Denis Garrett
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Stephen Denis Garrett (1 November 1906 – 26 December 1989) was a British plant pathologist and mycologist who did pioneering work on soil-borne pathogens,
root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...
pathology and
soil ecology Soil ecology is the study of the interactions among soil organisms, and between biotic and abiotic aspects of the soil environment. It is particularly concerned with the cycling of nutrients, formation and stabilization of the pore structure, the ...
. He was the first to apply ecological concepts to interactions in the soil. Much of his research used as a model system the fungus '' Gaeumannomyces graminis'', which causes the important cereal disease
take-all Take-all is a plant disease affecting the roots of grass and cereal plants in temperate climates caused by the fungus ''Gaeumannomyces tritici'' (previously known as ''Gaeumannomyces graminis ''var. ''tritici''). All varieties of wheat and ba ...
. He also studied ''Armillaria'' root rot of trees, among other plant diseases. Garrett spent most of his career at
Rothamsted Experimental Station Rothamsted Research, previously known as the Rothamsted Experimental Station and then the Institute of Arable Crops Research, is one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843. It is located at Har ...
(1936–48) and the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
's school of botany (1949–73), where he was professor of mycology and acting head of department, and also held a fellowship at
Magdalene College Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mar ...
. He was president of the
British Mycological Society The British Mycological Society is a learned society established in 1896 to promote the study of fungi. Formation The British Mycological Society (BMS) was formed by the combined efforts of two local societies: the Woolhope Naturalists' Field ...
and was instrumental in founding the forerunner of the
British Society for Plant Pathology The British Society for Plant Pathology, or BSPP, is a UK-based organisation of British plant pathologists but accepts members from all countries. It was founded in 1981 and publishes three scientific journals: ''Plant Pathology'', ''Molecular P ...
. He published four books, of which ''Root Disease Fungi'' (1944) and ''Biology of Root-infecting Fungi'' (1956) were the most influential, and was the editor of '' Annals of Applied Biology'' and ''
Transactions of the British Mycological Society ''Fungal Biology'' is a scientific journal that publishes peer-reviewed papers on all aspects of basic and applied research of the fungi, including lichens, yeasts, oomycetes, and slime moulds. A publication of the British Mycological Society, it ...
''.


Early life and education

Denis Garrett was born in 1906 at
Leiston Leiston ( ) is an English town in the East Suffolk non-metropolitan district of Suffolk, near Saxmundham and Aldeburgh, about from the North Sea coast, north-east of Ipswich and north-east of London. The town had a population of 5,508 at th ...
, Suffolk, to Mary (née Marples), from a
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
tool-making family, and Stephen Garrett (1878–1915), a director in the family's agricultural machinery business in Leiston,
Richard Garrett & Sons Richard Garrett & Sons was a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, steam engines and trolleybuses. Their factory was Leiston Works, in Leiston, Suffolk, England. The company was founded by Richard Garrett in 1778. The company was active ...
. He was the eldest of four children. His father was killed in action at the
Battle of Neuve Chapelle The Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10–13 March 1915) took place in the First World War in the Artois region of France. The attack was intended to cause a rupture in the German lines, which would then be exploited with a rush to the Aubers Ridge a ...
during the First World War when he was eight, and his mother moved the family to
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, where her sister lived, and later to
Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...
. Garrett attended the
Dragon School ("Reach for the Sun") , established = 1877 , closed = , type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Emma Goldsm ...
in Oxford, and briefly
Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...
, from which he ran away, and
Eastbourne College Eastbourne College is a co-educational independent school in the British public school tradition, for day and boarding pupils aged 13–18, in the town of Eastbourne on the south coast of England. The College's headmaster is Tom Lawson. Over ...
, where he became interested in plant biology, despite a lack of biology classes, as well as mathematics. He read
natural sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...
at
Magdalene College Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mar ...
,
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
in 1926–29, gaining a second-class degree in botany and also studying chemistry and geology. He was taught by the botanist Sir Albert Seward, the plant physiologist F. F. Blackman, the mycologist and plant pathologist F. T. Brooks, and was particularly influenced by the ecologist
Harry Godwin Sir Harry Godwin, FRS (9 May 1901 – 12 August 1985) was a prominent English botanist and ecologist of the 20th century. He is considered to be an influential peatland scientist, who coined the phrase "peat archives" in 1981. He had a long ass ...
.


