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FeedJanick honored for life’s work
Jules Janick, a leader of the PRI disease-resistant apple breeding program, is pictured with CrimsonCrisp, which he believes is "the next superapple."
Dr. Jules Janick, one of the world’s most respected and best-known horticulturists, was honored in November as an outstanding alumnus of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He received his bachelor’s degree from Cornell in 1951.
Janick has been at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, since that year, when he entered as a graduate assistant. He received a doctorate in 1954 and joined the faculty as an instructor. He became James Troop Distinguished Professor in 1988 and has been the director of Purdue University's Center for New Crops and Plant Products since 1990. Among numerous honors, in 2009 he was inducted into the American Society for Horticultural Science Hall of Fame—the society’s highest honor.
“Jules has led a distinguished career and continues to teach undergraduates, edit publications in horticulture and plant breeding, and participate in research on fruit breeding and horticultural history and iconography,” the Cornell citation said.
Janick has worked closely with the cooperative PRI apple breeding program, which started in 1945 as a joint project of Purdue University, Rutgers University in New Jersey, and the University of Illinois. He is currently Purdue’s program leader. The program has focused on developing varieties resistant to apple scab. Over 1,500 selections have been made, and 16 have been named, including GoldRush, Pristine, Pixie Crunch, CrimsonCrisp, Enterprise, and Jonafree.
Janick is founder and editor of the journals Horticultural Reviews and Plant Breeding Reviews, which are sourcebooks of technical information in both fields. Altogether, Janick has written, co-authored, or edited 147 books. His 42-lecture History of Horticulture can be viewed online.
He served as president of the American Society for Horticultural Science and was a long-time editor of the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science and HortScience, as well as editor-in-chief of ASHS Press. He has just completed an eight-year term as science editor of Chronica Horticulturae, a publication of the International Society for Horticultural Science, where he served as board member and director of publications.
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The Award to Prof.Jules Janick is a well deserved one. He is a fantastic horticulturist highly respected world over. His articles always make interesting reading.
Congrats Jules and Pray Almighty to Confer many more years of productive life. You are role model for many an youngster.
V.A.Parthasarathy
IISR, Calicut, India