Mancel Thornton Munn (January 31, 1887 in

Plainwell, Michigan Plainwell is a city in Allegan County, Michigan, Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,804 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Plainwell is located on M-89 (Michigan highway), M-89 just east of its junction ...

– November 16, 1956 in

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of th ...

) was a

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botanist, an

agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.), is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the ...

, and an expert in crop seed testing who pioneered some of the early

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legislative efforts to regulate the import of seeds from other countries. He was also an Emeritus Professor of Seed Investigations at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. Munn attended the Michigan Agricultural College, graduating in June 1911, and studied seed samples in accordance with the provisions of Michigan's Pure Seed Law during his final two years there. Following graduation, he accepted a position as an Assistant in Research at "the New York Experiment Station at Geneva, where he will have charge of the seed work". Munn rose through the ranks at the Agricultural Experiment Station, being promoted to assistant botanist in 1918, Associate Botanist in 1929, and finally becoming Professor and Head of the present Department of Seed Investigation in 1936. From 1936 through1952 Munn was head of the Department of Seed Investigations,

New York State Agricultural Experiment Station The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) at Geneva, Ontario County, New York State, is an agricultural experiment station operated by the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. In August 20 ...

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

. He is known for developing early techniques to test seeds for viability of

germplasm Germplasm are living genetic resources such as seeds or tissues that are maintained for the purpose of animal and plant breeding, preservation, and other research uses. These resources may take the form of seed collections stored in seed banks, tr ...

, and he had an interest in

mycology Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans, including as a source for tinder, traditional medicine, food, and entheogens, as ...

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munn, Mancel Thornton 1887 births 1956 deaths 20th-century American botanists American agronomists Cornell University faculty People from Plainwell, Michigan