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John Arnott Spence was born in St. Vincent on 15th July 1929 and
migrated to Trinidad at age 11. He attended Queen’s Royal
College and later the University of Bristol, where he obtained a
Bachelor of Science in Botany (1951). He attained post-graduate
diplomas in Agricultural Science (1952) and Tropical Agriculture
(1953) from the University of Cambridge and the Imperial College
of Tropical Agriculture, respectively, and a doctorate from the
University of Bristol (1961).
His research showed the role of the polyphenol oxidase enzyme in
the resistance of cocoa pods to invasion by Phytophthora
palmivora (black pod disease). This demonstrated a resistance
mechanism in fruits to fungal attack.
Spence contributed to the development of dwarf pigeon pea
varieties that could be harvested mechanically. He showed that
rooted sweet potato leaves could produce tubers and received a
Guggenheim Fellowship to pursue physiological studies on rooted
leaves. His research work is recorded in over 50 scientific
publications.
His career spans 44 years of dedicated service to agricultural
and scientific bodies. He worked as a Plant Pathologist in the
Ministry of Agriculture, Lecturer, Professor of Botany and Dean
of the Faculty of Agriculture, the University of the West Indies
(UWI), St. Augustine. He headed the Cocoa Research Unit (CRU)
after retirement from UWI in 1989. He is credited with restoring
the CRU into an internationally recognized centre of excellence,
holding the largest collection of cocoa varieties and making
important contributions to the world cocoa industry.
As an Independent Senator (1986 – 2000), he lobbied government
to address the decline of the agricultural sector and promoted
national food security. He advocated increasing capital,
knowledge-intensive production systems to develop international
competitiveness and new market opportunities. His efforts
continue in a weekly column in the local press.
He supported development of the country’s capability in
biotechnology, by helping to direct NIHERST-funded research at
UWI in plant tissue culture. He served on many bodies including
the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute, Association of
Professional Agricultural Scientists of Trinidad and Tobago, the
International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (Rome) and the
International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (Colombia). He sat
on advisory committees to the Inter-American Institute for
Cooperation on Agriculture and the Commonwealth Science Council.
Spence received the Chaconia Medal (Gold) in 1980, was elected
Fellow of the Caribbean Academy of Science (1990) and received a
NIHERST Lifetime Achievement Award (2000) for his contribution
to agriculture.
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