Members of the Field of Horticulture reside in the Department of Horticulture on the Ithaca campus, and in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. In addition, some faculty members of other departments such as Plant Biology, Plant Breeding, Crop and Soil Science, Food Science, etc., are also members of the field.

Use the jump down menu to locate faculty on this page by their areas of interest.

• Agroecology: Drinkwater, Merwin, Mt. Pleasant, Pritts, Wolfe
• Agroforestry: Mudge
• Floriculture (bulbs and herbaceous plants): Bridgen, Miller, Wien, Mattson
• Food science/nutrition: Liu, Giovannoni, Watkins
• Greenhouse crops: Albright, Bridgen, Miller, Mattson
• Hydroponics: Albright
• Landscape management: Bassuk
• Nursery crops/management: Bassuk, Miller, Mudge
• Plant breeding/genetics: Bridgen, Brown, Cousins, Fazio, Gan, Griffiths, Mutschler, Owens, Reisch, Weber
• Plant physiology: Bjorkman, Cheng, Davies, Giovannoni, Lakso, Miller, Mudge, Rose, Rossi, Watkins, Wien, Whitlow, Wolfe, Mattson
• Plant propagation/tissue culture: Bassuk, Bridgen, Wolfe, Mudge
• Plants and human well-being: Mt. Pleasant, Skelly, Wells
• Post-harvest management: Gan, Miller, Watkins
• Public garden management: Skelly, Rakow
• Restoration ecology: Whitlow
• Seed physiology: Taylor
• Small fruit (berries): Pritts, Weber
• Soil management: Bassuk, Drinkwater, Ketterings, Merwin, Wolfe
• Tree fruit: Brown, Cheng, Fazio, Lakso, Merwin, Robinson
• Turfgrass science: Petrovic, Rossi
• Urban horticulture: Bassuk, Whitlow
• Vegetable crops: Albright, Bellinder, Bjorkman, Davies, Drinkwater, Griffiths, Halseth, Mt. Pleasant, Mutschler, Rangarajan, Reiners, Wien, Wolfe
• Viticulture and enology (grapes): Cousins, Lakso, Owens, Merwin, Reisch, Vanden Heuvel
• Weed management: Bellinder
• Woody landscape plants: Bassuk, Mudge, Whitlow

 

Louis D. Albright (Ithaca) - Professor of Biological and Environmental Engineering. BS Agricultural Engineering, Cornell; M.S. Food Engineering, Cornell; Ph.D. Agricultural Engineering, Cornell. Professor, and Director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture program at Cornell. Research involves technologies for optimized crop production in greenhouses, growth rooms, and space (NASA) applications. Efforts relate primarily to environmental control optimization and fault detection, based on computer modeling of physical structures and the biological systems contained within. Applications encompass fresh vegetables and (therapeutic) natural products. Also a member of the graduate field of Biological Engineering and Environmental. Teach BEE 401: Renewable Energy Systems; and BEE 487: Sustainable Energy Systems. 

 

Nina Bassuk (Ithaca) - Professor of horticultural physiology. BS Horticulture, Cornell; Ph.D. Horticulture, University of London. Professor and Program leader of the Urban Horticulture Institute with the Department of Horticulture; Director of Graduate Studies for Horticulture. Works on the problems of establishing woody plants in the urban environment. Specific areas include landscape site assessment, selection and propagation of woody plants for difficult site conditions, soil modification including the development of 'CU-Structural Soil', and improved transplanting technology. Also a member of the graduate field of Landscape Architecture. Teach HORT/LA 491-492: Creating The Urban Eden: Woody Plant Selection, Design and Landscape Establishment, HORT 391/392: Woody Plant Identification and Use in the Landscape and HORT 496 SWAT: Student Weekend Arborist Team. 

 

Robin Bellinder (Ithaca) - Professor. Research and extension in weed science. BS, Michigan State University; MS, and Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Major areas of field interest include developing weed control programs for vegetables and fruit, mechanical cultivation, alternative cropping and mulch management systems to reduce herbicide use in vegetable production. Laboratory research interests include the examination of cellular and subcellular alterations resulting from herbicide exposure. 

