Five Western Australian university graduates made presentations at the recent Young Professionals in Agriculture forum.
The annual forum, hosted by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and the Ag Institute Australia (WA Division), showcases the work and research of students of agriculture or natural resource management.
Graduate of the University of Western Australia (UWA), Roberto Lujan Rocha was awarded top honours along with the Noel Fitzpatrick Medal for his presentation on the mechanical scarification technique breaking physical formancy in wild oat.
Mr Lujan Rocha graduated with a Bachelor of Environmental Science from UWA in 2013 and worked in bushland rehabilitation until 2017, when he was employed as a research officer with the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative.
In 2020 he decided to do further studies and completed an honours degree in which he focused on developing a method for quickly breaking the dormancy of wild oat seed for research studies.
Also a UWA graduate, Nikala Passaris was awarded second place, along with the best presentation award, for her research on the long-term effect of crop rotation and residue management on soil nutrients in the central Wheatbelt region.
Finalists, UWA graduates Alefe Amorim and Jiaping Du, and Mohana Matangulu from Curtin University, also presented at the forum.
Director General of the DPIRD Ralph Addis congratulated the five participants.
“The future of the agriculture and food sector is with our young people and it is pleasing to see the passion these graduates have displayed for the industry and the research they are undertaking,” Mr Addis said.
“The success of the WA agricultural sector is dependent on attracting people, such as these young graduates who spoke at the forum, who are innovative and progressive, and possess impressive communication skills.”
Mr Lujan Rocha will represent the State at the national Young Professionals in Agriculture forum later this year.
