Richard e. Litz

Title and department: Professor, Department of Horticultural Science

Address: Tropical Research and Education Center
18905 S.W. 280 Street
Homestead, FL 33031-3314

Phone: 305-246-7001 x310
E-mail: relitz@ufl.edu

Education:

B.A. Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
M.S. Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Ph.D. University of Nottingham, Nottingham UK

Research Interests (with focus on Tropical Agriculture)

I have been involved in developing the basis for improving tropical fruit trees, e.g., avocado (Persea americana), carambola (Averrhoa carambola), litchi (Litchi chinensis), longan (Dimocarpus longan) and mango (Mangifera indica) using biotechnology strategies.  Very few outstanding cultivars of this heterogeneous group of tree species have been selected as a result of classical breeding.  My research has focused on: 1) developing de novo strategies for regenerating elite tree selections from cell cultures, by means of somatic embryogenesis (avocado, litchi, longan and mango) and organogenesis (carambola); utilizing 2) in vitro mutagenesis and selection and 3) genetic transformation to improve existing cultivars of avocado, litchi and mango; 4) developing strategies for medium and long term storage of embryogenic cultures using in vitro and cryopreservation tools (avocado, litchi, longan, mango, papaya).  Specific plant breeding objectives have been targeted, i.e., disease resistance in avocado and mango, cold tolerance in papaya, postharvest storage in avocado and mango, etc.  I have also been interested in the use of biotechnology to rescue endangered tropical tree species, namely the neotropical cycads, i.e., Ceratozamia spp., Dioon spp. and Zamia spp.

5 most significant publications

Jayasankar, S. & R. E. Litz. 1998. Characterization of embryogenic mango cultures selected for resistance to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides culture filtrate and phytotoxin.  Theor. Appl. Gen. 96: 823-831.

Chavez, V. M., R. E. Litz, M. Monroy, P. A. Moon & A. Vovides. 1998. Regeneration of Ceratozamia euryphyllidia (Cycadales, Gymnospermae) plants from embryogenic leaf cultures derived from mature phase trees. Plant Cell Rep. 17: 612-616.

Litz, R. E. & Witjaksono. 2002. Avocado transformation. In: Transgenic Plants and Crops, ed. by G. Khachatourians, A. McHughern, R. Scorza, W. K. Nip & Y. H. Hui. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 345-358

Litz, R. E. (ed.) 2005. Biotechnology of Fruit and Nut Crops, CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon, 723 p.

Dhekney, S. A, R. E. Litz, D. A. Moraga and A. K. Yadav. 2007. Potential for introducing cold tolerance into papaya by transformation with C-repeat binding factor (Cbf) genes. In Vitro Cell. Devel. Biol. 43: 195-202.

Extramural support during past 5 years

Teaching Interests (with focus on Tropical Agriculture)

Over twenty years, I have taught post graduate level courses at universities in several countries of Central America (Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador), South America (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina and Ecuador), South Asia (Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) and Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines).  The majority of my post graduate students have come from within these regions (Colombia, India, Mexico, Philippines, Venezuela).  I have hosted visiting scientists/post doctoral scientists from 12 countries in the new and old world tropics.  I have been external examiner for Ph.D. candidates from universities in India, Pakistan and Trinidad and Tobago.  Typical courses that I have taught include “Advanced course in plant propagation applied to food production in developing countries” and “Tissue culture and genetic transformation of tropical fruit species”, etc.  I have participated in HOS 5555 “Tropical fruit production and research in south Florida.”

International Activities (with focus on Tropical Agriculture)

In vitro mutagenesis and selection
During 1998-1999, I worked in the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food & Agriculture in the IAEA secretariat in Vienna, Austria.  My responsibilities involved Technical Cooperation (TCP) and Coordinated Research Projects (CRP) in West Africa and in South and Southeast Asia.  I also worked with FAO/IAEA in 2001 (Vienna) to develop low cost in vitro techniques that could be used in developing countries in conjunction with mutagenesis and transformation technologies.  In 2001, I conducted a training course at the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute on these and related technologies.  I also worked with scientists at INIFAP/CONACYT (Tecoman, Mexico), the Universidad de Monagas (Maturin, Venezuela) and the Comision Ecuatoriana de Energia Atomica on in vitro mutagenesis of tropical fruit species for cultivar improvement.  

