Prof. Viggo Smedegaard and KVL Fund – Plant Disease Resistance

This fund has been established in honor of Prof. Viggo Smedegaard-Petersen (born December 1933), a renowned scientist of Europe, known for his contribution in plant disease resistance, and in memory of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL, Den Kongelige Veterinær- og Landbohøjskole, in Danish). KVL, an extended form of the world’s oldest Veterinary Institute established in 1773 for studying horse diseases, was founded in 1856. KVL does not exist as an independent institution anymore, but it lives on as part of the University of Copenhagen since 2007.

Professor Smedegaard served KVL from 1968 to 2000 and was the seventh Professor in the line of professors who hold the world’s oldest chair of plant pathology – founded in Denmark in 1883. His work on plant physiology in their defence against diseases, fungal genetics and his role in induced resistance has gained recognition worldwide. His contribution in dividing Pyrenophora teres into P. teres f. teres and P. teres f. maculata attracted many scientists from different parts of the world coming to Denmark to work with him. He served as the chairman of Plant Health Council, Denmark and member of Danish Academy of Technical Sciences. He has published numerous scientific papers in world class journals and contributed as a writer and subject adviser at the Danish National Encyclopaedia. Professor Smedegaard saw already in the middle of the 1980s the opportunities in incorporating new molecular methods in plant pathology research, and was thus a pioneer in Denmark within this area. During his tenure at KVL, he thus initiated biotechnology research for disease resistance in the department, which has now been developed as one of the leading centres in the subject and evolved into a strong international profile.

He was awarded the Professor F. Kølpin Ravn Memorial Scholarship in 1973; manufacturer Ulrik Brinch and wife Maria Brinch’s award in 1978; and a special honorary award by the Danish Society of Plant Diseases and Pests in 2006 for his notable work on plant disease biology. Also, his contribution in the science and technology in the developing countries, especially India and Vietnam, in collaboration with the Danish Government Institute of Seed Pathology for Developing Countries (DGISP) through Danida has been instrumental. Professor Smedegaard is a kind-hearted and highly regarded visionary person at KVL, and has been a unique and inspiring teacher for students, where he has influenced a whole generation of graduates and PhDs.

Prashant Pant, IAAS, Tribhuvan University, 2022-Present

Characterization of rice blast fungus (Pyricularia oryzae Cav.) and evaluation of rice genotypes against selected isolates of the fungus