Vince Fritz

Portrait of Professor Vince Fritz wearing a Minnesota Gophers Sweatshirt in front of a green leafy background.
Professor
Extension Vegetable Horticulturist
[email protected]
507 837 5620
Southern Research and Outreach Center

35838 120th St.
Waseca, MN 56093
United States

Education
  • Ph.D. Michigan State University, Horticulture
  • M.S. Michigan State University, Horticulture
  • B.S. Michigan State University, Entomology

Areas of Interest

Processing and Fresh Vegetable Production; Phytonutrient Enhancement; High Tunnel Production

Biography

Professor Fritz is a professor of Horticultural Science and Extension Vegetable Specialist at the University of Minnesota. He has worked with both the fresh market and processing vegetable industries for the last 29 years. His current research program focuses on production efficiencies that lead to greater profitability and sustainability; and on developing production systems that enhance chemopreventive benefit in vegetable and spice crops. He currently serves on the University's Healthy Foods and Healthy Lives Institute Advisory Board and is an executive committee member of the Minnesota Chemopreventive Consortium that focuses on exploring unique collaborations that effectively integrate Agriculture with Medicine. In addition, a small hops breeding and production research program has been initiated with small hopyards established in Waseca, Rosemount, and Grand Rapids (in 2014).

Outreach

Professor Fritz’s Extension program works with commercial fresh market and processing industries in the development and execution of educational conferences and field days (Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Midwest Food Processors Association). In addition, Professor Fritz is a core course instructor for the state Master Gardener Program. He informs the general consumer about his research program through exhibit venues such as the “Chemopreventive Café”, and presentations entitled “Take 2 Brussels Sprouts and Call Me in the Morning.”

Select Publications

  • Fujioka, Naomi, Cheryl E. Ainsli-Waldman, Pramod Upadhyaya, Steven G. Carmella, Vincent A. Fritz, Charles Rohwer, Yunhua Fan, Diane Rauch, Chap T. Le, Dorothy Hatsukami, and Stephen S. Hecht.  2014.  Urinary 3,3’diindolylmethane: a biomarker of glucobrassicin exposure and indole-3-carbinol uptake in humans. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (In Press).
  • Justen, Veronica L., and Vincent A. Fritz. 2013.  Temperature-induced glucosinolate accumulation in turnip is associated with expression of BrMYB transcription factors. HortScience 48(1):47-52.
  • Kang, Dong Hee, Satish Gupta, Carl Rosen, Vincent Fritz, Ashok Singh, Yogesh Chander, Helene Murray, and Charlie Rohwer. 2013.  Antiobiotic uptake by vegetable crops from manure-applied soils.  J. Agric. Food Chem. 61(42):9992-10001.
  • Justen, Veronica L., Vincent A. Fritz, and Jerry D. Cohen.  2012.  Seasonal variation in glucosinolate accumulation in turnips grown under photoselective nettings.  Hort. Environ. Biotechnol. 53(2):108-115.
  • Justen, Veronica L., Jerry D. Cohen, Gary Gardner, and Vincent A. Fritz. 2011.  Seasonal variation in glucosinolate accumulation in turnip cultivars grown with colored plastic mulches.  HortScience 46(12)1608-1614.
  • Fritz, Vincent A., Veronica L. Justen, Ann M. Bode, and Todd Schuster.  2010.  Glucosinolate enhancement in cabbage induced by jasmonic acid application. HortScience 45(8):1188-1191.