Horticulture Innovators

Dr. Teresa Capell is a Principal Investigator within the Agricultural Biotechnology Group at the UdL, since 2004. She became a full professor in 2011. Dr Capell is also an associate researcher of the CERCA Center, AGROTECNIO. She has been the PI of 5 different national projects since 2004. She discovered and developed a novel approach to engineer complex multistep metabolic pathways in plants exemplified by the creation of a combinatorial transgenic maize population accumulating extraordinary levels of carotenoids including β-carotene in the endosperm. Dr Capell oversaw the development of this work as described in Zhu et al., PNAS (2008), (Capell corresponding author). The later discovery was exploited to develop multivitamin corn which constitutes the most complex transgenic crop plant reported to date in which three distinct vitamin pathways were engineered simultaneously in the same plant reported in Naqvi et al., PNAS 2009; Dr Capell was a senior co-author on the paper and a co-inventor on a corresponding patent. Importantly she spearheaded efforts, which culminated in four very successful transgenic field trials with multivitamin corn in Lleida (2012-2015). She has developed her own independent research line on molecular pharming for the production of recombinant pharmaceuticals in plants (see e.g. Ramessar et al., PNAS 2008 and Vamvaka et al., PNAS 2018). She has been instrumental in the success of the project Pandemies, awarded by the Generalitat of Catalunya to the group, focusing on dissemination, communication and scientific aspects of SARS-CoV-2 (https://ilercovid.com/). As part of her activities within the Pandemies project, she supervised a PhD student who developed an efficient transformation system for Bomba rice (described in Saba-Mayoral et al., Transgenic Res 31: 325-340). This work served as a basis for a second paper in the Plant Biotechnology J. which described the production and accumulation of the Recognition Binding Domain of the SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein in a stably transgenic plant. The major impact of this work is that the system is easily transferable to developing countries. T. Capell is the corresponding author on this paper as well. She was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi (2020) by the Generalitat of Catalunya, in recognition for her contributions to science and society. Dr. Paul Christou received his BS Chemistry & PhD Plant Biochemistry, University College London. He was a Senior Scientist at Agracetus Inc., Madison, WI, USA, where he developed genetic transformation technology that lead his group to generate the first commercial crop sold by Monsanto (Roundup Ready Soybean). Subsequently he served as the Head of Molecular Biotechnology Unit, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK-led the Tropical Maize and Rice Biotechnology Laboratory sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. Later he Headed the Crop Genetics & Biotechnology program, Fraunhofer Institute Molecular Biotechnology & Applied Ecology, Aachen, Germany. Universitat de Lleida as an ICREA Professor & Head of the Applied Plant Biotechnology Laboratory. Founding Director Agrotecnio CERCA Center, 2013-2015. Recipient of ERC Advanced Grant BIOFORCE and ERC PoC Grant Multinutrient Maize. Received 2 Bill & Melinda Gate's grants. PI in 14 EU projects over past 25 years 2 as coordinator and 2 as deputy coordinator. Recipient of Narcís Monturioll Medal 2020.

Dr. Lorenzo Rossi joined Texas A&M University in January 2025 as an Assistant Professor of Horticultural Plant Physiology, with 60% research, 30% teaching, and 10% service appointment. Before joining Texas A&M, he served as an Assistant and then Associate Professor at a University of Florida off-campus research center, where he began in 2018 and earned tenure in 2024. Motivated by a desire to work more closely with undergraduate students and collaborate across disciplines in a main campus environment, Dr. Rossi made the intentional decision to transition to Texas A&M and continue building innovative programs in horticultural sciences. Dr. Rossi’s research explores how crops respond to environmental stresses such as drought, salinity, heat, and pollutants, integrating soil and root health to identify mechanisms of tolerance. His work focuses on fruit tree crops, especially citrus, peaches, pecans, olives, and grapes, and recently on selected vegetables. At Texas A&M, Dr. Rossi teaches HORT 201 Horticultural Science and Practices and HORT 202 Horticultural Science and Practices Laboratory, which together enroll nearly 900 students per year, as well as HORT 618 Root and Rhizosphere Biology for graduate students. He has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications, mentored numerous students, secured nearly $5 million in research funding, and received multiple national awards recognizing excellence in teaching, leadership, and research. Website: https://hortphys.tamu.edu/ Program description: Our program studies how plants interact with the environment and how these interactions influence yield, stress tolerance, and fruit quality across Texas’ unique growing regions. We focus on key physiological topics such as: Rootstock-scion interactions Plant water use and efficiency Carbohydrate storage and translocation Plant responses to abiotic stress, including drought, heat, environmental pollutants, and poor soil conditions While fruit tree crops are a major focus, we also work with various small fruits and vegetables that are important to growers in Texas. Our goal is to bridge fundamental plant physiology with applied solutions, working closely with growers, Extension professionals, and industry stakeholders to ensure our research leads to practical outcomes. Through this work, we aim to support the success of Texas fruit growers, contribute to sustainable production systems, and train the next generation of scientists. We are always open to collaborations with researchers across disciplines and institutions who share our commitment to advancing fruit crop science.

