John Arnott Spence (15 July 1929 – 6 March 2013) was a Vincentian-born Trinidadian politician,

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

, and professor

emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

. Spence served as an independent Senator in the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago from 1987 to 2000. Spence was born on 15 July 1929, on the island of Saint Vincent. He moved to Trinidad when he was 11 years old. He attended Queen's Royal College and the University of Bristol, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science in botany in 1951. Spence then completed a post-graduate diploma in

Agricultural Science Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Profession ...

at the University of Cambridge in 1952 and a second diploma in Tropical Agriculture in 1953 from the Trinidad Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture in 1953. He earned a doctorate in 1961 from the University of Bristol. Spence served as the head of the Faculty of Agriculture at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

in Saint Augustine until his retirement in 1989. He then became the head of the Cocoa Research Unit (CRU), which he is credited with its expansion into an internationally recognized center. Within the field of botany, Spence uncovered the importance of the polyphenol oxidase enzyme, which helps cocoa pods resist Phytophthora palmivora, which causes

black pod disease Black pod disease is a protozoal disease of Cocoa trees. This pathogen if left untreated can destroy all yields; annually the pathogen can cause a yield loss of up to 1/3 and up to 10% of total trees can be lost completely. With the value of the ...

. He also developed several varieties of dwarf pigeon peas which can be harvested by machine, instead of by hand. Spence was the recipient of the gold Chaconia Medal in 1980 and the NIHERST Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. He became a fellow of the Fellow of the Caribbean Academy of Science in 1990. John Spence died of a heart attack on 6 March 2013, at the age of 83. He was survived by his wife, Yolande Spence, and their sons, John Malcolm Spence, Louis Spence and Richard Spence. His funeral was held at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Sports and Education Centre in St Augustine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spence, John 1929 births 2013 deaths Trinidad and Tobago botanists Members of the Senate (Trinidad and Tobago) Recipients of the Chaconia Medal Alumni of the University of Bristol Alumni of the University of Cambridge Saint Vincent and the Grenadines emigrants to Trinidad and Tobago People from Saint Vincent (Antilles) University of the West Indies academics Alumni of Queen's Royal College, Trinidad