About

Charlie Hall, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University and holds the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture. His major areas of specialization include innovative management and marketing strategies, financial analysis and benchmarking, and the situation and outlook for nursery and greenhouse crops. Dr. Hall is recognized for his enthusiasm, passion, and intensity when speaking and is an invited speaker at numerous regional, national, and international industry-related meetings. He is an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association and has received the TNLA’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Nursery Industry. Additionally, he is a member of the Hall of Fame and an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association. Dr. Hall's educational background includes a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Tennessee, an M.S. in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from the University of Tennessee, and a Ph.D. from Mississippi State University. His professional affiliations include Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab, and the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences.

Research topics

• Business
• Economics
• Agricultural economics
• Economic growth

Selected publications

• Developing the occupational skills qualifications framework for floral designer education and training in the floristry industry

  Technology in Horticulture · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Retail florists, integral to the floristry industry, are experiencing workforce challenges due to an aging population and a shortage of well-trained entrants. New talent recruitment and retention are critical to the sustainability and prosperity of the profession and its associated industries. Occupational skill standards assist in identifying competencies for success in the profession. This research established skills profiles of floral designers in the U.S. by examining occupational skills standards from the United Kingdom (U.K.), Finland, India, and Singapore. The framework outlines competencies needed for progression from entry-level to master-level designers, detailing roles, tasks, knowledge, and abilities to address challenges, and autonomy of work at each level. Ten competency categories were identified across all levels. This framework can serve as a foundation for career development strategies, elevating professionalism and boosting workforce competitiveness. Through adoption, along with other recommended strategies to address labor shortage issues, the floristry industry can enhance its ability to attract, train, and retain skilled designers, ensuring long-term growth and sustainability.

  PublisherDOI

• Economic, Environmental, and Societal Impacts of the Boxwood Blight Insight Group Research

  PhytoFrontiers™ · 2025-12-10

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Boxwood blight threatens the United States’ leading evergreen ornamental shrub and the broader green industry it supports. This study synthesizes 4 years of research from the Boxwood Blight Insight Group (BBIG), a transdisciplinary consortium that developed diagnostics, risk tools, resistant cultivars, microbiome-based interventions, and best management practices. We quantified the economic, environmental, and societal returns from these innovations using several analytical tools. These include a structured benefit inventory that avoids double-counting, empirically grounded adoption curves, and standard public-sector discounting at 3%. We also monetized externalities such as the social cost of carbon. The analysis translates over 66 documented journal articles and impact statements into defensible monetary values. Direct producer benefits total to a net present value (NPV) of $1.2 billion over 10 years. These benefits include higher net margins, avoided crop losses, and lower input costs. The largest contributions come from cultivar resistance, precision sanitation, and weather-based spray optimization. When we add monetized environmental and regulatory savings, the NPV increases by $180 million. Including consumer and societal spillovers raises the aggregate benefits to $1.6 to 2.1 billion. Even under conservative assumptions—30% adoption and excluding “soft” benefits—the program yields a 21:1 benefit–cost ratio relative to cumulative research investment. These findings demonstrate that embedding economic analyses within plant health R&D can accelerate adoption and guide policy design. This approach also helps safeguard an iconic landscape plant whose wholesale value exceeds $140.9 million annually and supports a much larger downstream market. The BBIG provides a repeatable template for integrating disease biology with economic evaluation to capture the full public return to specialty-crop research. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Unravelling the influence of cluster thinning on wine quality: a narrative systematic review

