F. Wolfgang Schnell

Schnell's breeding activities were mainly directed to the two open-pollinated cereals rye and maize. In rye he started a systematic search for cytoplasmic male sterility in backcross generations of crosses between European and exotic rye accessions. This program was continued by HH Geiger and in 1984 lead to the first listed hybrid rye varieties worldwide. In maize Schnell developed early-maturing flint and dent line gene pools and in 1965 released the first German double-cross hybrid 'Velox' (FAO 210).

After his retirement (1981) Schnell concentrated his research on the development of a unified quantitative genetic theory of heterosis. In several papers and scientific talks he made valuable contributions to this topic. In one of his last papers (together with C.C. Cockerham, Genetics 1992) he clarified the influence of multiplicative gene action versus other types of epistasis in heterosis.

Schnell also built up first courses in biometry and population genetics. To strengthen these subjects, the University of Hohenheim followed his proposal to install a new chair for each of these fields (1971). Thereby Hohenheim became one of the most attractive places for studying plant breeding in Germany. Furthermore, he suggested a fundamental reform of the study course in Agricultural Sciences and, together with D Fewson (animal breeding), he initiated a new study course in Agricultural Biology.

F. Wolfgang Schnell attended high school (Gymnasium) in Celle, Halle, and Leipzig. After having passed the final examinations (Abitur) in 1931 he served his apprenticeship in agriculture on a farm near Hamburg (1932–1934). Thereafter he studied agricultural sciences in Berlin, Munich, and Göttingen (1935–1939). Military service (1939–1945), the last part of the war as SS-Hauptsturmführer (SS-Nr. 214750, NSDAP Nr. 4139669) in the Waffen-SS, he became commander of the schwere SS-Artillerie Abteilung 503, attached to the III.(Germ.) SS-Panzer Korps. and his captivity with automatic arrest for SS-Soldiers/Officers lasted to 1948 interrupted his scientific career for almost ten years. In 1949 he received a doctoral degree in agricultural economics at the University of Göttingen. He then changed the subject and attended a two-year training course in plant breeding at the Max-Planck-Institute (MPIZ) in Voldagsen (later Cologne). In 1952 he got an appointment at an MPIZ branch station in Scharnhorst close to Hannover. There he was responsible for the cross-pollinated cereals maize (Zea mays) and rye (Secale cereale). He focussed upon the general principles of plant breeding methodology and the genetic foundations of heterosis. In 1958 he spent six months at the North Carolina State University in Raleigh (hosted by CC Cockerham, RE Comstock, and HF Robinson) and visited several other leading US universities. These visits greatly stimulated his research since he became acquainted with cutting edge research in statistics, quantitative genetics, and breeding methodology. Five years later, he earned his Habilitation degree at the University of Göttingen, qualifying him to work as a university professor. In the same year (1963) he was appointed full professor and director of the newly established Institute of Plant Breeding at the University of Hohenheim (Stuttgart, Germany). There he headed the Chair of Applied Genetics and Plant Breeding until his retirement in 1981. During most of this time he also acted as director, later as a major scientific advisor, of the Hohenheim State Plant Breeding Institute (Landessaatzuchtanstalt).

F. Wolfgang Schnell (* 18 May 1913 in Bad Oeynhausen; † 29 December 2006 in Stuttgart) was a German professor of applied genetics and plant breeding. He belonged to the most prominent scientists in his field during the second half of the 20th century.