Gustav Gassner
Encyclopedia
Gustav Gassner was a German botanist and plant pathologist whose 1918 paper on vernalization
has been called "the first systematic study of temperature as a factor in the developmental physiology of plants."
His wide-ranging research interests in phytopathology
and plant physiology
included work on photosynthesis and plant nutrition
as well as practical work on plant diseases such as rust
and smut
.
His classic text from 1931 Mikroskopische Untersuchung pflanzlicher Lebensmittel und Futtermittel ("Microscopic examination of plant foods and beverages") is still in use in German universities and is still referred to by German students as "Gassner."
, Uruguay
and married Lili Fassier-Farnell, with whom he had four sons and a daughter.
, attended the Friedrichs-Gymnasium in Berlin and then studied botany and natural sciences, in Halle and Berlin, from 1899 to 1905, getting his PhD in 1906 from the Agricultural University of Berlin. In 1907 he became professor of botany and plant pathology at the Agricultural University of Montevideo, Uruguay.
During World War I
, he directed a German Army laboratory. In 1918 he was appointed to the Chair of Botany at the Technical University of Braunschweig
, where he also directed the Botanical Institute and the Botanical Gardens.
Although he considered himself a patriotic German, he was dismissed from his rectorship and imprisoned for 11 days in 1932 after taking such anti-Nazi actions as prohibiting the Hitler salute and forbidding any political activity within the Institute of Technology in Brauschweig. In September 1933 he was also dismissed as professor of botany; he emigrated to Turkey in 1934. After spending five years working in Turkey, he returned to Germany in 1939 to become head of the Research Institute for Plant Conservation and Biology in Magdeburg
. In 1945, he was appointed rector and professor at the Technical University of Braunschweig, from which he retired in 1951.
Gassner's 1918 paper on the effect of lowered temperature on the development of winter rye inspired many followers; by the 1930s work on vernalization was being described as "trendy" (Modeforschung). His wide-ranging research interests in phytopathology
and plant physiology
included work on photosynthesis and plant nutrition
as well as practical work on plant diseases such as rust
and smut
. He also researched the use of chemical pesticides to protect germinating plants, such as treating seeds with organic mercury compounds. In his lifetime, he received many honors including, in 1952, Germany's Grand Cross of Merit.
Vernalization
Vernalization is the acquisition of a plant's ability to flower or germinate in the spring by exposure to the prolonged cold of winter...
has been called "the first systematic study of temperature as a factor in the developmental physiology of plants."
His wide-ranging research interests in phytopathology
Phytopathology
Plant pathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens and environmental conditions . Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, viroids, virus-like organisms, phytoplasmas, protozoa, nematodes and parasitic plants...
and plant physiology
Plant physiology
Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology , plant ecology , phytochemistry , cell biology, and molecular biology.Fundamental processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, plant nutrition,...
included work on photosynthesis and plant nutrition
Plant nutrition
'Plant Nutrition is the study of the chemical elements that are necessary for growth. In 1972, E. Epstein defined 2 criteria for an element to be essential for plant growth:# in its absence the plant is unable to complete a normal life cycle or...
as well as practical work on plant diseases such as rust
Rust (fungus)
Rusts are plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi of the order Pucciniales. About 7800 species are known. Rusts can affect a variety of plants; leaves, stems, fruits and seeds. Rust is most commonly seen as coloured powder, composed off tiny aeciospores which land on vegetation producing...
and smut
Smut (fungus)
The smuts are multicellular fungi, that are characterized by their large numbers of teliospores. The smuts get their name from a Germanic word for dirt because of their dark, thick-walled and dust-like teliospores. They are mostly Ustilaginomycetes and can cause plant disease...
.
His classic text from 1931 Mikroskopische Untersuchung pflanzlicher Lebensmittel und Futtermittel ("Microscopic examination of plant foods and beverages") is still in use in German universities and is still referred to by German students as "Gassner."
Personal life
In 1910 he returned to Germany from MontevideoMontevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and married Lili Fassier-Farnell, with whom he had four sons and a daughter.
Scientific career
Gassner, the son of emigrants from SalzburgSalzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, attended the Friedrichs-Gymnasium in Berlin and then studied botany and natural sciences, in Halle and Berlin, from 1899 to 1905, getting his PhD in 1906 from the Agricultural University of Berlin. In 1907 he became professor of botany and plant pathology at the Agricultural University of Montevideo, Uruguay.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he directed a German Army laboratory. In 1918 he was appointed to the Chair of Botany at the Technical University of Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, where he also directed the Botanical Institute and the Botanical Gardens.
Although he considered himself a patriotic German, he was dismissed from his rectorship and imprisoned for 11 days in 1932 after taking such anti-Nazi actions as prohibiting the Hitler salute and forbidding any political activity within the Institute of Technology in Brauschweig. In September 1933 he was also dismissed as professor of botany; he emigrated to Turkey in 1934. After spending five years working in Turkey, he returned to Germany in 1939 to become head of the Research Institute for Plant Conservation and Biology in Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
. In 1945, he was appointed rector and professor at the Technical University of Braunschweig, from which he retired in 1951.
Phytopathology
Plant pathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens and environmental conditions . Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, viroids, virus-like organisms, phytoplasmas, protozoa, nematodes and parasitic plants...
and plant physiology
Plant physiology
Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology , plant ecology , phytochemistry , cell biology, and molecular biology.Fundamental processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, plant nutrition,...
included work on photosynthesis and plant nutrition
Plant nutrition
'Plant Nutrition is the study of the chemical elements that are necessary for growth. In 1972, E. Epstein defined 2 criteria for an element to be essential for plant growth:# in its absence the plant is unable to complete a normal life cycle or...
as well as practical work on plant diseases such as rust
Rust (fungus)
Rusts are plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi of the order Pucciniales. About 7800 species are known. Rusts can affect a variety of plants; leaves, stems, fruits and seeds. Rust is most commonly seen as coloured powder, composed off tiny aeciospores which land on vegetation producing...
and smut
Smut (fungus)
The smuts are multicellular fungi, that are characterized by their large numbers of teliospores. The smuts get their name from a Germanic word for dirt because of their dark, thick-walled and dust-like teliospores. They are mostly Ustilaginomycetes and can cause plant disease...
. He also researched the use of chemical pesticides to protect germinating plants, such as treating seeds with organic mercury compounds. In his lifetime, he received many honors including, in 1952, Germany's Grand Cross of Merit.
Writings
- Gassner, Gustav: "Beiträge zur physiologischen Charakteristik sommer und winteranueller Gewächse insbesondere der Getreidepflanzen," Zeitschr. Botanik Berlin 1918.
- Mikroskopische Untersuchung pflanzlicher Lebensmittel und Futtermittel : der Gassner. ISBN 3-89947-256-X.