  OENO One · 2025-01-09 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  This review examines the impact of cluster thinning (CT) on wine quality. CT is a vineyard management technique intended to enhance the sensory attributes of wine, such as aroma and flavour. We employed a narrative approach, synthesising findings from various studies without the use of statistical meta-analysis. This method allowed us to capture a broad spectrum of insights and draw practical conclusions for winemakers. Our review spans different grape varieties and climates. The studies reviewed include CT interventions at various growth stages—flowering, fruit set, veraison, and post-veraison—with varying levels of thinning severity. Methods range from manual thinning to mechanical approaches, with comparisons made to control groups that did not undergo CT. Our primary focus was on sensory analysis, wine phenolic composition volatile compound composition, and overall quality assessments. We paid particular attention to sensory descriptors related to aroma and flavour profiles, evaluating quality and preference scores. This review consolidates existing research to provide a comprehensive understanding of CT's role in viticulture. It offers practical guidance for optimising CT practices to improve wine quality and identifies areas where further research is needed. By integrating diverse findings, this review contributes valuable insights for winemakers aiming to enhance their vineyard management techniques.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• An Update of the Literature Supporting the Economic Benefits of Plants: Part 3 – The Downside of Increased Housing Prices

  Journal of Environmental Horticulture · 2025-03-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract This paper provides a review of the key research efforts that provide evidence of one of the more prominent economic externalities associated with plants and improved landscaped areas. These potential externalities stem from improved property values and the resulting possibility of green gentrification that arises from them. Ironically, the promise of improved property value may persuade reluctant residential homeowners to purchase plants and improve their landscapes, aid municipal leaders and policymakers in justifying green infrastructure-related funding decisions, and provide grounds for the landscape and general construction industries for using biophilic design principles to ensure the built environment offers opportunities for beneficial green space interactions. However, policy measures must be included in the planning stages of green infrastructure projects so that detrimental green gentrification does not occur. In this way, the green industry can play a pivotal role not only in providing quality plants for these applications, but in educating stakeholders regarding the equitable distribution of economic benefits discussed herein. This research should also be strategically incorporated into both industry-wide and firm-specific marketing messages that highlight the quality-of-life value proposition in order to maintain the industry’s sense of value and relevance to residential homeowners and municipalities of the future. If implemented effectively, the demand for plants and green industry services may be affected positively and equitably.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Indoor hydroponic vegetable gardening to improve mental health and quality of life in cancer patients: a pilot study

  Frontiers in Public Health · 2025-10-15

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Background Cancer patients experience significant psychological and physiological challenges, affecting their treatment outcomes and overall wellbeing. Traditional gardening benefits mental health and quality of life but is often impractical, requiring alternatives. This pilot study evaluated the impact of indoor hydroponic gardening on cancer patients’ mental health and quality of life. Methods A case-crossover pilot study included 36 adult cancer patients from the Houston Methodist Cancer Center, with participants serving as their own control through repeated measurements. Participants received AeroGarden hydroponic systems and engaged in an 8-week gardening intervention. Mental wellbeing, mental distress, quality of life, fruit and vegetable consumption, and pain management were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks using validated scales. Data were analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) to account for within-subject correlations over time. Results The study included 36 cancer patients with a mean age of 57.5 years. Significant improvements were observed in mental wellbeing scores ( p -trend = 0.042), depression subscale scores ( p -trend = 0.003), and global quality of life ( p -trend < 0.001) over the 8 weeks. Emotional and social functioning scores also improved significantly ( p -trend = 0.001 and p -trend = 0.010, respectively), along with increased fruit and vegetable intake ( p -trend = 0.028). While overall pain management scores showed a decreasing trend, these changes were not statistically significant. Conclusion This study demonstrates that indoor hydroponic vegetable gardening can significantly improve mental health and quality of life in cancer patients, suggesting it as an alternative to traditional gardening. Future studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm these findings and explore long-term benefits.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Protocol for a naturalistic study of residents living in an agriculturally-integrated (“agrihood”) neighborhood

