Alan Wild was a soil scientist of considerable renown who spent most of his career at the University of Reading where he skilfully contributed to, and built, a department with a worldwide reputation. He was born in Burnley, but at a young age the family moved to Bradford where he attended Bradford Grammar School. He was clearly very bright, moving at the age of 17 to Leeds University to study chemistry and then to Reading at the age of 20, where he was appointed Assistant Lecturer in Agricultural Chemistry in September 1944.
Agricultural Chemistry was the forerunner of what became in the 1960s the first fully-fledged department of Soil Science in the UK, and Alan was a key researcher in the emerging field of soil-phosphate interactions. (Wild, 1950; 1953). He became a Lecturer in Soil Science in 1947, spent two years in Australia in the 1950s (Wild 1958), and then migrated into the newly-formed Department of Soil Science in the mid-1960s under the leadership of Professor Walter Russell.
In 1967, he relocated to Samaru in Nigeria, where he lectured at Ahmadu Bello University and became interested in the topic of nitrogen leaching, especially the nitrogen mineralised from organic matter at the start of the rainy season (Wild, 1972; Wild & Babiker, 1976; Cameron & Wild, 1982). During this time, he also worked with Mike Jones on the classic monograph of “Soils of the West African Savanna”, which was published after his return to Reading (Jones & Wild, 1975). This book is typical of Alan’s depth of scholarship and remains unsurpassed as a work of reference to this day. His promotion to Professor followed in 1979, and he became Head of the Department. During this phase of his career, he built a deep collaboration with Lloyd Jones and his colleagues at the Grassland Research Institute at Hurley, working with a flowing culture system to investigate the nutrition of grass, and especially the relative roles played by nitrate and ammonium nutrition.
Alan nurtured the department through the difficult days of the 1980s as agriculture lost its shine and environmental concerns rose up the agenda. He saw the need to introduce new courses that could attract undergraduate students, and also the requirement to take soil research into new fields. He edited the Journal of Soil Science from 1976 to 1983, and it was that experience that convinced him that such research, while necessary, was meeting only a partial need for what research could deliver to the many users of soil. The result, after a stormy meeting of the Council of the British Society of Soil Science, was the launch of Soil Use and Management, which he oversaw and edited for its first two years (Wild, 1985).
He was concerned about the practical relevance of research and not afraid to argue for it. In a 1977 perspective on the improbability of nitrate in drinking water presenting a health hazard, published in Nature (Wild, 1977), he reasoned that regulations needed to be based on practical, sensible evidence. He was also among the first to recognise that soil scientists needed to engage with a broader range of science disciplines, and used his presidential address to the British Society of Soil Science in 1988 to argue that soil scientists should become more involved in global and regional environmental problems in addition to their traditional interests in food production (Wild, 1989). Having argued for soil science to engage with global themes, he worked with David Jenkinson and the team at Rothamsted Research on the carbon cycle in soils; the paper they published in Nature in 1991 about the effects of global warming on carbon in soils was among the first to appear on that topic (Jenkinson et al., 1991).
Alan was an exceptional source of inspiration, support, and leadership for postgraduate students at the University of Reading. Through his genuine passion for soil science and academic development, he fostered a strong cohort of future soil scientists. His lasting legacy is reflected not only in his scholarship and publications, but also in the countless careers that he helped launch.
Before retiring from Reading University in September 1989, Alan edited the 11th Edition of the classic soil science textbook Russell’s Soil Conditions and Plant Growth and wrote several of the chapters (Wild, A., 1988). In retirement, he continued to read and write about soil, with Soils and the Environment: An Introduction appearing in 1993 (Wild, 1993), whilst a decade later, Soils, Land and Food: Managing the land during the twenty-first century (Wild, 2003) drew together much of his thinking. He concluded that “The more we understand about soil properties and processes in a given environment, and apply what we know, the more certain it becomes that the land will support the greater agricultural output which will be required by the increased population of the twenty-first century”; sound words that resonate in the era of “sustainable intensification”.
Based on an Obituary written by Professor Peter Gregory in 2014, with additional contributions from Professor Keith Cameron, Professor Adrian Unc and Dr Fiona Nicholson.
Selected Bibliography
Wild, A. (1950). The Retention of Phosphate by Soil: A Review. Journal of Soil Science, 1 (2), 221-238.
Wild, A. (1953). The effect of exchangeable cations on the retention of phosphate by clay. European Journal of Soil Science, 4(1), 72-85
Wild, A. (1958). The phosphate content of Australian soils. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, 9(2), 193-204.
Wild, A. (1961). Loss of zirconium from 12 soils derived from granite. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, 12(2), 300-305.
Wild, A. (1961). A pedological study of phosphorus in 12 soils derived from granite. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, 12(2), 286-299.
