WORK OF BREEDERS DURING THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR YEARS

Abstract

By the beginning of the war, in the Land of Soviets the basics of breeding and seed science had been laid by N.I. Vavilov and his students had amassed the largest seed collection in the world at the time, and active work was underway to develop new varieties. With the arrival of the German fascist invaders, many breeding stations were evacuated. The enemy seized the most fertile territories in the country, most suitable for agriculture, but this did not stop their work: scientists continued their work during the evacuation. The article describes the work of V.E. Pisarev, E.I. Ushakova, I.E. Ryabov, N.V. Tsitsin, P.P. Lukyanenko, and V.N. Remeslo: the latter took the carefully collected fruits of his labors – winter wheat seed samples he had been working with – with him to the front, carrying them along all the front-line roads so that he could continue breeding after Victory Day. German scientists attempted to seize not only seed collections but also the work of Soviet breeders. It describes the organization of work at stations located in occupied territories and the fate of their employees and managers.