Watkins has served as the ISHS Division Postharvest and Quality Assurance Chair since 2018, and he was previously the chair of the ISHS Commission Quality and Postharvest Horticulture from 2014-2018.
The society commended Watkins for his research on the storage and ripening of fruit — including both applied and fundamental aspects. They noted, "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."
This work is fundamental for New York state growers, especially for providing a better understanding of new cultivars.
Read the full profile in Chronica Horticulturae, available to ISHS members. Non-members can contact Magdalen Lindeberg at ml16 [at] cornell.edu to receive a copy of the article.