Keay, J.& Wild, A. (1961). The kinetics of cation exchange in vermiculite. Soil Science, 92(1), 54-60
Keay, J., & Wild, A. (1961). Hydration properties of vermiculite. Clay Minerals Bulletin, 4(25), 221-228.
Wild, A. & Keay, J. (1964). Cation-exchange equilibria with vermiculite. European Journal of Soil Science, 15(2), 135-144
Wild, A. Soluble Phosphate in Soil and Uptake by Plants. Nature, 203, 326–327 (1964).
Wild, A. & Oke, O. L. (1966). Organic phosphate compounds in calcium chloride extracts of soils: identification and availability to plants. European Journal of Soil Science, 17(2), 356-371
Wild, A. & Rowell, D. L. (1969). The activity ratio as a measure of the intensity factor in potassium supply to plants. Soil Science, 108(6), 432-439
Omotoso, T. I. & Wild, A. (1970). Content of inositol phosphates in some English and Nigerian soils. European Journal of Soil Science, 21(2), 216-223
Omotoso, T. I. & Wild, A. (1970). Occurrence of inositol phosphates and other organic phosphate components in an organic complex. European Journal of Soil Science, 21(2), 224-232
Wild, A. (1971). The Potassium Status of Soils in the Savanna Zone of Nigeria. Experimental Agriculture, 7(3):257-270.
Wild, A. (1972). Nitrate leaching under bare fallow at a site in northern Nigeria. European Journal of Soil Science, 23(3), 315-324
Wild, A. (1972). Mineralization of Soil Nitrogen at a Savanna Site in Nigeria. Experimental Agriculture. 8(2), 91-97
Moshi, A.O., Wild, A. & Greenland, D. J. (1974). Effect of organic matter on the charge and phosphate adsorption characteristics of kikuyu red clay from Kenya, Geoderma, 11(4), 275-285.
Wild, A., Skarlou, V., Clement, C. R., & Snaydon, R. W. (1974). Comparison of Potassium Uptake by Four Plant Species Grown in Sand and in Flowing Solution Culture. Journal of Applied Ecology, 11(2), 801–812.
Jones, M. J. & Wild, A. (1975). Soils of the West African Savanna: the maintenance and improvement of their fertility. Technical Communications No. 55, Commonwealth Bureau of Soils, CAB.
Wild, A. & Babiker, I. A. (1976). The asymmetric leaching pattern of nitrate and chloride in a loamy sand under field conditions. European Journal of Soil Science, 27(4), 460-466
Wild, A. (1977). Nitrate in drinking water: health hazard unlikely. Nature 268,197-199
Stone, M. H., & Wild, A. (1977). Rate of nitrification of ammoniated vermiculite. Plant and Soil, 46(3), 633-636.
Stone, M. H., & Wild, A. (1978). The reaction of ammonia with vermiculite and hydrobiotite. Clay Minerals, 13(3), 337-350.
Woodhouse, P. J., Wild, A. & Clement, C. R. (1978). Rate of Uptake of Potassium by Three Crop Species in Relation to Growth, Journal of Experimental Botany, 29(4), 885–894
Omoti, U.& Wild, A. (1979). Use of fluorescent dyes to mark the pathways of solute movement through soils under leaching conditions: 2. Field experiments. Soil Science 128(2), 98-104.
Owusu-Bennoah, E. & Wild, A. (1979). Autoradiography of the depletion zone of phosphate around onion roots in the presence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza. New Phytologist, 82(1), 133-140
Wild, A. & Mazaheri, A. (1979). Prediction of the leaching rate of boric acid under field conditions, Geoderma, 22(2), 127-136,
Wild, A., Woodhouse, P J & Hopper, M.J. (1979). A comparison between the uptake of K by plants from solution of constant potassium concentration and during depletion. Journal of Experimental Botany, 30(4), 697–704,
Owusu-Bennoah, E. & Wild, A. (1980). Effects of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza on the size of the labile pool of soil phosphate. Plant and Soil 54, 233–242.
Wild, A., & Cameron, K. C. (1980). Nitrate leaching through soils and environmental considerations with special reference to recent work in the United Kingdom (pp. 289–306). IAEA.
Cabala-Rosand, P. & Wild, A. (1982). Direct use of low grade phosphate rock from Brazil as fertilizer. Plant and Soil 65, 351–362.
Cabala-Rosand, P., & Wild, A. (1982). Direct use of low grade phosphate rock from Brazil as fertilizer: II. Effects of mycorrhizal inoculation and nitrogen source. Plant and Soil, 65(3), 363-373.
Cameron, K. C. & Wild A. (1982). Comparative rates of leaching of chloride, nitrate and tritiated water under field conditions. European Journal of Soil Science, 33(4), 649-657
Cameron, K. C. & Wild A. (1982). Prediction of solute leaching under field conditions: an appraisal of three methods European Journal of Soil Science, 33(4), 659-669
Asfary AF, Wild A & Harris PM. (1983). Growth, mineral nutrition and water use by potato crops. The Journal of Agricultural Science. 100(1), 87-101.
