Karl Schmalfuß

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Karl Schmalfuß (born November 5, 1904 in Wedruschitz near Saaz (Northern Bohemia), † December 3, 1976 in Halle (Saale) ) was a German agricultural chemist and soil scientist .

Live and act

Karl Schmalfuß, son of a farmer, studied agriculture and natural sciences at the University of Halle (Saale) since 1924 and received his doctorate there in 1930 at the natural sciences faculty with the dissertation " Investigations into the intercalary growth zone on glumiflora and dicotyledon stems ". After working for several years as a scientific assistant in Halle, Marburg and Berlin, he completed his habilitation in Berlin in 1935 with a thesis on the physiological role of potassium in plants. In 1936 he was appointed lecturer in Berlin. In 1942 he was appointed to the University of Poznan , where in 1943 he was appointed Professor of Plant Nutrition and Soil Biology to head the Institute for Plant Nutrition and Soil Biology.

In 1945 Schmalfuß returned to the University of Halle. He took over the management of the Institute for Plant Nutrition and Soil Biology, which he soon renamed the Institute for Plant Nutrition and Soil Science. He headed this institute as director until his retirement in 1969.

The main scientific interest of Schmalfuß was the physiological problems in plant nutrition , in particular the protein and carbohydrate metabolism and fat synthesis. Further research foci were problems of humus formation in the soil and the related questions of nitrogen conversion. In addition to physiological experiments, Schmalfuß also carried out extensive field fertilization experiments. Their results provided new insights into the problem of soil fertility and pointed the way for the practical use of fertilizers in the context of industrial production methods in agriculture in the GDR.

By the time he retired, Schmalfuß had led 22 of his students to obtain a doctorate. The study book " Basics of General Botany " (1943) deserves special mention among his independent publications . The exemplary textbook " Plant Nutrition and Soil Science " is considered to be his most important life science achievement . The work, first published in 1947, had eleven editions by 1969.

honors and awards

Books and writings (selection)

  • Investigations into the intercalary growth zone on glumiflora and dicotyledon flower stems . Dis. Natural science Fac. Halle 1930. - Zugl. in: Flora Vol. 124, 1930, pp. 333-366.
  • The potassium. A study of the cation problem in the plant's metabolism and nutrition . Verlag Datterer & Co. Munich 1936 = Science and Agriculture H. 19. - Zugl: Habil.-Schr. Univ. Berlin 1936.
  • Basics of general botany . Verlag Trowitzsch und Sohn Frankfurt / Oder 1943 = Soldiers' letters for professional development, anthology No. 110. - 2nd edition, S. Hirzel Verlag Stuttgart 1948.
  • Plant nutrition and soil science . S. Hirzel Verlag Leipzig 1947; 2nd edition 1948; 3rd edition 1950; 4th edition 1951; 5th edition 1952; 6th edition 1953; 7th edition 1955; 8th edition 1958; 9th edition 1963; 10th edition 1966, 11th edition 1969.
  • About fat formation in plant seeds . S. Hirzel Verlag Leipzig. - Zugl. in: Meeting reports of the German Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Berlin, Vol. 3, no. 15, 1954.
  • Some systematic studies on the problem of soil fertility . Treatises of the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig, Mathematical and Natural Science Class, Vol. 45, No. 5, 1956.
  • The field test "Eternal rye cultivation" in Halle . In: Die Phosphorsäure Vol. 17, 1957, pp. 133-143.
  • The geochemical importance of nitrogen with special reference to agricultural production and fertilizers . In: Handbuch der Pflanzenphysiologie, Springer-Verlag Berlin-Göttingen-Heidelberg, Vol. 8, 1958, pp. 1128–1146.

literature

  • K. Lenz: Prof. Dr. Dr.hc K. Schmalfuß on his 65th birthday . In: Albrecht-Thaer-Archiv Vol. 13, 1969, pp. 909-917 (with list of publications and picture on p. 907).
  • G. Schilling: Prof. Dr. Dr. hc K. Schmalfuß 65 years old . In: Kühn Archive Vol. 84, 1970, before p. 1 (with picture).
  • G. Schilling: In the memoriam of Prof. Dr. Dr.hc Karl Schmalfuß . In: Archive for arable and plant cultivation and soil science, Vol. 21, 1977, pp. 173–174 (with picture).
  • Klaus Dörter: Karl Schmalfuß . In: Yearbook 1975–1976 of the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig. Akademie-Verlag Berlin 1979, pp. 239–245 (with picture and list of publications).
  • Hermann Stumpe and Joachim Garz: Karl Schmalfuß - personality, work and legacy . In: Plant nutrition in Halle (p.) In the second half of the 20th century. Colloquium on the 100th birthday of Karl Schmalfuß = contributions from Halle's plant nutrition research, issue 7, edited by W. Merbach and F. Herbst. Verlag Grauer Beuren - Stuttgart 2005, pp. 11-21. There further contributions, picture, list of publications and three poems by Karl Schmalfuß.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Newsletter of the German Science and Technology, organ of the Reich Research Council (Hrsg.): Research and progress . Staff news. Appointments. tape 19, 23/24 , 1943, pp. 252 .
  2. ↑ National laureate party friend Prof. Dr. Karl Schmalfuß. In: LDPD information. 7th year, issue 19, 1953, p. 367.
personal data
SURNAME Schmalfuß, Karl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German agricultural chemist and soil scientist
DATE OF BIRTH 5th November 1904
PLACE OF BIRTH Wedruschitz near Saatz
DATE OF DEATH 3rd December 1976
Place of death Halle (Saale)