
Baldur R. Stefansson
Wolf Prize Laureate in Agriculture 1998

The Prize Committee for Agriculture has unanimously decided that the Prize for 1998 be jointly awarded to: Ilan Chet and Baldur R. Stefansson.
Baldur R. Stefansson
University of Manitoba
Faculty of Agriculture
“for their contributions to the environmentally safe development of world agriculture through innovative approaches in breeding and bio-control.”
Professor Baldur R. Stefansson has made major contributions to the development of canola over a period of more than 30 years. It is mainly due to his influence and vision that oilseed rape has been transformed from a marginal edible oilseed covering 2.7 million hectares in 1950 to a leading oilseed crop in the world today covering in excess of 27 million hectares.
Prof. Stefansson has been one of the first to apply modern chemical analytical tools to monitor the composition of fatty acids of the canola oil, and thus to rapidly recognize and follow the development of new fatty acid compositions. This has eventually resulted in canola being one of the most nutritious oils for food use today. Canola is among the first crops presently undergoing a second revolution due to the advent of biotechnology. This second revolution will further advance the use of canola for the benefit of mankind.
