Otto Appel

Friedrich Carl Louis Otto Appel ( born May 19, 1867 in Coburg, † November 10, 1952 in Berlin- Zehlendorf ) was a German Phytomediziner. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Appel ".

He was from 1920 to 1933 director of the Imperial Biological Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Berlin -Dahlem and developed this institution to an internationally recognized research institution. At the same time he organized throughout Germany a powerful plant protection service.

Journey

Otto Appel, son of a businessman first made, a pharmacist teaching and began his study of botany in 1890 at the Silesian Friedrich Wilhelm University. Since 1891 he was a member, and later honorary fellow of the Corps Corp. Frisia to Wroclaw.

In 1893 he moved to the Julius -Maximilians -University of Würzburg, where he phil 1897 with Julius Sachs with a thesis on plant galls Dr.. received his doctorate. In 1898 he was hired as an assistant at the Bacteriological Institute of the University of Königsberg. In 1899 he accepted an offer to take over a " unskilled office " at the newly founded " Biological Department of Agriculture and Forestry of the Imperial Health Office " in Berlin. Initially he worked in the Botanical Laboratory, which he headed since 1903. In 1913 he was appointed a Privy Councillor. From 1920 until his retirement in 1933 he was director of product derived from the Biological Department of the Imperial Health Office, Imperial Biological Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Berlin -Dahlem. He played a leading role in the re-establishment of the Association of German Plant doctors, who served in 1949 under the name of German unification plants doctors as professional representation of Phytomedizinern. Otto Appel was its honorary chairman, and thus also the first member of the later German Phytopathological Society renamed professional society. In his honor is awarded to date, the Otto Appel Commemorative Medal for outstanding achievements in the field of phytomedicine.

Research services

Appel's scientific interest was especially true of the potato. Through numerous activities he promoted sustainable potato production in Germany. With financial support from the German potato company he founded in 1919 a research institute for potato cultivation, which he directed until 1923. Later he was able to incorporate this institute in the kingdom Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry. Pioneering research contributions published Appel on the prevention of diseases and pests in potato by the use of healthy planting material. Leading the way for agricultural practice was first published in 1918 his publication "The seed potato ". Vital to the farming were his successful attempts to fight fire diseases in cereals.

As director of the Imperial Biological Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Appel has organized the Plant Protection Service in Germany indicative. He established branches of this institution in many places within the then Reich territory and gave them certain special tasks. Through its activities, he influenced decisively the 1937 issued a " Law for the Protection of agricultural crops ." In a 1919 article, published on "The future of plant protection in Germany," he called to set up departments of Plant Pathology at the universities in Germany. He held an honorary professor since 1921 lectures at the Agricultural College in Berlin.

Appel was editor or co-editor of important works in his field. He has co-edited several volumes of Paul Sorauers "Handbook of Plant Diseases ." The issued his own " pocket atlases " that treat the major diseases and pests of crops and illustrated in an exemplary manner by the artist August Dressel were, for decades highly valued counselor in the agricultural practice. From the successful book Albrecht Thaer Conrad on "The agricultural weeds " ( first edition 1881) Appel has published two further editions in 1923 and 1927. Important for the self-understanding of the oriented crop production on agricultural disciplines is still his 1930 published article " Plant Pathology and Plant Breeding ". He emphatically calls here a close cooperation between the two disciplines.

Honors and Awards

For his successful efforts in the field of Phytomedicine Appel has received many awards and honors. Only the honorary doctorates of the universities or universities of Vienna, Sofia and Berlin document recognition of his scientific achievements at home and abroad. In 1905 he was elected a member of the Scholars Academy Leopoldina. On the occasion of his 85th birthday in 1952 him the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany was awarded. In the same year science and industry donated the "Otto Appel Commemorative Medal ", awarded to date, the highest distinction of the German Plant Protection Service to deserving personalities. In 1992, the Berlin Senate, the tomb of Otto Appel at the cemetery in Berlin-Dahlem Dahlem recognized as an honorary tomb of Berlin. A private street in Berlin's Steglitz- Zehlendorf, not far from the main entrance of the Botanical Garden, was named in 2001 after Otto Appel.

Works (selection)

• With Paul Erich Otto Wilhelm Knuth, Serious Loew, Herrmann Müller: Handbook of floral biology, on the basis of Herman Müller's work ". Fertilization of flowers by insects ." W. Engelmann, Leipzig 1898 - 1905 doi: 10.5962/bhl.title.23080
• With Paul Graebner, L. Reh, Paul Sorauer: Handbook of Plant Diseases. Paul Parey, Berlin 1909 doi: 10.5962/bhl.title.21244
• The seed potato. Verlagsbuchhandlung Paul Parey Berlin 1918; 2nd edition 1920 = agricultural booklets No. 35
• The future of plant protection in Germany. In: Applied Botany Volume 1, 1919, pp. 3-15.
• Conrad Albrecht Thaer: The agricultural weeds. Colored illustration, description and control agent thereof.. Edition Berlin 1881, revised editions of Otto Appel: Verlagsbuchhandlung Paul Parey Berlin, 4th edition 1923, 5th edition 1927.
• With Ernst Emanuel Silva Tarouca and Camillo Karl Schneider: Our free- coniferous woods; Cultivation, care and use of all known in Central Europe in the free culture -age conifers with the inclusion of ginkgo and ephedra. 2, neudurchgesehene and presumably edition, Hölder - Pichler- Tempsky, Vienna 1923 doi: 10.5962/bhl.title.45862
• Plant Pathology and Plant Breeding. In: The Breeders Vol 2, 1930, pp. 309-313.