Four Blades of Grass: An Investigation of Plant Breeding, 1900-1970

1900-1975年间，植物育种科学已经培育出新的作物品种，它们的产量明显高于老品种。到1975年，可以说，新品种，加上农业技术的其他变化，已经成为人类社会生活发生巨大变化的关键因素：在全球范围内，我们成为一个主要生活在城市地区的物种，只有少数人在农村地区从事农业生产。这个项目包括从比较的、跨文化的观点出发，准备一本关于植物育种历史的书。治疗将包括建立科学的概念基础，以及科学与其政治和经济背景的相互作用。这本书的一个中心论点是，战争和国家安全问题塑造了植物育种者工作的背景。第一次世界大战中的事件为植物育种作为国家资产的发展奠定了基础。第二次世界大战、殖民帝国的灭亡和冷战为植物繁殖提供了巨大的推动，因为各国寻求通过提高粮食生产来增加安全。在当代世界，如果不讨论这门科学的战略含义，就不可能理解政治机构对待植物育种的态度。农业行业的复杂性使得有必要将研究和最终的手稿集中在植物育种问题的子集上：英国、印度、墨西哥和美国的小麦育种为推进本论文提供了一个案例研究。证据来自档案资料，辅之以二手文献和口头访谈。这项研究有一个独特和及时的重点；其结果将是有用的，并将为广大受众所接受。调查员的资历和记录都很好；机构支助充足；预算要求不高。这个奖项是强烈推荐的。

The science of plant breeding, 1900 - 1975, has produced new crop varieties capable of remarkably higher yields than were older cultivars. By 1975, it was possible to say that the new varieties, plus other changes in agricultural technology, had been a key ingredient in a massive change in human social life: globally, we became a species that lives primarily in urban areas with only a minority of people left in production agriculture in rural areas. This project involves the preparation of a book-length treatment of the history of plant breeding from a comparative, cross-cultural perspective. The treatment will include the building of the conceptual foundations of the science plus the interactions of the science with its political and economic context. A central thesis of this book is that issues of war and national security shaped the context in which plant breeders worked. Events in World War I set the stage for the growth of plant breeding as a national asset. World War II, the demise of colonial empires, and the cold war provided an enormous boost to plant breeding as nations sought increased security through enhanced food production. In the contemporary world, it is impossible to understand the treatment of plant breeding by political institutions without discussing the strategic implications of the science. Complexities of the agricultural industry make it essential to focus the research and resulting manuscript on a sub-set of plant breeding issues: wheat breeding in Britain, India, Mexico, and the United States provides a case study to advance this thesis. Evidence comes from archival sources supplemented by secondary literature and oral interviews. This research has a unique and timely focus; its results will be useful and accessible to a wide audience. The qualifications and track record of the investigator are excellent; institutional support is adequate; the budget request is modest. This award is highly recommended.