Sarah Elizabeth Smith (née Harley; 10 May 1941 – 12 September 2019) was a British-born Australian

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

specialising in

mycorrhiza A mycorrhiza (; , mycorrhiza, or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant's rhizosphere, the plant root system and its surroundings. Mycorrhizae play ...

. The

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

described her as "a world authority on the mycorrhizal

symbiosis Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction, between two organisms of different species. The two organisms, termed symbionts, can fo ...

between plants and fungi". She was an adjunct and emeritus professor at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

, in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine.

Early life and education

Sarah Harley, known as Sally, was born in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, UK, the daughter of Lindsay (née Fitt) and

Jack Harley John Laker Harley (17 November 1911 – 12 December 1990) was a British botanist, known for his work on ectomycorrhizal physiology. Early life, education, and war service Harley was born at Old Charlton, then in Kent, in 1911, to Edith Sarah ( ...

. Both parents were botanists; her father was a

fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

, who was also known for his work on mycorrhiza, and her mother worked for a D.Phil. before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and collaborated with Jack Harley in cataloguing mycorrhiza. She gained BA (1962) and PhD degrees (1965) at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, UK. Her PhD was on mycorrhizal fungi of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

s, supervised by

Denis Garrett 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 pathology and soil ecology. He was the first to apply ecological concepts to inte ...

. She was awarded the DSc degree by the

, Australia, in 1991.

Research

Smith's research was on the evolution and progress of mycorrhizal symbioses, mainly the arbuscular mycorrhizas (Gleomeromycotan fungi).

Mycorrhiza A mycorrhiza (; , mycorrhiza, or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant's rhizosphere, the plant root system and its surroundings. Mycorrhizae play ...

l symbioses are a symbiotic or mildly pathogenic connection between fungi and the roots of a vascular plant. The investigation involved both simple and strategic analysis, comprehending operations varying from the managing of the symbiosis evolution in mutant plants through features of functions of mycorrhizas in phosphate nutrition of plants and suggestions of the symbiosis for plant competition, crop efficiency and reduction of arsenic toxicity.

Publications

Smith co-authored the textbook ''Mycorrhizal Symbiosis'', first with her father and after his death with David J. Read. It is described by the Australian Academy of Science as "the most definitive text on the subject". First published in 1983, it is now in its third edition.

Awards and honours

Smith was elected fellow of the

in 2001.Australian Academy of Science: Professor Sally Smith
(accessed 17 August 2016) She served on their council in 2005–2008. In 2000, Smith was awarded the

Clarke Medal The Clarke Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of New South Wales, the oldest learned society in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, for distinguished work in the Natural sciences. The medal is named in honour of the Reverend William Branwh ...

of the

Royal Society of New South Wales The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The Governor of New South Wales is the vice-regal patron of the Society. It is the oldest learned society in the Southern Hemisphere. The Society traces its ...

. In 2006, she was awarded the J.K. Taylor, OBE, Gold Medal in Soil Science.Soil Science Australia: J.K. Taylor, OBE, Gold Medal in Soil Science
(accessed 17 August 2016) She is an Honorary Professor at the Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences,

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, China, and an Honorary Research Professor at the

China Agricultural University China Agricultural University (CAU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. The university is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China. It is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. The un ...

, Beijing. She was also the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Asian Vegetable Research & Development Centre—World Vegetable Centre.

Personal life

She married Andrew Smith, also a botanist, and with him emigrated to

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, Australia, in 1967. They had two daughters. She retired in 2010. Sally Smith died on 12 September 2019.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Sally E. Academic staff of the University of Adelaide University of Adelaide alumni Alumni of the University of Cambridge Australian mycologists 20th-century Australian botanists Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science 1941 births 2019 deaths 21st-century Australian botanists