  Frontiers in Public Health · 2025-11-20

  articleOpen access

  Background: Poor nutrition and inadequate physical activity are key contributors to rising chronic disease rates across the United States. It is well-documented that neighborhood built environments play an important role in shaping these modifiable health behaviors. Agriculturally-integrated neighborhoods ("agrihoods") offer a relatively new and promising approach to health-promoting residential design and development. Centered around a working farm, agrihoods are designed to connect residents with fresh foods and outdoor spaces that encourage physical activity. However, no rigorous or longitudinal evaluations of their impact on resident health have been conducted to date. We detail the protocol for a naturalistic study that aims to (1) assess short-term changes in dietary intake, physical activity, cardiometabolic health indicators, and social connectedness among agrihood and matched comparison residents; (2) document time use with and preferences for agrihood design features; and (3) examine agrihood economic benefits. Methods: This mixed-methods, quasi-experimental study will last approximately 6 months including assessment at three timepoints (baseline, 3 months, 6 months). Agrihood participants will be new adult residents in an agrihood residential development (Richmond, TX), while comparison participants will be adults currently residing in a nearby residential development (Katy, TX). All participants will complete three 30-min online surveys, including items to produce geospatial data; agrihood participants will complete two additional 30-min in-person health assessments and three timepoints of accelerometer wear on 7 consecutive days, with a subsample completing three 30-min online dietary recalls. Data will be collected by trained staff, and Difference-in-Differences (DiD) generalized linear mixed-effects models will examine longitudinal change and its interaction with participant groups. The economic analysis will account for break-even time, farmer compensation, maintenance costs, and public incentive programs. Discussion: This will be the first study to examine a longitudinal cohort of new agrihood residents compared to a master planned residential development to understand the use and health impacts of agrihood living. Our data-driven design, including biological data collection, device-captured physical activity, and validated self-report measures, can pave the way for future research, policy and philanthropic initiatives to adapt and scale models for developments that promote environmental and economic growth, and improve human health and wellbeing. Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06950775, Identifier NCT06950775.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Selective Promotion of Retinal Organoid Attachment and Differentiation by Amine‐ and Hydroxyl‐Modified Surfaces

  Advanced NanoBiomed Research · 2025-11-04

  articleOpen access

  The clinical success of organoid‐based therapies depends critically on understanding and controlling how biomaterial surfaces influence organoid behavior and integration. Retinal organoids (ROs) are emerging as advanced in vitro models with potential for transplantation, yet the molecular underpinnings of their interactions with engineered biomaterials remain largely unexplored. Here, this study systematically examines the effects of surface chemical modifications: amine (NH 2 ), hydroxyl (OH), phenyl (Ph), and methyl (CH 3 ) groups presented via alkyl‐based self‐assembled monolayers, on RO attachment, migration, and differentiation at key developmental stages. This study's' findings reveal that surface chemistry is a major determinant of organoid response: Hydrophilic surfaces (OH and NH 2 ) markedly enhance RO migration and retinal ganglion cell differentiation, while less wettable surfaces (Ph and CH 3 ) restrict initial attachment. These results shed new light on the pivotal role of the biomaterial interface in directing 3D organoid development, offering actionable insights for the optimization of organoid delivery, integration, and function in regenerative medicine. A deeper understanding of these interactions will enable the rational design of biomaterial platforms and accelerate the translation of organoid models to clinical therapies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluating the practicality of the educational and occupational frameworks for floral designer education and training in the floristry industry

  Technology in Horticulture · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The floristry industry faces enduring challenges, including an aging workforce, workforce shortages, and competition from mass-produced floral products. These challenges hinder the sector's growth and competitiveness. To address these issues, the Texas A&M University floral design team developed two comprehensive frameworks: an Educational and Career Pathways framework and an Occupational Skills Qualifications framework. These frameworks aim to support floral designer training and advancement. This study evaluates the practicality of these frameworks through feedback from industry professionals on the relevance of ten core competencies critical to various career levels in floral design. Survey findings indicate that 80% of respondents are inclined to adopt the educational framework, and 88% expressed interest in the occupational framework, recognizing their potential to standardize skills, enhance career development, and elevate professional standards. The frameworks show promise as tools to attract new talent and support sustained industry growth, positioning them as essential resources for strengthening the floristry industry.