 

Thomas Bjorkman (Geneva) - Associate Professor. Research in vegetable crop physiology, stress physiology and cell biology. BS, University of California, Davis; Ph.D., Cornell University. Major emphasis on the developmental response of plants to environmental cues, particularly environmental stresses. Current projects include the study of the nature of growth enhancement in roots colonized by beneficial fungi; the growth response to heat in floral buds of broccoli; and liberation of rhizosphere phosphorus from cold high-P soils. 

 

Mark P. Bridgen (Long Island) - Professor and Director of the Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center. Research and extension in floriculture and ornamental horticulture. BS. Pennsylvania State University; MS, Ohio State University; Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Research efforts focus on herbaceous ornamental plants, greenhouse crop production, new crop development and breeding, plant propagation, and plant tissue culture especially for purposes of plant breeding and micropropagation. Current research projects include breeding and propagation of Alstroemeria and other Chilean geophytes and cut flower production of herbaceous perennials. 

 

Susan K. Brown (Geneva) - Associate Professor. Research on the genetic improvement of apple using traditional approaches and molecular techniques. BS, University of Connecticut; MS, Rutgers University; Ph.D., University of California, Davis. Research interests include cultivar improvement and genetic studies of apples. Plant form, disease resistance, insect resistance, environmental adaptation and fruit quality attributes are areas of investigation. Classical breeding is being coupled with genetic engineering approaches (regeneration, transformation, and gene mapping) to produce improved apple varieties. 

 

Lailiang Cheng (Ithaca) - Associate Professor. Research and Extension. BS and MS, Shandong Agricultural University, PRC; Ph.D., Oregon State University, Corvallis. Research interests include metabolic and environmental regulation of photosynthesis, carbon-nitrogen relationships, and nutrition physiology and management of fruit crops. 

 

 

Peter Cousins (Geneva) - Grape Rootstock Breeder and Geneticist. Research at the USDA-ARS, Plant Genetic Resources Unit, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva. B.S. Stanford University; Ph.D., University of California, Davis. Research interests include grape rootstock breeding, genetics, and evaluation. 

 

 

 

Peter J. Davies (Ithaca) - Professor of Plant Physiology, Department of Plant Biology. BSc. (Hons), University of Reading, United Kingdom; MS University of California, Davis; Ph.D., University of Reading. Area of expertise is plant growth and development, with special reference to the role of hormones in growth and development, and the regulation of the senescence of whole plants. Research involves the utilization of defined genotypes. Current research is on the role of plant hormones in stem growth and potato tuberization including the gnomic identification and characterization of the genes involved in the hormonal regulation of growth, ripening in tomato and tuberization of potato. 

 

Laurie Drinkwater (Ithaca) - Associate Professor. Research and Extension. B.A., University of South Florida, Tampa; Ph.D. University of California, Davis. Focus of basic research is to investigate mechanisms within the plant-soil- microbial continuum that control ecosystem processes such as energy flows and nutrient cycling in agroecosystems. Current research interests focus on achieving a better understanding of the biotic and abiotic mechanisms that regulate linkages between carbon and nitrogen cycles. My applied research program uses a multidisciplinary approach to develop management practices that improve soil quality while optimizing carbon and nitrogen cycling in intensive horticultural systems. 

 

Gennaro Fazio (Geneva) - Adjunct Assistant Professor. BS Molecular Biology and Agronomy, MS Agronomy-Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University; Ph.D. Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Research Geneticist USDA ARS. Leader of the joint USDA-Cornell Apple Rootstock Breeding Program. Works on breeding apple rootstocks using phenotypic and marker assisted selection. Specific areas include root tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, gene silencing, rootstock-scion interactions, genomics of root development, rootstock effects on plant architecture, apple germplasm characterization and enhancement. 

 

 Susheng Gan (Ithaca) - Associate Professor of plant molecular biology. Ph.D. Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison. As part of the Cornell Genomics Initiative, Dr. Gan works on plant genomics in general and molecular regulatory mechanism of plant senescence and molecular postharvest biology and biotechnology in particular. Specific research topics include transcription factor network architecture and networks of leaf senescence, signal transduction networks underlying leaf senescence, molecular genetic manipulation of senescence in pre-and post-harvest crops for increased yield and prolonged storage/shelf life. Teaches HORT 425 Postharvest Physiology of Horticultural Crops and HORT 625 Advanced Postharvest Biology and Technology of Horticultural Crops. 

