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.Ian Wood has been involved with the agronomy of new crops since his first job, commenced in 1959, as a crop agronomist for the Department Agriculture of Tasmania, Launceston dealing with field peas, vetches, tares and lentils. In 1965, he joined the CSIRO, stationed at Katherine in the Northern Territory, where his main interest was in peanuts, with some work on Stylo and Sorghum.
Between 1969 and 1971, he was attached to the Thai-Australian Land Development Project in northern Thailand, where his work was concerned with agronomic studies of upland rice, peanuts and mung beans.
In 1972, he returned to Australia and was located at the Kimberley Research Station where he investigated new crops and grain legumes for the Ord Irrigation Area and South East Queensland.
These new crop investigations led Ian to the development of a procedure for identifying new crops for future development, which identified the non-wood fibre crop kenaf, as a potential new crop for paper pulp production. Kenaf was to be Ian's principal research interest for at least the next 25 years.
From 1983 until his retirement in 1993, Ian was located in the CSIRO Division of Tropical Crops and Pastures at St Lucia, Brisbane, serving as Program Leader for new crops and for crop establishment research.
Since his retirement, Ian has been as busy as ever, acting as a consultant for AusAID, QDPI, QGGA, RIRDC, Agtrans Research, Northern Territory Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, CSIRO and the New Crops program at the University of Queensland Gatton College.
In the latter capacity, Ian was employed, on RIRDC/GRDC funds, as Co-editor of the Australian New Crops Newsletter, Chairman of the New Crops Consultative Committee and Secretary of the Organising Committee of the First Australian New Crops Conference.
Throughout his career, Ian Wood has been involved with a range of innovative research projects, which have involved an element of risk.
Most significant has been his long-term involvement in the development of kenaf. Although this crop is not yet a house-hold name in Australia, the advances that have been made and the demonstration of the process of new crop research and development has been a testimony to Ian's dedication and application.
His involvement in a wide range of international consultancies has also been testimony to Ian's concern for agricultural development and his dedication to the improvement of the standards of agricultural production over a wide range of growing conditions. His continuing involvement in these activities is a reflection of the high standards Ian sets.
He has been responsible for 80 scientific papers, 8 reports for AusAID, 2 reports for ACIAR and 1 report for RIRDC. The latter report, on the development of 35 new crops in Australia since 1950, (co-authored by Peter Chudleigh and Katrina Bond) has already become the benchmark source of information for the development of new crops in Australia and has been applauded overseas as well.
Ian was elected a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology for his contributions to agriculture in 1997.
The current editors of the Australian New Crops Newsletter would like to acknowledge Ian's contributions and his wise counsel with the first six issues of the Newsletter.
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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GK; latest update 6 June 1999 by: RF