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
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• 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