Harold W. Howard

Dr. Harold Wakefield Howard OBE (25 March 1913 - 1 January 1985) was a botanist, best known for breeding the Maris Piper potato variety, which was the first potato variety to be resistant to potato cyst nematodes.

Dr. Howard’s research at the Plant Breeding Institute, Cambridge to develop a variety of potatoes resistant to the potato cyst nematodes was a significant scientific achievement, as this pest caused losses estimated at £30M annually, for this work he was awarded an OBE in 1976.<ref name="The Queens Birthday Honours List 1976">"Page 8015 | Supplement 46919, 4 June 1976 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk.</ref> The Maris Piper potato variety is still the most popular potato variety in the UK.<ref name="Potato Update">"Agribusiness News July 2023 - Potato Update | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service". FAS.</ref><ref name="British potato crop area edges higher in 2019">"British potato crop area edges higher in 2019". Farmers Weekly. 23 September 2019.</ref> Howard also wrote a book on potato genetics "Genetics of the Potato: Solanum Tuberosum"<ref name="Genetics of the potato: Solanum tuberosum">Howard, Harold Wakefield (1970). Genetics of the potato: Solanum tuberosum. London: Logos Press. ISBN 9780236176144.</ref>