Genetics with the Basics of Selection - M.P. Myhun - 2008

CHAPTER I. Genetics as a Science

1.3. The Development of Genetics in Ukraine

The Development of genetics in Ukraine mirrors the general progress of the field both worldwide and, notably, in the former USSR. In the late 19th century, Kyiv botanist I. F. Schmalhausen was one of the few scholars globally to recognize The Significance of G. Mendel's work, referencing it in his dissertation. A crucial milestone in the development of Ukrainian cytogenetics was the scientific legacy of S. G. Navashin's school. This includes the research of G. A. Levitsky, whose pioneering 1924 work, "The Material Basis of Heredity," outlined the core achievements of genetics and shed light on non-chromosomal inheritance for the first time. The term "karyotype," coined by G. A. Levitsky, became a permanent part of scientific nomenclature. A significant

contribution to genetics was also made by Ukrainian scientists working abroad, notably F. I. Dobzhansky and E. Chargaff. Extensive research on distant Hybridization in fruit and medicinal plants was conducted between 1915 and 1936 by Academician M. T. Kashchenko, whose work led to the creation of the first amphidiploid in Ukraine. Europe's richest collection of fruit crops—comprising about 3,000 forms—was established in 1887 in Mliiv by the distinguished Ukrainian patriot and pomologist L. P. Simirenko. Experimental fields and breeding stations began appearing in Ukraine as early as 1883. For instance, the Poltava Experimental Field was established in 1884 (where student N. I. Vavilov undertook practical training in 1910). In 1912, A. O. Sapehin became the first to deliver a course of lectures on genetics at Odesa University. Work on animal hybridization began in the late 19th century. The Askania-Nova nature reserve was established in 1874, and in the 1920s, it became the base for the Institute of Animal Hybridization and Acclimatization, where M. F. Ivanov made a major contribution to developing new breeds of pigs and sheep. The primary hubs for genetic research in Ukraine were the institutes of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, alongside Kyiv and Kharkiv universities. A new chapter in Ukrainian genetics opened in 1934 with the establishment of genetics departments, the publication of collected research papers, and the appearance of genetics textbooks. The author of the first Ukrainian-language textbook on genetics was Academician M. M. Hryshko (1933), who at the time worked at the Hlukhiv Institute of Bast Crops (heading the hemp breeding department and developing simultaneously ripening hemp varieties). The period of decline for genetics in Ukraine, as in the former USSR, began with the August session of VASKhNIL in 1948. Following this session, genetics as a science was condemned; genetics curricula were removed from all educational institutions, and specialized laboratories were shut down. Geneticists were dismissed, many lives were ruined, and the discipline suffered severe setbacks. It was not until 1964 that genetics was officially "rehabilitated," though the consequences of this tragedy are still felt today. Nevertheless, as early as 1960, a Department of Plant Genetics was established in Kyiv, and in 1963, the Department of Genetics and Selection resumed its work at Kyiv University. Since then, genetic research has been revitalized, and genetics programs have gradually returned to higher education.

Today, genetic research is conducted across all leading biological institutions. Ukrainian specialists are making substantial contributions to both theoretical genetics and practical breeding aimed at developing new plant varieties, animal breeds, and microbial strains.