Georges Morel
Georges Michel Morel (* 1916 , † 1973 ) was a French botanist . In many publications he is named as the discoverer of meristem propagation in orchids (1960).
Life
Morel studied agricultural science and plant pathology at the Institut de Chemistry in Paris . He then worked at the Institut national de la recherche agronomique . In 1943 he joined Roger Jean Gautheret's laboratory to do his doctorate there. 1948–1951 he worked at Harvard University in the USA on tissue cultures . After returning to France, he became director of the National Agricultural Research Center of the French Ministry of Agriculture.
Orchids
Morel owned an orchid of the genus Cymbidium in his private greenhouse. This plant was infected with a mosaic virus . To get a virus-free plant, Morel isolated the shoot tips , a method that had previously been successfully used on dahlias and potatoes . This laid the foundation for a new method of propagation, which today enables orchids to be propagated a million times over.
criticism
In the more recent literature, Morel is criticized for not sufficiently quoting and appreciating earlier work on the meristem propagation of orchids. In particular, the contributions by Gavino Rotor (1917–2005) and Hans Thomale (1919–2002) should have been mentioned.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b TW Yam, J. Arditti: History of orchid propagation: a mirror of the history of biotechnology . In: Plant Biotechnology Reports . tape 3 , no. 1 , 2009, p. 1-56 , doi : 10.1007 / s11816-008-0066-3 .
- ^ G. Morel: Producing virus-free cymbidiums . In: American Orchid Society Bulletin . tape 29 , 1960, pp. 495-497 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Morel, Georges |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Morel, Georges Michel (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French botanist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1916 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1973 |