Stages of research development in the Genetics Department of VIR

The Genetics Department was organized at VIR in 1925, and Georgy D. Karpechenko was invited by Nikolay I. Vavilov to become its head. N.I. Vavilov and G.D. Karpechenko identified priority objectives for applied genetics: monographic studies on the hereditary variability of cultivated plants, their individual traits and properties, as well as hybrids from crosses between genetically distant species. This overview covers the main achievements of the Genetics Department of VIR from its origin to the present time. The role of VIR’s geneticists in the development of crop genetic analysis methods is highlighted, the most significant results are summarized, and the research activities of the Department during various periods of its existence are discussed: the 1930‒1940s, its revival in the 1960s, and further development after 1980.

The research history of the Genetics Department mirrors the main areas of the Institute’s activities, and the trends in the development of applied plant genetics in Russia. Scientific priorities are as follows: 1) Comparative analysis of the genetic structure in cultivated cereal crop species for such characters as plant growth, type and rate of development, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stressors; development of genetic methods to obtain donors of genes valuable for breeding; 2) Comparative genetics studies of plant species from various taxonomic groups; identification of genetic and cytogenetic mechanisms of alien gene introgressions and development of the ways of their utilization for cultivated species improvement; 3) Studying of the mutagenesis, and allo- and autopolyploidy as the factors contributing to the emergence of new plant forms, and development of methods for their utilization in breeding practice; 4) Genetics of reproduction systems in cultivated cereals; 5) Establishment and maintenance of live genetic collections as a tool for genetic analysis and examination of species’ gene pools, and as a means to preserve the diversity of cultivated plants and their wild relatives. Currently, the priority goal of the Genetics Department, as it has been throughout its history, is to uncover the genetic potential of the diversity of cultivated plants and their wild relatives in the context of their key biological and agronomic traits. The basic approach to this task is the comparative genetic one, based on Vavilov’s concept of parallelism in hereditary variation, while the main research methodology involves the employment of phenotypic, hybridological, populational, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic analyses.

1. Abdullaev R.A., Alpatieva N.V., Lebedeva T.V., Kovaleva O.N., Radchenko E.E., Anisimova I.N. Identification of barley accessions from the VIR collection carrying the mlo11(cnv2) powdery mildew resistance allele. Plant Biotechnology and Breeding. 2021;4(3):37-44. [in Russian]. DOI: 10.30901/2658-6266-2021-3-o3

2. Anisimova I.N., Voronova O.N., Gavrilova V.A., Alpatieva N.V., Radchenko E.E. Genetic resources of cereal and oilseed crops for heterotic hybrid breeding. Plants. 2025;14(22): Article 3412. DOI: 10.3390/plants14223412

3. Blakeslee A.F., Avery A.G. Methods of inducing Doubling of chromosomes in plants: by treatment with colchicine. Journal of Heredity. 1937;28(12):393-411. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a104294

4. Genetics Laboratory Report for 1938–1940. [Leningrad; 1941]. (Otchet laboratorii genetiki za 1938–1940 gg.). VIR Archives. [in Russian]

5. Goncharov N.P. Comparative genetics of wheats and their related species. V.K. Shumny (ed.). 2nd ed., revised and supplemented. Novosibirsk: Academic Publishing House "Geo"; 2012). [in Russian]

6. Goncharov N.P., Anisimova I.N., Radchenko Е.Е. Boris V. Rigin 85th anniversary. Letters to Vavilov Journal of Genetics and Breeding. 2020;6(1):40-48. [in Russian]. DOI: 10.18699/Letters2020-6-06

7. Goncharov N.P., Vishnyakova M.A., Kotelkina I.V., Lassan T.K. Georgy Dmitrievich Karpechenko (Georgiy Dmitriyevich Karpechenko). 3rd ed., revised and supplemented. Novosibirsk: Publishing House of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; 2013. [in Russian]

8. Karpechenko G.D. Hybrids of ♀ Raphanus sativus L. × ♂ Brassica oleracea L. Journal of Genetics. 1924;14(3):375-396. DOI: 10.1007/BF02983104

