Dr Ong is a respected Hevea plant breeder both nationally and internationally and his views on various aspects of Hevea breeding are well sought after. He has published more than sixty scientific articles and papers on breeding and selection of rubber clones during his thirty years of service with the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM).

As the project leader of the Plant Breeding Group in the RRIM, Dr Ong and his colleagues have successfully bred, evaluated and selected high yielding Hevea clones, which are currently widely planted commercially in Malaysia and several other rubber producing countries.

Dr Ong was also involved in the initiation, planning, implementation and successful execution of the 1974 Multilateral Exchange Clone Programs with other rubber producing countries such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. In recent years, in his position as the IRRDB Liaison Officer for Breeding, he has also successfully initiated some Bilateral Clone Exchange Programs between Malaysia and other rubber producing countries.

His involvement in the 1981 IRRDB Rubber Germplasm Expedition in Brazil, took him to various parts of the Amazon jungle prospecting the genepool for the future generation. Subsequently he successfully supervised the establishment of the budwood nurseries and the redistribution of the budwood to the IRRDB member institutes. He was also the important figure in the establishment of the IRRDB Gene Pool Garden and data collection.

Dr Ong Seng Huat was a very worthy recipient for the IRRDB Gold Medal Award for the following reasons:

1. Being the leader of the Plant Breeding Group in the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia, the group has successfully bred, evaluated and selected high yielding Hevea clones which are being widely planted in Malaysia and also some IRRDB Member Countries.

2. Dr Ong Seng Huat has directly contributed to the IRRDB through:

(i) His participation in the 1981 Germplasm Expedition to Brazil. Subsequently, he successfully supervised the establishment of the budwood nurseries and the redistribution of the budwood to the IRRDB member institutes. He was also the important figure in the establishment of the IRRDB Gene Pool Garden and the data collection.

(ii) Served as the liaison officer for the IRRDB Plant Breeding Group.

Dr Ong Seng Huat is a respected Hevea Plant Breeder, both nationally and internationally, and his views on various aspects of Hevea breeding are well sought after. He has published more than 60 articles and papers on the breeding and selection of rubber clones during his 29 years of service with the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM).

Dr Ong Seng Huat has been involved in the breeding, testing, evaluation and recommendation of new clones used by the Rubber Planting industry. In this context, he has been involved at all stages of breeding and selection of the RRIM 800, RRIM 900 and RRIM 2000 series clones. He was also involved in the testing, evaluation and recommendation of currently, widely planted commercial clones such as RRIM 600, RRIM 712, PR 255, PR 261, PB 217, PB 235 and PB 260 in Malaysia. A good number of these clones are also being planted in other rubber producing countries and have contributed greatly towards enhancing their rubber production. Thus, Dr Ong Seng Huat and his excellent team of research workers have directly or indirectly contributed to an increasing trend in rubber yield production at reasonable cost, nationally and internationally, for the benefit of rubber producers, rubber consumers and to mankind.

Dr Ong Seng Huat together with his predecessors had also been involved in the initiation, planning, implementation and successful execution of the 1974 Multilateral Exchange Clone Programmes with other rubber producing countries such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. In recent years, in his position as the IRRDB Liaison officer for Breeding, he has also successfully initiated some bilateral clone exchange Programmes between Malaysia and other rubber producing countries.

Together with his colleagues, his work on preselection techniques have been instrumental reducing the long testing and selection cycle from thirty years to twenty years and thus help to overcome one of the major problems plaguing efficient rubber breeding.

Besides doing his normal breeding work, Dr Ong Seng Huat has also involved himself in a couple of expeditions to South America to collect new Hevea germplasms for breeding work. The most celebrated of these is the IRRDB Hevea germplasm collection expendition made in 1981.

Among his sixty or more publications in journals, conferences, seminars and bulletins, three of them have been well referred to and quoted in other works on Hevea breeding and these are:

(i) Correlation between yield, girth and bark thickness of RRIM clone trials in Journal of the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia 29 (Part 1) 1-55 (1981) by Ong Seng Huat.

