Many horticulture students feel like they have to choose early: academia or industry, teaching or “real world” work, research or marketing. We wanted to test that assumption, so we sat down with Dr. Alicain Carlson from Syngenta Flowers, a cut flower scientist who built a career that blends floriculture research, technical problem-solving, leadership, and science-backed marketing. Alicain is currently serving as the ASHS Industry Division Vice President and was named ASHS Outstanding Industry Scientist in 2025.

Alicain walks us through her path from Virginia Tech to graduate work at NC State studying cut flower production and postharvest quality, and then the moment she took an unexpected leap into the commercial side of horticulture. We talk about what Syngenta Flowers actually does as a global flower breeding company, and why the best marketing in plant science is not fluff. It is trial data, clear comparisons, and practical guidance that helps growers choose varieties, manage growth regulators, and hit production targets.

We also get specific about career development: how student organizations, teaching assistant roles, and conference presentations build the leadership, communication, and project management skills that employers pay for. Then we dig into networking that feels human, including simple follow-ups, local grower meetings, and using LinkedIn without turning it into a performance. Finally, Alicain breaks down the California Spring Trials as a can’t-miss floriculture event for seeing new genetics, meeting breeders, and spotting collaboration opportunities with universities.

If you’re figuring out your next step in horticulture, floriculture, greenhouse production, or plant science, this conversation is a roadmap and a reality check. Subscribe for more career stories, share this with a lab mate, and leave us a review with the career question you want answered next.

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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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Most of us think new crop horticulture cultivars are invented behind closed doors, then handed to farmers as a finished product. We wanted to explore that assumption, so we sat down with Dr. Ambar Carvallo Lopez, currently a Post Doctoral Research Associate at the University of British Columbia and an ASHS award-winning author and plant breeder whose work shows how research progresses when growers and consumers Participate in the science. If you care about better-tasting tomatoes, resilient organic agriculture, and the future of local food systems, this conversation connects the dots from seed to plate.

In this episode we walk through the concept of participatory plant breeding, where farmers are involved early to define breeding objectives and then help shape selection by trialing lines on their farms. This is a unique form of citizen-science.

Ambar shares how the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Where she completed her PhD, tomato breeding program uses iterative seed exchange and real-world feedback to shorten the “will this work on my farm?” gap that often slows adoption. Along the way, we talk about genotype by environment interactions, high tunnel production, and why building trust with stakeholders can be as important as collecting data.

Ambar explains why tomato flavor may have declined over time as breeding programs prioritized yield, disease resistance, and plant structure, and how accessing heirloom tomato diversity can help recover the genes and volatile compounds tied to better aroma and taste. In the conversation also digs into practical breeding targets for organic systems, including foliar diseases like Septoria leaf spot and early blight, plus the behind-the-scenes reality of deciding when a line is ready to release and how to handle credit and IP when farmers are true co-creators.

If you finish this episode thinking differently about what’s behind a great tomato, share it with a friend, subscribe for more horticultural science, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Read "Improved Tomato Breeding Lines Adapted to Organic Farming Systems Have Enhanced Flavor, Yield, and Disease Resistance", winner of the 2025 ASHS Outstanding Vegetable Publication Award. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17799-24

Send us Fan Mail

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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A sunrise ride to an apple orchard changed everything for Dr. Gina Fernandez—and it might change how you think about berries. We sit down with the NC State distinguished professor and berry breeder to trace the path from cold-hardy apple rootstocks in Minnesota, to thornless blackberries in Arkansas, to a career defining strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries across the Southeast. Along the way, Gina reveals what makes a cultivar truly stand out: not just yields or firmness, but flavor that keeps people coming back.

Gina explains how she first joined NC State to tackle cultural management and methyl bromide alternatives, then stepped into breeding as the program shifted. We dig into the trials that helped launch a North Carolina blackberry industry, why thornlessness and resistance to double blossom were pivotal, and how later threats like orange rust and fusarium reshaped goals. On strawberries, she unpacks the split between shipping acreage and local pick-your-own farms, and more. We also talk about berry varieties Gina and her team have released over the years, specifically the blackberry 'Von' and the raspberry 'Nantahala', as well as the upcoming release of her new blackberry, NC740, to be called 'Ervin'.

Beyond genetics, Gina shares how science moved from solo wins to team science, and how she mentors through “Team Rubus” with weekly cadence, trust, and room for students to grow. Expect practical wisdom for early‑career researchers: travel to see different systems, build writing muscle, and collaborate across pathology, entomology, breeding, and economics to solve real grower problems. If you care about berry breeding, flavor, disease resistance, and how ideas become fruit on the table, this conversation delivers a full plate.

Additional information is available in these articles:

HortScience "'Von" Thornless Blackberry": https://journals.ashs.org/view/journals/hortsci/48/5/article-p654.xml

HortScience article, "'Nantahala' Red Raspberry" is available at https://journals.ashs.org/view/journals/hortsci/44/1/article-p25.xml

There are also many other relevant ASHS Journal articles available here.

Enjoy the episode? Follow, share with a friend, and leave a review to help more growers, students, and berry fans find the show.

Send us Fan Mail

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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