By RUTH BORGER
LAKE ALFRED, Fla. — University of Florida scientist Christopher Vincent is used to working with the unknown to learn new grove management practices. As a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant physiologist, Vincent works to discover how citrus trees can thrive under stressful conditions. Now, during the coronavirus stay-at-home recommendations, he’s applying those skills in a whole new experience –working from home with three school-aged children.
Like many parents, Vincent is juggling advancing a research program with attending to three children now learning at home. With a middle-schooler, a second grader and a three-year-old not only sharing an Internet connection but his attention, Vincent leverages organizational skills used to manage complex research projects into managing a daily schedule that intertwines work and home life.
But Vincent is getting the job done. Just as with his experiments on learning whether shade can impact the productivity of citrus trees infected by citrus greening, having a schedule is important.
“Having a routine that is followed by the family – just like a routine that a lab team would follow – helps manage the multi-tasking that needs to happen for everyone to succeed,” said Vincent during a recent conversation scheduled between his research and his children’s lessons.
He also leads a team of lab technicians and graduate students who are also working on multiple research projects involving tree health and fruit production. The team is analyzing many sets of data from home work stations. Some are collecting data from selected field sites when it is possible to practice social distancing and wear personal protective gear. Staggered hours for working in the lab are also scheduling so that a single person is in a lab at a time.
One example is a research project the team is advancing by examining the part of the citrus tree’s growth cycle that affects attraction of the Asian citrus psyllid. The psyllid is the invasive pest that transmits the damaging greening bacterium to the tree and is attracted to new growth. Understanding how weather induces new growth may give growers more insights as to when to use pesticide to control the insect and how much to use at certain times. Ultimately, knowing this could reduce the amount of pesticide used by a grower not only saving money but lessening the environmental impact.
“Scientists often encounter changing environments where they need to adapt and move forward,” Vincent explained. “Now we are just using those skills in our homes and our labs.”
-30-
By: Ruth Borger (517) 803-7631 rborger@ufl.edu
MEDIA CONTACT: Brad Buck, 813-757-2224 (office); 352-852641(cell); bradbuck@ufl.edu
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)
is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make
that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than
a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty
in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions
to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
0
