The beginning of organized breeding work in Russia concretized at the end of the 19th century in two capitals of the Russian Empire: in 1877 at St. Petersburg and in 1881 in Moscow, where seed quality control stations first opened. The stations’ work transfer to scientific-based functions commenced in the first half of the 20th century by N.I. Vavilov. Under his leadership, the People’s Commissariat of Agriculture of the RSFSR organized an extensive network of 115 breeding and experimental stations. The 20 to 30 years of the 20th century displayed epoch-making discoveries by Russian scientists in the field of genetics. In 1920, N.I. Vavilov discovered and formulated the law of homological series in hereditary variability. In 1925, pioneering worldwide, Russian scientists, under the influence of ionizing radiation, received mutations in yeast fungi. During the same years, S.S. Chetverikov and his students laid the foundation for evolutionary genetics, which became an impetus for developing the modern genetic breeding theory. Later, in the 1930s of the 20th century, A.A. Serebrovsky and N.P. Dubinin proved the divisibility of the gene and substantiated the theory of its complex structure. Based on this discovery, geneticists globally, studying the patterns of inheritance and variability, have discovered and continue to uncover new breeding means.
Russian Federation, selection, breeding, Vavilov
At present, recognizing that breeding and seed production in Russia today are in a challenging state against the background of a rapidly growing market of seeds of foreign selection is urgent. It should be a consideration since realizing the biological potential of the variety is the main factor in increasing production volumes, improving product quality, and reducing its cost. As a result, in addition to economic attractiveness, it guarantees the country’s food independence.