9. Karpechenko G.D. On the transverse division of chromosomes as a result of colchicine treatment. Comptes Rendus (Doklady) de l'Académie des Sciences de l'URSS. 1940a;29(5–6):404-406. [in Russian]

10. Karpechenko G.D. Polyploid hybrids of Raphanus sativus L. × Brassica oleracea L.: (on the problem of experimental species formation. Proceedings on Applied Botany, Genetics and Breeding. 1927;17(3):305-410. [in Russian]

11. Karpechenko G.D. Polyploid hybrids of Raphanus sativus L. × Brassica oleracea L.: (On the problem of experimental species formation). Zeitschrift für Induktive Abstammungs- und Vererbungslehre. 1928;48:1-85. DOI: 10.1007/BF01740955

12. Karpechenko G.D. Selected Works (Izbrannyye trudy). Moscow: Nauka; 1971. [in Russian]

13. Karpechenko G.D. Tetraploid six-rowed barleys obtained by colchicine treatment Comptes Rendus (Doklady) de l'Académie des Sciences de l'URSS. 1940b;27(1):47-50. [in Russian]

14. Karpechenko G.D. Theory of distant hybridization (Teoriya otdalennoy gibridizatsii). Moscow; Leningrad: Selkhozgiz; 1935. [in Russian]

15. Karpechenko G.D., Shchavinskaia S.A. On sexual incompatibility of tetraploid hybrids. In: Proceedings of the USSR Congress of genetics, plant- and animal-breeding; 1929 Jan. 10-16; Leningrad, USSR. Leningrad; 1930. Vol. 2. p.267-276. [in Russian]

16. Karpechenko G.D., Sorokina O.N. The hybrids of Aegilops triuncialis L. with rye. Proceedings on Applied Botany, Genetics and Breeding. 1929;20:563-584. [in Russian]

17. Kobylyansky V.D., Fadeevа T.S. (eds.). Genetics of Cultivated Plants. Grain Crop. Leningrad: Agropromizdat Publ., Leningrad Branch; 1986. [in Russian]

18. Kobylyansky V.D., Solodukhina O.V. Strategy of rye breeding for brown rust resistance (Strategiya selektsii rzhi na ustoychivost k buroy rzhavchine). Vestnik of the Russian Agricultural Science. 2004;(1):26-29. [in Russian]

19. Levitsky G.A., Benetskaya G.K. Cytology of the wheat-rye amphidiploids. Proceedings on Applied Botany, Genetics and Breeding. 1931;27(1):241-264. [in Russian]

20. Loskutov I.G. The History of the Global Collection of Plant Genetic Resources in Russia. Under the general editorship of Dr. E.K. Khlestkina. 2nd ed., revised and supplemented. St. Petersburg: VIR; 2025. [in Russian]

21. Makushina E.N. A new wheat species of Triticum armeniacum (Jakubz.) sp. n. (Novy vid pshenitsy Triticum armeniacum (Jakubz.) sp. n.). Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR = Reports of the USSR Academy of Sciences. 1938;21(7):350-353. [in Russian]

22. Merezhko A.F. Genetic bases for searching, creating and using donors of traits valuable for breeding in wheat (Geneticheskiye osnovy poiska, sozdaniya i ispolzovaniya donorov selektsionno-tsennykh priznakov pshenitsy) [dissertation]. Leningrad; 1988. [in Russian]

23. Merezhko A.F. Principles for revealing, developing and using the donors of valuable traits in plant breeding. In: B.V. Rigin, E.I. Gaevskaya (eds). Identified plant genepool and breeding. St. Petersburg: VIR; 2005. p.189-205. [in Russian]

24. Mitrofanova O.P. Creation of a genetic collection of common wheat in Russia: a basis for future development of particular genetics and breeding. Genetika (Mosсow). 1994;30(10):1306-1316. [in Russian]

25. Khlestkina E.K. (ed.). Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov’s associates: plant genetic diversity researchers. 3rd ed. St. Petersburg: VIR; 2025. [in Russian]

