Researcher Gert Kema has been awarded the 2024 KNPV Prize by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Plantenziektekundige Vereniging (KNPV). The prize is awarded to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the development of resilient crops.
Kema was praised by the jury for his vision, passion, and entrepreneurial spirit, and for making his international research projects visible through media interviews and scientific publications. Over his long career, Gert Kema has made exceptional contributions to scientific research and education in crop protection, the jury concludes. His work includes research on Septoria leaf blotch in cereals and crop-threatening fungal diseases in bananas, the latter leading to the establishment of new Dutch companies for banana breeding. Since 2018, Kema has led the Phytopathology department of Wageningen University & Research and has supervised many students and PhD candidates.
"By awarding the 2024 KNPV Prize, the jury aims to crown Kema's long and fruitful career in phytopathology in particular and crop protection in general," the jury report states. Kema himself is pleasantly surprised: "I did not see myself as a prize winner and did not expect this at all. It is a great honour!"
The award ceremony took place at the end of the KNPV meeting on 30 May, themed 'Climate Change and Plant Diseases,' where experts discussed the impact of climate change on plant health in the Netherlands.
Source: wur.nl