Harry Marshall Ward and the Fungal Thread of Death

Harry Marshall Ward and the Fungal Thread of Death PDF Author: Peter G. Ayres
Publisher: American Phytopathological Society
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
Harry Marshall Ward and the Fungal Thread of Death is a fascinating biography that reflects the changes that occurred in both society and plant science in the late 19th century. Harry Marshall Ward?s reputation has until now rested on discoveries about the transmission of plant disease that he made while studying coffee leaf disease in Ceylon. Important as these were, both biologically and in establishing his reputation as a researcher, historical perspective shows that they are much less significant than his role in establishing the pre-eminence of British botany in the early years of the 20th century and his part in the origins of physiological plant pathology. Neither of these roles has been properly recognized before now and they form the core of this biography.Late in Queen Victoria?s reign, the old science of botany was galvanized by a revolutionary doctrine: investigation by experiment. In the 1870s, a small group of young men from around the world were attracted to study in the German laboratories of Anton De Bary and Julius Sachs where they were taught to rely on their own observations rather than textbooks, and above all, to investigate by experiment. They carried away this new philosophy and revolutionized botany in their own countries. Harry Marshall Ward was one of these few young scientists.His laboratory-based discoveries of the way pathogens use enzymes to attack plants, and the way plant cells defend themselves, are at the heart of our current understanding of infection and resistance mechanisms, and of plant breeding. Studies of the microbiology of brewing and of drinking waters diverted him from plant disease but led him to become an early advocate of applied biology. In his last years, as Professor of Botany at Cambridge University, he modernized the teaching of botany, guiding young men such as Biffen (plant breeding) and Freeman (plant pathology), who, in their turn, became world leaders in their subjects. Ward made major contributions to the affairs of the British Association and was twice President of the young British Mycological Society. He died at the early age of 52, but left a rich scientific legacy.This fascinating book will be of interest to plant pathologists; mycologists; historians of science, agriculture, or biology; and professors/instructors of biology. The science is explained in simple language and diagrams making it accessible to biology students or anyone with an interest in plant biology.

Harry Marshall Ward and the Fungal Thread of Death

Harry Marshall Ward and the Fungal Thread of Death PDF Author: Peter G. Ayres
Publisher: American Phytopathological Society
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 184

Get Book Here

Book Description
Harry Marshall Ward and the Fungal Thread of Death is a fascinating biography that reflects the changes that occurred in both society and plant science in the late 19th century. Harry Marshall Ward?s reputation has until now rested on discoveries about the transmission of plant disease that he made while studying coffee leaf disease in Ceylon. Important as these were, both biologically and in establishing his reputation as a researcher, historical perspective shows that they are much less significant than his role in establishing the pre-eminence of British botany in the early years of the 20th century and his part in the origins of physiological plant pathology. Neither of these roles has been properly recognized before now and they form the core of this biography.Late in Queen Victoria?s reign, the old science of botany was galvanized by a revolutionary doctrine: investigation by experiment. In the 1870s, a small group of young men from around the world were attracted to study in the German laboratories of Anton De Bary and Julius Sachs where they were taught to rely on their own observations rather than textbooks, and above all, to investigate by experiment. They carried away this new philosophy and revolutionized botany in their own countries. Harry Marshall Ward was one of these few young scientists.His laboratory-based discoveries of the way pathogens use enzymes to attack plants, and the way plant cells defend themselves, are at the heart of our current understanding of infection and resistance mechanisms, and of plant breeding. Studies of the microbiology of brewing and of drinking waters diverted him from plant disease but led him to become an early advocate of applied biology. In his last years, as Professor of Botany at Cambridge University, he modernized the teaching of botany, guiding young men such as Biffen (plant breeding) and Freeman (plant pathology), who, in their turn, became world leaders in their subjects. Ward made major contributions to the affairs of the British Association and was twice President of the young British Mycological Society. He died at the early age of 52, but left a rich scientific legacy.This fascinating book will be of interest to plant pathologists; mycologists; historians of science, agriculture, or biology; and professors/instructors of biology. The science is explained in simple language and diagrams making it accessible to biology students or anyone with an interest in plant biology.