26. Odintsova I.G. Genetics of wheat resistance to leaf rust and breeding strategy (Genetika ustoychivosti pshenitsy k buroy rzhavchine i strategiya selektsi) [dissertation]. Leningrad; 1987. [in Russian]

27. Pendinen G.I., Alpat'eva N.V., Chernov V.E., Anisimova I.N. Character of expression of genes determining the synthesis of storage seed protein at the process of stabilization of amphidiploid Hordeum marinum (2х) × Triticum aestivum (6х). Agricultural Biology. 2004;39(5):53-58. [in Russian]

28. Pisareva L.A. The ML-1 mutant – a new donor of shortness of straw in wheat. VIR Bulletin. 1987;174:40-42. [in Russian]

29. Prikhodko N.I. Influence of conditions of growth of donor plants on androgenesis in anther culture of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Proceedings on Applied Botany, Genetics and Breeding. 1989;128:86-89. [in Russian]

30. Radchenko E.E., Abdullaev R.A., Anisimova I.N. Genetic resources of cereal crops for aphid resistance. Plants. 2022;(11): Article 1490. DOI: 10.3390/plants11111490

31. Radchenko E.E., Anisimova I.N. Genetic studies in Pushkin Laboratories of VIR. In: Plant Genetic Resources for Genetic Technologies: To the 100th Anniversary of Pushkin Laboratories of VIR: Proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference: Abstracts scientific; 2022 June 22–23; St. Petersburg, Russia. St. Petersburg: VIR; 2022.p.222-224. [in Russian]. URL: http://www.vir.nw.ru/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Geneticheskie-resursy-rastenij-dlya-geneticheskih-tehnologij_-k-100-letiyu-Pushkinskih-laboratorij-VIR_2022_podrobnee-1.pdf [дата обращения: 14.01.2025].

32. Rigin B.V. G. D. Karpechenko and the development of genetics in the All-Union Plant Breeding Institute. Proceedings on Applied Botany, Genetics and Breeding. 1989;128:97-103. [in Russian]

33. Rigin B.V. Genetic foundations and prospects for hybridization of Triticum L. × Secale L. (Geneticheskiye osnovy i perspektivy gibridizatsii Triticum L. × Secale L.) [dissertation]. Leningrad, 1986. [in Russian]

34. Rigin B.V. Main directions of research in the Department of genetics of VIR. Proceedings on Applied Botany, Genetics and Breeding. 2007a;164:286-302. [in Russian]

35. Rigin B.V. N. I. Vavilov and main research vectors and results obtained in Plant Genetic Department of N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry. Herald of Vavilov Society for Geneticists and Breeding Scientists. 2007b;11(3–4):525-536. [in Russian]. URL: https://vavilovj-icg.ru/download/05_Rigin.pdf [дата обращения: 14.01.2025].

36. Rigin B.V. The Beginning and development of genetic research in Vavilov All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Industry. Genetika (Mosсow). 1994;30(10): 1283-1292. [in Russian]

37. Rigin B.V. Trofim Yakovlevich Zarubaylo (Trofim Yakovlevich Zarubaylo). St. Petersburg: VIR; 2006a. [in Russian]

38. Rigin B.V. Trofim Yakovlevich Zarubaylo and genetics at the N.I. Vavilov All-Union Institute of Crop Production. (For the 100th anniversary of the birth). Herald of Vavilov Society for Geneticists and Breeding Scientists. 2006b; 10(3):594-601. [in Russian]. URL: https://vavilovj-icg.ru/download/16_Rigin.pdf [дата обращения: 14.01.2025].

39. Rigin B.V. Vladimir Dmitrievich Kobylyansky is 90 years old. Letters to Vavilov Journal. 2018;4(1):44-55. [in Russian]. URL: https://pismavavilov.ru/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/appx8.pdf [дата обращения: 24.01.2025].

