Walter Heinrich Fuchs

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Walter Heinrich Fuchs

Walter Heinrich Fuchs (born February 29, 1904 in Vienna ; † September 11, 1981 in Göttingen ) was a German phytomedicist . For twenty years he taught as a professor for phytopathology and plant protection at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen .

Life path

Walter Heinrich Fuchs studied botany and chemistry at the University of Vienna and received his doctorate there in 1928 with a dissertation in the field of physiological chemistry. In the same year he went to the Institute for Plant Cultivation and Plant Breeding at the University of Halle (Saale) as assistant to Theodor Roemer . At first he dealt with questions about the winter hardiness of cereals, later he became more and more interested in the field of phytopathology. In 1932 he succeeded Max Hollrung in the "Lecturing for Plant Diseases" at the University of Halle.

In the following years, Fuchs mainly devoted himself to the issues of resistance breeding . He completed his habilitation in Halle in 1937 with the text Studies on the Resistance Problem . In 1937 he was accepted into the NSDAP (membership number 4.041.044). The book The Breeding Resistant Races of Cultivated Plants , published in 1938, was created as a joint effort with Theodor Roemer and Karl Isenbeck . In 1942, Fuchs was appointed as a scheduled associate professor for phytopathology at the University of Halle. He held this office until the end of the Second World War.

After 1945, Fuchs initially worked as a freelancer. In 1948 he took over the management of the Rosenhof branch of the Max Planck Institute for Breeding Research , at that time in Ladenburg am Neckar. In 1952 he accepted a call to the University of Göttingen as a full professor for plant pathology and plant protection . Here he worked as director of the institute of the same name until his retirement in 1972.

Research services

In Göttingen, Fuchs worked on a variety of problems in the field of phytomedicine. Due to his solid botanical and chemical basic training, he pursued interdisciplinary research approaches at an early stage. One focus of his work was questions of physiology and cytology in the interrelationships between host plants and parasites. Through a thorough study of old and new literature, Fuchs deepened his knowledge of his area of ​​expertise and developed guidelines on the development of phytomedicine in its connection with the neighboring disciplines.

However, the results of his thinking were not exhausted in theoretical models, but he also made connections to agricultural practice. This is especially true for demonstrating the importance of economic factors in connection with environmentally friendly plant protection . Fuchs pointed out the need for integrated pest management at an early stage and repeatedly urged that the open problems should be solved through interdisciplinary cooperation. In this area in particular, he had a lasting impact on the thinking and acting of his students.

Fuchs has mastered the art of showing the close connections between sub-areas of phytomedicine and neighboring disciplines in clear manual contributions. The article " Yield Security " (Handbuch der Pflanzenzuchtung 1958) , written together with Klaus von Rosenstiel , and the article " Nutrition and Resistance of Cultivated Plants to Pathogens and Pests " written together with Friedrich Großmann (Manual of Plant Nutrition and Fertilization 1972) deserve special mention.

The basic overview articles in which Fuchs comments on scientific and practical tasks in his field include: " Paths and goals of plant protection research " (1938), " Plant protection in science and practice " (1955) and " Development dynamics in plant protection " (1969) . His contribution “ History of physiological plant pathology ” , published in 1976 in the “Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology”, is significant for the scientific history of phytomedicine .

honors and awards

Publications (selection)

  • Studies on the resistance problem . Natural science Habil. Writing, Halle (Saale) 1937.
  • Th. Roemer, WH Fuchs and K. Isenbeck: The breeding of resistant crop plants . Paul Parey Berlin 1938.
  • Paths and goals of crop protection research . In: Kühn Archive Vol. 50, 1938, pp. 251–274.
  • Plant protection in science and practice . In: Series of publications by the Agricultural Faculty of the Georg-August University of Göttingen, Vol. 2, 1955, pp. 27–37.
  • Yield security (with Klaus von Rosenstiel) In: Handbuch der Pflanzenzuchtung . Edited by H. Kappert and W. Rudorf. Verlag Paul Parey Berlin and Hamburg, 2nd ed., Vol. 1, 1958, pp. 365-442.
  • Development dynamics in crop protection . In: Archive of the German Agricultural Society, Vol. 44, 1969, pp. 101–124.
  • Nutrition and resistance of cultivated plants to pathogens and pests (together with Friedrich Großmann). In: Handbook of plant nutrition and fertilization . Published by Hans Linser Springer-Verlag Wien-New York, Volume 1, 2nd half, 1972, pp. 1007–1107.
  • History of physiological plant pathology . In: Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology , New Series Vol. 4 = Physiological Plant Pathology. Edited by R. Heitefuss and PH Williams. Springer-Verlag Berlin 1976, pp. 1-26.

literature

  • F. Großmann: Walter Heinrich Fuchs on his 60th birthday . In: Journal of Plant Diseases (Plant Pathology) and Plant Protection Vol. 71, 1964, pp. 65-67 (with picture).
  • R. Heitefuß : Prof. Dr. WH Fuchs 70 years . In: Newsletter of the German Plant Protection Service vol. 26, 1974, p. 30.
  • Walter Heinrich Fuchs on the award of the Otto Appel Memorial Medal . In: Newsletter of the German Plant Protection Service vol. 27, 1975, pp. 81–82 (with picture).
  • R. Heitefuß: Prof. Dr. Walter Heinrich Fuchs † . In: Newsletter of the German Plant Protection Service vol. 33, 1981, p. 192.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Fuchs, Walter Heinrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German phytomedicist
DATE OF BIRTH February 29, 1904
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH September 11, 1981
Place of death Goettingen