Lorenz Hiltner (November 30, 1862 – June 6, 1923), born in Neumarkt in the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...

and passed away in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, was a German

agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.) is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the Uni ...

and

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of par ...

, known for developing the concept of the

rhizosphere The rhizosphere is the narrow region of soil or Substrate (biology), substrate that is directly influenced by root secretions and associated soil microorganisms known as the root microbiome. Pore space in soil, Soil pores in the rhizosphere can ...

and for pioneering the development of the field of

microbial ecology Microbial ecology (or environmental microbiology) is a discipline where the interaction of Microorganism, microorganisms and their environment are studied. Microorganisms are known to have important and harmful ecological relationships within t ...

Personal life

Lorenz Hiltner was born on November 30, 1862, in Neumarkt. After completing his primary and secondary education in Neumarkt, he received a scholarship to study

natural science Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

s in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

with a specialization in zoology and botany. In 1882, he was awarded a scholarship that allowed him to study for a short period at the Institute of Zoology at the

University of Naples The University of Naples Federico II (; , ) is a public university, public research university in Naples, Campania, Italy. Established in 1224 and named after its founder, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, it is the oldest public, s ...

. He passed away unexpectedly from a sudden illness on June 6, 1923, in his office in Munich. His eldest son, Erhard Hiltner (born 1893), continued his research, notably publishing in 1929 a second edition of his book ''Pflanzenschutz nach Monaten geordnet'' (Plant Protection Organized by Months).

Scientific work

In 1885, he became the assistant of, an expert in seed quality control at the

Tharandt Tharandt () is a municipality in Saxony, Germany, situated on the Weißeritz, southwest of Dresden. It has a Protestant Church and the oldest academy of forestry in Germany, founded as the Royal Saxon Academy of Forestry by Heinrich Cotta in 181 ...

Plant Physiology Research Station. Together, they conducted studies on the symbiotic relationships of the legume family

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

with certain soil bacteria living on the

root nodule Root nodules are found on the roots of plants, primarily legumes, that form a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, capable plants form a symbiotic relationship with a host-specific strain of bacteria known ...

s, following the work of Hermann Hellriegel and . These studies led to the development of the first cultures of rhizobium bacteria. While in Tharandt, he also conducted studies on the importance of root nodules in the nitrogen nutrition of

black alder Black alder is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *''Alnus glutinosa'', native to Europe and widely naturalized *''Ilex verticillata ''Ilex verticillata'', the winterberry, is a species of holly native to eastern North America in ...

. At the same time, Hiltner prepared a thesis on "the diseases of plants of horticultural and agronomic interest caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea and their treatment," which he presented in 1892 at the

University of Erlangen A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

, earning him a doctorate. In 1902, he became the director of the Royal Institute of Agriculture and Botany in Munich (Königliche Agrikulturbotanische Anstalt, which would become in 1917 the Bavarian Institute for Plant Growth and Protection). He was appointed professor at the

Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Established in 1868 by King Ludwig II ...

in 1903, where he later earned the title of

Professor Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

in Agricultural Bacteriology. He first introduced the term "rhizosphere" during a lecture at the

German Agricultural Society The German Agricultural Society (''Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft''), commonly known as DLG, is an international non-profit organisation serving the agricultural industry in Germany. DLG was founded in 1885 by Max Eyth, has over 23,000 membe ...

in April 1904, defining it as the region of soil directly influenced by root secretions and associated soil microorganisms.

Publications

* Experiments on the Nitrogen Assimilation of Legumes (''Versuche über die Stickstoff–assimilation von Leguminosen''), with F. Nobbe and E. Hotter, 1891 * Some Diseases of Horticultural and Agricultural Cultivated Plants Caused by Botrytis cinerea and Their Control (''Einige durch Botrytis cinerea erzeugte Krankheiten gärtnerischer und landwirthschaftlicher Culturpflanzen und deren Bekämpfung''), doctoral thesis, 1892 * Inoculate the Soil! (''Impfet den Boden!''), with F. Nobbe, 1893 * On the Significance of the Root Nodules of Alnus glutinosa for the Nitrogen Nutrition of This Plant (''Über die Bedeutung der Wurzelknöllchen von'' Alnus glutinosa ''für die Stickstoffernährung dieser Pflanze''), 1894 * On Recent Experiences and Problems in the Field of Soil Bacteriology with Special Consideration of Green Manuring and Fallow (''Über neuere Erfahrungen und Probleme aufdem Gebiete der Bodenbakteriologie unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Gründüngung und Brache''), 1904 * Plant Protection Organized by Month, "''Pflanzenschutz, nach Monaten geordnet''", 1909, 433 pages and 138 illustrations * On the Poor Emergence and Winterkill of Cereals Due to Seed Infestation by Fusarium (''Über das schlechte Auflaufen und die Auswinterung des Getreides infolge Befalls des Saatgutes durch Fusarium''), 1911 * Increased Fodder Production from Local Plant Life (''Vermehrte Futtergewinnung aus der heimischen Pflanzenwelt''), 1915

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiltner, Lorenz German bacteriologists German microbiologists People in agriculture German agronomists de:Friedrich Nobbe de:Hermann Wilfarth