Institute of Agronomy and Plant Breeding
BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna

1872 Foundation of the BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences in Vienna. At the same time the chair for Agricultural Plant Production with its first owner, Prof. Dr. F. HABERLANDT, was established. Courses on "Agronomy" and "Crop science and husbandry" are given. 1878 A. V. LIEBENBERG DE ZSITTIN is appointed "Associate Professor" and six years later promoted to "Full Professor" in Agricultural Plant Production. 1903 The Experimental Station is founded.

F. HABERLANDT

1906 Foundation of the chair for "Plant Breeding". It is the first chair in Europe for this subject.

	1909 E. V. TSCHERMAK-SEYSENEGG is appointed as Full Professor in Plant Breeding due to his scientific achievements. He holds this chair up to his retirement in 1941. 1922 After Prof. LIEBENBERG had passed away, his senior co-worker, Prof. H. KASERER is appointed as his successor. He holds this chair up to his retirement in 1946. 1941 Appointment of H. BLEIER as professor in Plant Breeding.
E. V. TSCHERMAK-SEYSENEGG

1944 Plant Breeding becomes a compulsory subject and part of the diploma examination.

1946/47 The chairs for Plant Breeding and Agricultural Plant Production are merged and the Institute of Agronomy and Plant Breeding is established. Dr. L.M. KOPETZ. becomes Head of the Institute.

1950 Appointment of L.M. KOPETZ to the chair for Agronomy and Plant Breeding.

1957 The Institute is generously equipped from special donations by the Federal Ministry for Education as well as the Federal Ministry for Agronomy and Forestry and by means of the Marshall plan.

1958 Prof. KOPETZ becomes editor in chief of the scientific journal "Die Bodenkultur".

1966 Unexpected death of Prof. L.M. KOPETZ at the age of 63.

1967 Appointment of Prof. Dr. O. STEINECK to the chair for Agronomy and Plant Breeding. Teaching and research in Plant Breeding are delegated to Ao.Prof. Dr. G. WUNDERLICH.

1968 O.Prof. Dr. O. STEINECK becomes editor in chief of "Die Bodenkultur", supported by Doz. Dr. K. EHRENDORFER as technical editor.

1972 Doz. Dr. K. EHRENDORFER becomes "Associate Professor" for the subject "Statistics in Agronomy".

1973 Detachment from the institute and founding of a new "Institute for Applied Statistics and Electronic Data Processing" with Prof. K. EHRENDORFER as its head.

1979 Retirement of Ao.Prof. Dr. G. WUNDERLICH, the teaching obligation is handed over to Univ.Doz. Dr. P. RUCKENBAUER.

1983 Appointment of Univ.Doz. Dr. P. RUCKENBAUER to the chair for "Applied Genetics and Plant Breeding" of Hohenheim University, Stuttgart, Germany.

1985 Reorganisation of the Institute in four working groups:

Agronomy and Crop Science (O.Prof. Dr.Dr.h.c. O. STEINECK)

Agronomy in the Tropics and Subtropics (OAss. Univ.Doz. Dr. R. GRETZMACHER)

Plant Nutrition (OAss. Univ.Doz. Dr. A. EDELBAUER)

Plant Breeding (OAss. Dr. L. TANASCH)

1986 Detachment of the Experimental Station Gross Enzersdorf from the institute and appointment of Ao.Prof. Dr. G. STORCHSCHNABEL as its head.

1988 Retirement of O.Prof. Dr.Dr.h.c. O. STEINECK.

1989 Appointment of Prof. Dr. P. RUCKENBAUER (Hohenheim University, Stuttgart) as head of the "Institute for Agrobiotechnology" (IFA-Tulln).

1991 Constitution of two chairs for Agronomy and Plant Breeding.

Appointment of O.Univ.Prof. Dr. P. RUCKENBAUER to the chair for Plant Breeding.

Substantial spatial extension and reconstruction of the institute, movement of the laboratories to the ground floor.

Start-up of the Experimental Field Gerasdorf in the 21st district.

1992 Appointment of Priv.Doz. Dr. H. STÜTZEL (Hohenheim University, Stuttgart) to the chair for Agronomy.

Re-attachment of the groups for Plant Nutrition and Agronomy in the Tropics and Subtropics to the chair for Agronomy.

Start of the building operations for the Institute for Agrobiotechnology (IFA) at Tulln. This new research center with an effective area of 7200 m² and five departments (Biotechnology in Plant Production, Biotechnology in Animal Production, Center for Analytical Chemistry, Environmental Biotechnology, Natural Material and Packing Technology) also substantially improves the research resources for the Institute of Agronomy and Plant Breeding.

1993 O.Univ.Prof. Dr. H. STÜTZEL leaves due to his appointment to a chair for Vegetable Production at the University of Hannover.

1994 Opening ceremony for the Institute for Agrobiotechnology (IFA) in Tulln (22. Sep.).

The majority of the research work in plant breeding is moved to Tulln due to the outstanding spatial and technical resources at this location.

1995 A new established chair for Organic Farming is temporary attached to the institute and Priv.Doz. Dr. J. HESS becomes the first owner (1. Feb.).

Appointment of Priv.Doz. Dr. W. CLAUPEIN to the chair for Agronomy (1. Apr.).

1996 Detachment of the chair for Organic Farming and foundation of an institute of its own (1. March).

1998 O.Univ.Prof. Dr. W. CLAUPEIN leaves due to his appointment to a chair for Agronomy at Hohenheim University, Stuttgart.

2001 Appointment of Priv.Doz. Dr. H.-P. KAUL to the renamed chair for Agronomy and Grassland Management.