Dundee-based senior scientist Professor Ian Toth has been presented with the British potato industry’s lifetime achievement award in honour of his contribution to plant health research.
Prof Toth, a globally recognised potato bacterial disease expert, is also director of Scotland’s Plant Heath Centre at the James Hutton Institute (JHI).
As a regular speaker at meetings and events, Prof Toth is well known to the industry as an authority on potential solutions to pests and pathogen.
Blackleg, the most damaging bacterial plant pathogen in the UK, is one of his specialities.
AHDB Potatoes chairwoman Alison Levett said: “Mention the phrase potato disease and Ian Toth’s name quickly comes into the discussion.
“Ian was trained under Michel Pérombelon at the Scottish Crop Research Institute but quickly became the go-to person in the potato industry for all things blackleg and soft rot-related, and has more recently been working with the industry on a long-term strategy to control potato cyst nematode.
“Through a series of rigorous scientific studies and an innate ability to collaborate, particularly with industry, Ian became the head of the weeds, pests and pathogens theme at the James Hutton Institute.
“He was responsible for delivering solutions for controlling blackleg throughout the potato supply chain and extending this knowledge into other potato bacterial diseases.”
Prof Toth was recently awarded a £2 million grant to lead a bacteria diseases initiative on blackleg.
You can read the full article by reporter Nancy Nicolson on The Courier's website
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James Hutton Limited harnesses the expertise, intellectual property, facilities and resources of The James Hutton Institute, offering commercial customers a comprehensive range of analytical, research and development, plant breeding and consultancy and scientific project services.
James Hutton Institute
The James Hutton Institute is a world-leading scientific organisation encompassing a distinctive range of integrated strengths in land, crop, waters, environmental and socio-economic science. It undertakes research for customers including the Scottish and UK Governments, the EU and other organisations worldwide. The institute has a staff of around 600 and 150 PhD students.
