Section 2 - Sugar Research and Development Corporation

Section 3
SRDC INNOVATION AWARDS 2011
Each year SRDC acknowledges excellence in research and science through its
Innovation Awards. On 5 May 2011 the winners of the fi ve award categories were
announced dinner the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists Conference
dinner held in Mackay.
During the awards presentation an SRDC booklet
publication was distributed to highlight all project
nominations. The award winners were profi led via
a high quality video presentation broadcast during
the award ceremony and presented by ABC TV
Landline Senior Reporter Pip Courtney.
SRDC Research Group Innovation Award
BSES Limited’s Six Easy Steps team won this award
for the development of a program that encourages
adoption of best-practice nutrient management
in sugarcane production. The SIX EASY STEPS
program is an innovative concept that enables the
adoption of best-practice nutrient management
on-farm. It is the result of a collaborative
approach involving BSES Limited, Sucrogen and
the Queensland Department of Environment
and Resource Management. The concept was
developed to replace traditional generalised
fertiliser recommendations (that were aimed at
maximising productivity and minimising the risk
of yield loss) with sustainable and soil-specifi c
nutrient management guidelines.
SRDC Research Scientist Award
Program Leader and Research Scientist in
Biotechnology at BSES Dr Prakash Lakshmanan
took out this award. With 26 years experience
in plant science, Dr Lakshmanan is well renowned
in the sugarcane industry — his work with the
enhancement of crop improvement and leaf tissues
in particular, has been highly praised. Prakash
was the Chief Investigator involved with the
production of the SmartSett system that enables
the production of up to 2000 sugarcane plants
from a single shoot top within four months,
through the use of leaf tissues.
SRDC Research Technician Award
This new award was won by BSES Limited
Research Technician Phil Lethbridge. Phil’s main
achievement was to help design and develop the
SPIDNet information system to monitor web-based
management of plantings, plots and observations,
pedigree management, cross pollination and plant
movement traceability.
His interests in information technology led to
him go on to study an IT Masters degree. Phil
has made a signifi cant contribution to infl uential
developments in web-based information systems
that have been crucial for the data collection
and monitoring of signifi cant research for the
sugar industry.
SRDC Long Service Award
Robert Quirk was the worthy recipient of this
award for his dedication to research and longterm
commitment to the industry.
Robert is recognised for championing research
projects and implementing innovative research
and development on-farm. His extension of
research activities and promotion of research
has also been highly commended. He has been
actively involved in more than 16 industryrelevant
committees, and has been the recipient
of over seven industry-specifi c awards for
infl uential research and sustained leadership,
dedicating his downtime to improving the sugar
industry through forward-thinking innovation
and persistence.
SRDC Grower Group Award
Established in 2002, the winner of this award,
the Mackay Fibre Producers group, intended to
evaluate the validity of rotation crops and study
the benefi ts of using non-traditional rotation
crops to break the cycle of growing sugarcane
in the Mackay area.
The group conducted an economic and
agronomic assessment of three unconventional
fi bre crops produced in rotation with sugarcane
across seven sites within the Mackay region.
Results were signifi cant and showed a
considerable positive economic impact on cane
production. The group has now established
an export market for Kenaf seed in Malaysia,
Vietnam, Kenya, Guatemala and Israel and has
started a compacted and bulk premium garden
mulch supply.
SRDC Annual Report 2010–2011 63