The Triumph of the Fungi

The Triumph of the Fungi PDF Author: Nicholas P. Money
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199719896
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
This book is concerned with the most devastating fungal diseases in history. These are the plagues of trees and crop plants, caused by invisible spores that have reshaped entire landscapes and decimated human populations. The Triumph of the Fungi focuses on the fascinating biology of the well- and lesser-known diseases, and also tells the stories of the scientists involved in their study, and of the people directly impacted by the loss of forest trees like the chestnut, and cash crops such as coffee and cacao. In a surprisingly brief time, human knowledge of the fungi that infect plants has evolved from Biblical superstition, to the recognition of the true nature of plant disease, and, more recently, to a sense of awe for the sophistication of these microbes. The crucial issue of human culpability in these fungal epidemics is addressed in the books closing chapter.

Ainsworth & Bisby's Dictionary of the Fungi

Ainsworth & Bisby's Dictionary of the Fungi PDF Author: Geoffrey Clough Ainsworth
Publisher: CABI
ISBN: 0851998267
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 783

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Book Description
This 10th edition, of the acclaimed reference work, has more than 21,000 entries, and provides the most complete listing available of generic names of fungi, their families and orders, their attributes and descriptive terms. For each genus, the authority, the date of publication, status, systematic position, number of accepted species, distribution, and key references are given. Diagnoses of families and details of orders and higher categories are included for all groups of fungi. In addition, there are biographic notes, information on well-known metabolites and mycotoxins, and concise accounts of almost all pure and applied aspects of the subject (including citations of important literature). Co-published by: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

Knowing Global Environments

Knowing Global Environments PDF Author: Jeremy Vetter
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813548756
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 277

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Book Description
Knowing Global Environments brings together nine leading scholars whose work spans a variety of environmental and field sciences, including archaeology, agriculture, botany, climatology, ecology, evolutionary biology, oceanography, ornithology, and tidology. Collectively their essays explore the history of the field sciences, through the lens of place, practice, and the production of scientific knowledge, with a wide-ranging perspective extending outwards from the local to regional, national, imperial, and global scales. The book also shows what the history of the field sciences can contribute to environmental history-especially how knowledge in the field sciences has intersected with changing environments-and addresses key present-day problems related to sustainability, such as global climate, biodiversity, oceans, and more. Contributors to Knowing Global Environments reveal how the field sciences have interacted with practical economic activities, such as forestry, agriculture, and tourism, as well as how the public has been involved in the field sciences, as field assistants, students, and local collaborators.

The Aliveness of Plants

The Aliveness of Plants PDF Author: Peter Ayres
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317314107
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
The Darwin family was instrumental in the history of botany. Their experiences illustrate the growing specialization and professionalization of science in the nineteenth century. The author shows how botany escaped the burdens of medicine, feminization and the sterility of classification and nomenclature to become a rigorous laboratory science.

Shaping Ecology

Shaping Ecology PDF Author: Peter G. Ayres
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111829095X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
Sir Arthur Tansley was the leading figure in ecology for the first half of the 20th century, founding the field, and forming its first professional societies. He was the first President of the British Ecological Society and the first chair of the Field Studies Council. His work as a botanist is considered seminal and he is recognized as one of the giants of ecology throughout the world. Ecology underpins the principles and practices of modern conservation and the maintenance of biodiversity. It explains the causes of, and offers solutions to, problems of climate change. Yet ecology is a young science, barely 100 years old. Its origins lie in phytogeography, the naming and mapping of plants. Shaping Ecology is a book about a multi-faceted man whose friends included Bertrand Russell, Marie Stopes, Julian Huxley, GM Trevelyan, and Solly Zuckerman. Historical context is provided by Tansley's family for his parents moved in the Fabian-socialist world of John Ruskin and Octavia Hill, both instrumental in the foundation of the National Trust. While Britain was relatively slow to protect its green spaces and wildlife, it did establish in 1913 the first professional Ecological Society in the world. Tansley was its President. Organising the British Vegetation Committee and initiating a series of International Phytogeographic Excursions, he changed phytogeography into ecology.

