On 10 July 1999, in his 66th year, Dr István Túri, the best‑known master and teacher of protected vegetable production, passed away.
He was born on 7 December 1933 in Cegléd. He completed both primary and secondary school in Cegléd, taking his school‑leaving examination at the Kossuth Lajos Grammar School in 1952. He graduated from the College of Horticulture and Viticulture in 1957. From 1958 he worked at the College of Horticulture and Viticulture, then at the University of Horticulture, progressing through all the obligatory academic ranks from research trainee to associate professor. Of his own free will he requested retirement at the age of 60, in 1993.
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 dissertation written in 1962 on the survey and analysis of the Nagykőrös vegetable‑growing area, he was awarded the title of university doctor.
His first research task was to examine the possibilities of vegetable production on poor sandy soils without organic manure. Among technical issues his name is linked with the horticultural use of plastics, the development of frame structures for different facilities, the elaboration of heating systems, the creation of various types of ventilation and irrigation methods, the development of several versions of double covering, the design of heated and unheated production sites and, not least, the water‑curtain system.
Together with his colleagues he established mobile and fixed use of unheated facilities, as well as single‑ and two‑phase utilisation of heated facilities, and they researched the possibilities of autumn and winter forcing. By introducing new varieties and varietal types into production, and by implementing new production technologies, he also created lasting value.
Taking available financial resources into account, he was almost certainly the most successful Hungarian pepper breeder up to our days. Beyond the number (21) of his registered and applied‑for varieties and hybrids, their practical value is proof of this. Hungary’s still most popular white pepper for forcing (HRF F1) also confirms his extraordinary instinct in planning individual crosses and choosing parental lines. In addition, under his leadership, among others, the varieties Hó F1, Pritavit F1, Kaméleon F1, Velence F1, Titán F1, as well as the candidate varieties Bajnok F1 and Kápia F1 were bred. The breeding base material collected with his colleagues is also significant and may be the guarantee for the continuation of his life’s work. Under his direction they elaborated the specific method of hybrid seed production that was also granted patent protection and became the foundation of the hybrid seed‑producing sector.
Dr István Túri’s versatility was brought out most clearly by his research in growth‑type 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 recognised changes occurring in plant development at a very early stage. In most cases, the technological adjustments he proposed in such situations proved to be correct. Mr Túri taught university students and practising growers alike; his lectures were usually highly illustrative, laced with humour and truly captivating.
The organisation of real‑time 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. Most notable were those combined with conferences on pepper, melon and cucumber production. The seed fair he envisioned has been held every year since 1981 to the complete satisfaction of vegetable growers and seed trading companies.
His work as a technical author was characterised by his striving for clarity, and by the description and teaching of practical techniques. He published more than a hundred popular articles, mostly in the pages of Kertészet és Szőlészet. His books on production under plastic were also popular. “Kertészet fólia alatt” (co‑author: Béla Fodor) was the first agricultural textbook of which more than one hundred thousand copies were sold. It was recognised with a quality award. He was always proud of this and of the Order of Merit of Labour he received for his life’s work.
In the last 10–15 years his writings were also marked by a philosophical tone. Examples include his books “Növényalkat (lehetőség és korlát a hozam növelésére)” and “Az élet korlátai” (summarising the human aspects of growth‑type biology). He also began to write a book venturing into the world of the spirit, the world of the gods. He spoke about it often and very much wanted to finish it, but was no longer able to. When asked about his scientific work and publications, he usually answered: “I do not underrate the number of books, new varieties, patents, awards and academic titles, but I do not consider these the most important; that is why I do not concern myself with statistics. In our profession, among these and beyond them, I regard only the activity as important which advances the cause of horticulture.”
In his organisational work he needed perseverance and at times stubborn tenacity; otherwise he would not have been able to establish the experimental area of the Department of Vegetable Production. In the Experimental Farm at Soroksár, many buildings, structures and plastic‑covered facilities still bear witness to his tireless organising work, his search for novelties and his wealth of ideas.
He devoted much attention even to his once large staff. For quality work he considered several requirements essential: to explain, to have it written down, to ask back, to do the job and to check. He disliked negligence, indifference and laziness, but appreciated the capacity to struggle and purposeful, value‑creating work. He also esteemed and respected those colleagues who recognised what was new and supported it even if they had not been the first to notice it.
He often said that if he ever came into possession of an all‑powerful magic wand, he would do at least three things: he would abolish plastic‑covered production facilities for a week to demonstrate the important role they play in everyday salads of vegetables and fruit and in the use of ornamentals; he would present the possibilities relating to enclosed spaces that have not yet been exploited; and, as he put it, “I would not suspend it for a week but abolish forever the disease of emptiness so masterfully formulated from meaningful words and sentences.”
Like everyone, he had his faults and made mistakes. On such occasions he used to say: “None of us is an angel.” He also overlooked such minor and greater lapses and mistakes in his colleagues if he did not detect malice or deliberate intent behind them.
When he retired, he held no banquets or celebrations; he said farewell in a few words, and perhaps his last sentence was: “I would like to serve the cause of horticulture for a long time to come!”
Unfortunately this wish could not be fully realised. He now lives on only in his varieties, his writings and his intellectual legacy.
János Gyúrós