Norman C. Deno (February 15, 1921 – September 22, 2017) was an American chemist and plant scientist. He was a professor of chemistry at Penn State University and is known as one of the foremost researchers in seed germination theory. He researched the biochemical reactions that underlie the germination of all seeds, performing germination research on plant species from 150 families, 800 genera, and 2500 species over the course of his career. Deno authored 150 papers in chemistry and 20 papers in horticulture, and self-published a number of books that combined his scientific results.
A Chicagoan, Deno had an interest in plants from a young age, but obtained a post-doctoral degree in chemistry as a more lucrative career opportunity. His chemistry professor position at Penn State University resulted in a discovery by his lab on coal refinement for oil refineries that earned him a large amount of wealth from grants. He later reduced his focus on chemistry to pursue his interests in horticulture. Determining the germination requirements for plants had Deno create the "baggie and paper towel" method for mimicking laboratory growth settings and his general low tech methodologies would end up being dubbed "The Deno Method". His approach to seed germination would result in multiple interviews in newspapers and for books, along with seed companies coming to him specifically for specific cultivar research. He went on to publish multiple books covering seed germination theory and he received awards from the North American Rock Garden Society for his work.
Childhood and education
Born in Chicago on February 15, 1921, Deno suffered from asthma as a child and was unable to participate in outdoor sports in school. Instead, he focused on growing plants and became acquainted with daylily hybrid expert David F. Hall who further increased Deno's interest in plant biology. He began giving presentations at garden clubs at 13, but also became interested in the chemistry of fireworks alongside his father.
His teenage years during the Great Depression saw hard times for his family and, since there was little income to be made in the field of horticulture despite his interest in the subject, he chose to study chemistry at the University of Illinois, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1942. He earned a Master of Science degree in chemistry and a Ph.D in chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1946 and 1948. During his research for his doctoral degree, he focused on studying the chemistry of explosives in relation to munitions used in World War II. From 1942 to 1946, he studied under Werner Emmanuel Bachmann on the production of the explosive RDX in order to reduce the likelihood of premature detonation during handling for use in torpedoes. After his graduate work, he completed a post-doctoral research degree at the University of Ohio.
Career and research
Chemistry (1950-1980) After graduating, Deno moved to State College, Pennsylvania and became a professor of chemistry at Penn State University in 1950. During his time as a chemist, Deno and his lab students made a major discovery on the operation of oil refineries and how to increase their efficiency. This process uses chemical separation to determine if a coal source has the structural makeup to be used as a fuel source or other purposes and reduces the time required to make this determination to less than a day. A large research grant from the Occidental Petroleum Research Corporation allowed Deno to focus on other chemistry and biological research.
Horticulture (1980-2017) He retired from the position in 1980 to focus on his personal hobby research in horticulture and specifically the chemical processes involved in the seed germination process.. A large amount of his research proved useful for gardeners and those wanting to successfully germinate specific species of plants outside of a lab setting. He found that almost all of the plants he studied used chemicals to determine the timing of germination, which included his studies on the plant hormone gibberellic acid that increases germination rates. He also researched how germination could be manipulated artificially through both physical and chemical means by creating the "baggie and paper towel" method, which uses temperature control and moisture to provoke germination.