The Global History of Organic Farming

The Global History of Organic Farming PDF Author: Gregory A. Barton
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192542605
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
Organic farming is a major global movement that is changing land-use and consumer habits around the world. This book tells the untold story of how the organic farming movement nearly faltered after an initial flurry of scientific interest and popular support. Drawing on newly-unearthed archives, Barton argues that organic farming first gained popularity in an imperial milieu before shifting to the left of the political spectrum after decolonization and served as a crucial middle stage of environmentalism. Modern organic protocols developed in British India under the guidance of Sir Albert Howard before spreading throughout parts of the British Empire, Europe, and the USA through the advocacy of his many followers and his second wife Louise. Organic farming advocates before and during World War II challenged the industrialization of agriculture and its reliance on chemical fertilizers. They came tantalizingly close to influencing government policy. The decolonization of the British Empire, the success of industrial agriculture, and the purging of holistic ideas from medicine side-lined organic farming advocates who were viewed increasingly as cranks and kooks. Organic farming advocates continued to spread their anti-chemical farming message through a small community that deeply influenced Rachel Carson's ideas in Silent Spring, a book that helped to legitimize anti-chemical concerns. The organic farming movement re-entered the scientific mainstream in the 1980s only with the reluctant backing of government policy. It has continued to grow in popularity ever since and explains why organic farming continues to inspire those who seek to align agriculture and health.

Huntia

Huntia PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Botanical literature
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description


Imperial Engineers

Imperial Engineers PDF Author: Richard Hornsey
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 1487535058
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 378

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Book Description
Established in 1871 on the outskirts of London, the Royal Indian Engineering College at Coopers Hill was arguably the first engineering school in Britain. For thirty-five years the college helped staff the government institutions of British India responsible for the railways, irrigation systems, telegraph network, and forests. Founded to meet the high demand for engineers in that country, it was closed thirty-five years later because its educational innovations had been surpassed by Britain’s universities – on both occasions against the wishes of the Government of India. Imperial Engineers offers a complete history of the Royal Indian Engineering College. Drawing on the diaries of graduates working in India, the college magazine, student and alumni periodicals, and other archival documents, Richard Hornsey details why the college was established and how the students’ education prepared them for their work. Illustrating the impact of the college and its graduates in India and beyond, Imperial Engineers illuminates the personal and professional experiences of British men in India as well as the transformation of engineering education at a time of social and technological change.

Fortress Plant

Fortress Plant PDF Author: Dale Walters
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0191062847
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
The survival of plants on our planet is nothing short of miraculous. They are virtually stationary packages of food, providing sustenance for a vast array of organisms, ranging from bacteria and fungi, through to insects, and even other plants. But plants are master survivors, having coped with changing environments and evolving predators over much of the history of life on earth. They have surveillance systems and defences that would put most modern armies to shame. They need to have a formidable armoury, because their enemies have sophisticated weaponry of their own. In this often hostile world, battles are fought daily, often to the death. These battles are not trivial - they matter, because life on this fragile planet of ours depends on plants. In this book Dale Walters takes readers on a journey through these battlefields, exploring how predators try to fool plants' surveillance systems and, if they manage to do so, how they gain access to the nourishment they require. Incredibly, successful attackers can manipulate plant function in order to suppress any attempt by the plant to mount defensive action, while at the same time ensuring a steady supply of food for their own survival. Walters shows how plants respond to such attacks, the defences they use, and how the attacked plant can communicate its plight to its neighbours. These skirmishes represent the latest stage in an unending evolutionary war between plants and organisms that feed on them. These battles might be on a micro scale, but they are every bit as fierce, complicated, and fascinating as the battles between animal predators and prey.