Cameron, K. C. & Wild A. (1984). Potential Aquifer Pollution from Nitrate Leaching Following the Plowing of Temporary Grassland. Journal of Environmental Quality, 13(2), 274-278
Breeze, V. G., Wild, A., Hopper, M. J., & Jones, L. H. P. (1984). The Uptake of Phosphate by Plants from Flowing Nutrient Solution: II. Growth of Lolium perenne l. At constant phosphate concentrations. Journal of Experimental Botany, 35(8), 1210-1221.
Wild, A. (1985). Soil Use and Management. Soil Use and Management, 1(1), 2-
Rowell, D. L. & Wild, A. (1985). Causes of soil acidification: a summary. Soil Use and Management, 1(1), 32-33
Seneviratne, R. & Wild, A. (1985). Effect of mild drying on the mineralization of soil nitrogen. Plant and Soil, 84, 175–179.
Mueller-Harvey, I. & Wild, A. (1985). Soil organic C, N, S and P after forest clearance in Nigeria: mineralization rates and spatial variability. European Journal of Soil Science, 36(4), 585-591
Mueller-Harvey, I., & Wild, A. (1986). The nature and stability of organic phosphates in leaf litter and soil organic matter in Nigeria. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 18(6), 643-647.
Mueller-Harvey, I., & Wild, A. (1987). Isolation of a new sugar phosphate from forest leaf litter in Nigeria. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 19(3), 323-327.
Wong, M. T. F., Wild, A. & Juo, A. S. R. (1987). Retarded leaching of nitrate measured in monolith lysimeters in south-east Nigeria. European Journal of Soil Science, 38(3), 511-518
Wild, A., Jones, L. H. P., & Macduff, J. H. (1987). Uptake of mineral nutrients and crop growth: the use of flowing nutrient solutions. Advances in Agronomy, 41, 171-219.
Macduff, J. H., Hopper, M. J., & Wild, A. (1987). The effect of root temperature on growth and uptake of ammonium and nitrate by Brassica napus L. cv. bien venu in flowing solution culture: II. uptake from solutions containing NH4NO3. Journal of Experimental Botany, 38(1), 53-66.
Van Der Kruijs, A. C. B., Wong, M. T. F., Juo, A. S. R. & Wild, A. (1988). Recovery of 15N-labelled fertilizer in crops, drainage water and soil using monolith lysimeters in south-east Nigeria. European Journal of Soil Science, 39(4), 483-492
Macduff, J. H., & Wild, A. (1988). Changes in NO3− and K+ uptake by four species in flowing solution culture in response to increased irradiance. Physiologia Plantarum, 74(2), 251-256.
Wild, A. (Ed.). (1988). Russell’s Soil Conditions and Plant Growth. 11th edition. Pearson Education Ltd.
Wild A. (1989). Soil scientists as members of the scientific community. European Journal of Soil Science, 40(2), 209-221.
De Miranda, J. C. C., Harris, P. J. & Wild A. (1989). Effects of soil and plant phosphorus concentrations on vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza in sorghum plants. New Phytologist, 112(3), 405-410
Wild, A. (1989). Mineral nutrients in tropical ecosystems: a soil scientist’s view. In: Mineral nutrients in tropical forest and savanna ecosystems (Ed. J. Proctor). Blackwell Scientific Publications.
Jenkinson, D. S., Adams, D. E., & Wild, A. (1991). Model estimates of CO2 emissions from soil in response to global warming. Nature, 351(6324), 304-306.
Wong, M. T. F., Wild, A., & Mokwunye, A. U. (1991). Overcoming soil nutrient constraints to crop production in West Africa: Importance of fertilizers and priorities in soil fertility research. Fertilizer Research, 29(1), 45-54.
Greenland, D. J., Wild, A. & Adams, D. (1992). Organic Matter Dynamics in Soils of the Tropics—From Myth to Complex Reality. In: Myths and Science of Soils of the Tropics (Eds. R. Lala & P. A. Sanchez). Soil Science Society of America.
Trehan, S.P. & Wild, A. (1993). Effects of an organic manure on the transformations of ammonium nitrogen in planted and unplanted soil. Plant and Soil 151, 287–294.
Wild, A. (1993). Soils and the Environment: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press
Gower, C., Rowell, D. L., Nortcliff, S. & Wild, A. (1995). Soil acidification: comparison of acid deposition from the atmosphere with inputs from the litter/soil organic layer, Geoderma, 66(1–2), 85-98,
Wild, A. (2003). Soils, Land and Food: Managing the land during the twenty-first century. Cambridge University Press
