Claude Wilbur Edgerton (9 March 1880–April 6, 1965) was an American

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

. He was born in

Woodbine, Iowa Woodbine is a city in Harrison County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River. The population was 1,625 at the time of the 2020 census. History Woodbine was platted 1866 at the time the Chicago and North Western Railway was built through t ...

, and earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

in 1903, and a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

in 1908. After this he was employed at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, initially as a

plant pathologist Plant pathology or phytopathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Plant pathology involves the study of pathogen identification, disease ...

in the Agricultural Research Station, and later as Professor and then Head of Botany, Bacteriology, and Plant Pathology in 1924. Edgerton had this position until his retirement in 1950. He was known for his study of

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

diseases; his teaching materials formed the basis of the book ''Sugarcane and Its Diseases'', first published in 1955 after his retirement. Species named in honor of Edgerton include '' Cryptosporiopsis edgertonii'' and '' Synchytrium edgertonii''.

Selected publications

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References

External links

* American mycologists 1880 births 1965 deaths Scientists from Iowa University of Nebraska alumni Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni {{Mycologist-stub

Selected publications

See also

References

External links