239:
Richards's interest in potassium inspired several lines of further research. He demonstrated that rubidium could partially replace some functions of potassium. Through factorial experiment design, he found significant interactions between potassium, carbohydrate, and water content which he speculated
244:
accumulated during growth of barley seedlings lacking potassium. Conversely, putrescine supplementation could induce the symptoms of potassium deficiency. Furthermore, different plants such as flax and clover showed accumulation of different compounds related to the putrescine synthesis pathway.
235:
under various mineral deficiencies. This yielded several discoveries regarding carbohydrate and protein metabolism. Nitrogen deficiency did not affect plants' protein or nitrogen content, but limited respiration rate. Phosphorus deficiency impaired protein synthesis, but excess phosphorus could
183:
and the other brother took over the family business as a butcher. Richards took an interest in natural history and astronomy at young age. He attended the Burton-on-Trent
Grammar School and took an interest in biology, encouraged by his schoolmaster Storer. He earned higher certificates in
291:
Richards had a wife, who assisted in his research at Dovey. They had two daughters. He was known by his colleagues to hold a wide variety of hobbies, including archaeology, photography, number theory, and natural history. He made his own reflecting telescope and bred and collected
240:
to explain previously reported discrepancies in the literature regarding the control of leaf succulence. He also studied amino acid distribution in leaves under various mineral deficient conditions and found that
223:
to quantitatively define the effect of minerals such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus on cereal crop growth, using barley as a model. Richards was notable among his contemporaries by applying
236:
indicate a lack of potassium through respiration. Finally, potassium level was shown to indirectly modify many of these processes depending on the particular balance of deficiencies or excesses.
267:
in 1954. Following the retirement of
Gregory in December 1958, Richards became director of the new Unit of Plant Nutrition and Morphogenesis at Rothamsted, moving to
882:
867:
679:
877:
872:
163:
who specialized in quantitative studies on the mineral nutrition requirements of crops. He first described the general form of the
279:
227:'s new statistical methods for correlation and variance analysis. He introduced diagrammatic representations for results from
257:
164:
83:
862:
365:"The Relation Between Respiration and Water Content in Higher Fungi: With a Note on the Effect of Light on Respiration"
220:
155:
253:
188:
69:
414:"The Diagrammatic Representation of the Results of Physiological and other Experiments Designed Factorially"
212:
111:
231:. He continued to study the effects of mineral nutrition on plant physiology by examining respiration and
462:
232:
199:. He graduated with honors in Botany and Biochemistry in 1924 and stayed for 18 months to complete his
857:
852:
802:
748:
626:
228:
216:
184:
mathematics with subsidiary physics and chemistry in 1919 and in biology with distinction in 1920.
828:
772:
660:
592:
542:
534:
443:
394:
345:
192:
133:
736:
820:
764:
717:
699:
652:
644:
584:
526:
482:
435:
386:
337:
200:
176:
45:
810:
756:
707:
691:
634:
576:
516:
474:
425:
376:
329:
160:
680:"The biosynthesis of putrescine in higher plants and its relation to potassium nutrition"
806:
752:
741:
Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
630:
478:
712:
430:
381:
364:
273:
179:, the third child of Robert with two brothers and a sister. His eldest brother died in
846:
264:
224:
776:
664:
596:
546:
248:
Richards also engaged in mathematical modeling. He devised a new method to describe
832:
293:
268:
249:
180:
117:
252:
using the tangential and radial spacing of a given plant apex. He extended the
564:
241:
196:
824:
768:
737:"Phyllotaxis: Its quantitative expression and relation to growth in the apex"
703:
648:
588:
530:
486:
439:
390:
341:
760:
721:
656:
521:
504:
333:
447:
413:
349:
317:
580:
398:
695:
538:
815:
791:
639:
614:
256:
to a class of flexible sigmoid growth functions later known as the
271:
in 1961. During his career, he served as executive editor of
195:, Richards studied salt marsh ecology and led surveys of
615:"Occurrence of Putrescine in Potassium-deficient Barley"
509:
Biographical
Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society
126:
104:
96:
78:
65:
53:
31:
21:
159:(1 October 1901 – 2 January 1965) was an English
203:degree on fungal respiration with J. R. Elliot.
