Gregor Mendel and the foundation of genetical research in agrobotany

Abstract

G. Mendel (1822-1884) first formulated the accepted principles in research on plant germplasm, because of carefully planned hybridization experiments carried out on Pisum. Research performed by the staff of the Mendelianum (Moravian Museum) demonstrates that the discovery was not a "bolt from the blue" as commonly supposed, but deeply rooted in the Central European plant breeding traditions. It is proved that the "Pisum Project" was elaborated for solving the basic problems regarding the formation and development of hybrids, fundamental for the advancement of agrobotany and applied biology. It is demonstrated that the interaction of the experimental-inductive work of Mendel, the plant breeder and the hypotetical-deductive method of Mendel, the mathematician, was fundamental for the discovery.

Keywords

• Pisum
• Germplasm research
• Mendel G.