Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center

Currently – 

Research and extension program of my group focuses on the development of vegetable and fruit production practices to improve productivity, product quality, and resource conservation. Our program covers Florida’s major crops including tomato, strawberry, blueberry, bell pepper, and cucurbits, as well as new specialty crops such as blackberry and pomegranate. Our research emphasizes understanding plant morphological and physiological adaptation mechanisms to environmental stimuli and stresses and incorporating the knowledge to develop integrated production practices. Current projects are focused on:

• Deficit irrigation strategies to improve water conservation and crop water productivity.
• Nutrient uptake and fertilization practices to improve fertilizer use efficiency and fruit quality.
• Protected culture (temperature and light manipulating effects on photosynthesis, earliness, yield, and quality).
• Hormonal regulation (abscisic acid and ethylene) of plant stress responses.
• Root morphology and growth dynamics in response to soil water and nutrient availability.
• Crop simulation models for benefit-risk assessment and decision support.

1. Agehara, S. and D. Leskovar. 2014. Age-dependent effectiveness of exogenous abscisic acid in height control of bell pepper and jalapeno transplants. Scientia Horticulturae (in-press).

2. Agehara, S. and D. Leskovar. 2014. Abscisic acid controls growth of jalapeno pepper transplants. Acta Hort (in-press).

3. Leskovar, D., C. Xu, S. Agehara. S. Sharma, and K. Crosby. 2014. Irrigation strategies for vegetable crops in water-limited environments. J. Arid Land Studies (in-press).

4. Agehara, S. and D. Leskovar. 2014. Growth reductions by exogenous abscisic acid limit the benefit of height control in diploid and triploid watermelon transplants. HortScience 49:465-471.

5. Leskovar, D., C. Xu, and S. Agehara. 2013. Planting configuration and plasticulture effects on growth, physiology, and yield of globe artichoke. HortScience. 48:1496–1501.

6. Leskovar, D., S. Agehara, K. Yoo and N. Pascual-Seva. 2012. Crop coefficient-based deficit irrigation and planting density for onion: Growth, yield, and bulb quality. HortScience 47:31-37.

7. Agehara, S. and D. Leskovar. 2012. Characterizing concentration effects of exogenous abscisic acid on gas exchange, water relations, and growth of muskmelon seedlings during water stress and rehydration. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 137:400-410

8. Leskovar, D., S. Agehara, K. Yoo and N. Pascual-Seva. 2012. Deficit irrigation and planting density impact on growth, yield, quality, and quercetin of short-day onion. Acta Hort. 936:219-226.

9. Leskovar, D., T. Shinohara, S. Agehara, and B. Patil. 2011. Integrated approaches for annual artichoke production in southwest. Acta Hort. 942:235-238.

10. Leskovar, D., S. Agehara, J. Jifon, K. Crosby, C. Rush, and S.G. Ban. 2011. Foliar ABA sprays controlled growth and improved survival and desiccation tolerance of vegetable transplants. Acta Hort. 898:237-243.

11. Shinohara, T., S. Agehara, and D. Leskovar. 2011. Irrigation and nitrogen management of artichoke: yield, head quality, and phenolic content. HortScience 46:377-386.

12. Leskovar, D., S. Goreta, J.L. Jifon, S. Agehara, T. Shinohara, and D. Moore. 2008. ABA to enhance water stress tolerance of vegetable transplants. Acta Hort. 782:253-263.

13. Agehara, S. and D. Warncke. 2005. Soil temperature and moisture effects on nitrogen release from organic nitrogen sources. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 69:1844–1855.