Dedication: Dr. Christopher B. Watkins

Dr. Christopher Brian (Chris) Watkins has had a long and distinguished career in horticultural science, particularly in postharvest physiology.

Chris was born in Palmerston North, but grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. He completed his BSc and MSc (1st Class Hons) at The University of Auckland and it was during those studies that he developed a strong interest in the plant sciences, initially in ecophysiology, investigating salt tolerance of a New Zealand native plant, Climbing New Zealand Spinach. While completing his MSc, he began his career in the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) in New Zealand, in the postharvest group of the Division of Horticulture and Processing at Mt. Albert, Auckland, which then became part of HortResearch (now The New Zealand Institute of Plant and Food Research). He was awarded a prestigious New Zealand National Research Advisory Council Fellowship to undertake a PhD at Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, USA, where his research there focused on the role of mannose in the mediation of ripening in pears.

Chris' research in DSIR/HortResearch was directed primarily at the control of bitter pit, a devastating disorder of key New Zealand cultivars at that time. He also investigated maturity processes of new apple cultivars, as well as the development of alternatives to the chemical diphenylamine (DPA) for control of superficial scald. Chris moved to the USA in 1994 as Associate Professor and progressed to become the Herman M. Cohn Professor in the Horticulture Section of the School of Integrative Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University, Ithaca. He is currently also the Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension, an extension system that extends throughout New York State. In addition, he is Associate Dean for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and College of Human Ecology.

Dr. Watkins' research at Cornell has focussed primarily on the storage and ripening of fruit from both applied and fundamental aspects. He is also responsible for developing and conducting the harvest maturity management, postharvest handling, and storage technology components of a multidisciplinary state-wide fruit extension program. In doing so, he works in cooperation with extension faculty in various departments, with regional fruit specialists, extension educators, storage operators, and marketers. This balance of research, extension, and administrative roles clearly demonstrates Dr. Watkins' remarkable ability to remain highly productive, deeply committed, and effective in all fields - an impressive achievement.

A primary area of that research has been the development of knowledge required for the use of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), an ethylene-binding inhibitor that extends the storage life of apples. This work has been extended to the use of preharvest 1-MCP and other plant growth regulator applications. He also conducts research on new cultivars of importance to New York growers, and on the effects of postharvest techniques on the nutritional quality of fruit. In addition, his research has enhanced the understanding of the underlying mechanisms in fruit responses to storage conditions such as temperature, atmosphere, and 1-MCP, and the interactions of those factors with the development of storage disorders. His current projects focus on the development of physiological disorders of apples, such as flesh browning as affected by low temperature and gas composition in the storage environment.

Colleague and department member, Prof. William B. Miller, observes "What is most impressive is the diversity of collaborators and fields of science that Chris has touched. From orchard management techniques to genomics to metabolomics, he has been involved with them all. Without doubt, the single most important area of work in the past 15-20 years has been the development of 1-MCP as a component of an integrated system for postharvest storage of apples. But not just a recipe for storage operators, this work (involving myriad collaborators) probed into the most fundamental molecular aspects of the mechanism of 1-MCP so that we emerge with a set of practical tools and deeper insight into mechanism."

Although much of his research has focused on apples, Chris has also worked on a range of other fruits and vegetables including pear, peach, strawberry, walnut, papaya, tomato, capsicum, and others.

Professor Umezuruike Linus Opara, Stellenbosch University in South Africa states: "His remarkable contributions to key scientific publications in horticultural science and his leadership in scientific publishing have made Prof. Watkins one of the most easily recognised names in our field in Africa, and indeed globally."

Professor Pietro Tonutti (Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna,

Pisa, Italy) makes the following observations: "The contributions of Prof. Watkins to scientific advancements in horticultural science is outstanding considering, in particular, the specific areas and topics of his research activity. There is no doubt that the main improvements in developing and optimizing storage technologies of apples are the results of the scientific activity and output of Prof. Watkins, world-wide renowned as one of the major specialists and leading experts of apple fruit postharvest. He is extremely well known within the horticultural science/postharvest technology community and his reputation as an outstanding scientist is demonstrated by the number of invitations to participate in international symposia and conferences. His integrated, up-to-date, and always evolving approach with scientific issues is an extraordinary example for young researchers in the field of postharvest horticulture."

Chris is very involved in the teaching and supervision of graduate students, having had primary responsibility for 14 PhD and 9 MS candidates over the past 27 years. Those students have come from many different countries including China, Denmark, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, as well as the USA. He has also hosted many different collaborators and scientists from around the world in his laboratory.

Chris has a strong record of outputs in his specialised research fields. He and his colleagues have published over 164 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts, 20 book chapters, 51 papers in conference proceedings, 87 abstracts of papers presented at professional meetings, and over 125 grower articles, newsletters, and articles in technical bulletins.

Dr. Peter Toivonen, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Summerland, observes that "Chris matches his achievements with a good balance of humanity and humility. This makes him very approachable, and he encourages interaction with young scientists and also encourages them forward in their careers. He can criticize colleagues work without offending them and also take criticism of his work constructively. He has an open mind and an open heart to students and colleagues like myself. Success and humanity are not often found in the same person, but they are in Chris Brian Watkins."

Dr. Watkins has been widely recognised for his research achievements. These include: Fellow of the International Society for Horticultural Science (2021); Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science (2015); The 2016 B.Y. Morrison Lecture invitee, American Society for Horticultural Science; CALS Alumni Association Outstanding Faculty Award; The 2013 George Goodling Memorial Lecturer, State Horticultural Society of Pennsylvania; The Crystal Apple Award of the Director of the Szczepan Pieniazek Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, Skierniewice, Poland (2010); Chairman of the Gordon Conference on Postharvest Physiology (2006); and ASHS Outstanding Extension Educator Award (2005).

In addition, he has been an invited speaker at over one hundred national and international meetings in many countries around the world including Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Poland, Spain, China, South Korea, Turkey, Canada, and Israel. He has also extensively presented scientific addresses across many states in the USA and within New York State.

New Zealand colleague, Dr. Allan Woolf observes "Chris convened a Gordon conference, the most elite postharvest conference (2006), and has been an active member of many international conferences in various roles. His presence is always positive, both scientifically and socially, Chris has a very inclusive manner that brings together researchers from around the world. He has collaborated strongly at regional, national, and international levels. He is an active participant in the regional meetings of apple researchers in northern USA/Canada (such as the multistate project "NE1836"), and a great example of his international collaboration is the National Institute Food and Agriculture Specialty Crops Research Initiative metabolomics project on development of prediction tools for several apple physiological disorders, which involved researchers from New York, Washington, New Zealand, and Belgium."

Dr. Watkins has been and continues to be involved in the leadership of scientific publishing. He is currently (2021 onwards) Editor-in-Chief of Postharvest Biology and Technology being previously (2016 to 2020) Associate Editor and (1993-2011) Editorial Board member; Associate Editor, Horticulture Research (2013-2017); Associate Editor, HortScience (Postharvest: temperate fruits)...