Tschermak
NAME: Tschermak, Erich von
ACHIEVEMENTS: Rediscovered Mendel’s laws of heredity and applied it to agriculture purposes
NICKNAME/ALIAS: Erich von Tschermack-Seysenegg, or Erich Tschermak von Seysenegg
DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: 12th November 1871, Vienna, Austria
DATE/PLACE OF DEATH/AGE AT DEATH: 11th October, 1962, Vienna. Age 91
DISCIPLINE: Agronomist
FIELD: Botany. Genetics
LANGUAGE: German
PARENTS: Gustav Tschermak von Seysenegg (mineralogist); Hermine Fenzl
SIBLINGS: Armin; Sylvia; one other
SPOUSE: Married twice.
CHILDREN: None
EDUCATION: University of Vienna; Vienna Agricultural College; one year field work; University of Halle
MAJOR WORK:
LIFE AND TIMES:
Erich von Tschermak was born into a scholarly family during a critical time in the development of scientific theory in Europe. Charles Darwin’s development of his theory of evolution was causing an upheaval in the assumptions of creationism that had become a cultural tradition and a cornerstone of scientific thought.
Tschermak studies were completed at the University of Halle, which was had one of the largest agricultural programs in Austria at that time. At Halle he was able to learn from two of the most influential people in the agriculture, Kurt von Rumker and Wilhelm Rimpau. Both were influential in the new science of plant breeding, which was being spearheaded by the agricultural community for improvement of crops.
After graduation, Tschermack was employed at agricultural stations in Quedlinburg and Stendal, Germany, then moved to Ghent, Belgium, where in 1898 he began to study vegetable and flower breeding, inspired by <inspired by> Charles Darwin*’s work on the subject.
At Ghent, Tschermak began his first series of experiments, using peas (pisum sativum). His goal was to improve upon the reliability of plant breeding. Most plant breeding at that time was haphazard and simply involved mixing two varieties in order to create diversity. Tschermak sought to develop a method to create consistent results that integrated the preferred qualities of each parent.
Tschermak was seemingly unaware that <anticipated by> Mendel* had performed the exact experiment nearly fifty years earlier. When Mendel published his work in 1865, it was largely ignored by the scientific community.
When Tschermak began his own study of heredity in plant hybridization, he supposedly came across Mendel’s work and recognized its importance. Some scholars contend that although Tschermak was on the right track, his findings were not as accurate as Mendel’s.
At the same time that Tschermak was carrying out his work in Austria, <work parallelled that of> De Vries* in Holland, and <work paralleled that of> Correns* in Germany were carrying out similar experiments. In 1900, all three (independently and almost at the same time) published their results, confirming Mendel’s theory of heredity.
Tschermak’s became an ardent supporter of Mendel’s theories, and continued to improve crop types that improved yields and withstood harsh conditions. Later advances in biology have shown while Tschermak’s practical work was of great value, he contributed little to the discipline’s theoretical base.
In 1909 Tschermack traveled to the US, to meet and study the work of the great American horticulturalist <studied under> Burbank*, who Tschermak praised for his talent in the art of plant breeding for practical use.
Perhaps Tschermack’s most important work lay in producing new types of rye, wheat, barley, oats and legumes, as well as a short-shooted, edible pumpkin (“Tschermack’s pumpkin”) with soft-shelled, oil-rich seeds. He also produced several new types of primrose.
ASSESSMENT: A key player in the new field of genetics and biology during the formation of the field, he focused more on the practical applications of plant breeding to agriculture as opposed to purely theoretical research.
EXTRA CONNECTIONS: None
ONELINER: Erich von Tschermack, one of the re-discoverers of Mendel’s laws of heredity
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Harwood, J., The rediscovery of Mendelism in agricultural context: Erich von Tschermak as plant-breeder, Life Sciences, 323, 1061-1067. 2000
Hurst, C.C., Experiments in Genetics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1925.
Olby, R., Origins of Mendelism, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1966.