COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE HORTICULTURAL SCIENTIST

There is an old philosophic riddle which asks "If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear, is there any noise?" So it is with horticultural communications.
If the research has been funded, if the facilities are provided, the personnel do their experiments, but there is no publication of results, has any work been accomplished?

Communications are at the heart of any research in horticulture, beginning with funding for proposals, through development of research, to publication of results to appropriate audiences.
And communication is of even greater importance for the horticultural scientist than other areas of science because horticulture is a people-oriented profession and horticulturists must communicate with a great diversity of different audiences, each requiring special considerations.

A traditional audience for the horticultural scientist is scientific colleagues in horticulture and related fields.
Most scientists are trained and have had experience in the writing of scientific publications.
There is special impetus for publication of scientific results, especially for young scientists, in that the number of publications is often a primary criterion for salary and academic promotion.
Further, an extensive bibliography is a source of prestige among the scientists and peer pressure to publish frequently is intense, sometimes overly so.
However, not all scientists write equally well.
Some institutions have hired professional writers to help in preparation of scientific communications, and journals have established elaborate policies of editorial review.
However, with all its importance and traditional attention, communication to scientific colleagues is only one small part of horticultural communication.

Many scientists work in universities and institutes in which communication with students is of primary concern.
Among students, there are various audiences whose educational objectives change with the economy, technology, and even the fads of the times.
In the 1960s and early ’70s, interest in the environment swept the world and great numbers of students with an appreciation of plants were attracted to horticulture.
Some horticulture departments were inundated with bright competitive students, usually in the area of landscape horticulture and floriculture,

Symposium on Horticulture for the People, XX IHC

H.B. Tukey, .

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1981.105.8