Biocontrol expert wins award

Former Minister for Biosecurity Jim Anderton with Alison Stewart,
Bio-Protection Research Centre Director.

Leadership in establishing and managing the Bio-Protection Research Centre at Lincoln University, Canterbury, has earned Professor Alison Stewart the 2008 Biosecurity Award for Excellence.

Professor Stewart, Director of the Centre, is an expert in using antagonistic micro-organisms to control plant pathogenic fungi. Her research group has successfully commercialised three biocontrol products for fruit and vegetable diseases, based on the naturally occurring soil-borne fungus Trichoderma.

Presenting the award at last month’s Biosecurity Summit, then Agriculture Minister and Minister for Biosecurity Jim Anderton noted Professor Stewart’s broad research expertise, including integrated plant disease management, soil-borne disease control, biocontrol and microbial ecology.

The Lincoln Centre is a government-funded Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE), integrating expertise from several partners including Lincoln and Massey universities, AgResearch and Crop and Food Research.

Page last updated: 12 January 2009