1910s Timeline - John Innes Centre

1926 William Bateson dies
suddenly
William Bateson dies after a
brief and unexpected illness on
8 February 1926 at the age of
64. His last paper, ‘Segregation’
is published in the Journal of
Genetics. Here he lists his
continuing difficulties with
chromosome theory, argues
that it leaves too many of the
problems of heredity and
variation in plants unexplained,
and concludes that the
acceptance of chromosome
theory as a general theory of
heredity should be postponed.
Readers of the Journal, have
come to identify Bateson’s
‘Merton years’ with his series of
investigations on variegation,
bud-sports, root cuttings, and
‘rogues’ in peas.
C D Darlington later wrote: ‘The
disappearance of his powerful
personality left English genetics
looking very empty indeed… the
development of genetics was
widely resented as a threat to
estab[lished] teaching of botany
& zoology in the English
universities. The conflict was
keenest in the University of
London & on the governing
body of John Innes itself’.
Consequently the John Innes
Horticultural Institution faced an
uncertain future, it was far from
clear who Bateson’s scientific
successor would be, or in what
direction the Institution would
be taken.
See:
http://jhered.oxfordjournals.or
g/
cgi/reprint/17/12/433
1927 JIHI appoints a new
director and head of genetics
Sir Alfred Daniel Hall, who is
well known as a former Director
of Rothamsted, is appointed
Director.
Inexperienced in genetics
himself, he appoints J B S
Haldane to the staff as parttime
head of genetical research.
Hall’s actions and the arrival of
Haldane come as a relief to the
researchers at JIHI. C D
Darlington notes that Hall
might well have dismantled the
genetics research, or might have
followed the promptings of the
cytologist R Ruggles Gates, or
of E W MacBride or J B Farmer
on JIHI’s Governing Council.
By ‘miraculous good fortune’
Hall did none of these things but
took Julian Huxley’s advice and
recruited Haldane. Haldane
went on to develop the
application of mathematical
theory to genetics.
Under Hall and Haldane
biochemical research is
introduced at JIHI. A fruit store
is equipped as a chemical
laboratory with special rooms
‘for polariscope and
combustions’ and Haldane
announces his intention to start
‘a systematic biochemical study
of flower colour variation in the
extensive genetical material
available’ at JIHI.
1927 Dorothy Cayley discovers
the cause of ‘breaking’ in tulips
Dorothy Cayley, JIHI’s
mycologist, shows that
‘breaking’ in tulips is caused by a
transmissible virus
The phenomenon of ‘breaking’
in garden tulips had been known
for several centuries but the
cause was not understood.
‘Breaking’ describes colour
variegation of the petals into bicolours;
the original colour is
broken into splashes, stripes or
lines distributed on a white or
yellow background. This pretty
effect was nevertheless a
commercial disadvantage, many
tulip growers wanted to ‘rectify’
their tulips to get ‘true’ colours.
Dorothy Cayley’s work showed
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