Jan. 26, 2007

WESLACO - For the first time in its 61-year history, the annual meeting of the Rio Grande Valley Horticultural Society will be held outside Weslaco. Organizers say the event will be held Jan. 30 at the University of Texas-Pan American campus in Edinburg in an attempt to include more students and broaden its professional scope.

Dr. Bhimu Patil, president of the society and director of Texas A&M University's Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center in College Station, said the new location should increase student involvement and that the society hopes to expose those students to the cutting-edge scientific career opportunities available to them in plant science research.

"Agriculture is not just about field labor," Patil said. "There are some very exciting studies and professions that strive to improve human health by improving agricultural products. In fact, we will have a roundtable discussion in the morning by leaders of the Valley's institutions of higher education to create more opportunities for Rio Grande Valley students in these areas."

Those invited to take part in this discussion include Dr. Gene Nelson, executive associate dean of Texas A&M Agriculture; Dr. Windy Fowler, associate vice president for research at UTPA; Dr. Juliet Garcia, president of UT-Brownsville, and Dr. Shirley Reed, president of South Texas College.

Morning topics include a history of the horticultural society, the ecology of the potato psyllid, heat and salt tolerance of landscape plants, and critical issues facing agriculture and native vegetation in the coming decades.

The afternoon session will be devoted to students' oral presentations of research projects and poster presentations.

Dr. John Jifon, the society's president-elect and a plant stress physiologist at the Texas A&M Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Weslaco, said by holding this year's meeting at UTPA, the organization hopes to broaden its scope to include other plant science disciplines.

"The society will retain its horticultural and agricultural focus," Jifon said, "but we'd also like to expand its scope to cover other institutions and professionals involved in plant sciences, including those in molecular biology, biotechnology, entomology and many other related fields."

An evening program by the society will follow at the Texas A&M-Kingsville Citrus Center in Weslaco. Topics include insect management strategies to save the sago palm, creating a bird habitat and common diseases of Rio Grande Valley trees.

Registration is free, and the program begins at 6 p.m.

The Rio Grande Valley Horticultural Society was established in 1947 to "stimulate interest in research and its practical application to the production of fruit, vegetables and ornamentals," according to its bylaws.

For more information on the day session, contact Jifon at 956-968-5585. For information on the evening session, contact Barbara Storz at 956-383-1026.