Dr. Ahmed Darwish is an Assistant Professor of plant secondary metabolism at the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University. He also serves as a member of the TAMU Faculty Advisory Council (FAC). He received his Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry from Hiroshima University, Japan, in 2015. He has excellent experience in isolating, characterizing, and testing phytochemicals from natural sources like plants, fungi, bacteria, insects, and other organisms using different techniques, such as HPLC, GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, and NMR. Furthermore, he has excellent experience in determining the potential health effects of different types of compounds, such as anticancer, antioxidant, antidiabetic, etc. He also generated an accessible database of metabolomic profiles related to numerous traits using several southern grape populations, blueberries, blackberries, and Kiwi. His program aims to contribute to global health by providing resilient crops that not only support sustainable agriculture but also offer significant health benefits to humans. He has been teaching and instructing many courses (up to 10 years) related to plant Biochemistry and secondary metabolism, developing new course materials for undergraduate and graduate students, and participating in different faculty committees. He has effectively collaborated as a Co-PI with different national/international universities and federal institutions to secure more than $1.5 million in research funding. Dr. Darwish has published more than 45 peer-reviewed publications in high-ranked scientific journals and served as a reviewer in several international journals.

Krishna Bhattarai is an Assistant Professor of Controlled Environment Plant Breeding at Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, based in Dallas, Texas. He leads the Breeding for Controlled Environments program, focused on developing CEA-optimized cultivars through genetic discovery, high-throughput phenotyping, and genome-informed breeding to improve productivity, resilience, and profitability in controlled environment agriculture systems. His program integrates germplasm development, trait dissection, and cultivar improvement across multiple horticultural crops, with active collaboration with industry and public partners. Prior to joining Texas A&M AgriLife, he held roles as Junior Breeder in processing tomato at Enza Zaden, Postdoctoral Researcher in strawberry breeding at UC Davis, and Postdoctoral Associate and Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Florida, where he also completed his Ph.D. in Environmental Horticulture. He earned an M.S. in Horticultural Science from North Carolina State University and a B.Sc. in Agriculture from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. His research is supported by competitive extramural funding, teaching activities, 18 peer-reviewed journal articles, 2 book chapters, 1 editorial, and numerous scientific abstracts and presentations. He also contributes to graduate training, professional service, and industry engagement to advance sustainable horticultural production systems globally and internationally.

Dr. Heath Mills (Co-I): Dr. Heath J. Mills is an extreme environment microbial ecologist with academic degrees from Duke University and the Georgia Institute of Technology and has held two faculty positions at Texas A&M University and the University of Houston. As the current Chief Scientific Officer for Rhodium Scientific, he leads initiatives to expand terrestrial and space research capacities into the advanced commercial biotechnology sector. Dr. Mills has been Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on over 20 International Space Station science and engineering missions. Recently, Mills is on the Advisory Board for GEN-Space, Schull Institute, and was appointed to the ISS National Laboratory User Advisory Committee as the Chair of the Technology Development Subcommittee. Dr. Laura E. Fackrell (PI): Dr. Laura E. Fackrell is the Astrobotany and Agritech Department Lead at Rhodium Scientific. Dr. Fackrell is a geochemist and geomicrobiologist specializing in space biology and astrobiology applications. Her current research focuses on advancing sustainable agriculture and related biotechnologies for both Earth and space. Dr. Fackrell has more than seven years of research experience in space agriculture and has led multiple publications in regolith simulant development and best practices for regolith-based agriculture research. She has designed several regolith simulants for agricultural research. As a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, Dr. Fackrell led publications on designing applications for agriculture, waste processing, and recovery, and analyzing related microbiomes for closed off-world systems Rhodium Scientific: https://www.rhodiumscientific.com/

A native of Orofino, Idaho, Shane had an early interest in wine and agriculture which led him to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Enology and Viticulture from Washington State University. Throughout his college years Shane worked in various winery cellars and upon graduation he decided to take his passion abroad. Shane spent three years gaining international winemaking experience in Canada, Western Australia and Israel’s Golan Heights. Shane met his wife while working in Australia’s Margaret River and in 2011 the pair made their way to her native Sonoma County. At that time, Shane joined the Jackson Family Wines winemaking team as an enologist, where he focused on cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from some of the best vineyard sites in California. Shane’s skill and passion was evident, and in 2013 he was offered the opportunity to move to Willamette Valley to build the winemaking program for the newly-established Gran Moraine winery. Since relocating and assuming his new role, Shane has worked hand-in-hand with General Manager Eugenia Keegan and Vineyard Director Ken Kupperman in both the winery and vineyard. Shane was named Winemaker at Gran Moraine in 2016.

