Harry Smith. 19 September 1935—9 February 2015

Abstract

Harry Smith was a botanist with a driving passion to understand how plant growth, development and responses to the environment are regulated. He was a true experimentalist with a restless mind, a determination to question and the commitment to follow through. Harry valued achievement over background, and his research combined biochemical, molecular and physiological approaches aimed at understanding the behaviour of plants in the real world. This led him to a series of classical experiments, begun at the University of Nottingham and continued at the University of Leicester, studying how plants detect proximity and shading by other plants. This work transformed our understanding of the role of the red/far-red light-absorbing phytochrome pigments in the perception of and response to vegetative shading. Harry defined the mechanism of the shade avoidance syndrome, and this work, taught to students worldwide, is of fundamental importance in understanding plant behaviour in the natural environment and agriculture. Harry was a truly inspirational teacher, research leader and head of department, and also a visionary founder and editor of successful journals such as Plant, Cell and Environment , Molecular Ecology and Global Change Biology , as well as being a veteran gardener, tree planter, artist and car lover.