Horticultural Sciences

Dr. Xin Zhao

Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator

Mailing Address:
Fifield Hall
2550 Hull Road
PO Box 110690
Gainesville, Florida 32611

Office: 1235 Fifield Hall
Phone: (352) 273-4773
E-mail: zxin@ufl.edu

Areas of Research
- Organic and integrated vegetable cropping systems
- Nutrient management for organic production
- Vegetable grafting
- High tunnel vegetable systems
- Anaerobic soil disinfestation
- Vegetable quality attributes as affected by pre-harvest factors

Teaching Responsibilities
- HOS 3020 "Principles of Horticultural Crop Production"
- HOS 3281C "Principles of Organic and Sustainable Crop Production"
- HOS 3285 "The Organic Debate: Organic Agriculture Development and Regulations"
- HOS 4283C "Advanced Organic and Sustainable Crop Production"
- Undergraduate research and independent study

Educational Background
- Ph.D. – Horticulture, Kansas State University (2006)
- M.S. – Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University (2001)
- B.S. – Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University (1998)

Work Experience
- Professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida (July 2020 to present)
- Associate Professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida (July 2013 to June 2020)
- Assistant Professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida (June 2007 to June 2013)
- Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources, Kansas State University (September 2006-May 2007)

Honors and Awards
- University of Florida Term Professorship Award. 2019
- University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Innovation in Teaching Award. 2019
- University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Roche Teaching Scholar. 2018.
- North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Teacher Fellow. 2014

Program Personnel
- Biological Scientist:
  - Zack Black
- Current Graduate Students:
- Former Graduate Students
- Former Postdoctoral Associates
- Current and Former Visiting Scholars

Selected Publications

(See also: Google Scholar)

Authors	Year	Title / Description	Publication
Frey, C.J., X. Zhao, J.K. Brecht, D.M. Huff, and Z.E. Black.	2020	High tunnel and grafting effects on organic tomato plant disease severity and root-knot nematode infestation in a subtropical climate with sandy soils.	HortScience 55:46-54
Djidonou, D., X. Zhao, K.E. Koch, J.E. Erickson, L. Zotarelli.	2019	Nitrogen accumulation and root distribution of grafted tomato as affected by nitrogen fertilization.	HortScience 54:1907-1914.
Shi, L., J. Wang, Z. Gao, X. Zhao, F. Di Gioia, H. Guo, J. Hong, M. Ozores-Hampton, and E. Rosskopf.	2019	Economic analysis of anaerobic soil disinfestation for open-field fresh-market tomato production in Southwest and North Florida.	HortTechnology 29:777-787.
Paudel, B.R., F. Di Gioia, X. Zhao, M. Ozores-Hampton, J.C. Hong, N. Kokalis-Burelle, C. Pisani, and E.N. Rosskopf.	2018	Evaluating anaerobic soil disinfestation and other biological soil management strategies for open-field tomato production in Florida.	Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170518000571.
Guo, H., X. Zhao, E.N. Rosskopf, J.C. Hong, D.H. McNear Jr.	2018	Impacts of anaerobic soil disinfestation and chemical fumigation on soil microbial communities in field tomato production system.	Applied Soil Ecology 126:165-173
Zhao, X., Q. Liu, M.T. Sanchez, and N.S. Dufault.	2018	Performance of grafted seedless watermelon plants with and without root excision under inoculation with Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. niveum race 2.	HortScience 53:1340-1346.
Liu, Q., X. Zhao, J.K. Brecht, C.A. Sims, T. Sanchez, and N.S. Dufault.	2017	Fruit quality of seedless watermelon grafted onto squash rootstocks under different production systems.	Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 97: 4704-4711.
Di Gioia, F., M. Ozores-Hampton, X. Zhao, J. Thomas, P. Wilson, Z. Li, J. Hong, J. Albano, M. Swisher, and E. Rosskopf.	2017	Anaerobic soil disinfestation impact on soil nutrients dynamics and nitrous oxide emissions in fresh-market tomato.	Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 240:194-205.
Guo, H., F. Di Gioia, X. Zhao, M. Ozores-Hampton, M.E. Swisher, J. Hong, N. Kokalis-Burelle, A.N. DeLong, and E.N. Rosskopf.	2017	Optimizing anaerobic soil disinfestation for fresh market tomato production: nematode and weed control, yield, and fruit quality.	Scientia Horticulturae 218:105-116.
Di Gioia, F., M. Ozores-Hampton, J. Hong, N. Kokalis-Burelle, J. Albano, X. Zhao, Z. Black, Z. Gao, C. Wilson, J. Thomas, K. Moore, M. Swisher, H. Guo, and E.N. Rosskopf.	2016	The effects of anaerobic soil disinfestation on weed and nematode control, fruit yield and quality of Florida fresh-market tomato.	HortScience 51:703-711.
Guan, W., X. Zhao, and D.J. Huber.	2015	Grafting with an interspecific hybrid squash rootstock accelerated fruit development and impaired fruit quality of galia melon.	HortScience 50:1833-1836.
Guan, W. and X. Zhao.	2015	Effects of grafting methods and root excision on growth characteristics of grafted muskmelon plants.	HortTechnology 25:706-713.
Guan, W., X. Zhao, D.J. Huber, and C.A. Sims.	2015	Instrumental and sensory analyses of quality attributes of grafted specialty melons.	Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 95: 2989-2995.
Djidonou, D., K. Lopiano, X. Zhao, E.H. Simonne, J.E. Erickson, and K.E. Koch.	2015	Estimating nitrogen nutritional crop requirements of grafted tomatoes under field conditions.	Scientia Horticulturae 182:18-26.
Guan, W., X. Zhao, D.W. Dickson, M.L. Mendes, and J.A. Thies.	2014	Root-knot nematode resistance, yield, and fruit quality of specialty melons grafted onto Cucumis metulifer.	HortScience 49:1046-1051.
Djidonou, D., Z. Gao, and X. Zhao.	2013	Economic analysis of grafted tomato production in sandy soils in Northern Florida.	HortTechnology 23:613-621.
Djidonou, D., X. Zhao, E.H. Simonne, K.E. Koch, and J.E. Erickson.	2013	Yield, water-, and nitrogen-use efficiency in field-grown, grafted tomatoes.	HortScience 48:485-492.