Alan K. Watson
Professor
Plant Science
McGill University
Canada
Biography
Alan Watson was born and raised on a mixed farm in the interior of British Columbia. He attended the University of British Columbia for BSc (Agr) and MSc degrees. His PhD degree was obtained from the University of Saskatchewan and he came directly to McGill University to begin his professorial career .
Research Interest
Non chemical means to control weeds. Dr Alan Watson and his Weed Research Group have been developing biological weed control strategies using the weed's own natural enemies to control the weed. The goals of Dr Watson's research program are to understand the processes involved in host (weed) pathogen interactions, to investigate mechanisms involved in disease development and weed host response, and to use this knowledge to select, develop, and implement effective, safe, and sustainable means to reduce the negative impact of major noxious weeds in rural, urban, and natural environments.
Publications
-
Zimmermann J, Rasche F, du Plessis M, Musyoki M, Viljoen A, Watson A, Beed F, Cadisch G, Gorfer M. 2015. An explicit AFLP-based marker for monitoring Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. strigae in tropical soils. Biological Control 89, 42–52.
-
Zhou Z, Rasmann S, Guo J, Watson A, Zheng H, Guo W, Wan F. 2015. Mating frequency positively associates with fitness in Ophraella communa. Ecological Entomology 40(3), 292-298.
-
Bae J, Benoit DL & Watson AK. 2016. Effect of heavy metals on seed germination and seedling growth of common ragweed and roadside ground cover legumes. Environmental Pollution 213, 112–118.