Career

On the recommendation of Brooks, Garrett took up a post as an assistant plant pathologist at the Waite Research Institute in
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, South Australia (1929–33), under Geoffrey Samuel. He started to research two fungal diseases of cereals,
take-all Take-all is a plant disease affecting the roots of grass and cereal plants in temperate climates caused by the fungus ''Gaeumannomyces tritici'' (previously known as ''Gaeumannomyces graminis ''var. ''tritici''). All varieties of wheat and ba ...
and no-growth diseases, and published his first research paper with Samuel in 1932. On his return to the UK, Garrett received a
Leverhulme Fellowship The Leverhulme Trust () is a large national grant-making organisation in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1925 under the will of the 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), with the instruction that its resources should be used to suppo ...
in 1934, with which he researched at Imperial College, London under the plant pathologist William Brown, whom Garrett took as a model, stating that Brown had taught him "the art of scientific investigation". Garrett received a diploma from Imperial College (1935), but the fellowship did not permit the granting of a PhD degree. In 1936, he moved to the
plant pathology Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomy ...
department at
Rothamsted Experimental Station Rothamsted Research, previously known as the Rothamsted Experimental Station and then the Institute of Arable Crops Research, is one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843. It is located at Har ...
, where he remained for twelve years, mainly under the plant virologist Frederick Bawden. He continued to work there during the Second World War, serving as a member of the Home Guard and a fire attendant. He was awarded an
Sc.D. Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...
degree by the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
in 1947 for the work he did at Rothamsted. In 1948, he spent around six months as a plant pathologist at the West Indian Banana Research Scheme in Jamaica studying
Panama disease Panama disease (or Fusarium wilt) is a plant disease that infects banana plants (''Musa'' spp.). It is a wilting disease caused by the fungus ''Fusarium oxysporum'' f. sp. ''cubense'' (Foc). The pathogen is resistant to fungicides and its cont ...
, a fungal disease of bananas, but found the climate unbearable and was forced by illness to return prematurely. In 1949, Garrett took up a lectureship in
mycology Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans, including as a source for tinder, traditional medicine, food, and entheogen ...
at the University of Cambridge's school of botany (now the plant sciences department), where he remained for the rest of his career, rising to reader in botany (1961–71) and then professor of mycology (1971–73). He was the head of the small but widely respected mycology sub-department (1952–73), and also served as acting head of the botany school. He became a fellow of Magdalene College in 1962. In 1963–64 he held a visiting professorship at
Cairo University Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...
. He retired in 1973, remaining an emeritus professor, and despite failing health, continued to publish until 1984, carrying out experiments in a laboratory at his home. He was the editor of the journals '' Annals of Applied Biology'' and ''
Transactions of the British Mycological Society ''Fungal Biology'' is a scientific journal that publishes peer-reviewed papers on all aspects of basic and applied research of the fungi, including lichens, yeasts, oomycetes, and slime moulds. A publication of the British Mycological Society, it ...
'' (1956–62). He served as president of the
British Mycological Society The British Mycological Society is a learned society established in 1896 to promote the study of fungi. Formation The British Mycological Society (BMS) was formed by the combined efforts of two local societies: the Woolhope Naturalists' Field ...
(1953–54) and, with Philip H. Gregory, was instrumental in founding the Federation of British Plant Pathologists in 1966, which became the
British Society for Plant Pathology The British Society for Plant Pathology, or BSPP, is a UK-based organisation of British plant pathologists but accepts members from all countries. It was founded in 1981 and publishes three scientific journals: ''Plant Pathology'', ''Molecular P ...
in 1981. He was the chair of the organising committee of the inaugural International Congress of Plant Pathology, held in London in 1968.


