On 10 July 1999, in his 66th year, Dr István Túri, the best-known master and teacher of greenhouse vegetable growing, 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 the Kossuth Lajos Secondary 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 progressed through the required academic ranks from research assistant to senior lecturer. Of his own free will, he requested his retirement at the age of 60, in 1993.
From its foundation in 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 of 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 vegetable-growing district of Nagykőrös, he was awarded his university doctoral degree.
His first research task was to investigate the possibility of growing vegetables on poor sandy soils without organic manure. Among the technical issues, his name is linked with the horticultural use of plastics, the development of framework structures for various facilities, the elaboration of heating systems, the creation of different types of ventilation and irrigation methods, the development of several versions of double covering, the design of heated and unheated production units and, not least, the water curtain system.
Together with his colleagues, he developed methods for using unheated facilities with and without relocation, as well as single- and two-phase utilisation of heated facilities, and they researched possibilities for autumn and winter forcing. He created lasting value by introducing new varieties and variety types into production and by implementing new cultivation technologies.
Taking into account the financial resources available, he was in all probability the most successful Hungarian pepper breeder to date. Beyond the number (21) of his registered and applied-for varieties and hybrids, their practical value is proof of this. The still most popular white pepper for forcing in Hungary (HRF F1) also confirms his extraordinary sense for planning individual crosses and selecting parental lines. In addition, among other things and under his leadership, the varieties Hó F1, Pritavit F1, Kaméleon F1, Velence F1 and Titán F1, as well as the candidate varieties Bajnok F1 and Kápia F1, were bred. The breeding material collected with his colleagues is also significant and may serve as a guarantee for the continuation of his life’s work. Under his direction, they developed the specific method of hybrid seed production, also protected by patent, which became the basis of the operation of the hybrid seed production sector.
It was above all his research in constitutional biology that highlighted Dr István Túri’s versatility. He introduced the concepts of slow, medium and fast growth types, defined the conditions of their formation and the possibilities of their modification. He recognised changes occurring in plant development at a very early stage. The technological adjustments he recommended in such cases were in the overwhelming majority of instances borne out by the results. Dr Túri, as a teacher, taught university students and practising horticulturists; his lectures were most often 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 was running 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. Since 1981, the seed exchange he envisioned has been organised every year 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 one hundred popular articles, mostly in the pages of Kertészet és Szőlészet. His books on plastic-covered production are also popular. Kertészet fólia alatt (co-author: Béla Fodor) was the first agricultural technical book of which more than one hundred thousand copies were sold. He was awarded a quality prize for it. He was always proud of this and of the Order of Merit of Labour that he received for his work.
In the last 10–15 years, his writings also took on a philosophical tone. This is illustrated by his books Növényalkat (Possibility and limit to increasing yield) and Az élet korlátai (which summarises the human aspects of constitutional biology). He also began to write a book venturing into the world of the spirit, the world of the gods. He spoke about it a lot; he very much wanted to finish it, but he was no longer able to do so. When asked about his scientific achievements and publications, he most often replied: “I do not underrate the number of books, new varieties, patents, honours and academic degrees, but I do not regard these as the most important, so I do not concern myself with figures. In our profession, among the things mentioned and beyond them, I consider only those activities important that advance 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, even today, many buildings, structures and plastic-covered facilities testify to his tireless organising activity, his constant search for new solutions and his wealth of ideas.
He devoted much attention to his once large team of subordinates. For quality work, he considered several requirements essential: to explain, to have things written down, to ask back, to carry out the task and to check it. He disliked negligence, indifference and laziness, but he recognised a willingness to struggle and purposeful, value-creating work. He also appreciated and respected those colleagues who recognised something new and supported it even if they were not the first to notice it.
He often said that if he were to gain possession of an omnipotent magic wand, he would do at least three things: he would suspend for a week the use of plastic-covered growing facilities in order to show the important role they play in everyday vegetable and fruit salads and in the use of ornamental plants; he would demonstrate the opportunities in connection with enclosed spaces that we have not yet exploited; and, as he put it, “I would put an end not for a week but for ever to the affliction of skilfully worded, seemingly meaningful but actually empty talk built from sensible words and sentences.”
Like everyone, he had his faults and made mistakes. At such times he used to say: “None of us is an angel.” He forgave his colleagues these minor or greater lapses and errors if he did not detect malice or deliberate intent behind them.
On his retirement he held no banquets or celebrations; with a few words he said goodbye, and perhaps his last sentence was: “I would like to continue to serve the cause of horticulture for a long time yet!”
Sadly, this wish of his could not be fulfilled in full. He now lives on only in his varieties, his writings and his intellectual legacy.
János Gyúrós