Professor Geoff Gurr is well known in scientific circles and the agricultural industry for his development of non-chemical approaches for controlling agricultural pests.  His biggest breakthroughs have been in developing practical ways that farmers can encourage beneficial insects on their farms. 

 

“The whole approach to encouraging beneficial insects is now much more rigorous and successful than a decade ago,” says Professor Gurr.  His latest book Ecological Engineering for Pest Management was well received by international reviewers because it uses real world examples to show how farmers can reduce their dependence on pesticides and genetically engineered crops that consumers dislike.

   

Currently the acting head of the University’s Orange Campus and recently promoted to Professor, Geoff Gurr has spent over 25 years studying and working in the field of pest management. Although thrilled at his recent promotion, Professor Gurr said his greatest highlight came at the beginning of his career.

 

“The highlight for me was the realisation that pests can be controlled as effectively using ecological and environmentally friendly approaches as they can be with artificial chemical sprays. The neat thing with so-called ‘integrated pest management’ is that everyone wins. The consumer and the environment like it and the farmer finds it is usually cheaper.”

 

The companies creating pesticides are also getting on board.

 

“They’ve seen the writing on the wall for over a decade and have shifted into some of the ecological approaches themselves so they’re involved in breeding crops that are more resistant and investing in natural enemies that will kill pests.”

 

Professor Gurr began his love of pest management 25 years ago when he studied for his doctorate at the University of London, UK. After a world-wide backpacking trip with his wife, the couple decided that, of all the place they’d seen, Australia was the place they wanted to live.

 

He initially worked as a tutor in plant sciences at the University of Melbourne before accepting a position as lecturer at what is now CSU’s Orange Campus. Although he has won several awards for his innovative teaching approaches, research is his true passion.

 

“I take an ecological approach to pest control that involves looking at plant and insect interactions. I’m studying not so much plants or their pests, or the natural enemies of the pests, but the relationships between those different players.

 

“When trying to control pests you have to visualise them being pressured by the natural enemies that prey on or parasitise them, and the defence mechanisms of the plants on which they live. Because plants cannot run away from pests they have evolved a range of potentially effective defence mechanisms based on natural compounds and structures such as specialised sticky hairs. The more we learn about such adaptations, the better placed we are to make them more effective.”

 

Professor Gurr adds, “We are learning much about ways to encourage natural enemies of pests.  This can be as simple as preserving some natural habitat on the farm. Areas such as shelterbelts can support lots of predatory and parasitic insects.

 

“That’s what I like to do: make life hard for pests by encouraging natural enemies and maximising the plants’ own defences.”

 

Professor Geoff Gurr is available for interviews and pictures. Contact CSU Media.