(ii) New Hevea germplasm - its introduction and potential. In: Proceedings of the RRIM Planters' Conference, Kuala Lumpur, pp 3-7. The authors of this paper are Ong, S.H., Mohd Noor, A.G., Tan, A.M. and Tan Hoing (1982)

(iii) Utilisation of Hevea genetic resources in the RRIM. Malaysian Applied Biology 16(1): 145-155. The authors of this paper are Ong Seng Huat and Tan H. (1987).

Two of his recent papers made an impact on the rubber planting industry:

(i) Rubber Breeding, Progress and Strategies to meet future needs of the Plantation Industry presented at the International Planters' Conference held on 24-26 October 1994 in Kuala Lumpur and published in the Proceedings. The authors of this paper are Ong Seng Huat, Ramli Othman, Othman Hashim, Masahuling Benong and Naimah Ibrahim.

(ii) RRIM Planting Recommendations 1995-1997 presented at the Rubber Growers' Conference in July 1995 and published in the Proceedings. The paper was authored by Ong Seng Huat, Ramli Othman, Md Zain Abd Aziz, Othman Hashim, Masahuling Benong and Mohd Noor Abdul Ghani.

In his early days, he had carried out studies on the Cytogenetics of the genus Hevea for his PhD thesis. His external examiner, Prof. R E Schultes, a world renowned Professor of Botany at Harvard University, Mass. U.S.A., commented favourably on this work. In the Professor's letter to the University of Malaya on 18th September 1979, he was quoted to have written the following comments on the thesis:

"Ong Seng Huat's thesis Cytotaxonomic Investigations of the genus Hevea is a most thorough and meticulous piece of research, an outstanding document which I hope will be published. It is full of new material of many aspects, and this information is urgently needed. I find his cytological studies to be conclusive and complete and his interpretation of them to be logical."

Curriculum Vitae :

1. Personal details

Name : Dr Ong Seng Huat
Date of birth :19/4/43
Place of birth : Telok Anson
Age : 53
Sex : Male
Marital Status : Married with 2 children

2. Qualifications

• B. Agric. Sc. (Malaya) 1967
• M.Sc. (Wales) 1969
• Ph.D. (Malaya) 1980

3. Employment details

• Employers The Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM)
• Present position Principal Research Officer (Senior Plant Breeder)
• Started work with the RRIM in 1967 and has been with the Institute until today.

4. Working experience

i) involved in selection of clones for exchange among rubber producing countries

ii) involved in expeditions for the collection and conservation of Hevea germplasm in Brazil

iii) involved in research, planning and implementation of experiments and monitoring of research projects related to Breeding of Hevea

5. Associations

i) Liaison Officer of Breeding and Selection for International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRDB)

ii) International Registrar of Hevea cultivars

iii) Member of Society for the Advancement of Breeding Research in Asia and Oceania (SABRAO).

iv) Council Member of MNCPGR/PROSEA

6. Conferences/Courses

i) Attended numerous National and International Conferences both locally and abroad between 1970-1993 and presented working papers at these Conferences

ii) Attended two Training Courses in Asia (1976) and in Europe (1981) on Germplasm Collection and Conservation of Genetic Biodiversity

7. Publications

Has published 54 research papers to-date (see attached list) List of publications :

1. Ong Seng Huat (1972) Flower induction in Hevea. Paper presented at the Symposium on International Co-operation in Hevea Breeding, April 1972.

2. Ong Seng Huat (1972) Mutation Breeding in Hevea brasiliensis. Paper presented at the Symposium on International Co-operation in Hevea Breeding, April 1972.

3. Subramaniam, S., Ong, S.H. and Sultan, M.O. (1972) Hevea breeding and Selection in the Rubber Research Institute of Malaya. I. An Outline of the methods. SABRAO Newsletter 1972.

4. Ong Seng Huat (1979) Cytotaxonomic Investigations of the genus Hevea. A thesis submitted to the University of Malaya in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosoply 1979.

5. Ong Seng Huat (1980) Cytology of Hevea. RRIM Hevea Breeding Course.

6. Ong Seng Huat (1980) Breeding for Disease Resistance. RRIM Hevea Breeding Course.

7. Ong Seng Huat (1980) Mutation and Polyploidy. RRIM Hevea Breeding Course.

8. Ong, Seng Huat (1981) Editorial: Introduction of Hevea Germplasm from Brazil. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 168, 87-88.

