biology

Ralph Warren Marsh

Ralph Warren Marsh is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ralph Warren Marsh rather than just read about it. In short: Ralph Warren Marsh (27 December 1899 in Crewkerne, Somerset – 29 February 1992) was a British mycologist and phytopathologist, known for his research on the control of apple scab. He was the president of the British Mycological Society for one year from 1944 to 1945 and the president of the Association of Applied Biologists for a two-year term from 1951 to 1952.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Ralph Warren Marsh (27 December 1899 in Crewkerne, Somerset – 29 February 1992) was a British mycologist and phytopathologist, known for his research on the control of apple scab. He was the president of the British Mycological Society for one year from 1944 to 1945 and the president of the Association of Applied Biologists for a two-year term from 1951 to 1952.

Biography After education at Sexey's School, Marsh became, near the end of WW I, a commissioned officer in the Signals Branch of the Royal Engineers. In 1919 he matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1922. He worked for a year from 1922 to 1923 under the supervision of Frederick Tom Brooks doing research on plant diseases. After briefly working at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Marsh spent three years from 1923 to 1926 as a mycological research assistant at the University of Manchester. In 1926 he was appointed to the post of Research Mycologist at Long Ashton Research Station. There he was promoted to Senior Principal Research Officer in 1951 and to assistant director of Long Ashton Research Center in 1959. For the academic year 1949–1950, he was on sabbatical in Canada. In 1956, he visited Yugoslavia to advise the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on improving the Plant Protection Service. In 1958 the University of Bristol appointed him Reader in Mycology. In 1965 he retired from the Long Ashton Research Station and the University of Bristol and was appointed OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire).) In 1928 Marsh started his research on apple scab. Based on his spore collection records, he conducted in 1930 large-scale field trials that demonstrated a greatly improved method of control of apple scab. If the orchard growers gave apple trees two pre-blossom sprays with lime sulphur, followed by one post-blossom spray, there was good control of the damage caused by apple scab. At Long Ashton, Marsh collaborated for 20 years with the entomologist H. G. H. Kearns and for many years with the pesticide chemist Hubert Martin, the author of The Scientific Principles of Crop Protection (St. Martin's Press, 1964). During his career, Marsh did research on pathogens of apples, pears, quinces, plums, peaches, and cherries; among such pathogens he studied are Venturia pyrina, Podosphaera leucotricha, Monilinia fructigena, Neofabraea malicorticis, and Neonectria ditissima. He also did research on pathogens of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, currants, and gooseberries; among such pathogens he studied are Pseudopeziza ribis, Botrytis cinerea, and Podosphaera mors-uvae. During WW II, he served as a quartermaster of the local Long Ashton Home Guard. With Hubert Martin, he demonstrated a simple way to control potato blight by spraying with a water can fitted with a round nozzle — this was useful for the Dig for Victory campaign. In 1944 Marsh gave the British Mycological Society's presidential address with the title Mycological contacts. The address deplored the society's failure to attract medical and industrial mycologists. He noted that UK newspapers, instead of the society's publications, alerted most of the society's members to the development of penicillin (obtained from Penicillium moulds). In his address, he also made interesting comments on the fervent pioneers of organic farming. He served for many years on the editorial board of the Annals of Applied Biology. He chaired the editorial board of The Biologist. In 1954 he was invited to join the governing board of Sexey's School. His wife Kathleen died in 1987. Upon his death in 1992, he was survived by their two sons and four grandchildren.

Selected publications Marsh, R. W. (1925). "An Investigation of a Sample of Diseased Seed-Cotton Sent from Nyasaland". Journal of the Textile Institute Transactions. 16 (10): T315–T322. doi:10.1080/19447022508661348. —— (1926). "Inoculation Experiments with Nematospora gossypii, Ashby and Nowell". Annals of Botany. 40 (160): 883–889. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a090054. JSTOR 43237005. —— (1928). "Investigations on the Fungicidal Action of Sulphur.: III. Studies on the Toxicity of Sulphuretted Hydrogen and on the Interaction of Sulphur with Fungi". Journal of Pomology and Horticultural Science. 7 (3): 237–250. doi:10.1080/03683621.1928.11513342. —— (1931). "Apple Scab Control in the Bristol Province: Field Trials, 1930". Journal of Pomology and Horticultural Science. 9: 53–72. doi:10.1080/03683621.1931.11513371. ——; Walker, Mary M. (1932). "The Scab Fungus (Venturia inæqualis) on Apple Shoots". Journal of Pomology and Horticultural Science. 10 (2): 71–90. doi:10.1080/03683621.1932.11513393. —— (1933). "Observations on Pear Scab". Journal of Pomology and Horticultural Science. 11 (2): 101–112. doi:10.1080/03683621.1933.11513412. —— (1939). "Observations on Apple Canker". Annals of Applied Biology. 26 (3): 458–469. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7348.1939.tb06983.x. —— (1947). "Fruit Spraying Trials with Certain Recently-Introduced Fungicides". Journal of Pomology and Horticultural Science. 23 (3): 185–205. doi:10.1080/03683621.1947.11513668. —— (1951). "Developments in Agricultural Fungicides". Nature. 167 (4238): 97–98. Bibcode:1951Natur.167...97M. doi:10.1038/167097a0. PMID 14806382. S2CID 2860129. —— (1951). "Long Ashton Research Station Field Day". Nature. 168 (4270): 375–376. Bibcode:1951Natur.168..375M. doi:10.1038/168375a0. S2CID 10677270. —— (1953). "Methods of Plant Pest and Disease Assessment". Nature. 171 (4352): 553–555. Bibcode:1953Natur.171..553M. doi:10.1038/171553a0. PMID 13054620. S2CID 4284615. —— (1953). "Insecticides and Colonial Agricultural Development". Nature. 171 (4358): 824–826. Bibcode:1953Natur.171..824M. doi:10.1038/171824a0. PMID 13054734. S2CID 4156005. Croxall, H. E.; Jenkins, J. E. E.; Byrde, R. J. W.; —— (1953). "Spraying Experiments Against Apple and Pear Scab at Long Ashton and in the West Midlands, Season 1951". Journal of Horticultural Science. 28 (3): 196–206. doi:10.1080/00221589.1953.11513786. —— (1968). "Moulds, Mildews and Men". Nature. 218 (5146): 1017–1019. Bibcode:1968Natur.218.1017M. doi:10.1038/2181017a0. PMID 5656615. S2CID 4295591.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ralph Warren Marsh

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ralph Warren Marsh claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ralph Warren Marsh before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ralph Warren Marsh ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ralph Warren Marsh

In research: Ralph Warren Marsh appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ralph Warren Marsh in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ralph Warren Marsh is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1899 births, 1992 deaths, Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ralph Warren Marsh outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ralph Warren Marsh in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Ralph Warren Marsh in simple terms?

Why does Ralph Warren Marsh matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ralph Warren Marsh?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ralph Warren Marsh.