Arnon, Daniel I(srael) (1910–1994)

Polish-born plant physiologist. Arnon worked at the University of California. His pioneering investigations of photosynthesis began in the late 1940s, and he published results of the first photosynthetic process outside of the living cell in 1954. Arnon also discovered ‘photosynthetic phosphorylation’, which occurs in the absence of carbon dioxide.

Arnon's early research concerned the role of trace elements in algae and higher plants. In 1939, he demonstrated that the hydroponic culture of tomatoes is only feasible if the available soil is incapable of supporting growth.