NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the
Advice on Publications Available.The Australian new crops movement lost one of its staunchest advocates with the death of Dr Lennox Davidson in February 1996, one week after his 82nd birthday. Dr Davidson had a long involvement with the development of new crops in Australia and was still making plans for further new crop projects from his hospital bed just prior to his death. In 1995 Dr Davidson was made a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science in recognition of his contribution to Australian agriculture. Below is a copy of the notes prepared by his colleagues at the time of his award.
As Editors we will miss his wise council as he was a strong supporter of the Newsletter and was in regular contact to offer suggestions, comments and encouragement.
Lennox Davidson gained his PhD in Agricultural Chemistry from Rothamsted Experiment Station, UK in 1940 and then served six years in the navy (both British and Australian). After demobilisation in London in 1946, he worked on a D.S.I.R. Senior Research Studentship at the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London until appointed in 1950 as Technical Secretary to the CSIRO Division of Soils, Adelaide. In that capacity, he acted as organiser of the Australian Soils Conference held in Adelaide in 1953.
In 1954, at a time when most agricultural scientists in Australia were in the employ of government agencies, Dr Davidson became a consultant. In that capacity, he provided independent advice on many areas of agricultural development that were in their infancy or had not even been considered previously, for the Australian environment.
During 1954 to 1956, he travelled overseas and reviewed agricultural prospects for reducing imports into Australia and expanding export industries. From this trip, he identified macadamia and cotton, as new crops for Australia, and prime targets for future development in this country.
He pursued this commitment by conducting joint cotton trials with CSIRO at Merbein Research Station, Victoria in 1957-58 and was involved with expanding this preliminary work on to farms in the Murray and Lachlan Valleys. This work attracted the attention of American cotton growers and their subsequent migration to Australia led to the development of the cotton industry around Wee Waa and Narrabri in New South Wales.
Dr Davidson continued his commercial interest in cotton as co-founder of Landora Pty Ltd, which later became Hungerford Hill Ltd, and was originally the largest Australian-owned cotton growing operation. The success of this operation depended greatly on work conducted by Dr Davidson with large-scale on-farm water storage and the recycling of run-off water.
Dr Davidson's hands-on approach to the development of commercial agriculture can be exemplified by his work as co-founder and director of John Macadam Pty Ltd in 1957. This was an experimental macadamia property at Port Macquarie in the north coast region of New South Wales. His commitment was vindicated when the operation was expanded by CSR in 1962 to the current large-scale operations in Queensland.
His research interests in new horticultural crops were maintained when he purchased a small property at Nambour, north of Brisbane, Queensland, to pursue his private interests in the development of macadamias and avocados. Two new avocado varieties were introduced and he later transferred the operation to the Gympie district in 1978 to include work on lychees and blueberries.
In 1962, Lennox set up the first private trial of soybeans in NSW, in conjunction with Meggitts Ltd and the late John Bligh of Brookstead. This association with the Meggitts company, concentrating on the expansion of oilseed production, continued until 1969.
Dr Davidson joined the Scottish Australian Pastoral Company in 1970 and toured overseas in 1972-73 to search for new crops. As a result, he recommended the immediate development of rapeseed and investigations into kenaf, sesame and jojoba.
In 1973, he was invited to the USA to attend a USDA review of new crops and identified the potential for crambe as a source of industrial products, including its oil, and vernonia for the production of epoxy-coatings.
In 1974, Dr Davidson commenced work on Buffalo gourd. He saw potential value in this plant which combined drought and salt tolerance, with production of seed having a high oil and protein content and roots having a high starch content.
From 1976, he began a long association with the jojoba industry in Australia. This involvement included providing advice to the Australian government, giving a world-wide appraisal of the crop, sponsored by Consolidated Press, and providing publications in the media, in an attempt to bring a more scientific and realistic perspective to the jojoba industry. From 1990 to 1994, he was joint Honorary Secretary to the International Jojoba Committee, based in Arizona.
From 1980 to 1982, Dr Davidson was a member of the Organising Committee for the 10th International Sunflower Conference, the first to be held in Australia, on the Gold Coast, south of Brisbane.
In 1985, he was recruited as Australian Liaison Officer for the US Critical Materials Program, which later evolved into the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops. His most recent private research interests were in potential industrial crops such as Lesquerella, which provides a non-allergenic alternative to castor oil and the Neem tree.
Dr Lennox Davidson's commercial approach to agriculture has provided a significant benefit to Australia through his vision of identifying potential in crops well before they became household names and in his scientific pursuit of their development through to commercial production.
At the time of his passing, Lennox' interests were in:
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Rumex hymenosephalis (as a source of starch) |
Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter
Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email:
r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au[
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