WINNERS OF ROBERT E. WAGNER AWARD FOR 2005-2006 ANNOUNCED BY PPI
June 1, 2006—Norcross, GA—Two outstanding agronomic scientists have been selected to receive the 2005-2006 Robert E. Wagner Award by the Potash & Phosphate Institute (PPI). The award encourages worldwide candidate nominations and has two categories…Senior Scientist and Young Scientist, under the age of 45. The recipient in each category receives $5,000 along with the award plaque.
Dr. David E. Kissel, Professor and Director, Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories, University of Georgia, receives the Senior Scientist Award. Dr. Nathan A. Slaton, Associate Professor, Director of Soil Testing, University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, receives the Young Scientist Award.
The Robert E. Wagner Award recognizes distinguished contributions to advanced crop yields through maximum yield research (MYR) and maximum economic yield (MEY) management. The award honors Dr. Robert E. Wagner, President (retired) of PPI, for his many achievements and in recognition of his development of the MEY concept…for profitable, efficient agriculture.
“The 2006 recipients of the Robert E. Wagner Award are highly deserving of this honor, and they join a distinguished group of previous winners. We congratulate Dr. Kissel and Dr. Slaton for their achievements and dedication in their profession,” said Dr. Terry L. Roberts, President of PPI.
Dr. Kissel is a highly respected scientist and administrator whose career has been devoted to enhancing and understanding the fate and dynamics of fertilizer nutrient applications. He has worked diligently to transfer his research results into management practices that will increase fertilizer efficiency, crop yields, and producer profitability.
Dr. Kissel’s research on plant nitrogen nutrition has significantly contributed to improved efficiencies of urea fertilizers by serving as the cornerstone for ammonia loss algorithms in many models that are used today. His recent efforts related to variability in southeast U.S. soils have had considerable impact in that he has integrated the effects of soil physical and chemical properties into management systems that increase productivity and protect the environment.
A native of Indiana, Dr. Kissel earned his B.S. degree at Purdue University in 1965 and then his M.S. in 1967 and Ph.D. in 1969 at the University of Kentucky in soil chemistry. For several years, he studied yield response by forages and crops at the Blackland Research Center in central Texas and identified key management practices that improve nitrogen use efficiency. Dr. Kissel was at Kansas State University from 1978 to1988, where he continued research on nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer placement and expanded that work to determine the effect of band spacing, phosphorus source, and other factors on efficient fertilizer use and wheat yield.
In 1989, Dr. Kissel moved to the University of Georgia as Crop and Soil Sciences Department Head. In 1997 he started a new research program investigating the effect of spatial variability of soil properties on nitrogen mineralization and water quality. Since June of 2000, he has served as Professor and Director, Agricultural and Environmental Service Labs.
Dr. Kissel holds membership in numerous associations and academic societies and has received many important honors, including: Fellow, American Society of Agronomy (1985); Fellow, Soil Science Society of America (1986); Distinguished Service Award of the Kansas Fertilizer and chemical Association (1988); and Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (1995).
Dr. Slaton’s current research program focus is to update phosphorus and potassium recommendations in Arkansas for rice, soybean, and winter wheat by conducting correlationcalibration studies. His research program is also developing guidelines for use of poultry litter as a nutrient source for crops, examining polymer coated-urea as a potential preplant incorporated nitrogen source for flood irrigated rice, investigating relationships among rice diseases/nutrient management/production practices, and examining sustainable potassium fertilization strategies for rotations involving rice and soybean.
Many of Dr. Slaton’s earlier research findings have been incorporated into management recommendations and adopted by growers. He has developed and published soil-test criteria to identify zinc-deficient soils used for rice production and recommendations for seed treatments and soil-applied or foliar-applied zinc fertilization. Among Dr. Slaton’s other accomplishments are identifying the optimum time to seed rice in the Midsouth, identifying potassium deficiency in rice and actions to prevent it, improving efficiency of phosphorus fertilizer uptake, delineating relationships among rice diseases and nitrogen management, identifying boron deficiency effects in soybean in northeast Arkansas, and reviewing the balance of phosphorus and potassium inputs and removals to identify nutrient surplus and deficient regions within Arkansas.
Dr. Slaton is a native of Posey County, Indiana and earned his B.S. degree at Murray State University (Kentucky) in 1986. He moved to the University of Arkansas where he completed his M.S. in 1989 and Ph.D. in soil fertility in 1998. From 1990 to 1995, he was Area Extension Agronomist–Rice and from 1995 to 2001 Extension Agronomist–Rice with University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension. In February 2001, he began his current position with the University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.
From early in his career, Dr. Slaton has published articles and papers in professional publications, including Agronomy Journal and Plant and Soils. His research programs continue to be widely respected while his effectiveness as an educator and communicator in the field are also considered exceptional. His work has been recognized through both individual and team awards. Dr. Slaton holds membership in the American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America, Soil and Plant Analysis Council, Arkansas Plant Food Association, and numerous other committees and organizations.
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Additional information available on request. Contact Don Armstrong: darmstrong@ppi-far.org.
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