 

James J. Giovannoni (Geneva) - Plant Molecular Biologist, USDA-ARS; Project Leader, Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research; adjunct professor of Horticulture; adjunct professor of Plant Biology. BS Biochemistry, UC Davis; Ph.D. Molecular and Physiological Plant Biology, UC Berkeley. Works on the genetic regulation of fruit ripening with special interest in developmental and signal transduction systems impacting ripening and associated nutritional quality. 

 

 

Phillip D. Griffiths (Geneva) - Associate Professor. Research, breeding and genetics of vegetable crops. BS, University of Nottingham; MS, University of Wales; Ph.D., University of Florida. Research focuses on the genetic improvement of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and beans. Conventional breeding for pest resistance and quality are combined with molecular marker work to help accelerate introgression of desirable traits. Research includes the screening of wild accessions to identify desirable traits in related species, identification of molecular markers linked to genes of interest and selection of plants with novel or desirable horticultural characteristics. The program concentrates primarily on introgression of resistance to diseases and insect pests.  

 

Donald E. Halseth (Ithaca) - Associate Professor. Extension, research in potatoes, and dry beans. BS and MS, University of California, Davis; Ph.D., Cornell University. Responsible for horticultural production aspects of potato and dry bean extension and research programming. Conduct applied research in dry bean and potato crop systems to identify new genotypes and varieties that will most consistently fit the needs of NYS growers and consumers. Emphasis is placed on identifying important physiological-environmental crop responses and developing optimal cultural practices for each new line to enhance their rapid and successful adoption. Information placed into “variety profiles” includes disease and pest resistances, optimal mineral nutrition, specific cultural practice responses, storage management requirements, and utilization qualities. 

 

Quirine K. Ketterings (Ithaca) - Associate Professor. Nutrient management in agricultural systems. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. BS, Larenstein International Agricultural College, The Netherlands; MS, Wageningen University and Research Center, the Netherlands; Ph.D., Ohio State University. Areas of interest include on-farm nutrient balancing, inorganic and organic fertilizer use, indicators of environmental impacts of nutrient management and the relationships between nutrient management and product quality applied to both organic and conventional farms. 

 

Alan N. Lakso (Geneva) - Professor. Research in grape and apple physiology. BS and Professor. Research in grape and apple physiology. BS and Ph.D., University of California, Davis. Research interests are in the developmental and environmental physiology of apples and grapes for understanding physiological principles and practices limiting productivity and fruit quality. Research emphases are on the integration of growth and development, carbon, energy and water physiology, root growth and physiology, cultural practices, and biotic or environmental impacts on productivity and product quality. Increasing emphasis has been placed on viticultural and environmental effects on grape and wine flavor development. In addition to experimentation, dynamic simulation modeling and modern sensing and geospatial technologies are utilized. 

 

Ruihai Liu (Ithaca) - Associate Professor of Food Science. BS Medicine, Harbin Medical School; MS Nutrition and Food Toxicology, Harbin Medical School; MD Medicine, Harbin Medical School; Ph.D. Toxicology, Cornell University. His research program focuses on diet and cancer, functional foods/nutraceuticals for chronic disease prevention, and herbal remedies for cancer and hepatitis. Specific interests include: 1) health benefits of phytochemicals in fruits, vegetables and grains; 2) functional foods for disease prevention and health promotion targeted at cancer, cardiovascular disease, aging, and inflammatory disease; 3) role of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in the prevention of cancer; 4) screening of natural products and herbal formulations for antiviral activity to hepatitis B and C. Teach an undergraduate course in Food Analysis and a graduate-level course in Food Lipids, along with a team-taught Food Chemistry course, lecturing on lipid chemistry, toxicants in foods, food additives, and changes of nutrients during food processing.   

