Prize Winners

Curriculum Vitae

Doctor of Agricultural Engineering, Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research

Jury ruling

The jury for the Rei Jaume I New Technologies Prize, meeting in Valencia, has unanimously decided to award the 2004 prize to Mr Luis Navarro Lucas.

For his seminal contribution to the development of technological tools to improve the quality and quantity of citrus production. More specifically, he developed the technique of in vitro micrografting of shoot apices to produce trees free from diseases caused by viruses, thyroid, phytoplasmas and bacteria.

This pioneering technique represented a fundamental contribution to the control of a wide range of pathogens and is now used in the citrus industry worldwide.

Another significant contribution has been the development of an in vitro quarantine procedure recommended by the FAO and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, which has been adopted in various countries, including those of the European Union, the United States and Australia. In addition, he has developed new technologies related to plant breeding, including efficient procedures for obtaining triploid hybrids, symmetric and asymmetric protoplast fusion, and protocols for genetic transformation with great potential for the agricultural industry.

All these achievements have contributed to the development and dissemination of new technologies that have significantly improved the global citrus industry.