Ian Toth, outstanding in his field

Professor Ian To th, director of Scotland’ s Plant Heath Centre and a senior scientist at the James Hutton Institute has been awarded the British Potato Industry Award 2020 in recognition of his invaluable contribution to the sector over the past 25 years.

The prestigious lifetime achievement award was presented by AHDB Potatoes chair, Alison Levett, as part of yesterday’s virtual Potato Industry Conference 2020.

Globally recognised as a potato bacterial disease expert, the professor’s research has focused on both strategic and applied research, bringing him into regular contact with UK and devolved governments, the public and industry to whom he regularly presents his work.

“Mention the phrase potato disease and Ian Toth’s name quickly comes into the discussion,” said Levett as she made the award.

She said his position at the interface of the science and industry sectors had been recognised by the award of Director of Scotland’s Plant Health Centre of Expertise.

“Professor Ian Toth’s prominent position in potato disease is unrivalled in the UK academic- industry interface and I am delighted that he is the recipient of this year’s award.”

Gaining his PhD from Warwick University in 1991 on potato blackleg disease, Toth has since worked on plant diseases in agriculture, forestry and hor ticulture, as well as with soil microbes and microbial biotechnology, the latter with Novo Nordisk in Denmark. Professor Toth is also an honorary Professor at the Forestry and Agriculture Biotechnology Institute (FABI) at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.