Horticultural Sciences

Dr. Xin Zhao

Associate Professor

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 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
- Associate Professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida (July 2013 to present)
- 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)
- Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources, Kansas State University (January 2002-August 2006)

Honors and Awards
- 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:
  - Craig Frey (DPM)
  - Tian Gong (Ph.D.)
  - Jianyu Li (Ph.D.)
  - Shufang Tian (Ph.D.)
  - Sylvia Willis (M.S.)
- Former Graduate Students
  - Craig Frey (M.S. 2018)
  - Qianru Liu (M.S. 2016)
  - Yushen Huang (M.S. 2016)
  - Yurui Xie (M.S. 2016)
  - Wenjing Guan (Ph.D. 2014)
  - Ruhiyyih A. Dyrdahl-Young (M.S. 2014)
  - Shuan Hao Teo (M.S. 2013)
  - Desire Djidonou (Ph.D. 2012)
  - Charles Barrett (M.S. 2011)
- Current Postdoctoral Associates
  - Bodh Paudel
- Former Postdoctoral Associates
  - Haichao Guo
  - Laila Khandaker
- Former Visiting Scholars
  - Michele Colaluce
  - Xinhong Dong
  - Yanyin Guo
  - Asif Latif
  - Tingyou Li
  - Yufan Tang
  - Guixia Wang
  - Zhongdong Wang
  - Xuelian Zhang

Selected Publications

Authors	Year	Title / Description	Publication
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. In press.
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.
Djidonou, D., X. Zhao, J.K. Brecht, and K.M. Cordasco.	2017	Influence of interspecific hybrid rootstocks on tomato growth, nutrient accumulation, yield, and fruit composition under greenhouse conditions.	HortTechnology 27:868-877.
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.
Guan, W., X. Zhao, D.D. Treadwell, M.R. Alligood, D.J. Huber, and N.S. Dufault.	2013	Specialty melon cultivar evaluation under organic and conventional production in Florida.	HortTechonology 23:905-912.
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.
Barrett, C.E., X. Zhao, and R. McSorley.	2012	Grafting for root-knot nematode control and yield improvement in organic heirloom tomato production.	HortScience 47:614-620.