Gustav Gassner (born 17 January 1881 in Berlin; died 5 February 1955 in

Lüneburg Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also calle ...

) was a German

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and

plant pathologist Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungus, fung ...

whose 1918 paper on

vernalization Vernalization (from Latin ''vernus'', "of the spring") is the induction of a plant's flowering process by exposure to the prolonged cold of winter, or by an artificial equivalent. After vernalization, plants have acquired the ability to flower, ...

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 Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomyc ...

and

plant physiology Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (bi ...

included work on photosynthesis and

plant nutrition Plant nutrition is the study of the chemical elements and compounds necessary for plant growth and reproduction, plant metabolism and their external supply. In its absence the plant is unable to complete a normal life cycle, or that the element i ...

as well as practical work on plant diseases such as

rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH ...

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."

Personal life

In 1910 he returned to Germany from

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

and married Lili Fassier-Farnell, with whom he had four sons and a daughter.

Scientific career

Gassner, the son of emigrants from

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

, 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 The Agricultural University of Berlin (german: Landwirtschaftliche Hochschule Berlin) was an agricultural university in Berlin, Germany. Established in 1881, it was closed in 1934, and incorporated as a faculty into the Humboldt University of Ber ...

. In 1907 he became professor of botany and plant pathology at the Agricultural University of Montevideo, Uruguay. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he directed a German Army laboratory. In 1918 he was appointed to the Chair of Botany at the

Technical University An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

, 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 (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...

. In 1945, he was appointed rector and professor at the Technical University of Braunschweig, from which he retired in 1951. Ustilago maydis de 2

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

and

included work on photosynthesis and

as well as practical work on plant diseases such as

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.

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''. .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gassner, Gustav 1881 births 1955 deaths 20th-century German botanists Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German phytopathologists Technical University of Braunschweig faculty University of the Republic (Uruguay) faculty