| RefNo | EC/1977/12 |
| Previous numbers | Cert XX, 57 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Cooper, John Philip: certificate of election to the Royal Society |
| Date | 1970 |
| 1976 |
| Description | Citation typed. Additional citation on separate sheet, attached to main certificate |
| Citation | Distinguished for his physiological and genetical studies, extending over 20 years, on the factors determining productivity in grasses. He has shown that flower initiation in ryegrass and other species is controlled by winter-chilling and photoperiod, and that differences between continental, maritime and Mediterranean forms in respect of their flowering responses can be correlated with the climatic selection to which they have been exposed. He showed that these differences in flowering response are polygenically controlled and that there is a rapid response to selection. He demonstrated corresponding genetic differences in respect of lead growth characters. More recently he has conducted a series of studies on the efficiency of energy conversion by the grass crop. He has shown that there are significant differences in photosynthetic rates both between and within different grass populations and that these differences are heritable and respond to selection. In association with his co-workers he has also demonstrated that there are differences between grass populations in the response of their photosynthetic rates to temperature, in the properties of their photosynthetic enzymes, and in their mineral nutrient responses. The results of his work have greatly contributed to breeding programmes for improved productivity in grasses. A list of 70 published papers is appended. |
| Cooper's recent work has compared the potential production of the grass crop with that of other crops and forms of land use, and identified and assessed the genetical variation in those responses which limit the achievement of this potential. Together with his co-workers, he has examined genetic variation in such components of production as: pattern of light interception by the crop, response to water stress and respiratory losses, particularly at high summer temperatures. These features have now been incorporated into the selection and breeding programmes, which have produced significant improvements in the productivity of the grass crop. He has demonstrated the practical importance of this combined physiological and genetical approach to problems of breeding and crop production. He was appointed Director of the Welsh Plant Breeding Station in 1975. |
| Extent | 2 sheets |
| AccessStatus | Closed |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA5067 | Cooper; John Philip (1923 - 2011) | 1923 - 2011 |