Undergraduate Education: B.S., Oenology, University of Agronomy and Veterinary Sciences, Iasi, Romania Graduate Education: Ph.D., Oenology, Brock University, St. Catherine's, Canada M.S., Agricultural Management, University of Agronomy and Veterinary Sciences, Iasi, Romania Areas of Expertise: Enology Sensory Science Professional Summary: Dr. Botezatu received her honors bachelor’s degree in Horticulture, majoring in Oenology from the University of Agronomy and Veterinary Sciences ‘Ion Ionescu de la Brad’, Iasi, Romania in 2000 and her master’s degree in Agricultural Management from the same University in 2001. From 2000 until 2006, she worked as a commercial wine maker in Europe and Canada. She obtained her PhD in Oenology in 2013 from Brock University in St. Catharine’s, Ontario, Canada where she then held a postdoctoral position from 2013-2015. In 2017, Andreea joined the faculty of the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University, as Assistant Professor and Extension Enology Specialist. Her mission is to service the Texas winemaking industry through applied research as well as through developing educational opportunities for current and prospective winemakers. Dr. Botezatu’s previous work focused on wine aroma compounds and wine faults remediation, with a focus on methoxypyrazines and ladybug taint. Her approach was both from a chemical perspective as well as one from sensory evaluation. Currently, Andreea is directing her research towards solving wine quality issues associated with hot climate winemaking, such as low TA, high pH, wine color instability and microbiological instability. Her interest continues to focus on chemical as well as sensory aspect as they relate to wine quality. Texas wine consumer attitudes and sustainability in the wine industry are also areas of interest for Dr. Botezatu’s research. Visit the Texas Viticulture & Enology Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/TXViticulture Visit the Enology YouTube Channel - www.youtube.com/@UC5Oo5L0jMLR57IuUb0XmBxQ Check out The Wine Lab Podcast - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2519422 All Publications View publications on Google Scholar - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5IhZFcQAAAAJ&hl=en

Aidan Souder is currently a Senior majoring in Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University. Throughout his undergraduate studies, he has set out to explore a wide range of topics in horticulture. Some of his favorites include research in genetic engineering, courses in controlled environments, work in horticultural therapy, and internships related to the ornamental horticulture sector. Additionally, he is currently working with Dr. Amit Dhingra on an undergraduate research project in grape genetics. After an award-winning product development internship at Ball FloraPlant, Aidan has decided to pursue a master's degree in Horticultural Sciences with an emphasis on ornamental production. He is thankful for his time at A&M, which has allowed him to spend the past 4 years finding his passion in horticulture. Hikari Skabelund graduated with her bachelor’s in plant science at Utah State University. There she worked at the Crop Physiology Lab under the guidance of Dr. Bruce Bugbee and his graduate students where she assisted on projects including but not limited to far-red lighting and hydroponic systems. Hikari endeavored into a direct PhD program at Texas A&M university A&M University in 2023, under the amazing Dr. Shuyang Zhen. Here she mainly focuses on enhancing crop growth and stress tolerance under lunar regolith and other environmental conditions for sustainable food production in extraterrestrial systems. Outside of research Hikari serves as a Plant the Moon Challenge committee advisor and loves TAing for HORT 202 and floral design.

Dr. Masabni earned his PhD in 1998 at Michigan State University. He joined the University of Kentucky in 2002 as the fruit and vegetable specialist. In 2008, he joined the department of Horticultural Sciences as the Extension Vegetable Specialist. His service appointment extends to homeowners, beginning farmers, County Extension Agents, and Master Gardeners. He conducts research and demonstration trials to meet the needs of urban agriculture production in high tunnels or in hydroponics/aquaponics. He develops online and printed materials for vegetable organic and conventional producers and homeowners, he hosts workshops and conferences and assists county extension agents in serving Texas clienteles. Dr Masabni's YouTube Channel: @VegetableDoctor ​

