Syngenta Thrive - 3Q/2013 - 16

Left to right, standing: Catherine Long, David Pearsaul, Todd Cooper, Jeremy Hausam, Katherine Buxton, Jennifer Scent, Roger
Shelley, Jack Haskell, Ronny Hurst, Kim Edlebeck, Cheryl Dunne, Charlie Fink, Elijah Meck, Matt Thornton, Brad Fraser, Gilberto Olaya,
Mario Viladrosa, Vinod Shivrain, Mark Smith, Eric Rawls, Ada Snyder, Kevin Langdon, Cheryl Hausam, Don Tory, Kim Randolph.
Left to right, kneeling: Jeff Long, Clark Lovelady, Rakesh Jain, Nick Polge, Kendra Thomason, Carol Wyatt Evens, Barbara Langdon,
Joe Holland, Jorge Cisneros, Nick Ryan, Paul Kuhn, Luis Sarmiento

and Outreach weed specialist, appreciates
the center’s focus on herbicide resistance
management. “VBRC researchers’
collaboration with university researchers is
instrumental in moving the discussion
forward,” he says. “We can help educate
growers through the university system, but
we don’t have the leverage to facilitate
changes in their behavior. Syngenta can
help growers address resistance issues,
directing them to diversify their approaches
to weed management.”
The stability and low turnover of
VBRC’s staff is also a plus, says Jim
Graham, Ph.D., a professor of soil
microbiology at the University of Florida.
He appreciates the VBRC team’s assistance with sampling citrus groves for

14 · thrive · 3Q/13

Phytophthora propagules, based on a
protocol developed at the University of
Florida Citrus Research and Education
Center to estimate fibrous root damage
caused by the fungus. “I’ve worked with
colleagues who have been at VBRC for a
number of years and have formed working
relationships that are valuable to our
research program as well as to the Florida
citrus industry.”
Connections with the community. VBRC
values its role as a responsible corporate
citizen, from its favorable impact on the
local economy to its charitable contributions and involvement in the community.
“Not everything at VBRC focuses on
research,” Cisneros says. “We provide

training to colleagues, give tours to visitors,
hold workshops and enjoy contributing to
our community, from serving as science
fair judges at the local school district to
providing Christmas gifts to needy children
in the area.”
VBRC researchers’ shared philosophy
of continuous improvement is another key
to success. “With our specialists’ years of
experience and wide-ranging areas of
expertise, we’ve been able to find an
incredible synergy through diversity,”
Cisneros says. “Our team believes that
world-class science holds the power to
find solutions to feed a growing global
population and make a positive difference
in the world.”
Syngenta Thrive - 3Q/2013

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