Research and writings

Garrett's research focused on plant
root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...
disease caused by soil-borne pathogens, particularly fungi, and aimed to elucidate the pathogen's natural activity with a view to preventing or controlling plant disease. He is acknowledged as "the founding father of root pathology." Recognising that root pathology is complex and multifactorial, and describing then-current methodology as "crude and inadequate", he used an experimental approach that changed one factor against a constant background. Most of his experiments were simple and eschewed technology to use only basic equipment; for example, he preferred jam jars and glass tumblers to specialist soil containers because they were less expensive, and even once purchased rejected plastic lavatory cisterns for his laboratory to use. His colleagues at Cambridge described him as "one of the last 'string and sealing wax' scientists." He also studied the
saprophytic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ( ...
and survival stages of the pathogen's life cycle, in addition to the parasitic stage. Much of his work focused on '' Gaeumannomyces graminis'' (previously classified in the genus ''Ophiobolus''), a soil-borne fungus that is the causative agent of
take-all Take-all is a plant disease affecting the roots of grass and cereal plants in temperate climates caused by the fungus ''Gaeumannomyces tritici'' (previously known as ''Gaeumannomyces graminis ''var. ''tritici''). All varieties of wheat and ba ...
, the principal root disease of wheat, which Garrett employed as a model disease system. His early papers on soil conditions and ''G. graminis'', based on work at Rothamsted before the Second World War, are described by the Indian mycologist C. V. Subramanian as "very original in approach, content and technique, and are classic." Garrett showed that the level of bacteria in the soil influences infection with ''G. graminis'', an early demonstration of Howard S. Fawcett's concept of biological antagonism or competition in the soil. He showed that the fungus was unable to spread through soil, requiring direct
hyphal A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one or ...
contact with a root; this was later shown by Garrett's laboratory and others to be the result of limited oxygen. He examined how the fungus could nevertheless persist in soil, finding that in the presence of sufficient nitrogen it was able to grow using
cellulose Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linked D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell w ...
from cereal stubble as a carbon source. He studied how likely individual fungal spores are to infect. In 1950–60, Garrett worked mainly on ''
Armillaria mellea ''Armillaria mellea'', commonly known as honey fungus, is a basidiomycete fungus in the genus ''Armillaria''. It is a plant pathogen and part of a cryptic species complex of closely related and morphologically similar species. It causes Armill ...
'', a fungus which causes ''Armillaria'' root rot in trees, and its prevention by fumigating the soil. He also researched other plant pathogens during his career, including other cereal foot-rot fungi; ''
Helicobasidium purpureum ''Helicobasidium purpureum'' is a fungal plant pathogen which causes violet root rot in a number of susceptible plant hosts. It is synonymous with ''Helicobasidium brebissonii'' (Desm.) Donk. It is the teleomorph of ''Tuberculina persicina'' ...
'', which causes violet root rot in sugar beets; and ''Plasmodiophora brassicae'', an organism now classified as protist-like which causes
clubroot Clubroot is a common disease of cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, radishes, turnips, stocks, wallflowers and other plants of the family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae). It is caused by ''Plasmodiophora brassicae'', which was once cons ...
in
brassicas ''Brassica'' () is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, or mustard plants. Crops from this genus are sometimes called ''cole cro ...
. From 1960, he researched the utilisation of cellulose substrates under different conditions by a range of fungi that infect roots, finding wide variation, and used these differences to classify soil fungi into functional groups. These depended on whether the host plant was woody (high cellulose-lysing activity) or herbaceous (very low cellulose-lysing activity). He proposed that there are
commensal Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit fro ...
fungi that require other microorganisms to break down cellulose, which were later discovered by H. T. Tribe. His research contributed to understanding
soil ecology Soil ecology is the study of the interactions among soil organisms, and between biotic and abiotic aspects of the soil environment. It is particularly concerned with the cycling of nutrients, formation and stabilization of the pore structure, the ...
, a field in which Garrett was an early investigator, and his work has been acknowledged as the foundation of the field of soil-borne plant pathogen ecology. He was the first to apply the ecological concepts developed for surface communities, such as succession, to the underground interplay between plant roots, soil fungi and other soil microorganisms, an approach described as "innovative". Sally E. Smith, one of his students, said that he "gave a real feel to the cold, dark, wet world below." He published "influential" classifications of soil fungi in the 1950s, based on their ecological niche, defining root-inhabiting, root-infecting and soil-inhabiting groups. In 1973, he published an essay on how pathogenic fungi infect and reproduce in the face of
plant disease resistance Plant disease resistance protects plants from pathogens in two ways: by pre-formed structures and chemicals, and by infection-induced responses of the immune system. Relative to a susceptible plant, disease resistance is the reduction of pathoge ...
, focusing on nutritional requirements, and later extended his ideas to include competition or antagonism. Although some researchers found these ideas valuable, this work was criticised by R. K. S. Wood as using terms such as "energy" so loosely as to make the work "almost meaningless". He was an early supporter of exploiting antagonism for the biological control of plant diseases, for example in a 1963 presentation, but warned that many applications were not practical. He was described by Peter J. Grubb, E. Anne Stow and S. Max Walters as having "an ability to extract from complex systems simple concepts that could be approached experimentally."


