








Dr. Ted McAvoy
Assistant Professor, Vegetable Production Extension Specialist
Department of Horticulture, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
University of Georgia
Ted McAvoy’s research interests focus on applied field research in vegetable production, with an emphasis on improving crop performance across diverse growing conditions. His work includes evaluation of variety performance, disease resistance, nutrient management, irrigation strategies, and alternative crops. The overarching goal of his research and extension efforts is to generate practical, data-driven recommendations that enhance productivity, sustainability, and profitability for vegetable growers.
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), Tomato Chlorosis Virus (ToCV), and Bacterial Leaf Spot (BLS) - 2025 Georgia Fall Tomato Heat Set Trial



























James Myers
Professor - Endowed
Department of Horticulture, College of Agricultural Sciences
Oregon State University
James Myers’s research interests focus on vegetable breeding for the Pacific Northwest, with an emphasis on developing cultivars adapted to the region’s unique growing environments. His work spans snap beans, snap peas, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, and cucurbits for both processing and fresh-market systems, and centers on crop adaptation to organic production, enhanced human nutrition, improved flavor and quality, and resistance to major regional pathogens. The program integrates traditional plant breeding with genomics and bioinformatics tools and includes the development of high-anthocyanin tomato cultivars.

Dr. Carlos Avila
Carlos Avila’s research interests lie in vegetable breeding and improvement, with a focus on tomato and spinach cultivars adapted to Texas conditions.
His work emphasizes heat tolerance, pest and disease resistance, and improved quality, along with applied and fundamental research in molecular breeding, high-throughput phenotyping, production systems, and plant physiological, biochemical, and plant–pest–pathogen interactions.
Associate Professor, Principal Investigator,
Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences,
Texas A&M AgriLife Research
Dilip Panthee’s research interests focus on the breeding and development of tomato lines and cultivars with broad environmental adaptation, resistance to major diseases, and improved yield and fruit quality for the fresh market. His work integrates conventional and molecular breeding approaches to accelerate cultivar development and improve selection efficiency. A key component of his research involves investigating the genetic control and inheritance of important agronomic, horticultural, and quality-related traits, with the goal of developing high-performing, resilient tomato cultivars for diverse production systems.

Associate Professor
Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
NC State University
Dilip Panthee
