JPRS ID: 8515 TRANSLATIONS ON USSR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BIOMEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
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(FOUO i9J79)
iS JUNE 1979 VESTNIK AKAOEMII NAUK SSSR N0. 30i979 i OF 3
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JnRS L/8515
- 15 June 1979
TRANSLATIONS ON USSR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
BIOMEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
(FOUO 19/79)
VESTNIK AKADEMII NAUK SSSR No, 3, 1979
U. S. JOINT pUBLICATIONS RESEARCH SERVICE
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NOTE
JI'Et5 publications conCttin information primarily from foreign
- ttewspapers, periodicnls and books, buC also from news agency
traZn
� o (h )
II
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S CH2COOC2Hs CHt
( i )H�P604*C j Y12Byp�H NHC(S)vHG00CHs
0 ( k )Toncns-M
_ (C2II60)2PSCH2K.._ / (CHa)eC- rI\N\Hz 0 CIis .
11
s ~
N~ _ I
0 0 Cl , N SCH' C
(1 0oaaaua . (mpeaxop . . C(O)NHCJ16
. . . ( n )Hap6o1tceg ' .
p (HOhry CHaNHCFizC00H
~ I
CI2C=CH CQCHa- 0 CE'
0\ :
(p )Pnn~OCar ~ ~Ta~urupes
~o He 7\ Cg' OCSH6 C1CH2CH'N(CHi) ,CL'
~Iep~aerpsa
( r Xnop=onsisanopaA
0
11 j~Hs
a-CioIi~ CNHCH, ~p~~CIi
(S ) Kap6apan ( t )
Key on following page.
35
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Kpyi
(a)
UD'C
(k)
'1'npg{n-M
(b)
MODE[tN PE5'CICInE3
(1)
Phnza1 on
(c)
InseCticideg
(m)
Zpncor
(d)
Nerbicideg and plunt Crowth
(n)
Carbnxyn
Etcgulatorg
(o)
Permetrin
(r)
F'ungtcideg
(p)
Glyphogat
(C)
Mptephoe
(q)
Tgchtgarrn
(g)
D
(r)
ChlernChnlinrhloridh
(h)
zinpb
(s)
Carbaryi
(i)
Carbophas
(t)
Estrel
(J)
Linuron
In 1977, che U53It Arndemy of Scienees in cnllabnration wich the U55[t
Minigtry of Agriculture, the U5SEt Miniatry of Chemical Industry , and�:other
dppartmentg, drew up und submitted proposgis on improving the development
of sCientific researclt in the �ield of ptant protection, but up to now no
decigiong hgve been made with regard to this vitnl prnbtem of ugricuttural
production. It is esgential to help the acientific institutions to
strengthen their bases, because they are dealing witlt a big and complex
problem. Without the participation of key institutes of the Aeademy of
5ctences, this problem connot be salved, because it is esaentiel to develop
effective methods of synthesizing pesticides, to study the mechanisms of
thcir physiological effect, and to devetop methods of breaking t}iem down
in order to prevent environmental pollution. Recently a number of in-
stitutes of the Academy of Sciences and the acedemies of bCietlCeS o[ the
union republics--the Academy of Sciences Institute of Urgenic Chemistry,
the USSR Academy of Sciences Institute of Organoelemental Compounds, the
USSR Academy of Sciences Institute of Bioorg..nic Chemistry, and the
Latvian SSR Academy of Sciences Institute of Organic Synthesis--have
proposed for practical use a large number of pesticides (alvison, EOS-117,
phenazon, dextramin, oxyamin, toluin, and others) that will undergo scate
testtng. A number of academic ins[itutes are working out highl/-sensit!:I.
methods of determining residuat quantities of pesticides. So far, howcver
the path from the scientific development of e pesticide to its adoption in
agricultural practice has been thorny. The herbicide alvison, Ior exaMple,
developed by the USSR Academy of Sciences Institute of Organic Ctiemiscry
in 1965, has not yet managed to go [hrough state testa because of depart-
mental conflicts.
