Into a scientific school straight from the school bench: events and projects in the field of studying and using plant genetic resources

Thanks to Nikolay Vavilov and the centuries-long efforts of several generations of scientists at VIR, Russia has become one of the world’s leading custodians of the genetic resources of cultivated plants and their wild relatives, the collection of which (in terms of originality and uniqueness of its accessions, and the genetic diversity of its holdings) could not have been replicated by any other country. The replenishment, conservation, studying, and utilization of the Vavilov Collection are ensured by a unique interdisciplinary team of researchers – botanists, geneticists, biochemists, physiologists, bioinformaticians, and breeders – united by a single research program. This team represents VIR’s scientific school. The reserve of personnel for this work is primarily supplied through VIR’s postgraduate studies. At the same time, the Institute, being interested in attracting young staff members, actively develops its partnership with educational centers at all levels – from schools to universities and scientific centers – implementing various educational projects, programs, and tracks, including those with industrial collaborators, thereby performing not only an educational function but also career guidance and popularization mission. The goal is to develop nationwide integrated professional and career tracks in the field of plant genetic resources among learners across the country, starting as early as the school bench. Each year, from 150 to 500 and more schoolchildren and their parents are involved in familiarization with the genetic resources of cultivated plants and their wild relatives, including the framework of the Development Program for the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources, established on VIR’s basis by Presidential Decree No. 44 of February 8, 2022.

1. Directive of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 2496-р dated September 16, 2023 “On approving the Development Program for the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources for 2023–2030 (Ob utverzhdenii Programmy razvitiya Natsionalnogo tsentra geneticheskikh resursov rasteniy na 2023–2030 gody)”. Official Internet Portal of the Legal Information. 2023. [in Russian]. URL: http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/document/0001202309190026?ysclid=mau4c5d96m383812177 [дата обращения: 14.11.2025].

2. Fruits in line with science 2.0 (Plody nauki 2.0). Scientific Russia. Moscow; 2023. [in Russian]. URL: https://scientificrussia.ru/articles/plody-nauki-20 [дата публикации: 05.09.2023].

3. Fruits in line with science. A guide to berries (Plody nauki. Instruktsiya po yagodam). Moscow: Russian Geographical Society; 2024a. [in Russian]. URL: https://fenolog.rgo.ru/sites/default/files/upload/instrukciya_yagody_2024.pdf [дата обращения: 14.11.2025].

4. Fruits in line with science. Instructions on honeysuckle growing (Plody nauki. Instruktsiya po zhimolosti). Moscow: Russian Geographical Society; 2024b. [in Russian]. URL: https://fenolog.rgo.ru/sites/default/files/upload/instrukciya_zhimolost_2024.pdf [дата обращения: 14.11.2025].

5. Fruits in line with science. Instructions on trees (apple and pear). (Plody nauki. Instruktsiya po derevyam [yablonya, grusha]). Moscow: Russian Geographical Society; 2024c. [in Russian]. URL: https://fenolog.rgo.ru/sites/default/files/upload/instrukciya_po_derevyam_2024.pdf [дата обращения: 14.11.2025].

6. Khlestkina E.K., Krylova E.A., Ukhatova Yu.V., Sedykh S.E., Lenshin A.A., Asaturova A.M., Khlestkin V.K., Afonnikov D.A., Kochetov A.V., Chukhina I.G. Plant genetics, breeding, and agrobiotechnology. Grades 10-11: A textbook for the agrotechnological profile (Genetika, selektsiya i agrobiotekhnologiya rasteniy. 10-11-ye klassy: uchebnoye posobiye dlya agrotekhnologicheskogo profilya). E.K. Khlestkina (ed.). Moscow: Prosveshchenie; [preprint] 2026. [in Russian]

7. Loskutov I.G. The history of the global collection of plant genetic resources in Russia. E.K. Khlestkina (ed.). 2nd ed. St. Petersburg: VIR; 2025. [in Russian]

8. Tikhonova N.G., Ukhatova Yu.V., Zavarzin A.A., Vladimirov D.R., Iurmanov A.A. Fruits of the future: the results of the project ‘Fruits in line with science’. Proceedings on Applied Botany, Genetics and Breeding. 2023;184(2):245-250. [in Russian]. DOI: 10.30901/2227-8834-2023-2-245-250

9. Vladimirov D.R., Gladilin A.A., Gnedenko A.E., Glukhov A.I., Grudinskaya V.A., Zdravchev N.S., Lebedev P.A., Minin A.A., Mironenko I.V., Senator S.A., Simakova K.A., Tikhomirova A.V., Shaikina M.N., Shiplina L.Yu., Shiryaev A.G., Yurmanov A.A., Yantser O.V. Methodology for conducting phenological observations: In memory of the founder of Russian phenology Dmitry Nikiforovich Kaigorodov (1846–1924) (Metodika vedeniya fenologicheskikh nablyudeniy: Pamyati osnovopolozhnika russkoy fenologii Dmitriya Nikiforovicha Kaygorodova [1846–1924]). St. Petersburg: Alpina PRO; 2023. [in Russian]