Ruth F. Allen facts for kids

Ruth Florence Allen (1879–1963) was an American botanist and plant pathologist. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. A plant pathologist studies plant diseases. Ruth Allen was the first woman to earn her PhD in botany from the University of Wisconsin.

Her early research looked at how ferns reproduce. She studied something called apogamy. This is when a plant embryo forms without the usual process of fertilization. Later, Ruth Allen focused on plant diseases. She made big contributions to understanding rust fungi. These fungi are tiny living things that can cause serious diseases in important crops. She studied Puccinia graminis, a fungus that once caused huge damage to cereal crops like wheat.

Education and Career Journey

Ruth F. Allen earned her PhD in botany from the University of Wisconsin in 1909. Her main project for her PhD was about how ferns reproduce. After finishing her studies, Allen worked as a botanist for the Michigan College and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In 1916, Ruth F. Allen became an Assistant Professor of Botany at Wellesley College. This is a well-known college for women in Massachusetts. Later, she moved to California. There, she worked at the University of California at Berkeley. She also worked for the Bureau of Plant Industry, which is part of the USDA, and the California Agricultural Experiment Station.

Studying Plant Diseases: Rust Fungi

Ruth Allen's most important work was in the field of plant pathology. She studied the tiny cells of a rust fungus called Puccinia graminis. Her research helped scientists understand the life cycle of this fungus. The life cycle is all the stages a living thing goes through. This fungus caused a very damaging disease in cereal crops.

One type of this fungus is Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici. It is often called stem rust of wheat. This fungus has a very complex life cycle. It produces five different types of spores. Spores are like tiny seeds that help fungi spread. It also needs two different types of plants to complete its life cycle.

This fungus is a biotrophic pathogen. This means it feeds on living plant tissue. It can cause huge losses in crop yields. Before farmers found ways to fight it, stem rust of wheat was a very serious problem. It could spread quickly and cause widespread epidemics. Allen's research helped us understand how to control this plant disease.

Ruth Allen's Lasting Impact

After Ruth Allen passed away, her family and friends created the Ruth Allen Memorial Fund. This fund was started in 1965 through the American Phytopathological Society (APS). Each year, a special award is given out. It includes a certificate and money. This award goes to a person who has made an amazing and new research discovery. This discovery must have changed, or have the potential to change, how we study plant diseases.

Key Publications

• Allen, RF. 1914. Studies in spermatogenesis and apogamy in ferns. Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters 17 (1): 1-56.
• Allen, RF and HDM Jolivette. 1914. A study of the light reactions of Pilobolus. Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters 17 (1): 533–598.
• Allen, RF. 1923a. A cytological study of infection of Baart and Kanred wheats by Puccinia graminis tritici. Journal of Agricultural Research 23: 131–152.
• Allen, RF. 1923b. Cytological studies of infection of Baart, Kanred, and Mindum wheats by Puccinia graminis tritici form III and XIX. Journal of Agricultural Research 26: 571–604.
• Allen, RF. 1926. Cytological studies of forms 9, 21, and 27 of Puccinia graminis tritici on Khapli emmer. Contribution from Bureau of Plant Industry, 725 pp.
• Allen, RF. 1927. A cytological study of orange leaf rust, Puccinia triticina physiologic form 11, on Malakoff wheat. Journal of Agricultural Research 34: 697–714.
• Allen, RF. 1928. A cytological study of Puccinia glumarum on Bromus marginatus and Triticum vulgare. Journal of Agricultural Research 36: 487–513.
• Allen, RF. 1931. Heterothallism in Puccinia triticina. Science 74: 462–463.

See also

In Spanish: Ruth F. Allen para niños

• List of mycologists