J. Westerdijk Room: Johanna Westerdijk, the phytopathologist

A boring and monotonous life would kill even a fungus.

Johanna Westerdijk, phytopathologist and first female professor in the Netherlands
Westerdijk (midden) buiten bij het Phytopathologisch Laboratorium Willie Commelin Scholten.
Johanna Westerdijk outside the Willie Commelin Scholten Phytopathology Laboratory. From the historical photograph collection of the Willie Commelin Scholten Foundation (WCS photographic negative collection).

Phytopathology

At the turn of the century, phytopathology was still in its infancy. The various types of pathogens and how plants interacted with soil was still largely unclear.

Microorganisms

Johanna Westerdijk was appointed Professor of Phytopathology in 1917. By determining the role played by microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi in plant disease, she laid the foundations for this field.

Dutch Elm Disease

Under her leadership, much research was conducted into Dutch elm disease, proving that the disease was caused by a fungus. Johanna鈥檚 research group even successfully cultivated an elm that was resistant to the disease. To this day, this disease affecting elms is known as Dutch elm disease in English.

Further Reading

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