Knight, Thomas Andrew

[person]

(1759-1838) An English horticulturalist and botanist. He conducted extensive breeding experiments with strawberries, cabbages, peas, and various kinds of fruit, with the goal of improving food plants by selectively breeding for better qualities. He also studied inheritance in peas and came to many of the same conclusions as Gregor Mendel, but did not formulate a theory to explain his observations. Knight served as president of the London Horticultural Society from 1811 to 1838. He is remembered for his devotion to improving the quality of food plants, and inspired generations of horticulturists to bend their efforts in that direction.