Professor David Midmore
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+44 (0) 118 378 8480
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Visiting Professor
Specialism
Agronomy and Crop PhysiologyAreas of interest
- Major personal emphasis on sustainable resource management as it relates to agriculture and horticulture.
- Enhanced water use efficiency in irrigated and rain-fed cropping systems, development of cropping systems for optimum water use and re-use of 'waste' water at the household and community level.
- Urban and peri-urban agriculture.
- Agricultural development (with emphasis on SE Asia).
Teaching
Some guest lecturing at Undergraduate and Masters’ levels, at the University of Reading, and co-supervision of Masters’ students.
Research centres and groups
- The World Vegetable Center, Taiwan
- North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
- Technical University of Munich [Freising]
- University of Philippines, Los Banos
- James Cooke University, Australia
- CQUniversity, Australia
Background
Having worked in research and senior management positions with the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research system in Mexico [CIMMYT], Peru [CIP] and Taiwan [AVRDC/World Vegetable Centre] for twenty years he has an holistic grasp of the issues facing the future of global agriculture and horticulture, and his opinions and input are sought widely, including by the CGIAR, DFID, USAID and the USDA where he has undertaken Project, Programme and Consortium reviews.From 1995 he held an appointment as Foundation Professor of Plant Science at CQUniversity for 20 years, where he researched agronomy and physiology of new crop species, urban agriculture, crop resource use efficiency, solid and liquid waste management and abatement of pollution, and innovations in irrigation amongst others. He was also the Director of the Centre for Plant and Water Science. Since 2016 he is an Emeritus Professor with CQUniversity.
Early 2010 saw him relocate to the Harborne Building at the University of Reading as a Visiting Professor in the School of Biological Sciences, from where he taught and engaged with students and proposal development both in Australia and the UK. He holds close links with Asian, European and Latin American agricultural researchers. In 2013 he moved to the School of Agriculture, Policy & Development
His research has led to the adoption of several new crops in Australia and to improved production practices in a number of tropical developing countries world-wide. Based on his research he has published more than 200 refereed journal articles, and over 180 published reports, magazine contributions, books and book chapters, and supervised more than 50 Masters and PhD students.
Academic qualifications
BSc Agricultural Botany 1st Class (1973) and PhD, University of Reading (1976)Awards and honours
- Gaining certification for Stevia rebaudiana as a natural sweetener in Australia and New Zealand
- Top (1%) Reviewer in the Publons Global Peer Review Awards
- Editorial Board for ‘Experimental Agriculture’
- Emeritus Professor and Central Queensland University, Australia
- One of the most influential Australians in 1996-2022, Who’s Who in Australia
- Within top 2% of cited researchers globally
Professional bodies/affiliations
- International Foundation for Science Advisor,
- Tropical Agriculture Association,
- Association of Applied Biologists,
- British Ecological Society,
- Society of Experimental Biologists,
- International Society for Horticultural Science,
- Australian Society for Horticultural Science,
- Haslemere Natural History Society, UK
Selected publications
Midmore, D.J., (1980). Effects of photoperiod on flowering and fertility of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). Field Crops Research. 3: 65-81.
Midmore, D.J., Cartwright, P.M., and Fischer, R.A., (1984). Wheat in tropical environments. II. Crop growth and grain yield. Field Crops Research. 8: 207-227.
Midmore, D.J., (1992). Potato production in the tropics. In: P.M. Harris (Editor). The Potato Crop. The scientific basis for improvement. Chapman and Hall, 2nd Edition. pp. 728-793.
Midmore, D.J., (1993). Agronomic modification of resource use and intercrop productivity. Field Crops Research. 34: 357-380.
Thoennissen, C., Midmore, D.J., Ladha, J.K., Olk, D.C. and Schmidhalter U. (2000). Legume decomposition and N release when applied as green manures to tropical vegetable production systems. Agronomy Journal. 92: 253-260.
Kleinhenz, V. and Midmore, D.J. (2001). Aspects of bamboo agronomy. Advances in Agronomy. 74: 99-153.
Midmore, D.J. and Jansen, H.G.P. (2003). Supplying vegetables to Asian cities: is there a case for peri-urban production? Food Policy 28: 13-27.
Bhatia, P., Ashwath, N., Senaratna, T. and Midmore, D.J. (2004). Plant tissue culture studies of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Plant, Cell, Tissue & Organ Culture 78(1): 1-21.
Bhattarai, S. P., Su, Ninghu and Midmore, D.J. (2005). Oxygation unlocks yield potentials of crops in oxygen-limited soil environments. Advances in Agronomy 88: 313-377.
Bhattarai, S.P, Huber, S. and Midmore, D.J. (2004). Aerated subsurface irrigation water gives growth and yield benefits to zucchini, vegetable soybean and cotton in heavy clay soils. Annals of Applied Biology 144: 285-298.
Bhattarai, S., Pendergast, L. and Midmore, D.J. (2006). Root aeration improves yield and water use efficiency of tomato in heavy clay and saline soils. Scientia Horticulturae. 108: 278-288.
Hall, J., Bhattarai, S.P. and Midmore, D.J. (2012). Review of flowering control in industrial hemp. Journal of Natural Fibers. 9(1): 23-36.
Midmore, D.J. (2015). Principles of Tropical Horticulture. CABInternational, Wallingford, UK. 450 pp.
Churilova, E. and Midmore, D.J. (2018) Vermiliquer (vermicompost leachate) as a complete liquid fertilizer for hydroponically-grown pak choi (Brassica chinensis L.) in the tropics. Horticulturae. 5: 26; doi:10.3390/horticulturae5010026 22p. https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/5/1/26/pdf
De Guzman, R., Midmore, D.J. and Walsh, K.B. (2019). Do steviol glycosides provide ecological fitness to Stevia rebaudiana through impact on dietary preference of plant pests and herbivores? Journal of Natural Products. 82(5): 1200-1206 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.8b00958
Silwal, S.; Bhattarai, S.P.; Midmore, D.J. Aerobic rice with or without strategic irrigation in the subtropics. Agronomy. 2020, 10: 1831 https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10111831
Bhattarai, S.P., Pendergast, L., Li Shuyan and Midmore, D.J. (2022). Effects of spatial and temporal regulation of drip emitters and tape configurations on water productivity of juvenile macadamia trees in the tropics. Experimental Agriculture, 57: 338 – 351.