Yvonne Aitken

Yvonne Aitken (17 October 1911 – 29 November 2004) was an Australian agricultural scientist whose contributions to the field included studies of plant flowering as it depends on climate, season, and genetic factors. She was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989.

Aitken's primary goal was to produce a greater range of consumable crops. By comparing flowering data for particular plant varieties across various latitudes, and under laboratory conditions, Aitken deduced fundamental factors that governed the transition of plants from the vegetative to reproductive states. In general, those plants flowering earliest under given conditions had the least dependence on climate whereas later-flowering varieties reacted strongly to the climate setup. Provided by Wikipedia