Plants, People, Science

Growing Global Leaders in Horticulture: A Conversation with ASHS President Dr. Daniel Leskovar

• American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) • Season 3 • Episode 2

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A simple microscope gift during a childhood illness sparked a lifelong passion for horticulture that would take Dr. Daniel Leskovar from Argentina to leadership in American plant science. As the current President of the American Society for Horticultural Science, Dr. Leskovar shares the remarkable journey that began with his father's work in hop production and led him through prestigious institutions across three continents.

The conversation reveals how formative experiences—observing agricultural practices in Patagonia, studying plant cells during recovery from a kidney infection, and adapting to a fruit and vegetable-rich diet—shaped his scientific curiosity. Dr. Leskovar pursued advanced degrees at Wageningen University, UC Davis, and the University of Florida before establishing himself as a respected researcher and center director at Texas A&M University.

From his base in the "Winter Garden of Texas," Dr. Leskovar conducts innovative research on artichokes, tomatoes, spinach, and hydroponics. His current projects showcase a commitment to practical solutions, including grafting techniques for improved tomato production, assessing cadmium levels in spinach to ensure food safety, and developing hydroponic systems that can engage students with horticultural science.

What truly distinguishes this conversation is Dr. Leskovar's vision for horticultural science globally. He articulates ambitious goals for ASHS, emphasizing the need to elevate publications, strengthen the society's brand recognition, and forge international partnerships that highlight how "what we do matters to people, matters to the environment, matters to quality of life."

Ready to discover how horticultural science shapes our world? To learn more about Dr. Leskovar's research, visit Vegetable physiology, production, quality - Texas A&M AgriLife Center at Uvalde or contact him directly at daniel.leskovar@ag.tamu.edu.

Learn more about the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) at https://ashs.org/.
HortTechnology, HortScience and the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science are all open-access and peer-reviewed journals, published by the American Society of Horticultural Science (ASHS). Find them at journals.ashs.org.

Consider becoming an ASHS member at https://ashs.org/page/Becomeamember!

You can also find the official webpage for Plants, People, Science at ashs.org/plantspeoplesciencepodcast, and we encourage you to send us feedback or suggestions at https://ashs.org/webinarpodcastsuggestion.

Podcast transcripts are available at https://plantspeoplescience.buzzsprout.com.

On LinkedIn find Sam Humphrey at linkedin.com/in/samson-humphrey. Curt Rom is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/curt-rom-611085134/. Lena Wilson is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-wilson-2531a5141/.

Thank you for listening!


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Curt Rom:

Hello, welcome to Plants People Science, the podcast of the American Society for Horticultural Science, where we talk about all kinds of things horticulture. I'm your Cu rt Rom, University, professor of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas, along with my friend and co-host, Samson Humphrey, a PhD researcher at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. We'd like to welcome you. Glad you're here today, Sam.

Samson Humphrey:

how are you, Curt, I'm doing fantastic. We have an exciting episode today.

Curt Rom:

Yeah, I'm real excited we're going to speak with Dr Leskovar, Daniel Leskovar. He's president of ASHS. He's got a very interesting story Growing up in Argentina, coming to the United States on a Fulbright Fellowship, studying at some major horticultural institutions and then working in one of the most productive horticultural rich regions of Texas. So are you ready for spring? The days are getting longer. It's starting to get warm here. We haven't had a big snowfall yet. You know, I'm kind of thinking we're going to get one, but my mind has shifted towards spring. I'm starting to prune my trees in the orchard. I've got my research plans for the spring. The semester of school has started. We're fully engaged. I'm kind of ready for spring. I always get my excitement level goes up at this time of year.

Samson Humphrey:

If you say so, Curt, I'm in the mood for summer. I really enjoy when campus is empty, there are no students around. I can walk through the empty hallways. Then again, I do enjoy popping into professors' offices and waving hi. So it is nice to be back and seeing those people again. But it's exciting actually. I am in Knoxville for the first spring and it's just beautiful here the hills and mountains and trees. It's a new view of plants that I never got in where I used to live in Florida. So I feel like my horizons are broadening and, yeah, it's an exciting time.

