Two Canterbury men win awards

Press, 12 April 1979, Page 13

Two Canterbury men win awards

Two Canterbury scientists have won travel fellowships financed by the Trimble Agricultural Research Fund. They are Dr Michael Dunbier, of the Crop Research Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research at Lincoln, and Dr Roger Stoker, of the Ministry of Agriculture’s irrigation research station at Winchmore. From a total of 21 applications, five Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ scientists and one from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research have been granted fellowships enabling them to undertake studies overseas that will be of direct benefit to New Zealand agriculture. “It is hoped that in future the fellowships will attract greater interest from among the many fine research workers working in the private sector,” said a spokesman for the trustees for the Trimble Fund. “This year, unfortunately, only one application was received from outside government service and this was subsequently withdrawn due to pressure of other commitments.”

Dr Peter Rattray, section leader of the nutrition section at Ruakura, and Dr Timothy Trigg, a scientist in the nutrition team, have been invited to attend the eighth Symposium on Energy Metabolism, which will be held later this year in Cambridge in England.

“This is • the first time New Zealanders have been invited to attend this important forum and the two scientists will be presenting papers on aspects of their Ruakura work,” said the spokesman. “They will also visit metabolism laboratories and study calorimetric experiments at research centres in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Europe and America.” Another Ruakura scientist, Mr Michael O’Connor, of the soil and field research section, will visit the United Kingdom and Europe to study current work on fertiliser nitrogen use on pastures, hypomagnesaemia, and magnes i u m supplementation techniques. “Dr Michael Dunbier, of the D.S.I.R.’s Crop Research Division, is a leading New Zealand plant breeder and authority on lucerne. “He' will be taking samples of a newly-developed lucerne variety to the United States, where he will supervise sowing of the seed in a multiplication programme. He will also visit seed producing and breeding centres and study problems and techniques of lucerne breeding for disease and pest resistance.” Investigating methods of scheduling crop irrigation will be the main purpose of Dr Roger Stoker’s study tour to Canada. Dr Stoker, an irrigation agronomy scientist at Winchmore Irrigation Research Station, will spend six months at Agriculture Canada Research Station, Lethbridge, Alberta. The remaining successful applicant is Mr John Grigg, from Invermay Agricultural Research Centre, an expert in soil chemistry and soil fertility. “Mr Grigg plans to visit soil research institutes in the United States to study the latest developments in soil testing and plant analysis. “He will also investigate procedures for developing computer based data handling and fertiliser advice services.” The trustee spokesman said the successful applicants, selected by a committee representing the Ministry, of Agriculture, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Federated Farmers. New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Science, and New Zealand Insurance, had been allocated a total of 517,000 in this year’s grants.