PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

Lecture Notes

1. SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY. KEY TRENDS IN MODERN PHYTOPHYSIOLOGY

A Brief Historical Overview of the Development of Plant Physiology in Ukraine

One of the founders of plant physiology in Ukraine was Professor Y.V. Baranetsky (1843-1905) of Kyiv University. His primary scientific work focused on growth processes, Water relations, and plant anatomy. A significant contribution to The Development of applied plant physiology in Ukraine was made by Y.P. Votchal (1864-1937), who took charge of the Department of Plant Physiology and Microbiology at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in 1890 and established a renowned scientific school.

V.M. Lyubimenko (1873-1937) was one of the most prominent botanists and physiologists, who organized phytophysiological laboratories in Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Crimea. He conducted research on Photosynthesis, Photoperiodism, The Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, environmental adaptation, and Plant GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. The work of M.G. Kholodny (1882-1953) on phytohormonology brought global recognition to Ukrainian plant physiology. He made substantial contributions to plant physiology, anatomy, ecology, and soil microbiology.

The establishment of this discipline also owes much to V.I. Palladin (1859-1922), who served as a professor of plant physiology and anatomy at Kharkiv University and as director of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. His major scientific works were dedicated to The Study of Plant Respiration and The Role of Enzymes in these processes.

Scientific research by the Ukrainian phytophysiologist N.G. Gamorak (1892-1937) also contributed to the development of plant physiology in Ukraine. While working at the Kamianets-Podilskyi State Ukrainian University, he conducted original research on the stomatal apparatus and plant Transpiration, developed several new instruments and Methods for physiological studies, and in 1920 published two textbooks on plant anatomy and Morphology, which were the first Ukrainian textbooks in this field.

The Institute of Botany (M.G. Kholodny, Y.P. Votchal, V.M. Lyubimenko) effectively became the cradle of plant physiology in Ukraine. It served as a base for the growth of new scientific institutions and The formation of prominent phytophysiology schools. In the 1930s, A.S. Okanenko, M.G. Molotkovsky, V.K. Zalesky, F.M. Porodko, and others worked there.

During the same years, research began on the PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL role of micronutrient fertilizers, which later provided the theoretical foundation for creating new types of fertilizers enriched with Trace Elements (P.A. Vlasyuk). In 1946, the Institute of Plant Physiology and Agricultural Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine was established under the leadership of O.I. Dushechkin (1874-1956). Notable scientists working there included S.I. Lebedev (photosynthesis), V.M. Lyubimenko, F.F. Matskov, D.O. Dolgushin, F.G. Kyrychenko, V.M. Remeslo (plant development), V.Y. Yuriev, V.I. Babenko, and others (ontogeny studies).

In general, the study of Plant Growth and development has become a traditional focus for Ukrainian physiologists (F.L. Kalinin, G.H. Molotkovsky, I.P. Bilokin, K.M. Sytnyk, L.I. Musatenko, and others).

In the 1950s, a laboratory for plant tissue culture was established in Ukraine (F.L. Kalinin, V.V. Sarnatska, V.K. Yavorska, V.M. Troyan). Fundamental research was conducted on the physiology of individual plant Organs, particularly ROOT and leaf physiology (K.M. Sytnyk, L.I. Musatenko, T.L. Bohdanova).

In 1972, scientific research in Plant Introduction/32.html">Genetic Engineering began (K.M. Sytnyk, Y.Y. Gleba), which later led to the creation of the Institute of Cell Biology and GENETIC ENGINEERING OF the NAS of Ukraine. Through protoplast fusion followed by Plant Regeneration, new hybrid plants were obtained, and cell lines and plants resistant to herbicides and stress factors were developed.

The work of Academician A.M. Grodzinsky, the founder of modern allelopathy, has gained worldwide recognition. He initiated several new scientific directions regarding The Use of plants in ergonomic systems, such as phytodesign, medicine, and space biology. He actively investigated theoretical and methodological issues of plant introduction and acclimatization and was one of the primary coordinators for the development of plant physiology and biochemistry in Ukraine.

In the 1960s, research began on symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation (A.V. Manorik, Y.P. Starchenkov), plant physiological resistance (D.P. Protsenko, O.I. Kolosha, I.G. Shmatko, A.V. Kaplya), and the Organization of adaptive systems (M.M. Musienko, V.A. Sidorov, B.O. Levenko).

In 1962, the Department of Biophysics and Radiobiology was created at the Institute of Plant PHYSIOLOGY OF THE Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (D.M. Grodzinsky), where radiobiological reactions of plant organisms and the protective mechanisms of radioprotectors are studied. Academician D.M. Grodzinsky was the first to develop a theory of reliability for plant systems at various Levels of organization and analyzed the General and Specific reactions of plants to ionizing radiation.

With the participation of Ukrainian scientists in the mid-1970s, a series of phytobiological experiments were prepared and conducted on artificial Earth satellites, spacecraft, and orbital stations, as well as within the framework of several international space biology programs (E.L. Kordyum and others). Significant contributions to the physiology of Algae and higher aquatic plants were made by scientists at the Institute of Hydrobiology of the NAS of Ukraine (L.Y. Sirenko and colleagues).

At The current stage, more than 50 research institutions and universities in Ukraine are involved in addressing issues in plant physiology and biochemistry. These include the Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, the National Botanical Garden of the NAS of Ukraine and other botanical gardens, the Institute of Hydrobiology, the Institute of Cell Biology, as well as departments of plant physiology and botany at universities, agricultural and pedagogical institutes, and laboratories of branch research institutions of the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences.

Experimental and review articles on various problems of plant physiology are published in domestic journals such as "Plant Physiology and Biochemistry", "Ukrainian Botanical Journal", "Reports of the NAS of Ukraine", "Bulletin of Agricultural Science", as well as in periodicals of higher educational institutions.

International publications include the Russian Academy of Sciences journal "Fiziologiya Rasteniy" (Plant Physiology), journals of the American Society of Plant Biologists such as "Plant Physiology" and "Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology", as well as similar European journals like "Planta", "Plant Physiology and Biochemistry", "Nature", and others.