Katherine Warington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katherine Warington
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| Born | 5 September 1897 |
| Died | 3 July 1993 (aged 95) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Rothamsted Research |
Katherine Warington (born September 5, 1897 – died July 3, 1993) was a British botanist. She was the first person to discover that boron, a chemical element, is absolutely necessary for plants to grow in a healthy way. She showed that plants need boron, specifically as boric acid, to thrive.
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Early Life and Education
Katherine Warington was born in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England. She was born on September 5, 1897. She was one of five daughters and had a twin sister. Her father, Robert Warington, was a famous agricultural chemist. He studied how chemicals affect farming.
Katherine went to Holloway College, University of London. This was a college only for women at the time. In 1921, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Botany. Botany is the study of plants.
In 1923, she got her Master of Science degree from the University of London. Her main project was about how boric acid affects broad beans and other plants. Later, she earned her Doctor of Science degree from the University of London. This higher degree was based on her important work with boron.
Discovering Plant Needs
Katherine Warington started working at Rothamsted Experimental Station. Her father had also worked there. She began as a volunteer in the Botany Department in 1921. She worked closely with Dr. Winifred Brenchley.
Katherine's big discovery about boron started with an insect problem. An entomologist, a scientist who studies insects, wanted to make bean plants taste bad to black flies. These flies are tiny insects that can harm plants.
The botanists were asked to prepare special water solutions for growing plants. These solutions had different amounts of various elements. Boron was one of these elements. At the time, scientists did not know that boron was important for plants.
Katherine found that all the plants died except for those that received boron. This was a huge clue!
Careful Experiments
Katherine's work needed extreme care. She had to make sure her control solution had no boron at all. This was very difficult to do. Even a tiny bit of boron could affect the results.
Her test solutions had very small amounts of boron, as low as 5 parts per million (ppm). To keep everything clean, everyone entering the greenhouse had to wash their hands. This was true even if they were not touching the plants.
By 1923, she had proven that boron was vital for broad beans to grow well. Another scientist, Dr. Hugh Nicol, said her research helped create a new industry. Farmers began using boron compounds to help their crops.
Katherine continued her research. She wrote papers about other important nutrients plants need. These included molybdenum and manganese. These are called micronutrients because plants need them in very small amounts.
Studying Weeds and Seeds
Katherine also worked on the "Classical Experiments" at Rothamsted. These are long-term studies that have been going on for many years. One was the Broadbalk study, which looked at winter wheat since 1843. Another was the Park Grass Experiment, which started in 1856.
From 1921, Katherine and Dr. Brenchley surveyed weeds in these fields. They studied how weeds grew and spread. Katherine also tested how weed seeds sprouted. She found that most weed species had a specific time of year when they grew best.
Later Life
Katherine Warington retired from her scientific work in 1957. She stayed active after retiring. She did volunteer office work at St Nicholas' parish church.
In her last few years, she lived in a care home in St Albans. She passed away on July 3, 1993, after having a stroke. She was 95 years old. Katherine Warington is buried in her family's plot at St Nicholas Churchyard.