Neil S. Mattson (Ithaca) - Assistant Professor. Greenhouse horticulture, plant physiology and development as it relates to ornamental greenhouse crop production.  B.A. Biology, Computer Science and M.S. Applied Plant Science, University of Minnesota, Ph.D. Plant Biology, University of California-Davis. Interests include nutrition management strategies to reduce inputs and mitigate runoff from horticultural facilities, use of silicon in container-grown plants to improve plant quality and stress resistance, understanding plant growth and development as it relates to temperature, photoperiod, and light intensity, and application of degree day scheduling and temperature integration to floriculture crops.  

 

Ian A. Merwin (Ithaca) - Professor. Research and teaching in orchard management. BA, Reed College; MS and Ph.D., Cornell University. Research interests involve alternative strategies in orchard weed and soils management, effects of water and nutritional stress on fruit trees, interactions between cover crops and soilborne plant pathogens, orchard replant problems, and the agroecology of perennial crop systems. Teaching responsibilities include an introductory horticulture course, and an upper-level course in tree-fruit physiology and production systems. 

 

William B. Miller (Ithaca) - Professor, flower bulb and greenhouse crop physiology. BS, University of California, Davis; MS and Ph.D., Cornell University. Research is focused on floriculture and ornamental crop physiology, especially including carbohydrate metabolism, partitioning, and utilization of stored reserves. Near-market research on flower bulbs and perennials, including uses for both forcing, dry sales, and landscape use. A current interest area is leaf senescence, with the goal of developing systems to permit short-term cold storage of forced oriental hybrid lilies prior to sale. 

 

Jane Mt. Pleasant (Ithaca) - Associate professor of horticulture. BS and MS Agronomy, Cornell; Ph.D. Soil Science, North Carolina State University. Recent research efforts have focused on an agronomic assessment of open-pollinated corn varieties suitable for growers in the northeast, and on on open- pollinated corn varieties used by indigenous people in the northeast and Canada. Research also examines indigenous agricultural systems from agronomic and cultural perspectives, informing the work of scholars in Anthropology, Archeology, and American Indian Studies. Also a member of the following graduate fields: Soil and Crop Sciences, Integrated Pest Management, International Agriculture, and American Indian Studies. Teach HORT 235 Plants and Human Well Being. 

 

Kenneth W. Mudge (Ithaca) - Associate Professor of ornamental horticulture. BS, Pennsylvania State University; MS, Colorado State University; Ph.D., Washington State University. Research and teaching in plant propagation, horticultural physiology, landscape horticulture and agroforestry. Development of horticultural distance learning courses. 

 

 

Martha Mutschler (Ithaca) - Professor, Plant Breeding. Teaching; research in vegetable breeding, and genetics. BA, St. John Fisher College; MS and Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison. Research includes onion breeding, and a major tomato project that involves the insect resistance found in L. pennellii. Current work combines use of biochemical, molecular and entomological methods to determine the genetic control of the acylsugar which mediate the resistance of L. pennellii to most of the major pests of tomato, and to transfer of the resistance to cultivated tomato. A related project concerns the genetics and mechanisms controlling interspecific crossing barriers in the genus Lycopersicon. Other tomato projects include work on disease resistance, maturity, and tomato fruit quality. 

 

Christopher L. Owens (Geneva) - Plant Molecular Biologist, USDA-ARS; Adjunct Professor of Horticulture. BS University of Maryland; MS Cornell University; Ph.D. Michigan State University. Research efforts are focused on understanding the molecular genetic variation and genetic regulation of key traits and processes in cultivated grapevine. Specific emphasis is on the genetic regulation of cold acclimation as well as the genetic dissection of factors contributing to fruit and wine quality. 

 

 

A. Martin Petrovic (Ithaca) - Professor. Research and teaching in turfgrass science, water quality, soil management, and water use management. BS, & MS, University of Massachusetts; Ph.D., Michigan State University.

 

 

 

 

Marvin P. Pritts (Ithaca) - Professor and Chair of the Department of Horticulture, Ithaca. Extension, research and teaching in small fruit production systems. BS, Bucknell University; MS University of South Carolina; Ph.D., Michigan State University. Research interests include ecological approaches to weed control and pest management, soil management, methods of season extension including controlled environment agriculture, crop response to environmental stress, and plant nutrition. Extension efforts are directed to commercial berry growers. Teaching involves a course on small fruit production. 

