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CSIRO Plant Industry’s Dr Greg Constable receives “Outstanding Research in Cotton Physiology Award”

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January 21, 2008

Dr Greg Constable, leader of CSIRO Plant Industry’s cotton breeding team, has received the “Outstanding Research in Cotton Physiology Award” presented at the recent Agronomy and Physiology Conference held in conjunction with the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in the USA.

Dr Constable is believed to be the first non-US recipient of the Award which is presented annually to an individual or team that has significantly improved knowledge of the physiology of cotton growth and development.

The Award citation noted that Dr Constable had been researching cotton traits since first moving to Narrabri with the NSW Department of Agriculture in 1972, when he commenced a Master of Science in Agriculture examining the growth, development and yield of cotton as influenced by cultivar and row spacing.

In 1978 he was seconded to Canberra where he completed a PhD at ANU on carbon fixation and distribution in cotton, which also examined the role of the leaf in fruit development. He returned to Narrabri in 1980, continuing research on cotton physiology, specifically focusing on interactions with water and nutrition.

He moved to CSIRO in 1991, and subsequently became leader of CSIRO’s cotton research program which has produced significant increases in the productivity and sustainability of the Australian cotton industry.

In a research and technology transfer career spanning pioneering plant physiology initiatives, fundamental and applied crop agronomy, innovative farming systems and modern plant breeding including new transgenic traits, Dr Constable has achieved international recognition.

The citation made special mention of Dr Constable’s capacity to clearly define needs and perceive new opportunities that may be addressed by all aspects of cotton research.

Dr Constable’s knowledge of cotton physiology, and his ability to link physiology with cotton varietal development, has led to significant breakthroughs in varieties that are: better adapted to rainfed production systems; have improved tolerance to heat stress; possess fibre quality attributes that meet future market requirements.

Many of these varieties have become industry standards under both irrigated and dryland production systems. The current research program is strong and diverse and includes breeding varieties targeting improved water use efficiency.

Commenting on Dr Constable’s award, Cotton Seed Distributors General Manager, Steve Ainsworth, said he had also played a leading role in the formation and implementation of the Cotton Cooperative Research Centre concept for more than a decade, being the inaugural director of the first CRC in the early 1990s.

He praised his work in developing higher yields and management packages, and in consistently producing varieties, including genetically modified varieties with multiple traits, with improved disease tolerance and pesticide resistance, leading to reduced insecticide use and greater environmental sustainability.

Mr Ainsworth also noted that apart from being a first rate scientist, Greg is also a person who excels in mentoring and supporting his colleagues from across the industry.

In 2003, Dr Constable was judged “Australia’s smartest scientist” by The Bulletin magazine. His team was awarded the CSIRO Chairman’s Medal in 2003 and the Australian Government Prize for Rural innovation in 2005. In both 1984 and 2006 Dr Constable was judged to be the Australian Cotton Growers Research Association Researcher of the Year.

 

 

 

 

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