  PublisherDOI

• Costs Associated With Mitigating Boxwood Blight During Nursery Production in the U.S.1

  Journal of Environmental Horticulture · 2024-12-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Three scenarios commonly used for nursery production of boxwood (Buxus L. spp., Buxaceae) in #3 containers [11 L (3 gal)] in the U.S. were modeled based on published best management practices and grower interviews. Detailed inventories of material inputs, equipment use, and labor were developed from the production protocols for each of those scenarios and a partial budgeting analysis was conducted to determine the impact of individual components on the economic costs of the finished shrubs at the nursery gate. The total variable costs of each plant from Scenario A (from propagation tray to #1 container to #3 container) were $8.98. Scenario B (propagation tray to the field and back to #3 container) resulted in variable costs of $9.19 and takes a year longer in production than the other two models. Scenario C (propagation tray to #1 container bumped up into a #2 container and finally to a #3 container) incurred variable costs of $11.26 per plant. Labor comprised the greatest share of variable costs in each of the three scenarios, while containers, transplants (including transplanting labor), irrigation, and fertilization inputs and associated activities accounted for the greatest portion of materials costs in each scenario. Pruning, assembling orders and loading trucks, applying plant protection products, and chlorination were other important components of variable costs of each scenario.

  PublisherDOI

• Association Between Resident In-Service Exam Scores by Postgraduate Year and Subsequent Board Qualifying Exam

  Urology Practice · 2024-09-20

  article

  INTRODUCTION: Prior work notes the AUA In-Service Exam (ISE) percentile ranking of chief residents correlates with the American Board of Urology Qualifying Exam (QE) performance. We present a 5-year analysis of resident performance on the ISE and subsequent QE to determine if earlier time points in training may identify those needing additional educational support. METHODS: Participant ISE scores over a 5-year period from 2014 to 2018 and subsequent QE scores in 2019 were recorded. Pearson's correlation coefficient measured the association between percentage questions correct for each ISE year and QE. Youden Index calculated the optimal cut point for yearly ISE percentage correct that would predict scoring greater than the lowest quartile and decile on the QE. RESULTS: Median percent questions correct on ISE increased over postgraduate year (PGY) 1 (47%), PGY2 (56.5%), and PGY3 (70%) but remained stable thereafter (PGY4-PGY5) at approximately 70%. Median QE percent correct in 2019 was 66% (SD 7.6%). Correlation of percent questions correct between ISE and QE improved from 0.31 to 0.53 over training duration. The lowest decile and quartile percent correct scores on the QE were 56% and 60%, respectively. Percent correct ISE score predicting performance above the lowest decile 2019 QE score increased from 38% in PGY1 to 57% in PGY2 and leveled off after PGY3 (∼70%). Similar observations were noted with lowest quartile QE score. CONCLUSIONS: Scoring approximately 70% of questions correct on the ISE during PGY3 and later years was associated with a low risk of failing the QE. Such information provides benchmarks for residency programs to offer targeted educational content for at-risk candidates.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Bridget K. Behe

  Michigan State University

  363 shared

• Jennifer H. Dennis

  221 shared

• Brian Bingham

  193 shared

• Richard Irving

  Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham

  193 shared

• Musheer Hussain

  Australian National University

  193 shared

• Sean Carrie

  Newcastle University

  193 shared

• Abir Bhattacharyya

  193 shared

• Hisham Khalil

  University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

  193 shared

Labs

• Ellison Chair in International FloriculturePI

  Standing Ex-Officio Members

Education

• B.S.

  University of Tennessee

• M.S., Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design

  University of Tennessee

• Ph.D.

  Mississippi State University

Awards & honors

• Honorary Lifetime Member of the Texas Nursery and Landscape…
• TNLA’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Nursery Industry
• Member of the Hall of Fame and Honorary Lifetime Member of t…