Niels Ebbesen Hansen was a Danish-American horticulturist and botanist who was a pioneer in Plant breeding

Plant breeding

Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the genetics of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. Plant breeding can be accomplished through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation, to more complex molecular...

.

Background

Niels Ebbesen Hansen was born in the village of Fardrup, in Ribe County

Ribe County

Ribe Amt is a former county on the Jutland peninsula of southwest Denmark. It included Denmark's fifth largest city, Esbjerg. The county was abolished effective January 1, 2007, when it merged into Region of Southern Denmark .-List of County Mayors:-Municipalities :...

, Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

. He was the son of Danish-born muralist Andreas Hansen and Bodil Midtgaard. His parents brought him to the United States at the age of seven. In 1876, the family moved to Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...

. At the age of seventeen he entered Iowa State College from which he graduated with a B.S. in horticulture in 1887. After graduation, he worked for a time in a large grape nursery. He was induced to return to Iowa State. He was awarded his Master of Science degree in 1895.

Career

South Dakota State College (now South Dakota State University), then looking for someone to build its Horticultural Department, selected Hansen for the job. In 1895, Hansen came to South Dakota and became head of the Horticultural Department of South Dakota State College.

Hansen searched for new grasses, fruits and other plants throughout Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

. He brought these plants back to America to raise or crossbreed with American varieties to produce a stronger plant. He was the originator of many new fruits, among them the Hansen hybrid plums. He is credited with the discovery and introduction of hardy Cossack alfalfa

Alfalfa

Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...

, crested wheat grass and brome grass. He developed larger apricots and plums by crossing native varieties with those he brought from Asia.

Hansen was a member of the International Jury of Horticulture at the World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri

Louisiana Purchase Exposition

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...

 in 1904 and a United States delegate to the First International Congress of Genetics

International Congress of Genetics

The International Congress of Genetics is a five yearly conference for geneticists. The first ICG was held in 1898. SInce 1973 It has been organized by the International Genetics Federation . The aim of the congress is to reflect on progress made in genetics, to celebrate the best of contemporary...

 in London, England in 1906. He served as secretary of the South Dakota Horticultural Society for many years. In 1949, a monument

Monument

A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...

in recognition of Dr. Hansen and his contributions was erected on the campus of South Dakota State College.

A collection of the records, faculty papers, and related materials of Niels Ebbesen Hansen are maintained in the Archives of South Dakota State University.

Selected works

• Notes on the breeding of fruits (1893)
• Fruit stocks where the mercury freezes (1931)
• The wild alfalfas and clovers of Siberia, with a perspective view of the alfalfas of the world (1909)
• Some Sterile And Fertile Plant Hybrids (1926)
• Fruits, old and new and northern plant novelties (1937)

Other sources

• Rumbaugh, M. D N.E. Hansen's contributions to alfalfa breeding in North America (Bulletin / Agricultural Experiment Station, South Dakota State University. 1979)
• Loen, Helen Hansen, The banebryder (the trail breaker): The Travel Records of Niels Ebbesen Hansen, 1897-1934 (Kalamazoo, Mich.: H. Loen. 2002)
• Loen, Helen Hansen, With a Brush and Muslin Bag: the Life of Niels Ebbesen Hansen (Kalamazoo, Mich.: H. Loen. 2003)
• Loen, Helen Hansen, The Journals of Niels Ebbesen Hansen, 1879-1892 (Kalamazoo, Mich.: H. Loen. 2004)