Crop physiology: Significant discoveries and our changing perspective on research

Division C-2 (Crop Physiology and Metabolism) has been a major component of the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) since its inception. In this paper, we reflect on the accomplishments of those involved with crop physiology since the founding of CSSA, on the present status of our discipline, and on the future opportunities for the discipline. Obviously, we cannot review all of the many advances that have been made in the past 50 yr, so this paper makes no attempt to be an exhaustive literature review. We apologize in advance to those whose important contributions are not mentioned. Since we have both been active in crop physiology for our whole careers, we will take the liberty of personal experience and observation, although the hope is that we are not too self-indulgent! The three themes in this paper are, first, to highlight critical historical events impacting or reflecting crop physiological research during the past 50 yr; second, to highlight significant discoveries during this time period; and third, to discuss the need to consider crop physiology in a holistic and integrated way.