Dr. Azim Mallik Co-edits Book on Allelopathy

Dr. Azim Mallik of Lakehead's Department of Biology has co-edited Allelopathy in Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, a book recently published by New York-based Springer Scientific Publications.  Co-editors are Dr. Rensen Zeng (who spent two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Mallik’s lab) and Shiming Luo, both of South China Agricultural University.

Simply put, the term allelopathy refers to plant-to-plant interactions mediated by organic molecules released by plants and microbes into the environment. A greater understanding and application of this natural process can be used as a means of weed control in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry, thereby minimizing or eliminating the use of environmentally harmful synthetic herbicides and pesticides.  Focusing on areas including Roman agriculture to the modern era of agroecology, the book's 19 chapters - all contributed by leading researches in the field - cover a wide range of discoveries and uses of allelopathy, genetic manipulation, and industrial agriculture and forestry.

Today (October 6, 2008), Lakehead University officially launched its Biorefining Research Initiative (BRI), marking another step forward in making Lakehead University a national leader in forestry-based research and innovation, and bringing increased bioeconomy-based prosperity to the Thunder Bay region.  Biorefining is a field that develops ways of refining renewable biomass materials, such as forest plants, fungi, and microorganisms.

World-class researchers Dr. Dekker, a biochemist, is BRI's Director, and Dr. Qin (Adjunct Faculty), an expert in molecular biology, has joined the BRI as one of its Ontario Research Chairs.  To read the full media release, visit http://communications.lakeheadu.ca/news/?display=news&nid=507