It must be pointed out that most pesticides are developed as a resulc of
empirical investigation. But this method is costly, because ic requires
masg syrthesis and rnass testing, and according to world statistics an
average of only 1 out of every 10,000 compounds finds practical use. it
is necessary to develop the scientific principles of the deliberate
synthesis of pesticides having specified biological properties. This
kind of work is beinp, carried out sur.cessfully by the U5SR Academy of
Sciences Institute of Organoelementel Compounds in collaboration with
36
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Chp U55it Argdemy of 5c:ienceg Inatttute
binchhmigtry frneni I. M. 5echendv, the
and the Uxbek 55Ct Academy of 5cienceg
of Evolueinnary phyginlogy gnd
Ingtitute of Uidorganic Chpmtgery,
Ingtieute of Zddldgy and raragitology.
Cndd prospeetg fdr agriculture are td bc fdund in the une of phygtdtogicatiy
active gubgtanreg encauneered in naturh whirh regulgtp the grnWtki and bp-
hgvcnr of animalg. 'Chege might be termed third-genpration ehemiral pest!-
cideg. Fdr example, very ldw Cnncentratidng of pheromones (sex attraceantg
of high gperlfirity) nrp rnpable dE attracting ingeetg nver grent digtanGes.
The relativp gimpltcity of their Chpmical makeup makeg it pagy td syntheaize
thpm and use them piehee wieh or aithout contdCt tngpGticides by ecting on
inspet pnpulationg (digorienting them). At pregent, pheromanes and eheir
analogueg are being gUcC(?HsCULLy used in other cnuntrieg.
(a) I08EHZ4JIbHLIE LI AHTNtOBEHHJIbNbIE POpMOHbI
CHi CHs CNI 0 R CNi CHi CNo 0
CHi / Ni CH~ OB'
(b) 10eerttnbueci ropuoa uecexowtt: A-N, H1480-C,Ht: R+�OCHI, R'��Cj+
~ C~ Ciinretaaocxno ~BanorN aeeguatiaoro rop~tou
Amepmu u Ap. (1972 r.)
OCH,
CHIO Q0 CHe I ~ CHo
cH,o o cH, c~o cH,
A22"msagnAbaue ropwooti
( d ) (opwcoqeau)
Key:
(a) JUVENILE ANb ANTIJUVENILE HOEtMONE5
(b) Juvenite insect llormone
(c) 5ynth,,tic Analogues of Juvenile Normone (Jerassy et et., 1972)
(d) Antijuvenite 1{ormones (Precocens)
Also of great interest are analogues of the juvenile hormonep which breaks
up the normal course of development of insects and sterilizes ma[ure
specimens; at present n number of countries have started the production
of certain analogues of juvenile hormones.
Both in the case of pheromones and juvenile hormones, the research being
done in the US5R is lagging far behind research In foreign countries. In
particutar, research is going too sloaly into the chemical nature of
pheromones, and field tests of promising hormone compounds are delayed
because of the lack of semi-Industrial production of them. And although
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FOtt flFFIGIAL USH ONLX
80t11@ ACBdEmiC aitd gpcEdC iriatiCUCEs haV@ recently gteppEd UN regearch
pfEortg along chpse lineg (the US5R Academy dE 3eihncen ingtitute of
Evolutionary Animal Morphology and Ecology imeni A. N. Sevrrtgdv, the
USSR Academy of Seipncee Siberian Depertment Ndvosibirgk institutp of
t3rganiC Chemiatry, end others), the weak matertel base of these eEEorts
make8 it lmpoggibtp to aetain the npspagary 1evp1.
It is alsn very important tn aork out a bioldgical meehnd nE controlling
Eerm plant pe$es. 'Che U3SR Acedemy of 5cience$ and and aeademies of
gCi@t1CEg of the unien cepublicg mugc examfne pnssibilitips Cor expanding
thp Erant of scientiEic resegrch in this problem.
It haa been stated that a vital rondition Eor regolvtng the problem of
peatieides and other regulatore of groNeh and developmpnt in plantg and
Animalg is the Eormulatidn end implementation of a prepared warka prdgram.
