DAVIS, Calif., April 5, 2022… After an impressive career spanning nearly 35 years, Dr. Wayne Wilcox will be awarded of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture’s (ASEV) highest honor, the ASEV Merit Award. Dr. Wilcox dedicated his career to researching and understanding the various factors of fruit diseases and finding ways to manage those disease through practical control programs. He will be presenting the Merit Award presentation, “Molds, Mildews, and Rots: Bread and Butter to a Grape Pathologist” at the 73rd ASEV National Conference, on June 22, in San Diego, Calif.
Always interested in fruit production, Dr. Wilcox began his research focus on the biology and management of fruit crop diseases in graduate school at the University of California at Davis. There, he received his B.S. in Plant Science as well as his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Plant Pathology. He joined the Department of Plant Pathology at Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in 1984, working with tree fruit and berry crop growers. In 1994, he assumed the role leading Cornell University’s grape pathology program where he remained until his retirement in 2018.
“For me, one of my favorite things throughout my career was getting to interpret and share new findings with those who could benefit from them,” said Dr. Wilcox, who often extended knowledge through oral presentations, fact sheets, newsletters, and trade publication articles. “Growers have so many challenges to face, so it’s very rewarding when science and research can make them more manageable. I feel honored to be recognized with this award and look forward to my participation in the conference.”
Dr. Wilcox has authored and co-authored over 100 research publications in refereed journals, including three awarded Best Viticulture Paper of the Year from the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture and the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research. He was also the senior editor of the 2nd Edition of the Compendium of Grapevine Diseases, Pests, and Disorders (2015), for which he authored or co-authored nine individual segments.
The ASEV Merit Award, presented since 1955, is designed to celebrate the accomplishments of an individual in the field of enology or viticulture. The yearly award acknowledges achievement or excellence in any field directly or indirectly related to enology or viticulture, including education, technology, research, management and public relations.
Founded in 1950 by a group of researchers and winemakers, the ASEV is dedicated to the interests of enologists, viticulturists and others in the fields of wine and grape research and production throughout the world. The ASEV National Conference is a forum for sharing and disseminating the latest scientific information relevant to winemaking and grapegrowing. For more information about the 73rd ASEV National Conference, on June 19 -22, 20222, visit www.asev.org. For the full schedule, click here. To register for the conference, click here.
