International Scientist Training

The training experience of Ramesh Kumar, international scientist on the cucurbit breeding project, is outlined below. There is also a report by Kanwaldeep Singh. Other international activities are on the main page. In this program, training of international scientists is customized to meet the needs of each individual.

Getting established

It is important to get established and begin work quickly if significant progress is to be made in the short (3-month) visits typical of the FAO exchange program in the cucurbit breeding program in the department of Horticultural Science at NC State University. See getting established.

Attend conferences

As part of the training program, international visitors are encouraged to attend scientific conferences. These include the American Society for Horticultural Science, where the 2001 conference was held in Sacramento California.

Participate in tours

Salinas Valley, California - there are several research centers and seed companies working on the development of vegetable crop cultivars. Companies include Asgrow, Harris Moran, and Sakata. Research centers include the USDA vegetable research station.

Do field work

Cucumber field day - the pickling and slicing cucumber trials were shown to industry visitors on June 28.

Research at Hort Crops Research Station - research was focussed on study of yield in watermelon. Other research work included cucumber and luffa breeding.

Do some sightseeing / Have fun

San Francisco - the tour of the Salinas Valley included stops in Santa Cruz and San Francisco for sightseeing.

Information about Ramesh Kumar