Collection search - [Peto, Frank - Interview]

Record information – Brief

1

[Peto, Frank - Interview]

Item number (ISN):

441118

Series title:

National Research Council Oral History Project

Hierarchical level:

Item (Accession level)

Date:

1975-02-12

Item number (ISN):

441118

Type of material:

Sound recordings

Found in:

Archives / Film, Video and Sound

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Record information – Details

Fonds/collection:

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA / CONSEIL NATIONAL DE RECHERCHES DU CANADA

Accession:

1975-0011

Media:

Sound

Part:

2 of 2

Production date:

1975-02-12

Production company:

National Research Council

Production credit:

interviewer, Don Phillipson

Description:

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Interview of Dr. Frank Peto by Don Phillipson. Subjects discussed include: NRC Forest Tree Breeding project; Dr. C.C. Heimburger's role - interest sparked by natural hybrids in poplars that were introduced by French monastery; Peto identified hybrid poplar as triploids - now exploited by European forestry; tree farms - postwar 50,000 sold in BC; prewar - tree farms important for pulpwood; Dr. L.P.V. Johnson a collector rather than an experimentalist; Peto's career - Masters of Science on forage crops and discovered polyploid series first published in Nature; Sir George Stapleton; between 1939 and 1945, Stapleton planned Canadian War farm production and European rations; Peto returned to Canada to work in a position paid by Grain Research Committee; Grain Overages Fund came from upgrading consequent on mixing different grades; Dr. W. H. Cook as research manager; Peto's critique of Marquis quality standards - not forward looking or related to practical matters of yield (Canadian quality wheat lowest world yield); NRC withdrawal from GRC in postwar; Dr. L. H. Shebeski; Canadian plant breeders were not allowed to know test results; cereal chemists from 1935-1965; Peto's breeds rejected for 2% less water absorption although there were high yields; Fred Symes (Peto's uncle) tinkered with wheat grading which later reformed the system; Dr. Robert Newton; NRC Forest Tree project; sterility in field crops allowing ample scope for genetic species-building across genuses; first target was perennial wheat not for nutrition but as grass; cholestycin; natural influences on mutation; temperature shocks allowed creation of some new fertile diploids from sterile hybrids; genetic material passed to CDA in 1940 but was not exploited until 15 years later; aim was not soil erosion control but rather creating a new genus of plant; Dr. L.E. Kirk; in 1938, cholestycin became available forcing doubled chromosomes in many plants; some new breeds were sold by NRC to seed industry; when seed chromosomes doubled, Peto attempted to double sugar content of beets; triploid beets gave greater yield but no extra sugar content; forest research where Peto analyzed natural hybrid poplars in 1938 and 1939; Peto toured European plant and forest breeding labs; Peto's research never continued at NRC since no replacement in cyto genetics; Cook's termination of forestry research; NRC'S policy was to loan staff out hence Peto was first assigned to Buckerfield's Ltd. , when Britain asked Canada to produce beet seed; was offered permanent research chief position with Buckerfield so resigned from NRC; Grier Young; forest tree project led to Peto's attempt to sort out genetics of alkaloid plants; Dr. Nat Grace transferred to Biology to study effects of hormones on rooting conifer cuttings; Dr. G Alec Ledingham and Trail smelter and plant pathology; Dr. E.W.R. Steacie and Dr. R. Newton; Peto took his own photos of specimens for his Masters' thesis on agropyrin; world wheat trials. <3h 10mn>

Language:

English

Notes:

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1. Subject descriptio taken from partial transcript in binder, National Research Council Oral History Project, Index M-Q.~2. Parts of track 2 of PAC tape 523, and track 1 of PAC tape 524.~3. Noisy.

Detailed holdings information:

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Vault ISN:

674814

Format:

SOUND

Location number:

C00524

Vault code:

GAT

Number of items:

1

Kind of sound:

R/R

Made from:

FROM LOANED MATERIAL

Status:

MASTER

Vault ISN:

674817

Format:

SOUND

Location number:

C00523

Vault code:

GAT

Number of items:

1

Kind of sound:

R/R

Made from:

FROM LOANED MATERIAL

Status:

MASTER
Ordering and viewing options

Conditions of access:

Open

GENCAT identity number:

GAD 0FD645

Restrictions on consultation:

open

Copyright status:

Under copyright.

Reproduction access:

With written permission of copyright owner : No donor restrictions. Copyright belongs to the Crown. Credit Library and Archives Canada.

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