 

Donald A. Rakow (Ithaca) - Associate Professor of landscape horticulture and Director of Cornell Plantations. Teaching and research in landscape management and public garden management. BA, SUNY Albany; Ph.D., Cornell University. Research interests include landscape mulches, and use of wood wastes as soil amendments. Teaching includes courses in landscape management and public garden management. 

 

 

Anusuya Rangarajan (Ithaca) - Associate Professor and Director, Small Farms Program. Research and extension in fresh market vegetable production. BS Michigan State University, MS, University of Wisconsin, Ph.D., Michigan State University. Research and extension efforts focus on development of cultural practices which promote the sustainability and economic viability of fresh market vegetable production, while minimizing negative impacts of these systems on the natural resources of New York State. Current research interests include evaluation of composts in vegetable systems for nutrient value and disease biocontrol; development of production recommendations for alternative vegetable crops; and evaluation of vegetable cultivars and production practices for impact on crop quality and nutritional value. 

 

Stephen Reiners (Geneva) - Associate Professor. Research, Extension in vegetable crop production. BS and MS, Rutgers University; Ph.D., The Ohio State University. Field research is designed to maintain and enhance profitability and sustainability of New York vegetable farmers, with emphasis on processing crops including sweet corn, snap beans, cabbage, beets, and peas. Interests include fine-tuning cover crop use to maximize nutrient recycling and improve soil structure; improving fertilizer recommendations through the use of quick nitrogen tests; and alternative cropping systems. 

 

Bruce I. Reisch (Geneva) - Professor. Research in grape breeding and genetics. BS, Cornell University; MS and Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison. Program objectives focus on the genetic improvement of grapevines using an integrated approach of traditional and novel techniques. In the traditional portion of the project, interspecific hybridization is used to produce and select improved wine and table grapes. Disease resistance is a high priority objective. Seedlings are selected in vineyards receiving no pesticide applications. Promising varieties and selections are tested at major locations throughout the United States, as well as at several New York locations. Novel techniques in plant breeding are being developed as tools for grapevine improvement. These studies currently focus genetic engineering to selectively improve disease resistance of elite cultivars, and Genetic mapping to locate and clone genes for disease resistance and other traits.

 

Terence L. Robinson (Geneva) - Associate Professor. Research and extension in tree fruit, orchard management, and production systems. BS, Brigham Young University; MS and Ph.D., Washington State University. Research interests include pruning and training systems; tree form and planting configuration; light interception, light partitioning, effects on yield; rootstocks; fruit thinning and fruit development; water management; fertigation; and pest control efficiency. Extension efforts are aimed at commercial fruit growers and focus on planting systems and canopy management. 

 

Jocelyn K. C. Rose (Ithaca) - Assistant Professor of Plant Biology. Bsc. Biology, University of Manchester, UK; Ph.D. Plant Biology, University of California Davis. Works on the structure and function of plant cell walls and the functions of extracellular proteins. Specific areas the development and application of genome-scale strategies to study the cell wall proteome in order to elucidate the molecular bases of cell wall disassembly during fruit ripening and the interaction between plants and microbial pathogens in the cell wall. Also a member of the graduate fields of Plant Biology and Plant Pathology. Teach BioPL462: Plant Biochemistry; BioPL653.1: Concepts and techniques in plant molecular biology; BioPL652.7: The plant cell wall: from structure to the proteome. 

 

Frank S. Rossi (Ithaca) - Associate Professor of turfgrass science, and Extension turfgrass specialist. A.A.S., SUNY Cobleskill; BS and MS, University of Rhode Island; Ph.D. Cornell University. Administers a broad-based extension and research program. Address turfgrass selection, establishment and management issues including stress physiology and environmental education. 

 

 

Sonja Skelly (Ithaca) - Director of Education for Cornell Plantations and Visiting Lecturer. Ph.D. University of Florida, 2000; M.S. and B.A Texas A&M University.  Focus on Plants and Human Well Being and Public Garden Management.   