Curt Rom:

Well, I think you'll find out that you really enjoy it. You know, knoxville is very much like Fayetteville in terms of its climate. You know we have really four discrete, almost equally balanced seasons, and so we're now halfway through winter. Springtime is going to come up real soon. Spring always seems to jump on me before I'm ready. We'll have that couple warm days in February and the daffodils will be up, the tulips will be popping up, and then I'm going to be thinking I'm already behind on getting my spring and the summer work going. And you know, do I have my plans planted? Are my plans planned well enough? Do I have the plants ready to go? But I'm excited about it. You know there is something special about a university when it's empty. But as a professor, samson, I have to tell you I get so much energy from having students around the classes I teach, the interaction with our graduate students. That brings me a lot of energy.

Samson Humphrey:

Well, what I'm excited about for this spring is all the new podcast episodes we're planning for the year. This is the time the team takes to plan ahead and say what sorts of summer themed episodes do we want, what sorts of fall themed episodes can we look forward to? And so yeah, I'm really enthused about what we have coming up on the podcast.

Curt Rom:

Yeah, I am too. So this is our first podcast of 2025. I'm excited about it, so I suppose we ought to get going.

Samson Humphrey:

Sounds good. Good morning, Dr Leskovar. Could you please introduce yourself?

Daniel Leskovar:

Good morning Sam. Certainly yes. My name is Daniel Leskovar. I'm a professor in vegetative and crop physiology at Texas A&M University. I'm also the center director of the Uvalde Dallas AgriLife Research and Extension Center.

Curt Rom:

Good morning, Dr Leskovar. Tell us a little bit about the center. How big is the center that you work with? Good morning, Dr Leskovar. Tell us a little bit about the center. How big is the center that you work?

Daniel Leskovar:

with. Good morning, Dr Rom, nice to see you again. Yeah, I mean, the Uvalde Research and Extension Center is located in a rural area west from San Antonio, and so the center is about, together with graduate students, postdocs we should be shy of 55, something like that While the Dallas Center, located in the metropolitan area, it's almost double it's just 120 plus between faculty, research, extension, different agencies, postdoc and students and staff, of course.

Curt Rom:

Okay, it's a good-sized group. Thank you, yeah.

Samson Humphrey:

It is, and you've been running it for a while, since 2011.

Daniel Leskovar:

You've had quite a while yes, 2011 at the Uvalde Research and Extension and in Dallas. I've been interning for almost 40 years and became director this year, so it's been already five years at the Dallas Center.

Samson Humphrey:

So how did you become interested in horticulture? I know your family had a history in agriculture. You were brought to the Pampas region of Argentina when you were six. Can you talk a little bit about what that was like for you?

Daniel Leskovar:

Sure, sure. So, like you indicated, yes, my father has an agricultural science degree, a doctoral degree, from the University of Firenze in Italy, and so he moved to Argentina after the Second World War. University of Firenze in Italy, and so he moved to Argentina after the Second World War, was immediately working for a brewing company for hops, hops production and research. So when I was two years old, my father used to take us to all of the hop farms in the very southern Argentina, you know, in the Patagonia area, visiting farmers and growing hops, and that always created an image, an imprint, early on in my childhood. So then, after four years more, at the age of six, my father, because of his job, of six, my father because of his job, moved to near Mar del Plata, which is in the province of Buenos Aires, into a large farm that we have there crops, agronomic crops, wheat, potatoes and barley, and also horticultural crops and some small fruits, and also horticultural crops and some small fruits, but the main activity was hops for beer, and so that allowed me to be exposed to those kind of crops.

Daniel Leskovar:

But then, when I got seven years old, I had a very severe kidney infection that put me in bed for one year in the hospital, a couple of months, and so during that time, when I got seven, my father gave me a microscope, thinking that I was going to be resting, and then this microscope actually changed my view of plants because I was able to look through the mirrors, beyond what you see on your eyes.

Daniel Leskovar:

So I explored the cells, the tissues, and that gave me intrigue about plant biology and that, you know, it gave me intrigue about plant biology and to this day, actually, I sense and I smell, you know, that wooden, encased, clear wood box, you know, with a green cloth inside, and then the black microscope. So it was really an interesting imprint in my life to these days, or imprint in my life to this day. So after that, in addition to that, obviously because of my condition, my mother, which is Eastern European, from Croatia, was an excellent cook, so I had to change the diet because of that, and so the diet was based on fruits and vegetables to a large extent. So those combinations between the exposure to plants, to the environments and to the food gave me much more interest in agriculture, particularly horticulture.

