{"id":2163,"date":"2017-11-26T15:55:58","date_gmt":"2017-11-26T20:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/plant-and-microbial-biology-new\/?page_id=2163"},"modified":"2026-02-10T16:18:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T21:18:46","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/plant-and-microbial-biology\/about\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"Department History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
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Plant Biology at NC State can trace its roots to the University’s founding and originally included Microbiology. Research in plant biology began in 1888 with the appointment of botanist Michael Gerald McCarthy<\/a> at the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. When the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, the forerunner of NC State University, opened its doors in 1889, Wilbur Fiske Massey<\/a> was one of the five founding faculty members. Massey laid the initial foundation for academic instruction in botany and horticulture at the college, which included courses in anatomy, physiology, classification, plant pathology, and other subjects. In 1896, Primrose Hall, the third academic building built on campus, was devoted exclusively to the laboratory and greenhouse work led by Dr. Massey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research in the early years emphasized basic plant pathology. Later, important work was done in plant community ecology and plant physiology. Over the last 75 years, most aspects of modern botany have been pursued, including systematic research in the various fields. Academic instruction at first focused on providing a foundation in basic botany for undergraduate students in applied areas of plant science and technology. Graduate level instruction quickly followed, with the first M.S. in Botany being awarded in 1910 and the first Ph.D. in 1936. Since the 1940\u2019s, an undergraduate degree in Botany (now called Plant Biology) has been available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past 135+ years, NC State has evolved from a small technical college into a major research university. During this development, research and instruction in botany were distinct and continuous activities. Over time, various disciplines branched off from botany and given separate departmental organizations; these included horticulture<\/a>, plant pathology<\/a>, microbiology, and biochemistry<\/a>. Currently, the discipline of microbiology is represented in both the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences<\/a> (graduate) and the College of Sciences<\/a> (undergraduate). In 2006, Dr. James Troyer, a former professor of plant biology, compiled the detailed history of our department and plant biology at NC State found below, which we continue to update regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Late 1800s<\/h2><\/a>
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In 1877, the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station was established, the second such station in the nation. Located in a chemistry laboratory at the University in Chapel Hill, it was primarily a facility for testing fertilizers. The first botanical work was performed by George Warnecke, who was testing of the germination of seeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n