"The Origins of the Russian Chernozem Soil (Black Earth): Franz Joseph Ruprecht’s 'Geo-Botanical Researches into the Chernozem' of 1866"
This article analyses the contribution of the Austrian-born Russian scientist, Franz Joseph Ruprecht (1814–70) to the development of geobotany in general and to the controversial issue of the origins of the very fertile chernozem (Black Earth) of the steppe region of the Russian Empire.