By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-1773 x 281Source(s):
Christine Waddill ctwaddill@mail.ifas.ufl.edu, (352) 392-1761
Richard Jones rlj@mail.ifas.ufl.edu, (352) 392-1784
WEST PALM BEACH — Two interdisciplinary teams in the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) were honored for outstanding contributions in research and extension at the Florida Associations of Extension Professionals (FAEP) conference in West Palm Beach, Sept. 13.
In addition, four extension faculty members received professional awards named in honor of former UF extension deans Marshall Watkins and John Woeste.
Extension Team Awards
The Integrated Crop Management of Commercial Ornamental Plants Extension Team, which includes 13 faculty and staff members, received the IFAS Interdisciplinary Extension Team Award. In addition to a plaque and certificates, the team received $4,000, which will be divided equally among team members or given to the program. The team awards were presented to the group by Christine Waddill, dean for extension.
The team was nominated for the award by Donn Shilling, director of UF’s Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka.
He said the extension team was established to help the state’s $1.4 billion ornamental industry cope with increased environmental regulation, particularly the need to develop environmentally friendly strategies for chemical use and water conservation.
“The team is working with ornamental producers to promote the use of integrated pest management strategies, including biocontrol and use of scouts to inspect crops for pests. As a result, pesticides now are applied only if pest populations have reached a damaging threshold,” Shilling said. “Scouting has reduced routine pesticide applications by 60 percent, thereby reducing production costs and the ability of pests to develop resistance to chemicals.”
The team also has promoted the use of pesticides that minimize adverse effects on people and the environment. Statewide training programs and educational tools such as the Commercial Ornamental Scouting Manual also were developed by the team. The team’s pest control information can be found on the following Web site: http://www.mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/lso/
Those honored included: Tom Fasulo, assistant in the Department of Entomology and Nematology, Gainesville; Liz Felter, Orange County extension agent (foliage), Orlando; Alan Hodges, coordinator of economic analysis, Department of Food and Resource Economics, Gainesville; Catharine Mannion, assistant professor of entomology, Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead; Frank Melton, Manatee County extension agent (ornamental horticulture), Bradenton; Bob McMillan, professor of plant pathology, Tropical REC, Homestead; Russ Mizell, professor of entomology, North Florida REC, Monticello; Tim Momol, assistant professor of plant pathology, North Florida REC, Quincy; Norm Nesheim, professor and pesticide information coordinator, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Gainesville; Jeff Norcini, associate professor of environmental horticulture, Monticello; Lance Osborne, professor of entomology, Mid-Florida REC, Apopka; Jim Price, associate professor of entomology, Gulf Coast REC, Bradenton; and Bill Schall, Palm Beach County extension agent (horticulture), West Palm Beach.
Research & Extension Team Awards
The Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus in Florida Research and Extension Team, which includes 11 faculty members, received the IFAS Interdisciplinary Research and Extension Team Award. In addition to a plaque and certificates, the team received $8,000, which will divided equally among team members or given to the program.
The research and extension team awards were presented to the faculty by Waddill and Richard Jones, dean for research.
The team was nominated for the award by Gail Wisler, professor and chair of the Department of Plant Pathology, and Raghavan Charudattan, professor in the department.
“When tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) was discovered in Florida by UF researchers in 1997, the research and extension team was formed to prevent the virus from becoming a major threat to Florida agriculture,” Wisler said.
Members of the team assessed the prevalence of the virus in tomato transplants sold in the retail trade and in commercial production fields and worked with state regulatory officials to stop the movement of the virus within and out of the state. And, she said, they developed a research and education program to identify and control the whitefly vector, understand the epidemiology of the virus, minimize its spread and keep the growers informed of the latest information on virus management.
“This vigilant and quick teamwork has saved Florida’s tomato and transplant industries from potentially devastating and costly losses due to TYLCV,” Wisler said.
Those honored included: Phyllis Gilreath, Manatee County extension agent, Bradenton; Ernest Hiebert, professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Gainesville; Mary Lamberts, Miami-Dade County extension agent (vegetables), Homestead; Gene McAvoy, Hendry County extension agent (vegetables), Labelle; Robert McGovern, associate professor of plant pathology, Gulf Coast REC, Bradenton; Jane Polston, associate professor of plant pathology, Gulf Coast REC, Bradenton; David Schuster, professor of entomology, Gulf Coast REC, Bradenton; John Scott, professor of horticulture, Gulf Coast REC, Bradenton; Kenneth Shuler, Palm Beach County extension agent (vegetables), West Palm Beach; Philip Stansly, professor of entomology, Southwest Florida REC, Immokalee; and Suzanne Stapleton, Suwannee County extension agent (marketing), Live Oak.
Woeste Award
The John and Martha Woeste Professional Recognition Award was presented to Martha Monroe, assistant professor in UF’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation, and Ed Stover, assistant professor of horticulture at UF’s Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce. Monroe and Stover were recognized for outstanding extension work. The awards, which include $500 to each recipient, are given to faculty in their early careers with less than seven years of service.
Woeste served as UF dean for extension from 1976 to 1995.
Watkins Award
The Marshall and Mildred Watkins Professional Improvement Endowment Award was presented to Jacque Breman, Union County extension director in Lake Butler, and David Palmer, Hillsborough County extension agent (urban horticulture) in Seffner. Breman and Palmer will receive $500 stipends for professional improvement.
Watkins served as UF dean for extension from 1959 to 1969.
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