9. Ong, Seng Huat and Khoo, S.K. (1981). RRIM 700 Series Clone Trials (Second and Third Selection): Twelfth Report. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 168, 89-104.

10. Khoo, S.K., Sultan, M.O. and Ong, Seng Huat. (1981) RRIM 800 Series Clone Trials (First Selection): First Report. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 168, 105-113.

11. Khoo, S.K., Sultan, M.O. and Ong, S.H. (1981). Promotion Plot Clone Trials (First Selection): First Report. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 168, 114-120.

12. Mohd Noor bin Abdul Ghani, Ong, Seng Huat and Tan, H. (1981). Genetic Conservation and Utilization of Hevea germplasm in the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia. In. Mohd. Nordin bin Hasan, et. al. Eds. Conservation Inputs from Life Sciences. Proceeding of the International Symposium on Conservation Inputs from Life Sciences, Bangi, 27-30 October 1980. Bangi Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 1981, 83-86.

13. Ong, Seng Huat and Rao, P.K.M. (1981). Taxonomic Relationship of Morphological Characters Among Species in Genus Hevea. Paper presented at the 4th SABRAO International Congress, Kuala Lumpur, 4-8 May 1981.

14. Ong, Seng Huat (1981). Correlation between Yield, Girth and Bark Thickness of RRIM Clone Trial. J. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia, 29(2), 1-14.

15. Ong, Seng Huat, Sultan, M.O., Khool, S.K. and Tan, H. (1981). Performance of Clones in RRIM 800 Series (First Selection) and Promotion Plot Clones Trial. Proc. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia Plrs' Conf. Kuala Lumpur 1981, 117-133.

16. Tan, H., Ong. Seng Huat, Sultan, M.O. and Khoo, S.K. (1981). Potential of Promotion Plot Clone Trials in Shortening Clonal Evaluation Period in Hevea Breeding. Paper presented at the IRRDB Symposium, Hat-Yai, Thailand, 8-9 May 1981.

17. Ong, Seng Huat, Sultan, M.O., Khoo, S.K., Mohd Noor Abdul Ghani and Tan, H. (1982). Proposed standards for Recording and Observation in Multilateral Exchange Clones Trials. Senior Plant Breeders' Meeting in Brasilia, 1982.

18. Khoo, S.K., Ong, Seng Huat and Sultan, M.O. (1982). Progress Report on the 1974 Multilateral Exchange Clone Trials. Senior Plant Breeders' Meeting in Brasilia, 1982.

19. Ong, Seng Huat. (1982). Hevea Germplasm Collection for South America: 73-77. Malay Pen. Agr. Assoc. Year Book 1982.

20. Ong, Seng Huat. (1983). Editorial: Replanting with Right Choice of Materials. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 175, 35-36.

21. Ong, Seng Huat, et al. (1983). RRIM Planting Recommendations 1983-1985. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 175, 37-55.

22. Ong, Seng Huat et. al. (1983) RRIM 700 Series Clone Trials (Fourth Selection): 5th Report. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 175, 64-72.

23. Ong, S.H. et. al. (1983) Taxonomic Relationship of Morphological Characters Among Species in Genus Hevea. Proc. Of the 4th Int. SABRAO Congress. Crop Improvement Research, SABRAO, 429-438.

24. Ong, S.H. et. al. (1983 Potentials of Wide Crosses in Hevea Breeding. Proc. Of the 4th Int. SABRAO Congress. Crop Improvement Research, SABRAO, 447-470.

25. Ong, S.H. et. al. (1983) New Hevea Germplasm - Its Introduction and Potential. Proc. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia Plrs' Conf. Kuala Lumpur 1983, 3-17.

26. Ong, S.H. (1984) Accelerated Approach to Hevea Selection. Paper presented at the Int. Conf. Salvador, Brazil.

27. Ong, S.H., Sultan, M.O. and Khoo, S.K. (1984). RRIM 700 Series Clone Trials (2nd & 3rd Selections): 13th Report. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 178, 3-15.

28. Ong, S.H., Sultan, M.O. and Khoo, S.K. (1984) RRIM 800 Series Clone Trials (First Selection): 2nd Report. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 178, 16-21.

