Bioprotection
Dr Soonie Chng
Senior Scientist
Originally from Singapore, my career journey has been an interesting one. What started off as an embarkment on an undergraduate degree in Horticultural Science in 1999 in New Zealand to securing a position as a Research Technician at the then Crop & Food Research, completing a PhD in Plant Pathology on my job, and finally landed as a Senior Scientist at Plant & Food Research, my career seems like a Déjà vu in a blink of time, and all technically within the same company! Over the years, I have worked on different diseases on a wide range of crops but my research passion lies in disease-host interactions and creating practical and environmentally sustainable management solutions of airborne and soilborne diseases. I have strong connections with New Zealand cropping industries and collaborate with international peers on research that will benefit and contribute to New Zealand cropping systems. Some of my research includes: natural suppression of take-all disease of wheat; crazy roots of greenhouse tomatoes; development of Ramularia leaf spot management strategies of barley with the cereal industry; control and management of myrtle rust; bioprotection of vegetable diseases, and development of cold-tolerating rhizobia to improve pea production. I am currently also involved in an aid programme funded by New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, developing disease management strategies for onion, chilli and tomato crops for growers in Myanmar. I enjoy collaborating with plant breeders delivering cultivars that can be used as one of the tools for combating diseases and reducing chemical inputs.