A graduate of Southwest Texas State University with a B.S. in Industrial Arts (1982), Troy Swift began his professional career in composite canoe and kayak manufacturing and repair, as well as aluminum and steel welding, instruction, and guiding. He later joined CFAN, a manufacturer of composite jet engine parts for GE engines, where he served from 1990 to 2016, ultimately holding the position of Manufacturing Manager. During this time, he achieved 6 Sigma Supplier Blackbelt (statistics and problem solving) and trained in Lean Manufacturing. In parallel with his industrial career, Troy developed a deep involvement in pecan farming. Since acquiring and developing 266 combined acres along the San Marcos River in 1998 and 2004, he has planted over 1,000 irrigated pecan trees now in full production. He has operated a custom pecan harvesting business since 2000 and runs a pecan lumber sawmill and kiln operation established in 2011. His commitment to quality and innovation has earned him state championships in the Texas Pecan Show (2018 and 2022). A recognized leader in the pecan industry, Troy has served as President of both the Texas Pecan Growers Association and the Texas Pecan Board. He is also a board member of Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation, where he is involved in research using DNA analysis of bat guano to study natural pest control in pecan orchards. He has been an avid participant in Texas Pecan Shows since 2013, and the State Champion in commercial pecans in 2018 and 2022. He has been involved in pecan lumber sawmill and kiln operation since 2011 and is a regenerative agriculture and associated science advocate/student. He has a continuous improvement attitude: if you’re standing still- you’re getting passed up. Continuous improvement is necessary for all industry (including the pecan industry). We must explore new business models and technologies to stay ahead of the competition and meet customer expectations. We must find more cost-effective environmentally favorable farming techniques, produce more nutritious foods, and develop better food safety and employee safety techniques to stay in business. Currently in 6 year regenerative agriculture study conducted by the Noble Research Institute. Website: https://www.swiftriverpecans.com/about-us

Stephan von Rundstedt is the co-founder of RoBo®Tec PTC GmbH and brings over 25 years of experience across the production and services industries. His expertise lies in business strategy and the development of innovative deep-tech solutions to sustainably transform agricultural production. With RoBo®Cut, a robot for fully autonomous in-vitro plant propagation, he and his wife and business partner, Friederike von Rundstedt, have taken steps to address our most pressing global challenges in environmental protection and food security. Website: https://www.robotec-ptc.com/en/

Ockert Greyvenstein joined Ball Horticultural Company, in 2014 as plant breeder with PanAmerican Seed. A transplant from South Africa, he came to the US for graduate school, first earning his master's at Cornell, followed by a Ph.D. in plant breeding from Texas A&M University in 2013. Currently, he is the Regional Breeding Director based in Elburn, IL, overseeing breeding operations in Illinois and Costa Rica with projects ranging from Angelonia to Zebra-striped tomatoes. During his time with Ball he bred several crops including Viola, Vinca, Cuphea, cut-flower Delphinium, and a few others. His expertise is in breeding, and applied research. Ball Horticulture: https://www.ballhort.com/

Brad Abrameit is a 1994 and 1996 graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.S. and M.S. in Horticulture. He is the President at Magnolia Gardens Nursery. Brad leads all functions of the container(165 acres) and tissue culture division (20 acres), both strategically and tactically. He is charged with stabilizing, professionalizing, and preparing the business for growth. He is an executive leader bringing 27+ years of experience in the horticulture industry to the forefront, driving strategic initiatives and have propelled the company to consistent growth. A proven track record of successful launches and market expansion, recognized for fostering a collaborative environment that empowers teams to innovate and deliver exceptional results. Magnolia Gardens: https://magnoliagardens.com/

Jim Antwerp is a 1990 graduate of Texas A& M University with a B.S. in Horticulture with a study emphasis in horticulture of Wholesale Nursery Management and Production and a study emphasis outside horticulture in Business. Having a horticulture career that began with home gardening in youth, working later as nursery labor and subsequently rising in Nursery Management, he has served as Vice President at Flower wood Nursery Inc and currently at Greenleaf Nursery which are two large woody ornamental nursery operations. Both of these companies are family owned and have celebrated their 75th anniversary of operation and counting.

Ph.D. student Mason Marshall and undergraduate student Trishia Nguyen discuss what influenced their decision to pursue Horticulture as well as what they wish to accomplish in the future in the field of horticulture. Mason Marshall is a PhD student in the department of horticulture. He is from Odessa, Texas and ventured to Texas A&M in 2017 for his bachelor's degree in horticulture. Currently in his third year, Mason's research aims to characterize the phenotypic variation in Ratibida columnifera, the prairie coneflower, along with cut-flower and production studies. After graduation, he plans to find a lecturer position at a University. Trishia Nguyen is a first generation B.S Horticultural Sciences student entering her senior year. Shifting her focus around a couple times, she has found her place in landscape design. After graduating with her Bachelor's she looks forward to pursuing a Masters in Landscape Architecture. Trishia would like to emphasize that horticulture is for anyone! As someone with limited exposure to the industry outside of the foods that she ate and the botanical gardens she visited, attending Texas A&M has opened up her world to how ever-present horticulture is in every aspect of her life.

