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Eric Douglas Putt
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Agrologist.
Born at Kindersley, Sasatchewan on 27 August 1915, son of John Ambrose Putt and Laura Douglas Ward, he received BSA (1938) and MSc (1940) degrees from the University of Saskatchewan and a PhD degree in Plant Genetics from the University of Minnesota (1950).
Considered the dean of sunflower breeders in the western world, his work was key to making the crop successful outside the Soviet Union and it is now widely grown. He worked with Co-op Vegetable Oils at Altona from 1947 to 1952, introducing the sunflower crop in Manitoba. In 1953, he took charge of the sunflower breeding programme at the Canada Agriculture Research Station at Morden and made significant discoveries that led to production of hybrid varieties with higher yield and disease resistance. In 1966, he became Director of the Station, serving until retirement in 1979. He was also Chair of the International Peace Garden (1977-1979).
In recognition of his role in making sunflowers a commercial crop, he received the inaugural Pustovoit award from the International Sunflower Association (1980). He also received a Distinguished Graduate in Agriculture award from the University of Saskatchewan (1986) and an Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota (1988).
He and wife Marjorie had three sons and two daughters.
He retired to Creston, British Columbia and and moved to Kelowna around 2002, dying there on 6 April 2004. He was buried in the Morden Cemetery.
Birth registration [Eric Douglas Putt], Saskatchewan Vital Statistics.
Morden: Mort Cheval, Pinancewaywinning, Lake Agassiz by Morden Centennial Committee, 1981, page 214.
“Grandfather of sunflower crop dies,” Western Producer, 20 May 2004.
We thank David Putt and Keith Putt for providing information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 5 November 2024
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