/dissertation research project: I study water use and drought stress responses of magnolia and live oak trees and drought prediction in monsoonal climate Florida. This is a primary framework for future tree’s water use modelling.

Yuvraj Khamare

• Major: Environmental Horticulture
• Degree-Seeking: Doctorate
• Why do you love horticulture? Since my childhood, I have loved growing plants. I have found growing plants to be a gratifying experience. This passion for plants and nature attracted me towards horticulture.
• Where do you see yourself after graduation? After my graduation, I plan to work as a successful weed scientist with an agrochemical company or in academia, helping to find and develop new methods of weed management. I hope to elucidate the often murky topic of weed management, helping the public to become more competent in the uses and management of weeds in their gardens and landscapes.
• Can you give me a two-sentence summary of your thesis/dissertation research project?: Weed control is one of the most costly and challenging aspects of container nursery. Challenges include lack of postemergence herbicide option, intense weed competition, heavy reliance on hand weeding, and high crop species diversity and there is a need for more integrated weed management strategies. One area that has shown promise but has been under-investigated is altering production practices to reduce weed growth and reduce herbicide needs. The goal of my research project is to alter various production practices to control weeds in container-grown ornamentals. The production practices include fertilizer placement in the potting substrate, stratifying or layering of the substrate to control the physical properties of the substrate, altering drain hole placement in containers, and examining the weed pressure threshold of a container-grown crop.

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