Curt Rom:

Dr Leskovar, that's an interesting story. The reason it resonates with me is actually when I was nine years old, my father gave me a microscope and I remember the first time putting a leaf underneath it and looking and seeing the cells of a leaf. I just thought that was amazing. Was that kind of the start of your research? Curiosity that you know that microscope, that simple little gift, that kind of piqued your curiosity?

Daniel Leskovar:

Yes, yes, certainly. Thank you, Curt. Yes, I mean, I will remember. There were two gifts that he gave me when I was in that time. One was that and the other was he came with a toy from Japan when he went to Europe and came back, and that toy was, you know, it was a helicopter. So in my imagination the helicopter should fly. So I just, you know, threw that helicopter much of interest as compared to some more inside gift like the microscope. Yes, so to confirm your question, Curt, that was a critical point for me to decide. You know, horticulture me to decide no. Horticulture it's no. Or even though I didn't, at that time I didn't know the details, but exposing to plants and the environment gave me the drive to the next steps.

Curt Rom:

What about when you went to college? Did you get involved in research as a college student?

Daniel Leskovar:

Yes, yes. Well, after that, during that time then, I went before college. In my high school the preferred subject was biology. So after finishing my high school I decided to do the undergraduate or BS we call it here in biochemistry in the college of Medicine in Buenos Aires. So I went there. But soon after that I realized that plants were my passion and then decided to move with my family back to the southern Patagonia and there I studied agronomy, or agricultural sciences, with a specialization or orientation in horticulture. This is a five-year undergraduate program, very applied in a sense, very practical, and that prepares you very well for the job market. And actually, when I was in the third year, I was managing two fruit farms apples and pears as well as a hop farm, an experimental farm together with my dad. So that was the next steps associated with horticulture.

Samson Humphrey:

But then you went far. After that you went to the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands, and then the University of California, Davis and then the University of Florida for your master's and PhD degrees. Can you talk us through the next steps of how you became a vegetable physiologist?

Daniel Leskovar:

Sure, yeah. So when I finished my undergraduate with horticulture, I still continued working in hops from a private company, but also part-time working at the university in the horticulture courses. And then I decided that really my passion again continued to be horticulture. So I had the opportunity to reconsider my future and decided to apply for a Fulbright scholarship. And I applied the first year and I was selected. But they decided that the timing was not there.

Daniel Leskovar:

And then at the same time, my mentor in the university where I was working with him in horticulture, he has done training in the Netherlands, in Wageningen, and he suggested to me why don't you consider going to try to apply for the government scholarship? So I did, I got it and went to Wageningen University, which is the number one university in the world, and that experience engaging with the most renowned scientists in the world, with different exposures that provided the kick for me to re-evaluate my future. And it was at the end of that stay that Fulbright contacted me again and they say you know, wait, we have your application from last year, will you reconsider this? And certainly, came back from the Netherlands and decided you know, after visiting with my family, that that was the step to do, and then went to UC Davis for my master's and spent two years a little longer than two years and then, after that, University of Florida for the PhD.

Samson Humphrey:

That's amazing. What was it like moving around so much?

Daniel Leskovar:

What major challenges did you face moving between countries? Well, you know, being in Argentina, Argentina is a large country, like Texas is a large state, so you travel a lot. So my father was also a traveler and from going from one place to the other, from Buenos Aires to the southern Patagonia, that was about 1,000 miles or even more than that. So we were kind of used in terms of traveling. So adjusting to traveling was not, but obviously adjusting to different cultures, that obviously takes time. Adjusting to an educational system also takes time. So I wouldn't say it was easy. Everything has to be reconsidered and then how best you can adapt, you know it's up to. You know how open we are, you know, for changing certain things to be more accommodating to the social, cultural environment that was in the US.

Curt Rom:

So you moved around. You completed your degree, you've landed in Texas and now you're down at Uvalde. You've been there since 2011. Tell us a little bit about the horticulture of that region. What are some of the horticultural crops that are grown there, and how does that intersect with your research and your interests?

Daniel Leskovar:

Certainly yeah, mm-hmm, certainly yeah. The Uvalde area the region is the Uvalde County and Uvalde City is at the heart of what the area called the Winter Garden of Texas hour and 15, 20 minutes, and it's a very rich kind of a valley below the hill country of Texas, a beautiful hill country, and it's surrounded by, you know, with rivers. There's four rivers. Of course, most of them now are very dry because of the drought that we have, but most of the crops then, because of our environmental conditions, are irrigated. So there is about 120,000 acres plus or minus of agronomic and vegetable crops or specialty crops than vegetable crops or specialty crops. And so in terms of horticultural crops, the measured ones, as the word indicates, winter garden are leafy, leafy greens or cool season crops.

