Emeritus Professor John Pate

Emeritus Professor John Pate has greatly influenced plant science, particularly plant ecology and physiology, in Western Australia, with his research being inspired from a very young age. Threatened by a national food shortage during World War Two, his family grew peas and beans and it was then the professor decided to explore the carbon-nitrogen economy that underpins plant biological systems.

 

Professor Pate’s findings has contributed to the understanding of plant adaptation to environmental stress, increased productivity of pastures and crops, and sustainable land use and management. The major thrust of his work concerned the carbon and nitrogen economies of plants, especially legumes, and contributed to applied research on productivity of pastures and crops.

He has contributed significantly to ecological and physiological studies of native flora of Western Australia, with his research informing our understanding of environmental stresses on the WA ecosystem. He has been published extensively in more than 500 publications, including books, monographs, reviews and refereed research articles.