Dr. John M. Chater

Assistant Professor - Horticultural Sciences

Program Emphasis

Breeding and bioinformatics for citrus variety improvement; identification and evaluation of advanced selections in scion and rootstock field trials for the Florida citrus industry and other stakeholders; fruit and juice quality and sensory analysis; effects of rootstock-scion combinations on fruit and juice production; development of efficient production and management systems for newly released and advanced processing and fresh fruit scion selections; optimizing grower selection of rootstock-scion combinations for production in an HLB (huanglongbing or citrus greening disease) environment; extension of industry-relevant knowledge to citrus stakeholders; citrus germplasm dissemination and acquisition.

• Program Members
  • View Dr. Chater's Program Members
• Publications
  • View Dr. Chater's publications 
• Education
  • Ph.D. (2017) Plant Biology – University of California, Riverside, CA
    Dissertation: Eco-Physiological Parameters and Agronomic Traits of Pomegranate Cultivars From the USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository
  • M.S. Agriculture – California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, CA
    Thesis: The Effects of Foliar Nutrient Applications on Split, Yield, and Internal Fruit Quality of 'Wonderful' Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)
  • B.A. Environmental Studies – University of California, Santa Barbara
• Past Positions
  • Postdoctoral Scholar (2017-2021)
    Zhenyu Jia Lab
    Department of Botany and Plant Sciences
    University of California, Riverside
  • Adjunct Lecturer (2018)
    Food Science Program
    Chapman University, City of Orange, California
  • Associate Instructor (Summer of 2015 and 2016)
    Department of Botany and Plant Sciences
    University of California, Riverside
  • Graduate Student Researcher and Teaching Assistant (2012-2017)
    Donald Merhaut Lab
    Department of Botany and Plant Sciences
    University of California, Riverside
  • Graduate Student Researcher and Adjunct Lecturer (2009-2012)
    Lauren Garner Lab
    California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)
    San Luis Obispo, CA