Books

Garrett is described by J. W. Deacon as a "naturally gifted writer" whose "flair" and "flowing but precise style" render "even the most difficult concept easy to understand", while R. C. Cooke criticises his "quaint and old-fashioned" writing. The first of Garrett's four books, ''Root Disease Fungi'' (1944), draws together existing research on root-infecting pathogens, mainly by others, focusing on well-researched species that cause economically significant disease. A contemporary review by G. Metcalfe describes it as "authoritative and very readable", praising its emphasis on practical information as well as its organisation of earlier work. Deacon later describes it as "a ''tour de force'' in assembling and synthesizing all the then known information on effects of environmental factors on soilborne plant pathogens". Subramanian describes it as "timely", stating that it sparked international research on the fungi causing root diseases. ''Biology of Root-infecting Fungi'' (1956) and ''Pathogenic Root-infecting Fungi'' (1970) review more-recent work by Garrett and others and expound his ideas; Garrett writes in the first person and employs "parables" to make his points. A contemporary review of ''Biology of Root-infecting Fungi'' by the mycologist
John Webster John Webster (c. 1580 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and '' The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and c ...
praises its "holistic approach", and writes that it introduces "useful generalizations and new concepts" that elucidate "previously puzzling data", and that its "crystallization of ideas ... put the subject on a more sound theoretical basis", predicting that they will provide a basis for future experiments. Cooke, writing in 1971, calls the earlier book highly influential, with "new and exciting ideas" that stimulated research by many other scientists in the field, and praises the follow up for maintaining the focus on fungal activity and interactions in the natural environment, rather than in the laboratory. ''Soil Fungi and Soil Fertility'' (1963) is an undergraduate introductory textbook.


Personal life

On the boat returning from Australia in 1933 or 1934 Garrett met Jane Perkins, who was returning from New Zealand, and they married in 1934. She was the daughter of the artist Christopher Perkins, known for his paintings set in New Zealand. Jane Garrett became a psychiatric social worker, rising to lead that department in Cambridge, and in retirement wrote non-fiction. The couple had three daughters. He had a life-long interest in natural history, especially birds, and after his appointment in Cambridge became an avid and organised plant observer, keeping track of the species that he had observed locally and in Europe using a card index. Garrett was diagnosed with
coeliac disease Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine, where individuals develop intolerance to gluten, present in foods such as wheat, rye and barle ...
and
diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
in 1964, and in later life began to lose his sight and was disabled by diabetic neuropathy. He died on 26 December 1989 at Cambridge.


Awards and honours

Garrett was elected a
fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...
(1967) and of the
Indian Academy of Sciences The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Indian Physicist and Nobel Laureate C. V. Raman, and was registered as a society on 24 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it began with 65 founding fellows. The first general meet ...
(1973); he was also a fellow of the
Institute of Biology The Institute of Biology (IoB) was a professional body for biologists, primarily those working in the United Kingdom. The Institute was founded in 1950 by the Biological Council: the then umbrella body for Britain's many learned biological societie ...
(1964), an honorary fellow of the British Mycological Society (1975), and one of the first two honorary fellows of the British Society for Plant Pathology (1984). An issue of the journal ''
Plant Pathology Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomy ...
'' was dedicated to him in commemoration of his eightieth birthday, and after his death, the British Society for Plant Pathology instituted an annual lecture in his memory.


Selected publications

Books *S. D. Garrett. ''Pathogenic Root-infecting Fungi'' (
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...
; 1970) *S. D. Garrett.
Soil Fungi and Soil Fertility
' (
Pergamon Press Pergamon Press was an Oxford-based publishing house, founded by Paul Rosbaud and Robert Maxwell, that published scientific and medical books and journals. Originally called Butterworth-Springer, it is now an imprint of Elsevier. History The ...
; 1963, 1981) () *S. D. Garrett. ''Biology of Root-infecting Fungi'' (Cambridge University Press; 1956) *S. D. Garrett. ''Root Disease Fungi'' (Chronica Botanica/Wm. Dawson and Sons; 1944) Reviews, conference papers Sources: *S. D. Garrett. "Toward biological control of soil-borne plant pathogens", in ''Ecology and Management of Soil-borne Plant Pathogens'' (K. F. Baker, W. C. Snyder, eds), pp. 4–17 ( John Murray; 1965); originally presented in 1963 *S. D. Garrett (1952). "The soil fungi as a microcosm for ecologists", ''Science Progress'' 40: 436–450 *S. D. Garrett (1951). "Ecological groups of soil fungi: a survey of substrate relationships", ''
New Phytologist ''New Phytologist'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published on behalf of the New Phytologist Foundation by Wiley-Blackwell. It was founded in 1902 by botanist Arthur Tansley, who served as editor until 1931. Topics covered ''New Phytolo ...
'' 50: 149–166 Research paper His highest-cited research paper is: *S. D. Garrett (1938). "Soil conditions and the take-all disease of wheat: III. Decomposition of the resting mycelium of ''Ophiobolus graminis'' in infected wheat stubble buried in the soil", '' Annals of Applied Biology'' 25: 742–766


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garrett, Denis 1906 births 1989 deaths People from Leiston People educated at The Dragon School People educated at Eastbourne College Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge Rothamsted Experimental Station people Academics of the University of Cambridge Fellows of Magdalene College, Cambridge English mycologists British phytopathologists Fellows of the Royal Society British Mycological Society 20th-century agronomists