Agronomy Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida

Blaire Colvin – American Peanute Research & Education’s Baily Award

Blaire Colvin, a senior in the Agronomy Department, was a co-recipient of the American Peanut Research and Education’s Bailey Award at the APRES annual meeting held in Raleigh, NC from July 10-12. Blaire’s undergraduate research has focused on developing a digital imaging system for predicting peanut maturity. Growers typically must subjectively assess the mesocarp color of individual pods in order to determine when to harvest. Blaire’s research showed that pods can be scanned, analyzed for color development, and predict a time interval for the crop to reach maturity. Her research should significantly improve the ability to predict maturity and decrease the time it takes a grower to determine when to harvest.