The U of A's horticulture judging team placed second, and three graduate students and one undergraduate combined for six individual awards at the American Society for Horticultural Sciences Southern Region Annual Conference in Oklahoma City earlier this month.

All students are from the Department of Horticulture in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

"I am very proud of the faculty and students for their excellent presentations," said Wayne MacKay, department head. "The conference is an important meeting to exchange information and for faculty and students from across the Southeast to network."

The judging team, coached and advised by teaching associate professor Garry McDonald, placed first in the vegetable crop commodities contest and second in woody ornamental crops and floriculture crops to finish second overall. Team members include Hannah Callicott, River Dean, Morgan Humphrey, Bailey Karnes and Caden Williams.

Individually, Karnes and Williams tied for first overall.

In the J.B. Undergraduate Student Paper contest, Megan Jo Exner, advised by extension specialist Amanda McWhirt, was second with "Novel Training Methods for Blackberry on the Rotating Cross Arm Trellis: Effect on Yield and Plant Growth."

In the graduate student division, Jordan Chenier, advised by food science research scientist Renee Threlfall, claimed first- and second-place awards. He won the Three-Minute Thesis contest (Ph.D. category), which was held as part of the Southern Fruit Workers meeting. He was second in the Warren S. Barham Ph.D. Student Paper contest with "Consumer Acceptability of New Fresh-Market Muscadine Grapes from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Fruit Breeding Program."

Amanda Lay-Walters, advised by McWhirt, also claimed first- and second-place awards in the graduate student division. She won the Graduate Student Poster contest with "Survey of Seasonal Variation in Blackberry Leaf and Petiole Nutrient Content in the Southeast." She was second in the Three-Minute Thesis contest (Ph.D. category).

Jaren Linn, advised by extension specialist Aaron Cato, was second in the master's degree section of the Three-Minute Thesis contest with "Evaluating Broad Mite (Polyphagotarsonemus latus) Sampling Techniques in Blackberries."

In addition, the Cooperative Extension Service received a Blue Ribbon Communication Award for its Local, Regional and Safe Foods webpage (www.uaex.uada.edu/business-communities/local-foods/). Recognized for their work were associate professor Amanda Philyaw Perez and extension's Gaby Sanderson and Rip Weaver.

Mackay, McDonald, McWhirt, Threlfall and Perez are all also researchers and scientists with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture.

ASHS is recognized around the world as one of the most respected and influential professional societies for horticultural scientists. ASHS promotes and encourages national and international interest in scientific research and education in all branches of horticulture.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.