Renowned vegetable researcher receives doctor honoris causa award

The Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, UPCT, honored Daniel Leskovar, Ph.D., with a doctor honoris causa award at a ceremony on Jan. 28 in Cartagena, Autonomous Community of Murcia, Spain.

Leskovar is a longtime Texas A&M AgriLife Research vegetable physiologist and center director at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Uvalde. He is also the director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas and professor in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences. 

“I thank my extraordinary team of collaborators, students and The Texas A&M University System for supporting the research that made this recognition possible,” said Leskovar. “It is a distinguished honor for which I’m remarkably humbled and grateful.”

What is a doctor honoris causa?

The title of doctor honoris causa honors researchers who have made a lasting impact on their field of study worldwide and the impact to people and society. It is one of the highest symbolic recognitions academics can earn and may be granted for exceptional achievement in research, critical innovation and demonstrated leadership, among other key impacts.

In the past decade, UPCT has granted only three of these awards.

“This distinction for Dr. Leskovar underscores his world-class contributions to crop production,” said G. Cliff Lamb, Ph.D., director of AgriLife Research. “It is a powerful reflection of our agency’s strategic priorities to advance leading-edge innovation and discovery for sustainable production, economic strength and healthy living.”

The Cartegena university connection

Leskovar’s career has included a significant, longstanding partnership with the UPCT. He has given seminars at UPCT and taught four postgraduate courses, most recently including “Applications of soil and bio-stimulants for sustainable production of vegetable crops” in 2019. He also collaborated on a doctoral thesis and collaborated on several joint research publications. 

Much of this work was done in partnership with professor José Antonio Franco, Ph.D., who sponsored Leskovar’s doctor honoris causa nomination process.

A career of leading-edge research

Leskovar’s research in vegetable physiology aims to uncover the mechanisms plants use to adapt to environmental stresses. His research priorities include:

• Seed-transplant production and physiology to increase plant survival under drought, nitrogen deficit and heat stress.
• Plant growth regulators, bio-stimulants and soil amendments to enhance soil and plant health.
• Root and shoot trait responses to water conservation strategies and cropping systems.
• Cultivar, fertility and cover crop management for organic production.
• Protected cultivation and hydroponic systems for grafted tomato and leafy greens. 
• Genotype selection and development for drought and heat tolerance, high yield, water use efficiency and quality.

35 years of research by Leskovar

With a background in horticultural sciences, Leskovar is an expert in plant and environmental stress physiology, nutrition, irrigation, hydroponics and integrated crop management who joined AgriLife Research in 1991 in Uvalde. 

Throughout his career, Leskovar has significantly contributed to new knowledge in plant responses to abiotic stresses and in the development of sustainable and resilient crop management systems. 

He has served as associate director for the Texas A&M Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, and his leadership helped the unit broaden engagement with regional vegetable industries and stakeholders and expand collaboration among researchers and graduate students. 

He was vice chair and chair of the Division of Vegetables, Roots and Tubers at the International Society for Horticultural Science, and the 2025 president and current chair of the board of the American Society for Horticultural Science. He is also a member of the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture.