Dr. Liew Kon Wui

Dr. Liew Kon Wui

Contact Details :
90, Lorong Batu Uban Satu, Century Garden, 11700 Gelugor, Pulau Penang, Malaysia.

Tel. : (04)-657 2398 / 012-564 3660
Fax : –
E-mail : liew_wui@streamyx.com / liew.konwui@gmail.com

Dr. Liew last served as an Associate Professor (Contract) in Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Penang, Malaysia from 2003 -2006 before he joined AAR for a one-year contract as Consultant.

Dr. Liew graduated with a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from University of Hawaii in 1978 and he has provided research grants and cousultancies in multi national companies like Merck, Mattel, Petronas and etc. in various capacities. He has written and publised many papers on topics which ranged from leaf infection by Helminthosporium maydis on grain yield of maize, Genetic improvement of pisang berangan through in-vitro mutation breeding to distribution of hydrocarbon utilizing microorganisms and many more.

Currently, his research is centered on the following plant pathogens :

i. Basal Stem Rot in Oil Palm – Genetics of virulence and role of basidiospores in disease epidemiology of the primary pathogen, Ganoderma boninense. Investigations of possible development of a Ganoderma species complex in the plantation pathosystem.

ii. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense : Biological variability of both the banana host plant and the fungal wilt pathogen that causes the destructive Panama Disease. Genetics of hostplant-pathogen interaction and screening for resistance in land races and somaclonal variants of the banana plants. Use of endophytic avirulent F. oxysporum for conferring cross-protection disease resistance/tolerance/

iii. Cladosporium musae and Leaf Freckle Disease on Berangan bananas and selection for disease resistance.

iv. Pseudomonas solanacearum : Studies on the pathogenic variability of the bacterial pathogen, as well as studying the antagonistic soil microflora and bacteriocin-producing strains to determine the role of plasmids and possible genetic manipulation for biological control.