Dennis Robert Hoagland

Dennis Robert Hoagland (April 2, 1884 – September 5, 1949) was an American chemist and plant and soil scientist who pioneered work in plant nutrition, soil chemistry, agricultural chemistry, biochemistry, and physiology. He was Professor of Plant Nutrition at the University of California at Berkeley from 1927 until his death in 1949.

Dennis Hoagland is commonly known for discovering the active transport of electrolytes in plant cells, using innovative model systems, such as Nitella, under controlled experimental conditions, such as solution culture.

Hoagland was able to show that various plant diseases are caused by a lack of trace elements and established their importance for plant nutrition, such as zinc in fruit trees.

He pioneered research into the interactions between plant and soil by establishing soil pH and the importance of soil solution, temperature and light for plant growth and development.

Hoagland and his associates formulated an artificial, complete inorganic nutrient medium, universally known as Hoagland solution, that continues to be used worldwide for culturing plants hydroponically. Provided by Wikipedia