Ralph Scorza Editor

Dr. Beiquan Mou is currently a Research Plant Geneticist with the Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Salinas, California. He obtained his Ph. D. degree in plant breeding and genetics from Oregon State University in 1993. Then he worked on the mechanism and inheritance of self- and interspecific-incompatibility in Nicotiana at University of Misourri-Columbia, and carried out postdoctoral research on the transgenic modification of cornstarch structure and functionality at Iowa State University. Since 2001, Dr. Mou has been conducting research on the genetics and breeding of lettuce and spinach for disease and insect resistance, nutritional improvement, and horticultural traits. He has released 15 lettuce and spinach varieties possessing unique traits, improved quality, new genes, and/or disease or insect resistance. He currently serves as chairs of the USDA Leafy Vegetable Crop Germplasm Committee and Vegetable Breeding Working Group of American Society for Horticultural Science. He is sought out for consultation nationally and internationally by other researchers, government agencies, industry, and media.

Dr. Ralph Scorza is a Research Horticulturist and Lead Scientist for the Genetic Improvement of Fruit Crops Research Unit at the USDA-ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station, Kearneysville, West Virginia. He received a BS in agronomy and MS degree in Fruit Crops, both at the University of Florida, and received his Ph.D. in genetics and plant breeding at Purdue University in 1979. The broad objectives of his research program at the USDA are to develop stone fruit (Prunus) germplasm with improved fruit quality, resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, and improved tree growth habits for high yielding, mechanically integrated orchard systems. His breeding program combines classical and molecular approaches.

He has released nine stone fruit varieties developed through conventional breeding. His genetic engineering work has included the successful development of disease resistant grapes, pears and plum. The genetically engineered plum pox virus resistant plum cultivar ‘HoneySweet’ developed by Dr. Scorza and his colleagues is the first genetically engineered temperate fruit crop to be deregulated and approved by APHIS, FDA and EPA in the U.S.

Dr. Scorza is a recipient of the Arthur S. Flemming Award, was selected as an ARS-NAA Senior Research Scientist of the Year. He has been co-recipient of three Secretary of Agriculture Honor Awards. He has authored over 190 research publications and is a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science.