Daniel Leskovar:

The benefit of this region is that we have mild winters, so it starts in late September, early October, until late March. You could grow a variety of cool season vegetables, the more important being spinach, cabbage, onions, carrots and also other cruciferous crops, leafy greens and then broccoli and to some extent leafy greens and then broccoli and to some extent, you know, some small growing of cauliflowers or some other cold crops. Then it's also a big area of production in potatoes for processing. We have more than 5,000 acres and that is part because the region also have different soil types. We go from heavy clay soil to sandy soil, low pH. That allows to grow potatoes or green beans and also watermelons as well, and in the spring summer we have again some of the cucurbit crop, watermelons and melons. We used to have really much more production of cantaloupes but due to conditions of the markets and safety and water, that industry has been really reduced significantly.

Curt Rom:

So of all those crops that's a lot, and I can see why you call it the winter garden. It's really the winter salad garden, it sounds like. What are some of the crops that you've worked on? And maybe I should really ask this what's the most fun crop or intriguing crop that you've worked on? What's an exciting one? Pique, that little boy's interest with that microscope.

Daniel Leskovar:

Yeah, the most exciting one.

Daniel Leskovar:

Actually, you know going back this is going back to the microscope at that time. So when I was at the university back in Rio Negro, the crop that I really liked the most were artichokes, asparagus and strawberries. Now, if I had to pick up a crop that grows well here, a kind of an introduced crop, I tried to introduce with several growers. It is artichokes and I, together with my team I gathered students, we developed kind of a know-how to grow artichokes in this region, which is, you know, much warmer. But you know, we develop the management techniques in terms of irrigation and fertilization and varieties and planting configuration, mulching, those sorts of things, in addition to different varieties of genetics. Working with some colleagues in California. So artichokes have been fun and in addition to that it's a top one of the major, if not the major, vegetable crops in terms of health. Because of antioxidant properties and phenolic compounds it runs at the same level as blueberries or some of the berries.

Curt Rom:

Well, yeah, I love artichokes and I really appreciate that they have strong health value. I probably negate that with melted butter or with sauces that I use to put on my artichokes, but at least I feel good about it now. So, Dr Leskovar, do I understand right? Did you receive a USDA NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant on farm-to-table that you've worked on?

Daniel Leskovar:

I was part of that, but not as a PI. I was a collaborator in that. Yeah, I believe Dr Bhimu Patil received that early on. Yes, we work on that as a team.

Curt Rom:

What was your role in that particular grant? Yeah, you know those grants have to be a collaboration of several team members and have several aspects that are worked on. So what was your role as the team member for that grant?

Daniel Leskovar:

I mean, you're talking about this grant that was received. It was awarded recently or a few years back.

Curt Rom:

I think it was a recent one. It's a farm-to-table, a sustainable approach to melon supply and melon production.

Daniel Leskovar:

Oh, yeah, yeah, so that part was basically as a multi-state large project. Our part was looking at, you know, interaction between genetics and the environment. So I worked very close with a melon breeder at Texas A&M University, Dr Kevin Crosby, so we have been working with him in melons and tomatoes and peppers particular melons and peppers, and tomatoes and peppers particular melons and peppers and so we were basically evaluating different types of melon types and the different conditions in our region, with the idea to look at the quality aspects, because obviously the different regions have different environmental conditions and soils, so all of those may not. Then went to further evaluation in terms of quality, sensorial quality and also aspect related to potential interactions now with certain diseases or bacterias that could be implicated in contamination.

Curt Rom:

For melons in the Uvalde region. You know melons, like cantaloupes and watermelons, have a pretty limited seasonality in the south. So with your mild environment were you able to have early melons? You know transplant at this time of year and have early melons, or do you transplant in the fall and have late melons? What was the season that you could capitalize on? Sure, yeah, no, the season is strictly in the spring?

