DATE: May 02, 2008

CONTACT: Dr. Ted Whitwell, (864) 656-4971
twhtwll@clemson.edu

WRITER: Diane Palmer, (864) 656-4741
spalmer@clemson.edu

Clemson University professor to receive National Outstanding Extension Educator Career Award

CLEMSON — Clemson University Associate Professor Desmond Layne will receive the American Society of Horticultural Science Outstanding Extension Educator Career Award July 21 in Orlando, Fla.  

Layne has been a professor in the Horticulture Department since 1997. He is known worldwide as the authority on the fruits pawpaw and peach. His peach Web site is a comprehensive and popular source of information on all topics related to peach production.

“Dr. Layne’s career started at Kentucky State University in 1993 with the native American fruit, the pawpaw,” said Ted Whitwell, Clemson University horticulture department chairman. “His effective extension program emphasizing the culture and use of pawpaw was featured on National Public Radio’s ‘All Things Considered’ and on ABC’s ‘World News Tonight.’”  

“Desmond has excelled as an extension educator because he has astutely assessed grower needs and crafted research and outreach efforts that address those needs,” said Dan Horton, professor at the University of Georgia.

Layne has served as horticulture program team leader for Clemson University since 2006. He provides statewide leadership for horticulture extension programming and supervises 34 county extension agents in the state. He’s a member of the steering committee of the Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium and has conducted more than a dozen on-farm trials at commercial peach farms in the state.

He has served on numerous committees and won many awards during his tenure at Clemson. He is completing an 840-page comprehensive textbook titled “The Peach: Botany, Production and Uses” that will be available in August of this year.  

“Des is well regarded by industry and his professional peers. I would consider him one of the top peach horticulturists in the East,” said W.R. Okie, research horticulturist with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service.

Layne and Okie worked together to develop four new peach varieties. They include: Scarletprince, Julyprince, Early Augustprince and Augustprince. These replaced inferior varieties in the prime peach marketing season.

Layne received his B.S. degree from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, in 1986; and his M.S. in 1989 and his Ph.D in 1992, both in horticulture from Michigan State University.

This is the first time anyone at Clemson University has won this award.

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