Patricia Knight, research professor in the department of plant and soil sciences at Mississippi State University, has recently received two national awards in honor of her professional and commercial impact on ornamental horticulture.
The American Society for Horticulture Science presented Dr. Knight with the Distinguished Award for Nursery Crops in honor of outstanding research contributions to the field, and the Society of American Florists presented her with the Gold Medal Award, a prize recognizing the originator of a widely distributed plant or flower that has achieved outstanding commercial success. Dr. Knight received the award for her Delta Jazz crepe myrtle.
At Mississippi State, Dr. Knight serves as director of coastal horticulture research in Poplarville and is a member of the Mississippi Agricultural Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES). She has over three decades of experience within the horticultural profession, both in academia and industry settings.
In 2005, Dr. Knight discovered her award-winning-tree while sorting through plant material at the MAFES South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville. Patented by Mississippi State in 2010 as “Chocolate Mocha,” the tree features maroon-tinted foliage and pink flowers and sells under the trade name “Delta Jazz.” Unlike similar dark-leaved trees in the American South, the small tree retains its vibrant color during high-temperature summer months. Since its commercial introduction, the tree has become one of the top 10 cultivars in the state of Mississippi.
Dr. Knight received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in horticulture from Auburn University in Alabama and her Ph.D. in the same discipline from Virginia Tech.