Luis Antonio Lizana Malinconi, introducer of postharvest studies in Latin America, has passed away
Luis Antonio Lizana Malinconi obtained his title of Agricultural Engineer, Mention Fruit Growing, at the University of Chile in 1962. His first professional work was done in 1962 in the Dept. of Fruit Arboriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture in the Quinta Normal. Between 1966 and 1970, he actively participated in the “U. de Chile-U. of California”, as a fruit growing counterpart of the 11 specialists from the University of California, Davis. Between the years 1970 and 1974, he carried out doctoral studies in the US From 1975 to 1980 he was Director of the Dept. of Agricultural Production of the Faculty of Cs. Agriculture and Forestry, U. of Chile. In 1976 he created the Frutales Menores course. In 1986 he created and directed the Center for Postharvest Studies (CEPOC).
Additionally, it organized five International Symposiums on Postharvest Fruit Management, Quality and Physiology, sponsored by FONDEF, RITEP (Ibero-American Network of Postharvest Technology), FEDEFRUTA, FAO and the Chilean Agricultural Society (SACH). In 1978 as President of the SACH, he transformed the "Agronomic Days" into an "Annual Congress". Also, he reformed the presentation of works and renewed the Simiente magazine. In 1979 he organized the first international meeting of the Chilean Agricultural Congress, with the American Society for Horticultural Science, Tropical Region. Between 1980 and 1985, Dr. Lizana was invited to join the Faculty of Agronomy of the Pontificia U. Católica de Chile, to develop the Postharvest Laboratory, thus initiating systematic research in this discipline at that University. In 1986, he returned to the U. de Chile.
In the Faculty of Cs. Agronomics of the U. of Chile, he has been Prof. of Management, Quality and Postharvest Physiology of Fruits since its creation until 2017. In the Period 2002-2006 he was Director of the Graduate School, of the Faculty. Antonio Lizana has been a Full Professor at the U. of Chile since 1986. Dean of the Faculty for three periods (1986-1990, 2006-2010 and 2010-2014) and Emeritus Professor of the Univ. of Chile in 2019.
Source: blueberriesconsulting.com