Naturally, this progrgm catts fdr shgrply stepping up EffbCts along thesp -
linea in our arademy, thc intensification of research in pxisting ingti-
tutea and labnratoripe, gnd thp rreation of new scientifiC colleettveg.
in particular, recenely thp new U3Sk Academy of Scienceg Institute of
Physiologically Active 5ubstancea was set up near Moscow= one of itg
main research thrusts is the synthesis and study aE new p@sticides and
pheromonea. Plang ralled Eor setting up a nCw ecademic inatitute of
chemical-biologicai profile in Saratov, which will deal With the tasks
of farm produceion on the basis of fundamental theoretical research.
However intensively and successfutly it develops, however, scicnce by
itselE cannot resolve the pescicidp problpm. For this reason, a Eew
aords should be said about sn-called " smali-scale chemistry." This
field, Eor which a suitable designation has not yet been found, ia
supposed to be engaged in the production of reletively complex and very
vital substances--low-tonnage and costly produccion which Erequencty
changes assortment--that which is called in English "fine chemical
industry." In our country thia field is lagging badly; it has riot worked
aut its own ideology, has not found its own paths and solutions. Yct
this industry--"small-scale chemistry"--must deal with the produccion at
pesticides. We are aiso not producing enough medicines (cheir assortmerit
is about five times less than ahat is needed), and we are not prcdl, ii��
enough new semisynthetic antibiotics and synthetic hormonal subst:incc ,
including those necessary for agriculture; we do not have enough reaqrnts
for color and self-developing photography, various stabilizers, anci-
knock compounds, inhibitors, and so on. The situation ts very bad With
regard to the production of chemical reagents and biochemical c:)mpounds
for scientific research. And in all cases, one of the chieE reasons is
the Weakness of "small-scale chemistry," which we might just as aell calt
"small" in the literal sense of the word. It seems to us that this pro-
blem deserves prompt discussion on the highest levels; it requires thc
creacion of a new sector built on the basis of relatively small, mobilc
enterprises with modern equipment that are similar in nature to exprrt-
mentel plants. Such enterprises could be set up within che syscem of
" special main administrations in the USSR Ministry of Chemical Industry
38
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and ehp Mgin Adminigtratidn nt hlicrdbinlagica1 Induatry dr in ehe frame=
aork of gseparate dppgrtment. In rnhnectinn atth thig, it ig degirable
td atrengthpn and modernizp thp pxpeetmental base of the corregpdnding
aeademfe institutes, bringing it up eo the levpl dE ehe bese seieneifir
enllpceives ouch an the Ldtvian 5SR Arademy of Sei@ne@s institute of
Orgdflic Synehesis in Riga, the Armenian SSR Acgdpmy of 3eienrp# InatiCUte
of Organie Chemigtry in Yerevan, or ehe Ukrainian 99tt Acedemy OE SCi@flC@6
Physieal-Ci!P!nieal Ingtitute ifl Odl9gd� Thp prdblem of "M11-gCa1e ehpm-
isery" in our country reust bp resolved promptly and thdroughly.
The FplClg Bage, `Cn imprave the lpvel and quality of lfvegtork nuteition it i8
essential eo resnlvo problems rel8eing tn ehp addption of fu11-vatup diets
whieh arp balanred in termg of eheir amino acid, vitamin, and mineral com-
position, includtng gyflthetie mineral and orgnnic BUbgtatlCeB� Ac pf@gpflt,
the 9tatU6 of the feed# base is unsatigfaetory Qither in terms of quantity
dr quality. Egpeciglly urgent is the problem aE feed protein, which can
bp largety rpsnived tn the Euturp by ghgrply innreasing the productian of
cnrn and grain legump$, expanding feed grags ptantings, and improving
methadg of proeuring hAy, haylape, and gilagp. In this case, hoWpvQr#
the ghortage must be made up throijgh thp indu$trial productinn of feede
in the Eorm of minprgl feed additivps and feed yeasts.
'Chanks to the efEorts of ehpmises, btologigtg, and tivegtock experts in
rpCene yeara the USSR has creatpd a nea chemieal industry--the Eeed phos-
phate industry. Ae present the research institueeg are Working out pro-
cessea for producing rompiex faed componpnts containing several plpmenta
of animal nutrition, Eor example phoephates and polyphoaphates of car-
bamide, sodium, and magna.sium, with trace eiements and physiologically
activp gubstances. At pregenc, houevpr, tivestdck farming demandg for
Eeed phosphates are not being fully met.
