Friday, March 29, 2024

Soil scientist gave selfless service

Avatar photo
Well-known soil scientist Mike O’Connor has been remembered by former work colleagues as having made an enormous contribution to agricultural science and specifically soil science.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

He passed away in July after a short illness at the age of 75.

“He was perhaps the last of the ‘old breed’ of agricultural scientists whose career reflects the values of honest, selfless service to agriculture,” Dr Doug Edmeades, who worked with him at Ruakura Research Station for some years, said.

O’Connor was born in Southland and completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree at the then Lincoln College. After time in Nelson as a field research officer for the research division of the Department of Agriculture he returned to Lincoln to complete a Masters degree in Agricultural Science.

At Ruakura in the late 1960s he was in charge of a national series of field trials examining the effect of rates and forms of nitrogen fertiliser on pasture production. This pioneering work and the results are still the basis of practical advice on its use in pastoral agriculture in New Zealand.

When hypomagnesaemia became an increasing problem in the dairy herd as production became more intensive he worked with animal scientist, the late Peter Young, to conduct research over many years to develop practical remedial strategies for its management. He then looked at the effect of trace elements such as copper, cobalt, selenium, and sodium on animal health.

In the early 1980s when fertiliser prices increased Mike designed and conducted the first trials in NZ questioning the minimum amount of fertiliser required to sustain pasture production on highly fertile developed pastoral soils.

Later he undertook pioneering work at the Te Kuiti Research Station, showing that low rates of liming were economic with increased pasture and animal production on hill country. He also undertook peat soils trials in the Waikato to redefine their requirements for trace elements and subsequently for nitrogen, phosphate, potassium and sulphur.

In the late 1970s he was involved in work at the Wairakei Research Station on pasture responses in lucerne to sewage applications, which led to Taupo District Council’s permanent sewage treatment scheme on 150ha of treated ryegrass.

He was a fellow of the Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science, a life member of the Grasslands Association, and received the Ray Brougham Memorial Award and a Technology Transfer Award in 2004.

He is survived by wife Cath, three sons and one daughter, and five grandchildren. 

Total
0
Shares
People are also reading