Morley Benjamin Crane (1890-1983): geneticist and plant breeder

Crane grew up in East Anglia where his stepfather worked as a fruit grower at a variety of nurseries and in the orchards of large estates; it is likely that the young Crane followed suit for he proved skilled in budding and grafting. In 1911 Crane joined the John Innes Horticultural Institution as an exhibitioner and holder of a Fruiterers’ Company Bursary. From 1911-13 he was a sub-foreman on the garden staff for fruit work. His first scientific publication appeared in 1915, a report of experiments on the genetics of tomatoes. In May 1915 he joined the army which he served until March 1919.

On his return to JIHI he was appointed to the scientific staff as a Technical Assistant, carrying out experimental work on cherries, apples, plums, Rubi, and tomatoes. In 1928 he was given the title ‘Pomologist’ and in 1938 he was appointed Head of the newly created Pomology Department.

Now Crane had a team of people working with him on fruit or on problems arising out of the fruit investigations. He was elected FRS in 1946 for being ‘chiefly responsible for our present genetic knowledge of the species and varieties of [British] fruit’. His work consisted of experimental breeding combined with his own physiological and morphological studies of the types produced by segregation and mutation in chimaeras, in combination with the cytological studies of others at John Innes. Crane applied these methods successfully to the production of new fruits, including such plant varieties as the cherry, Merton Bigarreau, the apple, Merton Prolific, and the pear, Merton Glory.

His work also furthered understanding of the origin, fertility and sterility of existing fruit varieties. Particularly important was his work on incompatibility systems, the mechanisms that define the boundaries of cross pollination between plant varieties. He was appointed Deputy Director of JIHI in 1949 and retired in 1952, though he remained on the staff as a part-time consultant until 1956.

Among his many publications were two books, The Apple (1933), with A. Daniel Hall, and The Genetics of Garden Plants (1934) with W. J. C. Lawrence, which went to four editions. Crane’s work was recognized in scientific and horticultural circles.

The Royal Horticultural Society honoured him as the first holder of the Jones-Bateman Cup and Medal in 1930, and with a Victoria Medal of Honour in 1944. He met and earned the respect of leading fruit growers, interpreting the science in practical terms through his writings and the many talks he gave to horticultural gatherings. Crane also did much to encourage and train his junior colleagues and served on many committees of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Royal Horticultural Society, the Agricultural Research Council, and the Board of Studies of London University.

See also:

Kenneth Mather and W. J. C. Lawrence, ‘Morley Benjamin Crane 1890-1983’, Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 31 (1985): 89-110.