Daniel Leskovar:

Sure, yeah, no, the season is strictly in the spring. So because of the winters are mild but still cool enough for the plants to enjoy growing. So we have to wait until late March, early April, particularly for watermelons, for watermelons, and then we start the watermelons. You know, we start from transplants. Obviously, because of the majority of the watermelons, more than 70, 80 percent nowadays are all seedless watermelons, so there are more expensive seeds. So you want to make sure that one seed produces one plant and that one plant will produce no production. That will be beneficial and economically. So the the transplants are growing in the, in nurseries, in the case of the watermelons, for about no to 30 days and then they plant it in in, like I said, late March, early, early April in our region, and then the crop can be start harvesting at 70 days. So it's a fairly rapid cycle because temperatures approaching in June, July, can very, very hot and extreme, so the temperatures actually are high temperature no-transcript.

Curt Rom:

Okay, thank you very much. I found that kind of interesting. I just didn't know that Good.

Samson Humphrey:

Now I want to ask a few questions about ASHS. But before we move on, are there any projects you're working on right now or that are happening at your center right now that you're really excited about?

Daniel Leskovar:

In terms of the ASHS you say about ASHS or projects in research, projects in research. Yeah, yeah, there are two, actually three projects right now that we are concentrating. We've been working quite a bit in tomatoes fresh market tomatoes for production in the region and also in Texas, and the emphasis is combining basically simple technologies to improve the productivity and the quality of fresh market tomatoes for growers that are more associated with marketing to retailers or farmers' markets or direct sales. So we're working with a different type of evaluation of screening different cultivars and genotypes from breeding program in high tunnel conditions and also open field as well, above convention, and we started to do some organic as well. But a major emphasis on that also was incorporating the grafting technology, as grafting is, you know, it's a very old traditional technique that, um, you know, has been, you know, implemented, you know, by by by some growers and we're looking at screening different types of rootstocks, both commercials and also new genetics, through collaborators that I have in Saudi Arabia, and compared to the standard measure used rootstocks and we are evaluating those not only under the high tunnel and open field but also using some tools like phenotyping tools. We have an equipment called drought spotter that we can actually measure exactly transpiration or how much water those plants utilize to really provide some more understanding about the benefit of grafting in terms of water uptake and also looking at nutrient uptake.

Daniel Leskovar:

And I have another project on that, working in collaboration with the University of Florida and Nevada. This was a recently awarded USDA specialty crop multistate project and we will actually expand the management aspects of growing grafted tomatoes in high tunnels in both conventional and organic fields. So we will look at the production, at the physiology try to get a better understanding of the benefit of grafting under those environments. So those are very exciting projects for us and also we initiated the project it was selected and funded by the state Texas Department of Agriculture in looking at certain nutrients that could be implicated in the safety of spinach, as we know that California is suffering a nutrient called cadmium.

Daniel Leskovar:

It's suffering a nutrient called cadmium. It's a heavy metal that has been a problem in terms of cadmium contamination in leafy greens, particularly spinach. So we are doing the first assessment, working with the spinach growers in terms of the soils and then the leaves to determine the level and also looking at different varieties of spinach and different harvesting time and seasons. The hypothesis is that we don't anticipate having cadmium problems in our region. In part there has been some anecdotal data that indicates that Some anecdotal data that indicates that. But as well as our conditions in the silty clay soils, high calcareous soils probably are less prominent to the presence of the cadmium in the soil.

Daniel Leskovar:

So that's the second project and the third one is actually working in hydroponics. In hydroponics we have some projects, also funded by the state, in which we are looking at different aspects of management related to hydroponics of leafy greens, looking at management and systems and nutrition and type of varieties, and also we are linking that project together with some other stakeholders and it includes schools yeah, boise State schools, kids particularly, that could be interested to implement this technique for their educational programs and experiences in horticulture. It's a long answer but you know this is a major project that we're happy to engage.

Samson Humphrey:

That's amazing. So you have all of these vegetable projects you're doing. You're a very active researcher. You're doing a lot of work there, but you're also very involved with the American Society for Horticultural Science. This year congratulations you are the ASHS president. What inspired you to take this step?

Daniel Leskovar:

Well, yeah, so, first and foremost, I was nominated by my peers, so that's to me, it's a significant honor to join a society, you know, with very strong core values, a mission to improve people's lives, to improve the environment, making it more sustainable and, obviously, to improve the economies associated with horticultural crops.

