Why Melinda Knuth is one of the rising stars in horti research

Added on 10 January 2024

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Why Melinda Knuth is one of the rising stars in horti research

“I don’t see as much grant funding for floriculture as there used to be, which is why our industry is relying more on the support of growers and others within.” – Melinda Knuth

There has always been a strong connection between floriculture research and practical application of that research. And today, just as growers are adapting in how they keep up with the latest advancements in sciences, so too are the people conducting and presenting that research.

Dr. Melinda Knuth, an Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University’s Department of Horticultural Science, is just one example of this evolution. She has two main focuses: 1) Identifying what the consumer wants and communicating that with industry members through marketing research and exploring historical data; and 2) Evaluating the supply chain to understand what industry members are willing and able to provide in the current, and past, economic climates. This includes everything from floriculture sustainability and consumer demand of houseplants to consumer perceptions of beneficial insects, retail signage, and information uptake by consumers.

“I’m a big proponent of not only the plant retailer communicating with the end consumer, but also the grower, because consumers want to know where their products come from,” Knuth says. “We can help that process through building the relationship at the grower level.”