Professional Staff

Ken Richards, Ph.D.

Research Manager
Plant Gene Resources of Canada
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Saskatoon Research Centre
107 Science Place
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan  S7N 0X2

Tel.: 306-956-7641
Fax: 306-956-7246
E-mail: Ken Richards

Research Activities

• Develop management practices for native bees, emphasis on the alfalfa leafcutter bee and bumble bees for crop pollination.
   
• Determine pollination requirements for forage legume crops, several species including annuals, biennials, perennials and native plants (prairie purple clover).
   
• Cooperative studies in agronomy, breeding, entomology for legume seed production.
   
• Conservation, preservation and management of plant genetic resources, emphasis on forage legume species and basic pollination requirements of plant germplasm (emphasis genus Lotus).

Selected Publications  

• Total scientific publications - 103
• Miscellaneous publications - 225

Recent Achievements and Awards and Memberships

• Numerous international trips to provide technology on alfalfa leafcutter bee management for legume seed production
• (USSR, Yugoslavia, Hungary, France, Denmark, China) and on forage crop pollination (Netherlands, France, United Kingdom, Denmark)
• Numerous international trips (China, Egypt, Greece, Italy, USA, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland)
• 2004-2000-International organizing committee 9th Pollination Symposium, USA
• 1988-Present Vice-chairman International Commission Plant-Bee Relationships
• 1999-2000 International organizing committee 8th International Pollination Symposium, Hungary
• 1993-96 Chairman 7th International Pollination Symposium, Lethbridge, Alberta
• 1996, 1998 Participant on Canadian delegation to the International Commission on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (FAO), Rome, Italy
• 1991 Award: Plaque presented in appreciation of service to the Canadian Leafcutter and Alfalfa Seed Industries by the Canadian Alfalfa Seed Council
• 1983-84 Vice-chairman North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference, Lethbridge, Alberta
• Numerous invited presentations to legume seed producers and scientific societies nationally and internationally including keynote addresses at scientific conferences
   
  • 2003 Conservation of Pollinators, Alnarp, Sweden1998 Conservation of Pollinators, Sao Paulo, Brazil; 2000-8th International Pollination Symposium, Mosenmagyarovar, Hugary)
  • 1993 Swiss Zoological Society, Bern, Switzerland
  • 1995 Linnean Society of London and IBRA, London, UK
  • 1992 International Workshop on Non-Apis bees and their role as Crop Pollinators, Logan, Utah
  • 1987 Annual general meeting of the International Bee Research Association, Cardiff, Wales
  • 1987 Annual meeting British Bee-Keeping Association
  • 1982 First International Symposium on Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee Management, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
     
• 1980 Plaque presented in appreciation of service to the Saskatchewan Leafcutter Bee and Alfalfa Seed Industries, Saskatchewan Leafcutter Bee Association, Regina, Saskatchewan
• Canadian Alfalfa Seed Industry

Academic Qualifications & Research Accomplishments

• Post Doctorate Fellow, Entomology NSERC, Research Centre, 1974-76, Lethbridge, Alberta
• Ph.D. Ecology, Evolutionary biology, University of Kansas, 1975
• M.Sc. Entomology, University of Alberta, 1970
• B.Sc. Zoology, University of Alberta, 1967
• developed management techniques for native pollinators to increase seed set of legume forage crops
• investigated the biology of the alfalfa leafcutter bee and its parasites, predators and diseases
• developed a pollination model predicting the number of pollinators required to pollinate legume forage crops
• evaluated the effectiveness of leafcutter bees as a pollinator of 30 forage legume species
• determined basic pollination requirements for legume forage species
• investigated the biology of bumble bees and their parasites and predators
• organized the Forage Node as part of the national plant germplasm system