Senior Technical Officer

Plant Production Sciences

peta.faulkner@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Type of research / Topics:

  • Nutrient supply responses of temperate nut crops and the implications of rootstock/scion interactions.
  • Application of UV/vis-NIR technology for the detection of in-shell damage in nut crops and for real-time tree nutrient status determination.
  • Disease incidence in Australian almond orchards; epidemiology of Rhizopus in relation to hull rot, and the role of metabolites in the infection process.

Relevant experience:

  • Eleven years’ experience in bioanalytical chemistry and chemometrics.
  • Five years’ experience in grape and wine chemistry – tannin structure/function relationships as a foundation for understanding mouthfeel perception; vineyard and management practices that impact tannin extraction.
  • Three years’ experience in post-harvest almond nut management; alternate storage practices and their impact on food safety.
  • B. Sci. Hons. (University of Adelaide) “Isolation and structural characterisation of grape seed and skin tannin”.