40. Rigin B.V., Anisimova I.N. Stages of development of genetic research at VIR. In: Pushkin Laboratories of VIR (1922–2012): a collection of articles and memoirs dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Pushkin Laboratories of VIR (Pushkinskiye laboratorii VIR (1922–2012): sbornik statey i vospominaniy, posvyashchennykh 90-letiyu Pushkinskikh laboratoriy VIR). St. Petersburg; Pushkin: VIR; 2012. p.15-39. [in Russian]

41. Rigin B.V., Gaevskaya E.I. (eds.). Identified Plant Gene Pool and Breeding. St. Petersburg: VIR; 2005. [in Russian]

42. Rigin B.V., Goncharov N.P. Genetics of wheat ontogenesis (Genetika ontogeneza pshenitsy). Moscow: INT VINITI; 1989. (Ser. Genetics and breeding of cultivated plants; Vol. 1). [in Russian]

43. Rigin B.V., Letifova M.S., Repina T.S. Comparative genetics of maturation rate of plant species of genus Triticum L. Genetika (Mosсow). 1994;30(10):1326-1333. [in Russian]

44. Solodukhina O.V. The genetic basis of breeding winter rye for resistance to rust and powdery mildew (Geneticheskiye osnovy selektsii ozimoy rzhi na ustoichivost k rzhavchine i muchnistoy rose) [dissertation]. St. Petersburg. [in Russian]

45. Surikov I.M. Self-incompatibility theory in relation to the genetics of rye self-fertility (Teoriya samonesovmestimosti v svyazi s genetikoy samofertilnosti rzhi) [dissertation]. Leningrad; 1972. [in Russian]

46. Surikov I.M., Romanova N.P. Close linkage of the gene for brittle straw with the gene for self-incompatibility. VIR Bulletin. 1982;122:67-71. [in Russian]

47. Surikov I.M., Kissel N.I. Inheriting of winter wheat–rye good crossability. Cytology and genetics. 1980;14(4):71-73. [in Russian]

48. Svetozarova V.V. On the second genome of T. timopheevii Zhuk. (O vtorom genome T. timopheevii Zhuk.). [in Russian] Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR. 1939;23(5):472-476. [in Russian]

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51. Tyryshkin L.G. The genetic diversity of wheat and barley by effective disease resistance and the possibility of its broadening (Geneticheskoye raznoobraziye pshenitsy i yachmenya po effektivnoy ustoychivosti k boleznyam i vozmozhnosti yego rasshireniya): [dissertation]. St. Petersburg; 2007.

52. Vavilov N.I., Kuznetsova E.S. On the genetic nature of winter and spring varieties of plants (O geneticheskoy prirode ozimykh i yarovykh rasteniy). Izvestiya Saratovskogo selskohozyajstvennogo instituta = Newsletter of Saratov Agricultural Institute. 1923;1(1):17-41. [in Russian]

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55. Zarubaylo T.Ya. Genetic preconditions for creating productive varieties of grain crops. Proceedings on Applied Botany, Genetics and Breeding. 1976;58(1):3-11. [in Russian]

56. Vorob'eva G.A. Morphological and biological features of F2 Lycopersicon esculentum Mull × Solanum pennellii Corr. Proceedings on Applied Botany, Genetics and Breeding. 1976;58(1):94-109. [in Russian]

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58. Zoteyeva N.M. Species of the genus Solanum L., section Petota Dumort., as sources of enriching the gene pool of cultivated potato (Vidy roda Solanum L. sektsii Petota Dumort. kak istochniki obogashcheniya genofonda kulturnogo kartofelya) [dissertation]. St. Petersburg; 2005. [in Russian]

59. Zoteyeva N.M., Porokhovinova E.A., Fateev D.A., Chalaya N.A. Leaf and tuber resistance to Phytophthora infestans and relationship between these traits in wild potato species. Proceedings on Applied Botany, Genetics and Breeding. 2024;185(1):172-183 [in Russian]. DOI: 10.30901/2227-8834-2024-1-172-183

60. Zveinek I.A., Abdullaev R.A., Matvienko I.I., Radchenko E.E., Alpatieva N.V. Identification of the eam8 allele associated with photoperiod insensitivity in barley accessions from Japan. Ecological Genetics. 2022;20(2):101-109. [in Russian]. DOI: 10.17816/ecogen106033