Muhammad Shahid
Muhammad joined UNH in September 2019. He has a split appointment Greenhouse and Nursery Production State Specialist/Extension Associate Professor in the Cooperative Extension and Department of Agriculture, Nutrition & Food Systems. He comes to UNH from the Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida where he worked as a Biological Scientist conducting research and extension in nutrient and water eco-management in vegetable and fruit production. He received a PhD in horticulture from the joint-venture program of University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan and Cornell University where he studied the effects of abiotic stresses on crop production. Muhammad grew up in an agricultural family, and brings experience in field, greenhouse, and hydroponic crop production.
His areas of expertise include plant physiology and biochemistry, nutrient and water management, plant growth regulators, abiotic stresses (salinity, heat, hypoxia, drought, heavy metal toxicity etc.), and hydroponic/aeroponic systems. The goal of his research-driven extension program is to enhance the grower’s profitability while improving production and produce quality at low input costs with minimum ecological impacts as well. As a Greenhouse and Nursery Production State Specialist his focus is to identify new potential greenhouse crops, identification of nutrient efficient genotypes, improving biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, greenhouse automation including use of LED lights, substrate amendments to improve nutrient and water holding potential to strengthen the greenhouse industry in the New England area particularly in New Hampshire