Kraus, Ezra J.

Ezra Jacob Kraus (1885-1960), botanist and horticulturist, received a bachelor's degree from Michigan State College in 1907, and a Ph.D. from University of Chicago in 1917. He held teaching positions and conducted research in agriculture and horticulture at Oregon State College and University of Wisconsin. Returning to University of Chicago in 1927, he served as a professor in the Department of Botany until his retirement as professor emeritus in 1948. In his retirement, Kraus returned to Corvallis, Oregon where he continued to teach at Oregon State College.

His research in plant physiology focused on nutrition in relation to development and behavior, established the principle of the carbohydrate-nitrogen growth ratio in plants, and pioneered the use of synthetic substances in the regulation of plant growth. In 1938, Kraus began working as principal plant physiologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Plant Industry, where her supervised research in plant growth regulators. During World War II, he worked with the National Research Council to direct research and development of herbicides for use in biological warfare. This work led to the development of the weedkiller 2,4-D.

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