Drosdoff, Matthew
DROSDOFF, MATTHEW
DROSDOFF, MATTHEW (1908–1998), U.S. soil chemist. Born in Chicago, Drosdoff received his Ph.D. in soil science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1934. He joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was adviser on mineral nutrition and coffee production to Colombia (1951–53), soils adviser to Bolivia (1954), soils adviser to Peru (1955–60), and chief of the Agricultural Division of the U.S. Agency for International Development (aid) in Vietnam (1960–64). From 1964 to 1966 he was the administrator of the International Agricultural Development Service, and in 1966 he became professor of soil science at Cornell University, remaining emeritus professor until his death.
Drosdoff was active in B'nai B'rith in various capacities and from 1944 to 1947 was director of the Hillel Foundation at the University of Florida.
Many of Drosdoff's contributions to scientific journals were concerned with foliar analysis of tropical tree crops. Other topics were soil composition, genesis and morphology, colloidal clays, soil surveys, and agricultural development generally. He was a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy and was honored with its international award for his many overseas services to the U.S. government.
[Samuel Aaron Miller /
Ruth Rossing (2nd ed.)]