Historical Information about the discipline Phytomedicine in the Department of Crop Sciences

Shortly after the founding of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at Georg August University of Göttingen, the new Institute of Plant Pathology and Plant Protection was established on Nikolausberger Weg. The first director, Prof. Dr. Walter H. Fuchs, was assisted for many years by Drs. Bombosch and Grossmann, as well as by many other staff members. In 1962, the Entomology research group was founded under the leadership of Prof. Bombusch; five years later, it was transformed into the Entomological Department under the direction of Prof. Wilbert.

The institute remained on Nikolausberger Weg for 20 years until, in 1971, it had to make way for the new University Library and moved into the much larger building at Grisebachstrasse 6. This coincided approximately with the time when Prof. Fuchs retired and was succeeded by Prof. Heitefuß as the new director (1972). In 1973, the Department of Mycology was established under the leadership of Prof. Fehrmann. Sixteen years later (1989), Prof. Poehling took over the leadership of the Entomological Department after Prof. Wilbert passed away the previous year. After five years, Prof. Poehling left Göttingen. In the following year (1995), Prof. Hoppe succeeded Prof. Heitefuß. In 1998, Prof. Vidal accepted a call from Gießen to Göttingen and took over the leadership of the Agricultural Entomology Department, and one year later also became head of the institute.

Professor Hoppe retired in 2000 and was succeeded in 2001 by Prof. von Tiedemann, who assumed leadership of the Department of General Plant Pathology and Plant Protection. At the same time, Prof. Karlovsky accepted a call to Göttingen and succeeded Prof. Fehrmann. During this transition, the professorship was redefined: the Department of Mycology was dissolved, and the Department of Molecular Phytopathology and Mycotoxin Research was established.

Since January 2006, the institute’s departments have been integrated into the newly founded Department of Crop Sciences. From that point on, the former institute functioned as a research unit for Plant Pathology and Plant Protection, with Professor von Tiedemann serving as its spokesperson.

In October 2018, Professor Vidal retired and was directly succeeded by Professor Rostas.

On October 1, 2021, Professor Karlovsky retired. The chair was not refilled.

On October 1, 2025, Prof. von Tiedemann retired together with Dr. Weigand, the coordinator of the Master’s program in Crop Protection.

As of November 1, 2025, the professorship was taken over by Prof. Mikaberidze. In the course of this transition, the chair was renamed “Plant Diseases and Plant Protection.”

Currently, the research unit provides a working environment for approximately 30 graduate and postgraduate students, as well as several postdoctoral researchers and visiting scientists from various countries.