Daniel Leskovar:

So that's one. And second is to serve and give back to members in a much broader capacity that I was participating in the past, just as a member, and I thought about that since I have some leadership experience in the past. Also, I was chair of one of the largest divisions in the International Society for Health Science for two terms from eight years, that was vegetable crops. That experience, together with being a previous member at large at the board of the ASHS large at the board of the ASHS that they were able to see clearly how hard and dedicated the members of the board and the ASHS staff were for constantly making the society better and to be what we are we were before and we are now and we will be future, premier professional societies. So, yeah, so those two experiences and values are the two elements that make me to decide to be part of this great organization.

Curt Rom:

Dr Leskovar, it is quite an honor to be nominated and then elected by your peers and it's quite a commitment. So you're president-elect for a year, you're then president, then you're chairman of the board. You serve on the executive committee during that period of time. You previously served on the board for two years. As president and as chairman of the board, do you have some specific goals, some things that you would like to see the American Society for Horticultural Science accomplish or do? Share with us what your kind of vision is and your goals. Where would you like to see us go do, or what needle would you like to see move?

Daniel Leskovar:

Sure, I mean, there's so much that we can do right, but you know, just to focus on major strategic areas that we feel that would be of benefit for the broad community of the ASHS members, number one, I think you know, is publications. Members number one, I think, is publications Publications. We're already making significant efforts and changes in this space. There's been already more than probably close to one year like that, together with talented members as editors and consulting editors, together with members of the board, we have several brainstorming sessions and ideas and they were already put into practice to improve the processes and timing and the reviews, keeping obviously the quality of the science as a driving factor for everything that we do in terms of publication. So we have an excellent team involved in education. There are also digital platforms and publication processes that we hope that this will continue providing a better experience for members to consider our journals to, you know, the main one for them to choose and publish the research. But we have more to do and we do this constantly and it's not the work of one person, it's a team effort and certainly you know you have been also, Curt, very incredible, your expertise in the past, society as president and others that we get to brainstorming this to make it a better quality publications. So that's the number one, I think. The second this is more kind of a general.

Daniel Leskovar:

I feel that we need to do a better job in promoting ASHS as a brand and at a much higher level. We think that we're doing well, but the stakeholder and the communities is very large and broad. So we need to elevate our identity, our science and then give strategic value for the role in education, the role that our colleagues get in education for developing the new future horticulture as scientists basically, and we have to proactively deliver our story that what we do have tremendous value. What we do matters to people, matters to the environment, matters to the quality of life. So, consumers, we know the importance of horticultural products in health and nutrition and sustainability, products in health and nutrition and sustainability. So how we do that and I think share that there is a lot under those products. There is a lot of science, there is a lot of innovation. This is a lot of technologies that our colleagues have been doing this for decades in this role for decades. So I think making that story clear to the general clientele will be of help. That's number two here.

Curt Rom:

So you know, you are a member of International Origin, which is we've actually had some presidents that have come from various parts of the world, most of them from Canada. I think you're our first Argentinian originating president that have come from various parts of the world, most of them from Canada. I think you're our first Argentinian originating president, so congratulations on that. Do you bring in a different perspective? I know that you helped forge a relationship with the World Vegetable Center With your experience in the ISHS and the International Vegetable Group. Do you have some vision for more internationalization of the ISHS?

Daniel Leskovar:

I hope so. I hope to go through my networking connections, exposure. We have already, even before being nominated in the American Society, been discussing with my peers at the American society, with the international society, in the possibility of, you know, joint events, for example, or specific events that will include more participation of young professionals or students. But also we need to perhaps incorporate other NGOs or other funding agencies that are not particularly focusing on a particular continent. It's more about regions and ways to improve the economic well-being in certain more developing countries. So I think there is a lot that we can do. It's a matter of finding that synergy and the focus to concentrate the efforts, and I think we're in a good momentum. We are in a good momentum, as you've seen in the meeting that we had in Hawaii and in my past reflection.

Daniel Leskovar:

I talk about some opportunities for also engaging young minds or young professionals or graduate students through some funding opportunities, through non-profit organizations like Full Write and I know you've been Fulbright , I've been a Full Writer and so there's wonderful opportunities that could link between these two organizations through those actions.

Daniel Leskovar:

And the other, obviously, is that we need to keep in mind that many of us have the fortune to collaborate in projects, international, and, as such, part of the outcomes we normally present either papers or presenting results at their venues or different venues. So I think marketing the American ASHS in those venues will also be very important, because some probably don't know or don't have access to but all it takes for a person to participate in one meeting and that could create some spark that that person could participate more or be active or share that experience with their peers in their own, in their home countries. So, yeah, that's it, and, of course, planning joint meetings is something that we've been discussing. We're discussing with you, kurt, about the possibility of engaging Canada or even with Mexico and possibly even with Latin America as well, together with international. I think there are also opportunities to explore that.

