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n ★ En tio v c ir u o d n o m r e p n o i t Please cite this article as B ★ ★ L i e Hayami and Sri Kantha, Reviews in Agricultural Science, 5:83-99, 2017 f c e n S e i http://dx.doi.org/10.7831/ras.5.83 c REVIEWS OPEN ACCESS Nobel Prizes for Research in Plant Science: Past, Present and Future Natsuki Hayami and Sachi Sri Kantha1 1 The Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Gifu University, Yanagido 1-1, Gifu City 501-1193, Japan. ABSTRACT The Nobel Prizes awarded in two appropriate science categories (chemistry as well as physiology or medicine) and the peace category since 1901 were studied to evaluate the plant science related research that had received recognition. We also checked the Nobel prize nomination database for the two appropriate science categories to verify the number of scientists (with research reputation on plant-based studies) who were nominated, but were unlucky in the eventual selection process. The focus of this review is research on plant materials in a wider sense (including that of photosynthetic bacteria), that received Nobel prize recognition. Until 2017, Nobel Prizes for research in plant sciences have been awarded 17 times to 20 scientists. Pioneering work on five major research themes, namely, (1) chlorophyll and photosynthesis, (2) elucidation of the structure of vitamins (carotene, thiamin, ascorbic acid and vitamin K), (3) use of radioisotopes for metabolism studies, (4) plant natural product chemistry and (5) plant genetics had received Nobel award recognition so far. For future recognition, Nobel laureates such as Melvin Calvin and Barbara McClintock had opined the worth of interdisciplinary teams with expertise in botany for trend-setting new discoveries in plant science research. We predict that pioneering studies along the line of plants that can grow in a dessert or sea, plants which can be an enriched source of fuel and hydrocarbon-like materials may have potential to be considered for a Nobel Prize for plant science research. Keywords: cytogenetics, photosynthesis, plant breeding, plant natural products, vitamins Introduction three were awarded for plant-related research).” We presume that Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, Gresshof’s (2002) count, derives from information scientist Garfield inventor, businessman, and philanthropist. His creative (1987) who had identified three Nobelists (Richard Willstatter, productivity includes over three hundred worldwide patents Robert Robinson and Melvin Calvin) as those who had been including that of dynamite. According to his famous will of 1895, recognized for research in plant-related sciences. Garfield (1987) Nobel’s fortune was to be used to establish the Nobel Prizes for did identify a major reason why research on plants receive less sciences (Chemistry, Physics and Medicine or Physiology), apart recognition and have less visibility; it may be because “they are not from that of Literature and Peace (Sohlman and Schuck, 1929; perceived as having a direct bearing on human health”. Is this so? Sri Kantha, 1999). These prizes were first bestowed in 1901 and How can humans, livestocks and other herbivorous animals survive announcement of these prizes in October still continue to be a and lead healthy lives without feeding on plant-based foods? news-worthy annual event for their merit and glamor (Sohlman, 1983; Garfield and Welljams-Dorof, 1992; Feldman, 2000; Stimulated by these thoughts, we studied the Nobel Prizes Levinovitz and Ringertz, 2001). awarded in two appropriate science categories (chemistry as well as physiology or medicine) and the peace category since 1901 for Between 1901 and 2017, the Nobel Prizes for chemistry as an alternate count. We also checked the Nobel prize nomination well as medicine or physiology categories have been awarded to database for the two appropriate science categories to verify the 178 and 214 individuals respectively. Previously, Gresshoff (2002) number of scientists (with research reputation on plant-based had expressed an editorial opinion related to research on plant studies) who were nominated, but were unlucky in the eventual biotechnology that, “There is no Nobel Prize for plant science, selection process. This derives from the concept of belonging to preventing the popular press from featuring achievements in this the ‘Nobel class’ introduced by Garfield (1980) that there are far area (NB, since the inception of Nobel Prizes one century ago, only more scientists whose work is worthy of the Nobel prize than the Received October 10, 2017, Revised October 20, 2017, Accepted October 24, 2017. 