Professor
B. Sc. (Colombo)
Ph.D.(University of Illinois at Chicago)

  Office: B1 222/4  
  Phone: +94112903255  
  Email: Bimali@kln.ac.lk

Research and Teaching Interests

It is well known that plant essential oils have antimicrobial properties. My interests are to develop products from essential oils to control post harvest pathogens in fruits and vegetables. The amount of essential oils present in plants is quite small. Therefore analytical methods have to be developed to improve the efficiency of extraction. I am making efforts to extract essential oils using enzyme assisted methods and superheated water. Another area of interests is to develop products for the horticultural industry using coconut water. Large quantities of coconut water are generated by the desiccated coconut industry and the coconut oil industry. At present the water is not utilized for anything and it has created environmental issues. Therefore we are attempting to utilize coconut water to extend the vase life of cut flowers and to improve rooting and shooting of ornamental plants.

Selected Publications

"Use of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) water extracts to improve adventitious root development in vegetative propagation of Dracaena purplecompacta" Vajira A. Agampodi, Bimali Jayawardena , Journal Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 31(2) 279-284, 2009.

“Effect of Coconut water in Extending the Vase Life pf Anthurium cut Flowers Vareity Wild Pink”, V.A. Agampodi and B.M. Jayawardena, Tropical Agricultural Research, 19, 202-209, 2007.

“An integrated strategy to control post harvest decay of Embul banan by combining essential oils with modified atmosphere packaging”, Lakshmie Ranasinghe, B. Jayawardena, and K. Abeywickrama, International Journal of Food science & Technology, 40, 97-103, 2005

“Use of waste generated from Cinnamon bark oil (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) extraction as a post harvest treatment for embul banana”, L.S. Ranasinghe, Bimali Jayawardena, K. Abeywickrama, Journal of Food , Agriculture and Environment, 1 (2) 340-344 2003

“Polyphenol oxidase inhibitory activity of essential oils of Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon citratus”, L.S. Ranasinghe, B.Jayawardena, K. Abeywickrama, Journal of Tropical Medicinal plants, 4 (1) 5-8 2003

“Fungicidal activity of essential oils of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (L.) and Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr et L.M.Perry against crown rot and anthracnose pathogens isolated from banana, L.S. Ranasinghe, Bimali Jayawardena, K. Abeywickrama,
Letters in Applied microbiology, 35, 203-207, 2002

"Alterations in Protein Kinase C activity after experimental brain injury", B.Padmaperuma, R. Mark, H.S. Dhillon, Mark P. Mattson and M.R. Prasad, Brain Res. 714 (1-2) 19-26 (1996)