On 10 July 1999, in his 66th year, Dr István Túri, the best-known master and mentor of vegetable forcing horticulture, passed away.
He was born on 7 December 1933 in Cegléd. He completed both his primary and secondary schooling in Cegléd, taking his school-leaving examination at Kossuth Lajos Grammar School in 1952. He graduated from the College of Horticulture and Viticulture in 1957, and from 1958 at the College of Horticulture and Viticulture, then at the University of Horticulture, he climbed the compulsory career ladder from research trainee to senior lecturer. Of his own free will, he applied for retirement in 1993, at the age of 60.
From its foundation (1990) he was research director of PRODUKT Kutató, Fejlesztő, Termelő Kft., and until his death he was the intellectual leader of the breeding of pepper varieties and the seed production of the bred hybrids.
He began his scientific work under the guidance of Professor András Somos. On the basis of his 1962 dissertation on the survey and analysis of the Nagykőrös vegetable-growing region, he was awarded his university doctorate.
His first research task was to examine the possibilities of vegetable production without organic manure on poor sandy soils. Among the technical issues, his name is associated with the horticultural use of plastics, the development of framework structures for various facilities, the design of heating systems, the creation of different types of ventilation and irrigation methods, the development of several versions of double covering, the planning of heated and unheated production units and, last but not least, the water curtain system.
Together with his colleagues, he developed both mobile and fixed utilisation systems for unheated facilities, as well as single- and two-phase utilisation systems for heated facilities, and researched the possibilities of autumn and winter forcing. He also created lasting value by introducing new varieties and variety types into cultivation and by implementing new crop production technologies.
Taking into account the financial resources available, he was certainly the most successful Hungarian pepper breeder up to the present day. Beyond the number (21) of his registered and applied-for varieties and hybrids, their practical value is the real proof of this. The still most popular forced white pepper in Hungary (HRF F1) also demonstrates the extraordinary intuition with which he approached the planning of individual crossings and the selection of parent lines. In addition, among other results, under his leadership the varieties Hó F1, Pritavit F1, Kaméleon F1, Velence F1, Titán F1 and the candidate varieties Bajnok F1 and Kápia F1 were bred. The breeding base material he and his colleagues collected is also of great significance and may serve as a guarantee for the continuation of his life’s work. Under his direction, a special method of hybrid seed production was developed, which received patent protection and became the basis for the operation of the hybrid seed production sector.
Dr István Túri’s versatility was most clearly highlighted by his research in constitutional biology. He introduced the concepts of slow, medium and fast growth types, defined the conditions for their development and also the possibilities for their modification. He perceived changes occurring in plant development at a very early stage. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the technological adjustments he proposed in such situations proved him right. Mr Túri, as a teacher, educated university students and practising horticulturists; his lectures were usually very illustrative, imbued with humour and truly captivating.
The organisation of synchronous advisory services is also associated with his name; already in the late 1960s and early 1970s he held courses in Soroksár. He organised several exhibitions at the University of Horticulture. The most notable were those combined with conferences on pepper, melon and cucumber growing. The seed exchange market he envisioned has been held every year since 1981, to the full satisfaction of vegetable growers and seed trading companies.
His professional writing was characterised by an effort to be easy to understand and by the description and teaching of practical techniques. He published more than a hundred popular articles, mainly in the pages of Kertészet és Szőlészet. His books on foil cultivation are also popular. “Kertészet fólia alatt” (co-author: Béla Fodor) was the first agricultural reference book of which more than one hundred thousand copies were sold. He received a quality award for it. He was always proud of this, as well as of the Order of Labour Merit he received for his life’s work.
In the last 10–15 years his writings were also characterised by a philosophical tone. His books “Növényalkat (lehetőség és korlát a hozam növelésére)” and “Az élet korlátai” (summarising the human aspects of constitutional biology) are examples of this. He also began to write a book venturing into the spirit world, the world of the gods. He spoke a great deal about it and dearly wished to finish it, but he was no longer able to. When asked about his scientific work and publications, he most often replied: “I do not underestimate the number of books, new varieties, patents, distinctions and academic degrees, but I do not consider them the most important things, so I do not bother with statistics. In our profession, among those mentioned and beyond them as well, I consider only the work important that advances the cause of horticulture.”
In his organisational work he needed perseverance and, at times, stubborn obstinacy; without these he could not have created the experimental area of the Department of Vegetable Growing. In the Soroksár Experimental Farm many buildings, structures and foil-covered facilities still bear witness to his tireless organisational work, his constant search for novelties and his wealth of ideas.
He also devoted much attention to his once large number of subordinates. For quality work he considered several requirements important: to explain, to have instructions written down, to check understanding, to carry out the task and to verify it. He disliked negligence, indifference and laziness, but he appreciated the ability to struggle and recognised purposeful, value-creating work. He also valued and respected those colleagues and co-workers who recognised innovations and supported them even if they had not been the first to notice them.
He often mentioned that if he came into possession of an all-powerful magic wand, he would do at least three things: he would abolish plastic-covered growing structures for one week, thus demonstrating their vital role in everyday vegetable and fruit salads and in the use of ornamental plants; he would present the opportunities in enclosed spaces that we have not yet exploited; and, as he said, “I would eliminate not just for a week but forever the disease of skilfully worded, meaningless waffle made up of sensible words and sentences.”
Like everyone, he had his faults and made mistakes. At such times he would say: “None of us is an angel.” He forgave his colleagues these minor or greater slips and errors, as long as he did not detect malice or deliberate intent behind them.
When he retired he did not hold banquets or celebrations; with a few words he said farewell and perhaps his last sentence was: “I would like to serve the cause of horticulture for a long time to come!”
Sadly, this wish could not be fully realised. Now he lives on only in his varieties, his writings and his spirit.
János Gyúrós