Curt Rom:

Thank you, you have a busy agenda. You only have about seven months left.

Daniel Leskovar:

This is not again, this is not the time. It's timeless, it's not. No, we all need to be working together. We know that some of these meetings take time and goes way beyond a one-year term. So this is just a collective effort that hopefully we can implement those in a shorter time. But we want to make sure we do it now with quality and very strategic.

Curt Rom:

Yeah, I know we're already looking forward. The next conference that the planning will begin on is the meeting, the conference in 2028, which is our 125th anniversary of the society.

Samson Humphrey:

There's a lot to be excited about. For my last question, Dr Leskovar, I'm curious within the ASHS, what do you enjoy the most? Is it the collaborations, the interest groups?

Daniel Leskovar:

Enjoy the most? Is it the collaborations, the interest groups? Well, both. I mean collaboration, interest groups, but again, I think I mentioned what it's fulfilling that being in the ASHS. It provides you kind of a source of inspiration, or it's an idea, idea generation that you know, you listen, you share, you learn and those can be translated into new ideas for projects or collaborations. So you know, through discussions, groups, participating in workshops, in seminars, symposiums, or simply drinking a coffee with a bunch of colleagues and discussing ideas freely, that really sparks a lot of new possibilities for either looking at your techniques or having questions, developing hypotheses and then implement them when you come back. So it's quite open and always, you know, and you have to be very receptive to all of those opportunities. So it's wonderful to participate in all of those aspects.

Curt Rom:

Well, thank you very much. You know, I'll see you in a couple of weeks at the Southern Region meeting, so that'll be fun, and if you remind me, I'll buy you a cup of coffee.

Daniel Leskovar:

Well, thank you. Thank you, Curt, and thank you Sam. This has been wonderful, great to be with you. Thank you, Curt, and thank you Sam. This has been wonderful, it's great to be with you.

Samson Humphrey:

Thank you for joining us. Well, that was a fantastic conversation. I really loved getting to know Dr Leskovar.

Curt Rom:

You know, Sam, I really enjoyed it as well. He had a very interesting story. He comes to the United States as an international student. You can tell from his story that he already had this passion about horticulture and this passion about plants. And now here he is. He's got an important position. He's emerged on our national stage. He's become a leader among horticulturists in the United States and, quite honestly, through his involvement with the ASHS and the International Society for Horticulture Science, he's become a leader internationally. I thought it was a wonderful interview and I felt that I learned a lot about him as an individual and what he is doing in his research areas.

Samson Humphrey:

Absolutely so for our listeners. You should also check out Dr Leskovar's Hort Legend interview on YouTube. You can find it by searching for the American Society for Horticultural Science YouTube channel, which is titled ASHS Horticulture. You can also see his latest essays on the ASHS e-news. For example, his headline article for December was about the important role of horticulture in holiday celebrations. His research website is online and you can find it by searching vegetable physiology at Texas A&M. If you'd like to reach out to Dr Leskovar, you can send him an email at daniel. leskovar@ ag. tamu. edu.

Curt Rom:

If this interview resonates with you, I recommend that you renew your membership or you consider joining the American Society for Horticulture Science and become part of interest groups like the International Scientists Interest Group or the Vegetable Working Group. If you'd like more information on the American Society for Horticulture Science in general, please go to our website, ashs. org. And, on behalf of the ASHS, this is Curt Rom, joined by my co-host, Samson Humphrey. Thanks for joining us today. See you later, Sam.

Samson Humphrey:

See you later, Curt. Thanks for listening.

Curt Rom:

The ASHS podcast Plants, people and Science is made possible by member dues and volunteerism. Please go to ASHS. org to learn more. If you're not already a member of the ASHS, we invite you to join. ASHS is a not-for-profit and your donations are tax deductible.

Samson Humphrey:

This episode is hosted by Samson Humphrey and Kurt Rome. Special thanks to our audio engineer, Andrew Scheldorf, our research specialists Lena Wilson and Andrew Scheldorf, our ASHS support team, Sara Powell and Sally Murphy, and our musician John Clark. Thanks for listening. Thank you.