 

 

 

Alan G. Taylor (Geneva) - Professor & Chair. Teaching; research in seed science and technology. BS, Heidelberg College; MS, Michigan State University; Ph.D., Oklahoma State University. Research effort centers on factors affecting seed quality, germination, and seedling establishment, and on methods predicting field performance of seeds. Seed coating technologies have been studied including seed pelleting and film coating. Non-invasive methods are being explored to detect and evaluate seed viability. Physiological changes that occur during seed aging are being actively pursued. Research is being conducted on seed enhancements, storage and conditioning with emphasis on color sorting. Teaching includes a course in Seed Science and Technology.  

 

Justine Vanden Heuvel (Geneva) - Assistant Professor. B.Sc. (Agr.), M.Sc., and Ph.D., University of Guelph. Research interests include cultural practices and physiology affecting development of flavors and aromas in wine grapes, with a particular emphasis on production/degradation of these compounds in cool climates. Teaching responsibilities include Viticulture and Vineyard Management I and II (Hort 443 and 444).  

 

 

Christopher B. Watkins (Ithaca) - Professor and Cooperative Extension Asscociate Director for Agriculture and Food Systems. Research and extension in fruit maturity, ripening, and storage. B.Sc. and MS (Hons), Auckland University, New Zealand; Ph.D., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Research interests involve both basic and applied aspects of fruit physiology. These include biochemical and molecular responses of fruit to storage conditions such as temperature, low oxygen and high carbon dioxide concentrations; development of physiological disorders of fruit which develop during storage; effects of maturity, handling practices and storage modifications on fruit quality; and effects of preharvest factors on postharvest storage quality. 

 

Courtney A. Weber (Geneva) - Associate Professor. Research and extension in small fruits breeding and genetics. BS, University of Illinois-Urbana; MS and Ph.D., University of Florida. Research interests include small fruits breeding and genetics especially strawberries and raspberries with an emphasis on applied molecular biology and biotechnology including genetic mapping, gene cloning, marker assisted selection, tissue culture, and transformation. Extension efforts are directed to commercial small fruit growers including U-pick and wholesale. 

 

Nancy M. Wells (Ithaca) - Assistant Professor, Design and Environmental Analysis and affiliated with the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center. BA Psychology, Connecticut College; MS Design and Environmental Analysis, Cornell; PhD Psychology and Architecture, University of Michigan. As an environmental psychologist, her research focuses on people's relationships with the built and natural environment through the life course. Her work includes the impact of nearby nature on individual and community well-being and the study of housing transitions among impoverished urban families. Of particular interest is the relationship of children and elderly to the natural environment and the evolution of people's relationship to nature through the life course. Teaches DEA 455/656 Research Methods in Human-Environment Relations and DEA 472 Environments for Elders. 

 

Thomas H. Whitlow (Ithaca) - Associate Professor of horticultural physiology. Research and teaching in the physiology and ecology of trees. BS, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; Ph.D., University of California, Davis. Research emphasizes the physiological ecology of urban street trees. Investigation focuses on intraspecific variation in tree water relations and gas exchange traits, the exploitation of this genotypic variation to develop novel stress-resistant cultivars, and the development of new cultural techniques that maximize passive resource availability to urban trees. Teaching includes a course on woody plant physiology, a graduate seminar on the philosophy of science, and a course on restoration ecology. 

 

H. Christian Wien (Ithaca) - Professor. Teaching; research in vegetable crop physiology. BS, University of Guelph ; MS, and Ph.D., Cornell University. Physiological investigations include studies on fruit set, and physiological disorders of vegetables. Other research deals with bulb formation in onions, weed-crop competition and intercropping. International activities concern horticulture in Africa. 

 

 

David W. Wolfe (Ithaca) - Professor. Research in stress physiology and research/extension in soil and water management of vegetable production systems. BS, MS, and Ph.D., University of California, Davis. Areas of research interest are environmental physiology, computer modeling of plant growth, soil and water management, and vegetable crop production. Current projects include climate change research examining elevated carbon dioxide and temperature effects at the leaf, plant and ecosystem levels; physiological responses to drought and chilling; and techniques for maintaining and improving soil quality in vegetable production systems.