Thursday - Banquet Keynote Speaker

The Fascinating Ways that Plants Move

Dr. Robert Geneve is an emeritus faculty member of the University of Kentucky, Department of Horticulture after 40 years performing teaching and research in nursery production, seed biology and clonal plant propagation. He is co-author of the textbook “Hartmann and Kester’s Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices”. Dr. Geneve has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences, and a Fellow and Award of Merit recipient of the International Plant Propagator’s Society – Eastern region. He is also a Past-President for the International Plant Propagator’s Society – Eastern region and is currently the International Plant Propagator’s Society Editor.

Breeding for the West and Beyond

Ryan is a Professor of Horticulture at Oregon State University, where he has a teaching and research appointment that focuses on woody landscape plants. In 2009, he established the Ornamental Plant Breeding Program, which develops new cultivars of woody shrubs and trees to improve traits such as disease resistance, habit, fragrance, reduced fertility, and much more. He and his team apply new discoveries to support the cultivar development program that includes breeding or evaluation of nearly 50 genera. The overarching goal is for the research to directly support and enhance the success of nursery producers, landscapers, and consumers while expanding the scientific body of knowledge.

Meeting the Moment with Pollinator-Safe Nursery Plants

Sharon Selvaggio is a pesticide reduction specialist with The Xerces Society, a conservation organization working to protect the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates. With a background in natural resources and integrated pest management, Sharon leads Xerces’ work in expanding availability of pollinator-safe plants. Collaborating with Oregon State University extension and Oregon nurseries, she organized grower trainings in nursery biocontrol, and produced "Harnessing Nature in the Nursery Industry", a video highlighting the uses, benefits, and lessons of nursery biocontrol. She has presented at various nursery conferences and grower meetings, including FarWest, the Tri-State Green Industry Conference, and the annual producer meeting of American Beauties Native Plants. She is the co-author of several Xerces publications related to pollinator-safe nursery plants.

Growing Innovation: How industry-partnered research at KPU’s Applied Genomics Centre is cultivating the future of horticulture

Nicole is a project leader in the KPU Applied Genomics Centre and faculty member in the Department of Biological and Health Sciences at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Nicole joined KPU in 2016 and has over 15 years of experience as an undergraduate biology instructor with teaching and research expertise in the areas of plant biology, ecology, and evolution. Her current research activity in the AGC is focused on new cultivar development and micropropagation of ornamental plants.

Topic: Fellowship in New Zealand Report

Topic: Southern Bacterial Wilt, Japanese Beetle

Topic: Investing in Innovations and Technology

Topic: Biological Controls in Propagation/Production

Topic: Biopesticides/Integrating Technology into Greenhouse Systems

Topic: Breeding

Topic: Integrated Pest Management