318:"A Flexible Growth Function for Empirical Use"
8:
18:
814:
711:
638:
520:
429:
380:
613:Richards, F. J.; Coleman, R. G. (1952).
608:
606:
498:
496:
305:
187:In 1921, Richards began his studies at
883:Alumni of the University of Birmingham
558:
556:
311:
309:
219:in April 1926. There, he worked with
215:Institute of Plant Physiology at the
7:
678:Smith, T.A.; Richards, F.J. (1962).
479:10.1146/annurev.bi.13.070144.003143
505:"Francis John Richards. 1901-1965"
431:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a087392
382:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1927.tb06716.x
14:
280:Journal of Experimental Biology
217:Rothamsted Experimental Station
565:"Dr. F. J. Richards 1901-1965"
322:Journal of Experimental Botany
229:factorial experimental designs
1:
735:Richards, F.J. (1951-10-25).
467:Annual Review of Biochemistry
463:"Mineral Nutrition of Plants"
258:generalised logistic function
165:generalised logistic function
114:Institute of Plant Physiology
84:generalised logistic function
868:Fellows of the Royal Society
792:"Dr. F. J. Richards, F.R.S."
277:and associate editor of the
263:Richards was elected to the
899:
16:English plant physiologist
503:Porter, Helen K. (1966).
191:. Under the direction of
145:
89:
82:First description of the
878:Academics of Wye College
873:20th-century agronomists
412:Richards, F. J. (1941).
363:Richards, F. J. (1927).
316:Richards, F. J. (1959).
254:von Bertalanffy function
171:Early life and education
70:University of Birmingham
790:Schwabe, W. W. (1965).
563:Schwabe, W. W. (1965).
761:10.1098/rstb.1951.0007
522:10.1098/rsbm.1966.0020
461:Richards, F J (1944).
189:Birmingham University
175:Richards was born at
152:Francis John Richards
23:Francis John Richards
334:10.1093/jxb/10.2.290
211:Richards joined the
863:British agronomists
807:1965Natur.205..853S
753:1951RSPTB.235..509R
684:Biochemical Journal
631:1952Natur.170..460R
369:The New Phytologist
581:10.1007/BF01422431
161:plant physiologist
134:Richard Henry Yapp
801:(4974): 853–854.
696:10.1042/bj0840292
149:
148:
127:Academic advisors
91:Scientific career
46:Burton upon Trent
890:
837:
836:
818:
816:10.1038/205853a0
787:
781:
780:
747:(629): 509–564.
732:
726:
725:
715:
675:
669:
668:
642:
640:10.1038/170460a0
610:
601:
600:
560:
551:
550:
524:
500:
491:
490:
458:
452:
451:
433:
418:Annals of Botany
409:
403:
402:
384:
360:
354:
353:
313:
213:Imperial College
158:
112:Imperial College
100:Plant physiology
74:
60:
41:
39:
19:
898:
897:
893:
892:
891:
889:
888:
887:
843:
842:
841:
840:
789:
788:
784:
734:
733:
729:
677:
676:
672:
612:
611:
604:
562:
561:
554:
502:
501:
494:
460:
459:
455:
424:(18): 249–261.
411:
410:
406:
362:
361:
357:
328:(29): 290–300.
315:
314:
307:
302:
289:
209:
177:Burton-on-Trent
173:
154:
141:
122:
72:
66:Alma mater
58:
49:
43:
37:
35:
27:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
896:
894:
886:
885:
880:
875:
870:
865:
860:
855:
845:
844:
839:
838:
782:
727:
690:(2): 292–294.
670:
602:
575:(3): 319–322.
569:Plant and Soil
552:
492:
473:(1): 611–630.
453:
404:
375:(3): 187–201.
