Lloyd Thomas Evans 1927–2015

Dr Lloyd Evans AO FAA FRS was a leading plant scientist who made significant achievements in researching the regulation of flowering and crop production at CSIRO. His work had a major influence on agricultural research and policy.
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Lloyd Evans, a leading plant scientist, published extensively on the regulation of flowering and on crop production during a lifetime spent in research at CSIRO. 

His significant achievements included: identification of a gibberellin plant hormone as a flowering regulator in the grass Lolium temulentum; discovery of a synthetic gibberellin growth retardant that blocked endogenous gibberellin synthesis; and discovery in Pharbitis of a novel biological flowering clock with a 12h (semidian) period. 

In crops, he established the impact on yield of photosynthate production and transport to competing sinks. Two of his books, Crop Evolution: Adaptation and Yield and Feeding the Ten Billion have had a major influence on agricultural research and policy. His ability to define research options led to many years of international advisory work. 

He was an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), and of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA) (including a term as president).

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Lloyd Thomas Evans 1927–2015 PDF ( 816 KB )

 

About this memoir

This memoir was originally published in Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 27(2), 2016. It was written by Roderick W. King.

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Lloyd Evans

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Conversation with scientist

Dr Lloyd Evans (1927-2015), plant scientist

Dr Lloyd Evans interviewed by Professor Bob Crompton, 2003. Dr Lloyd Evans is a highly distinguished plant scientist whose research has focused on the physiology of flowering. After completing a DPhil at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, he worked at the California Institute of Technology before becoming a research scientist at the CSIRO Division of Plant Industry.
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