About this event
The 26th talk of the APS talks series, 'Olive trees in Malta & olive oil production', will be presented by Prof. David Mifsud at 18:30 on 29 September 2022.
During the talk, Prof. Mifsud will look into the several olive cultivars which are cultivated in the Maltese Islands. He will refer to a recent study that will illustrate the diversity of these cultivars, especially with respect to very old trees present in both Malta and Gozo.
Cultivation of these trees in Malta dates back thousands of years and several secular trees present in both Malta and Gozo will be reviewed during this presentation. Proper cultivation and pruning of olive trees are important for the well-being of these trees which can suffer from various plant pathogens and pests. Olive picking and olive oil production will also be reviewed and important information will be provided on how to best conserve this unique product.
Agenda
- 18:30: Introduction
- 18:35: Presentation by Prof. David Mifsud
- 19:20: Q&A
Central European Time (CET)
Speaker
Prof. David Mifsud
Born in 1971, David Mifsud has distinguished himself for his accomplishments in the biological sciences particularly in the field of entomology and the preservation of honeybees. Mifsud graduated with BSc and MSc from the University of Malta and pursued his studies in Basel, Switzerland, where he earned a Ph.D. in Zoology in 2001. He was awarded the fellowship of the Linnean Society (FLS) and that of the Royal Entomological Society (FRES) and five years ago he was also awarded the Gieh Ir-Repubblika (MOM). He works as an Associate Professor at the University of Malta and is the President of the Entomological Society of Malta and founder of the Association of Maltese Apiculturists.
He dedicating most of his life for the study of insects. Mifsud has contributed in studies to better understand the decline in honeybee populations and was instrumental in coordinating meetings between European Beekeeping Associations and the European Commissioners responsible for Health which were fundamental for the banning of harmful insecticides to honeybees. He published more than 250 papers in scientific journals, mostly related to biodiversity studies in Malta. He provided detailed information on more than 2,000 living organisms of which almost 800 species of insects were new records for the Maltese Islands. He described over 80 new species of insects to science.
David Mifsud is also the editor of a peer-reviewed scientific journal entitled Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta, devoted to the study of insects in Malta. In the eleven volumes published to-date, he managed to get together more than 140 scientists from all over the world to work on Maltese insects. This work generated more than 190 scientific papers providing information on more than 3,000 species of insects occurring in the Maltese archipelago.
Prof. David Mifsud BSc (Melit.), MSc (Melit.), PhD (Helvetia), FRES., FLS., MOM.