Hasan Bolkan is a retired research

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...

who focused his career on

plant pathology Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungus, fung ...

- diseases and infectious insects in tomato varieties and other

produce Produce is a generalized term for many farm-produced crops, including fruits and vegetables (grains, oats, etc. are also sometimes considered ''produce''). More specifically, the term ''produce'' often implies that the products are fresh and g ...

. Bolkan retired from Campbell Soup Company as the director of research in the seed division. There he specialized in tomato production and disease control. He is known for his experience with commercial production of tomatoes.

Career

His dissertation (1972) conducted at the University of California, Davis was entitled ''Studies on Heterokaryosis and Virulence of Rhizoctonia Solani.'' Bolkan is also credited with the discovery of the

leaf-footed bug Coreidae is a large family (biology), family of predominantly sap-sucking insects in the Hemipteran suborder Heteroptera. The name "Coreidae" derives from the genus ''Coreus'', which derives from the Ancient Greek () meaning bedbug. As a famil ...

as a cause for lesions in

pistachio The pistachio (, ''Pistacia vera''), a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food. ''Pistacia vera'' is often confused with other sp ...

crops in the 1980s. Bolkan has written about the importance of seed-testing for pathogens in commercial farming to reduce losses of crop and resources, authored a patent titled, ''Biocontrol agent for green mold disease of mushrooms'', and has served as an associate editor for the Journal of Plant Disease (1996-1997). Bolkan has acted as a collaborating author on a publication of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on sustainability and green farm production. During his career he has consulted and presented to a number of international and national organizations such as

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...

(reporting on pesticide usage in tomatoes via a case study in Mexico) and the

Earth Negotiations Bulletin The ''Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB)'' is a reporting service providing daily coverage on a variety of global environmental and sustainable development negotiations. The team of environmental negotiations specialists document efforts by the Un ...

about pesticide residues. In his role as director of research for Campbell's agricultural research center, Bolkan has presented his work on

integrated pest management Integrated pest management (IPM), also known as integrated pest control (IPC) is a broad-based approach that integrates both chemical and non-chemical practices for economic control of pests. IPM aims to suppress pest populations below the econ ...

and the need to address public and worker safety concerns, and has given talks on identifying and dealing with bacterial canker on tomato plants.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolkan, Hasan American microbiologists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of California, Davis alumni