Prof. Arun Sharma received his Ph.D. in Life Sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India, in 1987 after carrying out work on the regulation of nitrate assimilation by phytochrome in the laboratory of Prof. Sudhir Sopory. He performed post-doctoral work with Dr. G. Kumar at the School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, in 1998 and at Wayne State University, Detroit, from 1989 to 1991, in the area of DNA-protein interaction. He did post-doctoral work with Prof. Sudhir Sopory at JNU, New Delhi, from 1991-94 and with Professor Akhilesh Tyagi at University of Delhi, South Campus (UDSC) from 1995-1997 in the area of signal transduction during the regulation of genes in plants. He became Assistant Professor at the Department of Plant Molecular Biology, UDSC in 1997, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2002 and Professor in 2010. At UDSC, he worked from 1997 to 2023 in the area of structural and functional genomics of tomato and other areas. The work included sequencing a part of chromosome 5 as a member of the International Tomato Genome Consortium and the development of tomato plants with improved nutritional quality and longer shelf life. The other areas of research had been the role of methylated DNA-binding proteins in gene silencing in Arabidopsis and tomato, and the development of an edible vaccine against cholera. Prof. Sharma was nominated as a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, in 2012.

Dr. Haven Baker co-founded Pairwise and served as Chief Business Officer from 2017 to 2024. Under his leadership, Pairwise secured $ 110 M+ of funding, completed multiple crop development deals, and launched the first CRISPR product in North America. Haven is the former Senior Vice President / General Manager of Simplot Plant Sciences, where he led the team that launched the innovative, non-browning Innate® potato. He holds a PhD in chemistry from Northeastern University, an MBA from Harvard University, and a BS in biomedical engineering from Yale University. Hailing from central Washington state, Baker describes himself as an “over-educated farm kid.” A lover of the outdoors, Haven enjoys hiking, fishing, and hunting in his native Pacific Northwest. Currently, Baker is forming a new agriculture-focused start-up company.

Anna Caroline Ball is Chairman and CEO of the 119-year-old Ball Horticultural Company, which specializes in all aspects of horticulture, including breeding, biotechnology, production, and marketing of hybrid flower seeds and other floriculture crops. Privately-held and now in its fourth generation of family management, Ball Horticultural Company has 4,000 employees and operates in over 20 countries worldwide. Anna received her B.A. degree from the University of Colorado and her M.B.A. from Northwestern University. She is a Trustee of The Morton Arboretum and head of the G. Carl Ball Family Foundation. She is the Chairman of Career Vision, an organization focused on the discovery and development of human potential through the development and delivery of aptitude testing and career exploration. Anna lives in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Lisa Whittlesey is an employee of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and received her bachelor and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University in horticulture with an emphasis in education/curriculum development. Lisa serves as the program director for the JMG’s International Junior Master Gardener program which currently operates in all 50 states and has expanded internationally through collaborative partnerships with the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, JMG Korea, and expansions through US Military and National Guard projects. She is the author/co-author of nine award winning youth environmental curriculums and her horticulture work and expertise has been featured in over 170 popular press/newspaper articles including Saturday Evening Post, Southern Living, Better Homes and Garden, Readers Digest, Cosmopolitan, Family Life, seven national children’s magazines, local/regional television appearances and on HGTV. She has been an invited speaker to over 275 regional and national conferences and her recent work has focused on utilizing the Junior Master Gardener program (Learn, Grow, Eat & GO curricula) as an intervention as a part of a 5-year USDA AFRI funded Extension and Research project focused on child and family interventions for obesity prevention. In additional to her work with the JMG Program, Lisa provides leadership to horticulture programming, staff development/management and as a PI federal contact with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Windham Schools – TDCJ, and with Lee College prison programming efforts. Lisa is a guest lecturer for floral design and socio-horticulture classes at Texas A&M University and does educational videos for the public through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension social media outlets.

Dr. Steve George is a Professor and Extension Horticulturist, and Landscape Horticulture Specialist since 1988 for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and is headquartered at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in north Dallas. Dr. George created the Earth-Kind® Environmental Landscape Management System and serves as the National Coordinator of the Earth-Kind® Rose Program.