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SARDI scientist wins national cropping industry award
Above: Dr Kaye Ferguson back at work in a SARDI greenhouse with her Protected Cropping Australia Industry Researcher of the Year award.
SARDI scientist Dr Kaye Ferguson has won Protected Cropping Australia Industry’s national Researcher of the Year award.
The award was presented to Dr Ferguson at the national body’s annual conference held at the Adelaide Convention Centre earlier this month.
Dr Ferguson has been the face of SARDI research in protected cropping for the last five years, working on projects including investigating sustainable management of leaf diseases and conversion from soil growing to hydroponic production.
SARDI Executive Director Professor Pauline Mooney said Dr Ferguson has provided invaluable assistance to growers in managing powdery mildew in cucumber and capsicum crops, investigating aspects such as varietal susceptibility, alternatives to fungicides for control and programs for effective management of the disease.
“With field days, newsletters, grower articles and farm visits, Dr Ferguson has the ability to communicate her results to the growers and provide a more sustainable focus on disease management, moving away from a reliance on fungicides,” said Professor Mooney.
“She has also been instrumental in developing the project on hydroponic conversions for low and medium technology greenhouses from concept to reality, and has the ability to connect with the many different people in the greenhouse industry to understand their concerns and issues.
“With her research and development skills she has investigated solutions to these issues and translated the outcomes into an invaluable resource for the industry.”
Dr Ferguson’s quest for knowledge to assist the industry has taken her all over Australia as well as overseas, with investigations into the greenhouse hydroponic industry in Southern Spain and the Netherlands, culminating in her leading a growers and researchers tour there in 2010.
An industry spokesperson said Dr Ferguson was regarded by both the grower community and her scientific peers as an excellent and approachable scientist with excellent research and communication skills.
At the national conference Dr Ferguson presented a paper on a Hydroponic manual she is producing to help growers who want to convert to hydroponics.
“Many growers are considering converting to hydroponics because growing in the soil is no longer sustainable or profitable,” said Dr Ferguson.
“Investing large amounts of money in new high tech greenhouses is not always an option, however converting existing low-medium technology greenhouses may be.”
Senior SARDI research scientist Barbara Hall also presented a paper at the conference in conjunction with Dr Ferguson, Dr Len Tesoriero, Plant Pathologist NSW DPI and Dr Denis Persley, Plant Pathologist Qld DEEDI on fundamental disease management.
The presentation included symptoms and management options for the most common bacterial, viral and fungal diseases in protected cropping.
