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Dr. Rosemary Collier awarded Carlo Naef Trophy 2012

rcdaffThe Carlo Naef Trophy for 2012 has been awarded to Dr Rosemary Collier in recognition of her contribution to the UK flower bulb industry over the last 20 years. Rosemary is the Director of Warwick Crop Centre, part of the School of Life Sciences, which specialises in research and training for land-based industries.

Rosemary considers herself very lucky to have spent her career working on three of her greatest interests – insects, plants and food. She is a keen flower gardener, is programme secretary of her local gardening club and was delighted when she was recently asked to join the RHS Science Committee.

Commenting on her award, Dr Collier said:

I am honoured and delighted to be the recipient of this prestigious trophy, being the 19th in a long line of esteemed representatives of the UK bulb industry. I have always tried to increase grower knowledge and develop practical solutions for the industry, and I look forward to continuing to do so. I am very grateful to Springfields Horticultural Society for considering me worthy of this recognition.

Rosemary is particularly interested in finding ways in which an understanding of a pest’s biology and behaviour can be used to reduce infestation and damage. For narcissus this has included research on the biology and behaviour of large narcissus fly and the bulb scale mite, both of which can be important pests of narcissus crops. The work on narcissus fly has been funded by the HDC and Defra, whilst the research on bulb scale mite was undertaken in a four-year project which was part of the Horticulture LINK programme. A number of commercial bulb growers participated in the bulb scale mite project, which was co-ordinated by Adrian Jansen (Lingarden Bulbs). Rosemary and her colleague Andrew Jukes also undertake a research on novel pesticide treatments and control of the large narcissus fly is the subject of a current HDC project. Rosemary has worked closely with other narcissus researchers over the years, particularly Gordon Hanks when he was at HRI Kirton, and she and her team continue to work with Gordon on HDC-funded research projects.

The Carlo Naef Trophy, a silver salver, was gifted to Springfields Horticultural Society by J. & E. Page, Ltd., New Covent Garden Market, to celebrate the 90th birthday in 1992 of their Chairman, Carlo Naef. The Trophy is awarded by the Horticultural Society in recognition of the work carried out by the recipient for the UK bulb industry and will be presented to Dr Collier at the Lincolnshire Daffodil Society’s 103rd Spring Flower Show being held on the weekend of 14/15th April at Springfields Events & Conference Centre.

Pictured: Rosemary Collier, HDC Daffodil Trials 2012