355:
304:
303:
301:
298:
288:
285:
274:Plant and Soil
208:
205:
172:
169:
147:
146:
143:
142:
140:
139:
136:
130:
128:
124:
123:
121:
120:
115:
108:
106:
102:
101:
98:
94:
93:
87:
86:
80:
79:Known for
76:
75:
67:
63:
62:
61:(aged 63)
57:2 January 1965
55:
51:
50:
44:
42:1 October 1901
33:
29:
28:
25:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
895:
884:
881:
879:
876:
874:
871:
869:
866:
864:
861:
859:
856:
854:
851:
850:
848:
834:
830:
826:
822:
817:
812:
808:
804:
800:
796:
793:
786:
783:
778:
774:
770:
766:
762:
758:
754:
750:
746:
742:
738:
731:
728:
723:
719:
714:
709:
705:
701:
697:
693:
689:
685:
681:
674:
671:
666:
662:
658:
654:
650:
646:
641:
636:
632:
628:
625:(4324): 460.
624:
620:
616:
609:
607:
603:
598:
594:
590:
586:
582:
578:
574:
570:
566:
559:
557:
553:
548:
544:
540:
536:
532:
528:
523:
518:
514:
510:
506:
499:
497:
493:
488:
484:
480:
476:
472:
468:
464:
457:
454:
449:
445:
441:
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432:
427:
423:
419:
415:
408:
405:
400:
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392:
388:
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359:
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351:
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312:
310:
306:
299:
297:
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287:Personal life
286:
284:
282:
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276:
275:
270:
266:
265:Royal Society
261:
259:
255:
251:
246:
243:
237:
234:
230:
226:
222:
218:
214:
206:
204:
202:
198:
197:Dovey estuary
194:
190:
185:
182:
178:
170:
168:
166:
162:
157:
153:
144:
137:
135:
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99:
95:
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88:
85:
81:
77:
71:
68:
64:
56:
52:
47:
34:
30:
20:
798:
794:
785:
744:
740:
730:
687:
683:
673:
622:
618:
572:
568:
512:
508:
470:
466:
456:
421:
417:
407:
372:
368:
358:
325:
321:
290:
278:
272:
262:
247:
238:
233:assimilation
221:F.G. Gregory
210:
186:
174:
151:
150:
105:Institutions
90:
59:(1965-01-02)
858:1965 deaths
853:1901 births
515:: 423–436.
294:Lepidoptera
269:Wye College
250:phyllotaxis
225:R.A. Fisher
181:World War I
138:J.R. Elliot
118:Wye College
847:Categories
300:References
242:putrescine
193:R. H. Yapp
38:1901-10-01
825:0028-0836
769:2054-0280
704:0006-2936
649:0028-0836
589:0032-079X
531:0080-4606
487:0066-4154
440:0305-7364
391:0028-646X
342:0022-0957
167:in 1959.
73:(BS, MSc)
48:, England
777:84260694
722:13914425
665:28443305
657:12993199
597:26060783
547:73353917
448:42906828
350:23686557
833:4147588
803:Bibcode
749:Bibcode
713:1243663
627:Bibcode
399:2427945
831:
823:
795:Nature
775:
767:
720:
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702:
663:
655:
647:
619:Nature
595:
587:
545:
539:769542
537:
529:
485:
446:
438:
397:
389:
348:
340:
207:Career
97:Fields
829:S2CID
773:S2CID
661:S2CID
593:S2CID
543:S2CID
535:JSTOR
444:JSTOR
395:JSTOR
346:JSTOR
821:ISSN
765:ISSN
718:PMID
700:ISSN
653:PMID
645:ISSN
585:ISSN
527:ISSN
483:ISSN
436:ISSN
387:ISSN
338:ISSN
54:Died
32:Born
811:doi
799:205
757:doi
745:235
708:PMC
692:doi
635:doi
623:170
577:doi
517:doi
475:doi
426:doi
377:doi
330:doi
201:MSc
156:FRS
26:FRS
849::
827:.
819:.
809:.
797:.
771:.
763:.
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743:.
739:.
716:.
706:.
698:.
688:84
686:.
682:.
659:.
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633:.
621:.
617:.
605:^
591:.
583:.
573:22
571:.
567:.
555:^
541:.
533:.
525:.
513:12
511:.
507:.
495:^
481:.
471:13
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465:.
442:.
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393:.
385:.
373:26
371:.
367:.
344:.
336:.
326:10
324:.
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308:^
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813::
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759::
751::
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694::
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637::
629::
599:.
579::
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519::
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477::
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422:5
401:.
379::
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332::
40:)
36:(
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