14 Facts About Rod Bieleski

Roderick Leon Bieleski was a New Zealand plant physiologist.

Rod Bieleski's work had practical relevance to farmers and orchardists in building their understanding of these factors and taking account of them while making a living from growing and harvesting plants.

Rod Bieleski received many honours and awards, culminating in being appointed Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2010.

Rod Bieleski graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and botany in 1952 and a Master of Science degree with first-class honours in 1955.

Rod Bieleski began work as a researcher at the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1958, retiring in 1996.

Rod Bieleski researched the uptake of sugars by plants and saw it as being important in horticultural physiology because it related to the movement of carbohydrates within plants and their accumulation in fruit.

Rod Bieleski was involved in research that explored the differences between sorbitol and sucrose in how they transport carbohydrates in the leaves of young apricot plants and intact apple plants.

In 2000, Rod Bieleski published an article that highlighted the importance of understanding how phloem transports are manipulated to achieve good yields in horticulture and noted that examination of the plants' behaviour, provides insight into senescence and cell death.

Rod Bieleski became a Foundation Member of the Friends of the Auckland Botanic Gardens in 1983, joined the Executive Committee in 1997 and was President from 1999 to 2001.

Rod Bieleski was editor of the group's newsletter, The Auckland Garden, from 1999 to 2016.

From 1992 to 1995 Rod Bieleski was President of the New Zealand Society for Horticultural Science.

Rod Bieleski was a member of the Institute Council responsible for directing the management of the Auckland Museum from 1990 to 1996, and then of the new Museum Board from 1996 to 1999.

Rod Bieleski was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1973, and won the society's Hector Medal in 1984.

Rod Bieleski was awarded a DSc by thesis by the University of Sydney in 1990, and he was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to horticultural science in the 2010 New Year Honours.