29. Ong, S.H., Sultan, M.O. and Khoo, S.K. (1984) Promotion Plot Clones Trials (First series): 2nd Report. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 178, 22-25.

30. Ong, S.H. et al. (1984) Results of RRIm Work on Induced Mutation and Polyploidy Breeding. Paper presented at the IRRDB Meeting in Montpellier, France.

31. Ong, S.H., Tah, H., Khoo, S.K. and Sultan, M.O. (1985) Selection of Promising Clones Through Accelerated Evaluation of Hevea. Proc. Int. Rubb. Conf. 1985, Kuala Lumpur, 157-174.

32. Ong, S.H. et al. (1985) The Role of R & D in Contribution to the Improvement in Quality and Productivity of Malaysia NR and its Products. Paper submitted for the Quality Management Conf., 9-10 Sept, 1985.

33. Ong, S.H. et. al. (1986) Influence of Meteorological Factors Around the Time of Hand-Pollination on Hevea Fruit-set. J. Nat. Rubb. Res., 1(3), 167-175.

34. Ong, S.H. et. al. (1986) Utilisation of Hevea Genetic Resource in the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia. Paper presented at the Nat. Symp. On Genetics and Breeding of Crops and Animals, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Nov. 1986.

35. Ong, S.H. et. al. (1986) RRIM Planting Recommndations 1986-1988. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 186, 9-22.

36. Ong, S.H. (1987) Editorial: Breeding for Improved Clones. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 193, 101-102.

37. Ong, S.H. et. Al. (1987) RRIM 700 Series Clone Trial (2nd & 3rd Selections): Final Report. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia. No. 193, 103-116.

38. Ong, S.H. et. al. (1987) RRIM 800 Series Clone Trials (First Selection): Fourth Report. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 193, 117-124.

39. Ong, S.H. et. al. (1987) RRIM 800 Series Clone Trials (Second Selection): First Report: Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 193, 125-136.

40. Yeang, H.Y. and Ong, S.H. (1988) Low Fruit-set from Hevea Hand-pollination: Fruit Load and Prosperity of Floral Shoots to Fruit Breeding. J. Nat. Rubb. Res., 3(3), 143.

41. Ong, S.H. (1989) Editorial: Selection of High-Yielding Clones. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 198, 1-2.

42. Ong, S.H. et. al. (1989) RRIM Planting Recommendations 1989-1991. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 198, 3-22.

43. S.K. Khoo and Ong, S.H. (1989) Potential Clones for Block Planting by the Industry. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 198, 24-49.

44. Ong, S.H. (1990) Editorial: Plant Breeders' Challenge. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 205, 107-108.

45. Ong, S.H. and Khoo, S.K. (1990) RRIM 900 Series Clone Trials (First Selection): First Report.Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 205, 109-117.

46. Ong, S.H. and Khoo, S.K. (1990) RRIM 800 Series Clone Trials (Second Selection): Second Report. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 205, 118-129.

47. Khoo, S.K., Yoon, P.K., Ong, S.H. and MD Zain bin Abd. Aziz (1991) Block Planting Trials - Early Results, Potentials and Future Direction. Proc. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia Rubb. Grow. Conf., Kuala Lumpur 1991, 273-302.

48. Ong, S.H. (1992) Editorial: Planting Recommendation and its Implications. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 211, 29-30.

49. Ong, S.H. et. al. (1992) RRIM Planting Recommendations 1992-1994. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 211, 31-50.

50. Ong, S.H. and Ramli Othman (1992) Status Report of the 1981 Hevea Germplasm Centre at RRIES, Sungai Buloh, Malaysia. IRRDB Meeting Jakarta, Indonesia 1992.

51. Ong, S.H. (1993) Editorial: Clonal Selection. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 217.

52. Ong, S.H. and Mohd Nasaruddin B Mohd Aris (1993) RRIM 800 Series Clone Trials (First Selection): Final Report. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 217.

53. Ong, S.H. and Mohd. Nasaruddin B Mohd Aris (1993) RRIM 900 Series Clone Trials (First Selection): Second Report. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 217.

54. Ong. S.H. and Mohd. Nasaruddin B Mohd Aris (1993) Multilateral Exchange Clone Trials. Plrs' Bull. Rubb. Res. Inst. Malaysia No. 217.