b'LUITJE BROEKEMA (1850 - 1936)DUTCH PLANT BREEDER Luitje Broekema, a lecturer at the then Agricultural College in Wageningen, started cross-ing wheat varieties. In 1899, this led to a variety named Wilhelmina. In the early 1930s, this variety accounted for more than two-thirds of the Dutch winter wheat crop. One of the most remarkable features of the Wilhelmina wheat was that it was composed as a variety of several lines. Broekema believed that this made the variety better adapted to the differ-ent soil and climate conditions under which it was cultivated. Russian geneticist, botanist and breeder Vavilov once described it as one of the most productive wheat varieties in Western Europe. Two years after the introduction of Wilhelmina, Broekema created variety Juliana, marketed in 1921. The qualities of Juliana surpassed those of Wilhelmina and at the end of the 1930s and the beginning of the Second World War, Juliana wheat accounted for half of the Dutch winter wheat crop.NILS HJALMAR NILSSON (18561925) - SWEDISH BOTANISTAND PLANT BREEDERNilsson received his doctorate in botany in Lund in 1886, became assistant at the Swedish Seed Breeding Institute at Svalf in 1888, and was director of the same institute from 1890 to 1924. He was awarded the title of professor in 1902. Under Nilssons leadership, the working method at Svalf was changed from the previ-ously used mass selection of experimentally grown crops to the so-called pedigree cultiva-tion, i.e., the cultivation of offspring from indi-LIEUWES KORNELIS DE VRIESvidual plants, and the selection of the obtained (18541929)TEACHER ANDstrains. The results of this soon showed PLANT BREEDER themselves in a number of cereal varieties of De Vries worked until he was 21 onoutstanding quality, and the Svalf institution, under his direction, influenced agricul-the farm and then went to study for ature with a number of excellent cereal varieties. Combined with his writings it gained teaching degree. In 1883 he becamea considerable following at home and abroad. During the 20th century he devoted his the head teacher at a primary school.scientific work mainly to the investigation of a rational method for the breeding of root In 1894 he took the agricultural instru- crops.ment test and in 1901 obtained a horticulture degree. Besides his workGEERT VEENHUIZEN (1857 - 1930)DUTCH POTATO GROWER AND PLANT as a schoolmaster, he gave agricul- BREEDERtural winter courses. In 1898 he wasVeenhuizen left primary school at 13 and went asked to organize a testing groundto work for a tree grower in Noordbroek. With for growing potatoes, which he man- a short interruption due to military service, aged for 25 years. In 25 years, hehe worked there until he was 23. He subse-grew about 150 varieties, of which thequently worked for nurseries in Gouda and variety Bintje was by far the mostBoskoop. He modernised his father-in-laws successful. This variety has been thehorticultural business and also started work most important potato on Dutchas a garden architect. At that time, the potato menus for a long time and was thestarch industry was booming and Veenhuizen most extensively cultivated potatobecame interested in growing potatoes. He variety in the 20th century. was placed in charge of a test field of a local Fifty years after Bintje wasagricultural society in 1889 and became introduced, the variety occupiedcultivation manager of a central test field in about one half of the potato area ofSappemeer in 1903. He developed many new continental West-Europe. By 1975,potato varieties, including the very famous Eigenheimer variety in 1893, Red Star, Bintje accounted for 70% of the areaBravo and Thorbecke. His variety Eigenheimer reached about a quarter of the Dutch grown for human consumption in Thepotato acreage in the 1930ies. His seed potatoes were also exported abroad. On his Netherlands.retirement in 1927, he received a royal decoration.42/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2022'