83 Published on line: December 12, 2017. Correspondence to S.S.: [email protected] ©2017 Reviews in Agricultural Science n ★ En tio v c ir u o d n o m r e p n o i t B Please cite this article as ★ ★ L i e f Hayami and Sri Kantha, Reviews in Agricultural Science, 5:83-99, 2017 c e n S e i c http://dx.doi.org/10.7831/ras.5.83 highest number (only 3) of prizes awarded each year for a specific Richard Willstatter (1872-1942) category. Thus, to be duly nominated for the Nobel prize deserves Hans Fischer (1881-1945) recognition because the findings of these scientists were ‘major Paul Karrer (1889-1971) breakthroughs’ in shaping the advances in science. Richard Kuhn (1900-1967) George de Hevesy (1885-1966) Past Record Arturi Virtanen (1895-1973) As presented in Table 1, since 1901, Nobel Prizes for research Robert Robinson (1886-1975) in plant sciences have been awarded 17 times to 20 scientists. The Melvin Calvin (1911-1997) focus of this review is research on plant materials in a wider sense Peter Mitchell (1920-1992) (including that of photosynthetic bacteria), that received Nobel prize Johann Deisenhofer (b.1943) recognition. We disregard specific disciplinary categories such as Robert Huber (b.1937) botany and microbiology. Why? A simple explanation is that scientists Hartmut Michel (b. 1948) frequently switch their research interests depending on factors such as availability of research funding, resources in proximity, collaborators Richard Willstatter was awarded the Nobel Chemistry Prize as well as personal preferences. The identifying criterion used for this for his research on plant pigments in 1915 (Trauner, 2015). It survey is whether research on plants and plant-derived materials had was the first time that Nobel Prize recognition was bestowed for been mentioned in the laureate’s Nobel award lectures. 18 among research in plant sciences. Willstatter was an organic chemist who the 20 scientists do satisfy this criterion. The sole exceptions were studied chemistry under Adolf von Baeyer. While in his twenties, Richard Kuhn and Edward A. Doisy, because they did not deliver Willstatter clarified the chemical structure of tropine, atropine their Nobel award lectures. and cocaine. (Adams, 1943). Subsequently, he began to focus on chlorophyll and anthocyanin pigments. Willstatter and his team Nobel Prizes for Chemistry discovered that the chlorophyll of different plant species is the Between 1915 and 1988, twelve scientists had received same, but it is a mixture of two different types; chlorophyll a and recognition for plant science research in the category of Nobel chlorophyll b. He showed that magnesium is an essential part of Chemistry award. (Fig. 1) They were, chlorophyll’s structure and pointed out chlorophyll’s relationship Fig.1 Titles of Nobel Lectures delivered by 11 Chemistry Laureates, excluding Richard Kuhn 84 ©2017 Reviews in Agricultural Science n ★ En tio v c ir u o d n o m r e p n o i t Please cite this article as B ★ ★ L i e Hayami and Sri Kantha, Reviews in Agricultural Science, 5:83-99, 2017 f c e n S e i http://dx.doi.org/10.7831/ras.5.83 c Table 1: Nobel Prizes for Research on Plant Sciences Year Scientist (country) Field Research Recognition CHEMISTRY 1915 Richard Willstatter (Germany) natural products chemistry ‘for his researches on plant pigments, especially chlorophyll’ 1930 Hans Fischer (Germany) natural products chemistry ‘for his researches into the constitution of haemin and Chlorophyll and especially for his synthesis of haemin’ ‘ ’ 1937 Paul Karrer (Switzerland) natural products chemistry for his investigations on carotenoids, flavins and vitamins A B2 1938 Richard Kuhn (Austria) natural products chemistry ‘for his work on carotenoids and vitamins’ 1943 George de Hevesy (Sweden) nuclear chemistry ‘for his work on the use of isotopes as tracers in the study of chemical processes 1945 Artturi Virtanen (Finland) agricultural chemistry ‘for his research and inventions in agricultural and nutrition chemistry, especially for his fodder preservation method’ 1947 Robert Robinson (UK) natural products chemistry ‘for his investigations on plant products of biological importance, especially the alkaloids’ 1961 Melvin Calvin (USA) biochemistry ‘for his research on the carbon dioxide assimilation in plants’ 1978 Peter Mitchell (UK) biochemistry ‘for his contribution to the understanding of biological energy transfer through the formulation of the chemiosmotic theory’ 1988 Johann Deisenhofer (Germany) biochemistry ‘for the determination of the three-dimensional structure of a photosynthetic reaction centre’ Robert Huber (Germany) Hartmut Michel (Germany) MEDICINE or PHYSIOLOGY 1929 Christiaan Eijkman nutrition, metabolism ‘for his discovery of the antineuritic vitamin’ (Netherlands) 1937 Albert Szent-Gyorgyi cell physiology, nutrition ‘for his discoveries in connection with the biological combustion (Hungary) process with special reference to vitamin C and the catalysis