Category Archives: Events

Texas A&M conducts cantaloupe, honeydew research

To understand changes in the melon industry — cantaloupe, honeydew and other varieties, but not watermelon — Texas A&M University is conducting a survey to gather information about all aspects of the industry. The goal is to establish the needs and perceptions of melon stakeholders — consumers, producers and retailers, according to Bhimu Patil, director of the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center at Texas A&M and the project’s director. “The outcome will help to develop new cultivars and varieties to make sure our research and outreach efforts will… Read More →

2017’s Fattest States in America

https://wallethub.com/edu/fattest-states/16585/#bhimanagouda-s-patil “Fat” is becoming the new normal in America. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than seven in 10 U.S. adults aged 20 and older are either overweight or obese. Rates are lower for children and adolescents but have risen steadily almost every year. So prevalent has America’s obesity problem grown that the weight-loss industry continues to expand. This year, Americans are expected to spend more than $68 billion just on programs designed to help them shed the extra… Read More →

AgriLife researchers receive $4.4 million USDA grant

TAMU research strives to improve food industry – @bowerman_rachel In the U.S. melons such as cantaloupe and honeydew have been associated with the outbreak of 36 foodborne diseases and pathogen related fruit recalls since 1990 according to Texas A&M horticulturalist Bhimu Patil. On Sept. 8, scientists with the A&M AgriLife Research department received a $4.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to research and improve the U.S. melon industry. The department received $35 million have been awarded nationally by… Read More →

Improving U.S. melon crop focus of $4.4 million study

Kathleen Phillips, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications Updated 8:04 am, Wednesday, September 6, 2017 COLLEGE STATION — More than $4.4 million is being funded to discover ways to improve the U.S. melon industry through a grant to scientists with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and in seven other states. The monies, provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, were part of $35 million given to 12 projects to find “science-based solutions and new technology for the specialty crop industry.” The four-year project, “A Sustainable,… Read More →

Improving US melon crop focus of $4.4 million study at Texas A&M AgriLife Research

COLLEGE STATION — More than $4.4 million is being funded to discover ways to improve the U.S. melon industry through a grant to scientists with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and in seven other states. The monies, provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, were part of $35 million given to 12 projects to find “science-based solutions and new technology for the specialty crop industry.” The four-year project, “A Sustainable, Systems-based Approach for a Safer and Healthier Melon Supply Chain in the U.S.,”… Read More →

Experts on medicinal plants to gather at Clemson University conference

Denise Attaway, College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences; Public Service and Agriculture CLEMSON — Researchers from all over the world will convene at Clemson University for the eighth annual conference of the American Council for Medicinally Active Plants (ACMAP) to talk about how plants can be used to help fight diseases, provide proper nutrition and much more. The ACMAP conference takes place June 20-23 at the Madren Center. Jeffrey Adelberg, a Clemson horticulture professor and conference organizer, said its aim is to teach people about plants that… Read More →

Dr. Patil Featured as Keynote Speaker: FAVHealth2014 Symposium

Dr. Patil will be leaving in a few days for Australia to present as a keynote speaker at the 6th International Human Health Effects of Fruits & Vegetables Symposium. The event will celebrate research focused on the incredible variety of health benefits of fruits and vegetables, as well as recent improvements in processing and growing procedures that help deliver the advantages that a diet rich in FAVs can provide to the public. It centers around the label of FAVs as functional foods: those that “provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition, protection… Read More →

It’s Onion Testing Season!

The Vegetable & Fruit Improvement Center at Texas A&M University offers custom onion pungency test services* to onion growers, shippers, importers, grocery chains, and other interested parties. Backed by 30 years experience in onion breeding and 20 years in onion pungency research, we provide reliable and accurate analysis. Testing Procedure Automated analysis using a modified Schimmer and Weston method. Fast and accurate – most reports within three working days. More consistent than a press method – we blend whole onions after removing the neck and bottom to extract the… Read More →

6th International Human Health Effects of Fruits & Vegetables Symposium

Information regarding the 6th International Human Health Effects of Fruits & Vegetables Symposium (FAVHealth 2014) is now available. For information regarding the conference, dates, speakers, accommodations, and more, please click the following link: FAVHealth 2014

Patil honored as outstanding graduate educator by American horticultural society

Story by: Kathleen Phillips PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – The American Society for Horticultural Science has presented Dr. Bhimu Patil of College Station its Outstanding Graduate Education Award.         The award was presented July 22 during the society’s annual conference in Palm Springs, Calif.         Patil, who is director of the Texas A&M University Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, was given the award in recognition as “an educator who has had a distinguished and outstanding graduate education teaching career in horticultural science for a period of 10 or more… Read More →