Daphne Osborne
Daphne J. Osborne (7 March 1930 – 16 June 2006) was a British botanist. Her research in the field of plant physiology spanned five decades and resulted in over two hundred papers, twenty of which were published in Nature. Her obituary in The Times described her scientific achievements as "legendary"; that from the Botanical Society of America attributed her success to "her wonderful intellectual style, combined with her proclivity for remarkable and perceptive experimental findings".
Daphne Osborne | |
|---|---|
Daphne J. Osborne | |
| Born | 7 March 1930 India |
| Died | 16 June 2006 (aged 76) |
| Citizenship | British |
| Alma mater | King's College, University of London, UK; Wye College, University of London, UK |
| Known for | plant hormones, especially ethylene |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | plant physiology |
| Institutions | Agricultural Research Council, UK; California Institute of Technology, USA; The Open University, UK; Somerville College, Oxford |
| Thesis | Studies on Plant Growth Regulators (1950) |
| Doctoral advisor | R Louis Wain |
Her research focused on plant hormones, seed biology and plant DNA repair. She is best known for her work on the gas ethylene, in particular for demonstrating that ethylene is a natural plant hormone, and that it is the major regulator of ageing and the shedding of leaves and fruits. She also originated the concept of the target cell as a model for understanding plant hormone action.