Biotechnology
From 2004 through 2007, I participated in the MUCIA AERI Institutional Project as part of the Biotechnology group.  We organized a competitive grants program for biotechnology projects that focused on Upper Egypt, reviewed and selected proposals, and conducted annual reviews of progress.

Teaching
For several years (2002, 2004 and 2005), I worked with Winrock in Bangladesh to transfer cell and tissue culture technologies to university, government and NGO personnel.  This was in the form of formal for-credit courses (“Tropical Fruit Tree Improvement through Tissue Culture and Genetic Engineering”) at the University of Dhaka and one-on-one training at various institutes.  In 2006, I conducted a “Workshop on Micropropagation of Tropical Fruit” at Escuela Nacional de Agronomia (ENA) in El Salvador and sponsored by Winrock and IICA.  I organized and taught a 2-week capacity-building course “Tissue culture and genetic transformation of tropical fruit species” at the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia (1999).  I participated in the short course Diplomado Internacional de Frutas y Ornamentales del Trópico at the Universidad de Chiapas, Tapachula, Mexico (2007), and taught the segment on Tropical fruit biotechnology.

Symposia
I organized and convened the International Symposium on Biotechnology of Temperate fruit Crops and Tropical Species that was held in Daytona Beach, Florida in 2005.

Invited speaker at international meetings

Litz, R.E. 1998. Advances and perspectives in world mango research.  International Forum on Mango and Other Tropical Fruit, Mazatlan, MEXICO, February 17-18.

Litz, R.E. 1998. In vitro conservation of Persea. International Persea (Avocado) Genetic Resources Workshop, Riverside, CA, June 9-11.

Litz, R. E. 1998. Addressing postharvest problems of mango with biotechnology. Mango Postharvest Technology Workshop, Cairo, EGYPT, July 28-30.

Litz, R.E. 1999. Somatic cell genetics of avocado. IV International Avocado Congress, Uruapan, MEXICO, October 17-22.

Litz, R. E. 2000. Biotechnology of tropical and subtropical fruit: a cornucopeia or forbidden fruit?  International Symposium on Tropical and Subtropical Fruits. Cairns, AUSTRALIA, November 26-December 1.

Litz, R. E. 2000. Advances and Perspectives of Biotechnology of Tropical Fruits.  Proc. National Fruit Crops Congress, San Antonio, VENEZUELA, October 18-20

Litz, R. E. 2001. Genetic engineering of avocado. Proc. 1st Mexican and Latin American Congress on Avocado, Uruapan, MEXICO, October 15-20.

Moon, P. A. & R. E. Litz. 2001. Tropical tree fruit biotechnology. X National Congress of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants and 4th Symposium Mexico-USA, La Paz, MEXICO, October 27-30.

Litz, R. E., Witjaksono, D. Efendi, S. Raharjo & I. Suarez. 2001. Genetic transformation of avocado (Persea americana Mill.): a coordinated strategy for crop improvement. 2nd International Symposium on Biotechnology of Tropical and Subtropical Species. Taipei, TAIWAN, November 5-9.

Litz, R. E., P. A. Moon and V. M. Chavez. 2001 Somatic embryogenesis and regeneration of endangered cycad species. 2nd International Symposium on Biotechnology of Tropical and Subtropical Species. Taipei, TAIWAN, November 5-9.

Litz, R. E. 2002. Biotechnology and mango improvement. 7th International Mango Symposium, Recife, BRAZIL, September 22-27.

Litz, R. E. 2003. Avocado improvement and biotechnology. World Avocado Congress, Malaga, SPAIN

Litz, R. E. 2004. Improvement of Tropical Fruit Trees Through Biotechnology. Fifth Internaitnal Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology Conference, Dhaka BANGLADESH, December 4-6.

Litz, R. E. 2006. Keynote Speaker. Current situation and trends of biotechnology in tropical and subtropical fruits. International Workshop on Tropical and Subtropical Fruit, Chiang Mai, THAILAND, November 27-30.