In addition to mineral feed additives, the lacking protein cen be supplied
to agriculture in the form of feed ypasts and other products of micro-
biologicgl synthesis. The task of the microbiology institutions is to
provide the theoretical principles of the technology of producing in-
expensive Eeed protein. The scientiEic and technical conditiong for pro-
ducing microbial protein on hydrdearbons have bpen explainpd. A major
contribution to this problem Was made by the U55R Academy of Sciences
Ititscitute of 9iochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms in Pushchino.
Production is already underway in the USSR. HoWever, U5SEt Academy of
Sciences institutes will have to coltabarate with industry in setting up
eEEorts to create eEfective technotogtes for synthesizing microbial pro-
tein on hydrogen, organic: acidsl and alcohols. It is also essential to
step up research and technological expertmencation in the firld of pro-
ducing and using various kinds of vitamins.
Problems of plant physiology and photosynthesis.
largely depends on the plant's ability to use the
Cenerally, however, less than one percent of the
39
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The aize of crops
sun's radiation.
physiologicelly active
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radiaeian in utilized; plgnt phntdsynthegig produceivity cnuld be gharply
increased by gelpr,cint Edrmo having the mose active chloroplaytg, xnd ulgo
by modifying ehe geneeic apparatug whieh eantrolg phocogynthesig. it t$
alaa very impaYeant tn dett-rmine ehe magt Egvorable photogynthesig cnndi-
tidng Eor paeh crop, to hvalunee agrotechnical factorg prdperly, td de-
termine optimat cnncentrations of carbonic acid, ard su on. in addition
eo thdraugh theoreticQl work in ehe study of ehe physiaal and Chpmical
principlea of photosynthesis, ehis resparch mugt play a vital role In re-
solving the problem of improving plane cultivgtion praductivlty. It ia
esgpntial, moreover, thgt thp apprdpriate ingtitueeg of r.hp U5SEt ACgdemy
of Scieneps nnd the republiC academiea dpal with thear probtems more
effectivply.
The ahalp romplex of plant physiology regegrch, including problema of
plant rddt nutrieidn, trgngport of gubgtances in ehem, and problpms of
regpirgeion and resiseance eo diseages, ere of viegi importence in in-
fluencing plants and rontrolling their development; they are of crucial
importanep in correctly forecasting Crop yields. Mention must aigo bp
mgde of the importance of work being done to find the optimat conditinns
of raising plants in hothouses, because excellpnt resultg can be achieved
in this way. By way of example, let me cice wdrk being done in raising
tomatoea in the USStt Academy of Sciences Institute of plant Physiology
imeni K. A. Timiryazev. In plant physiology research, increasing impor-
tance attaches to modern methods, including the use of cell and tissue
cutturea, and this approach is being taken auccesaEully in the U5SR
Academy of Sciences Institute of plant Physiotogy, the US5R Academy of
Scienees Siberian Departmpnt Siberian Institute of Plnnt physiology
and Biochemistry, the Ukratnian S5it Academy of Sciencea Institute of
Botany, th.^. Tadzhik SSR Acgdemy of Sciences Institute of Plant Physi-
ology and Biophysics, the Georgian SSR Academy of Sciences Institute
of Plant Biochemiatry, and other centers. These efforts deserve Eull
support.
Problems of genetics and selection. The adoption of new varieties nnd
breeds of higher producrivity and better quality constitutes the main
course of intensification of farm production. Our science deser~_,s a
lot of credit, and in connection aich this mention musc be made of thc
outstanding Work being done by academicians P. P. Luk'yanenko,
Pustovoyt, V. N. Remeslo, N. V. Tsitsin, M. I. KhodZhinov, and many
others. But continued efforts must be made. In the future, farm pro-
duction must be based chiefly on continuous replacement of varieties--
every fivc to seven years. First of all, this will make it possible to
rapidly and fully realize the latest advances in the science of selection
and genetics; secondly, diseases and pests Will not have time to regroup
and form populations adapted to the new varieties. Of great importance
Eor agricuiture are methods of modern genetic selection worked out by
scientists of the US5R Academy of Sciences in collaboration with scien-
tists of VASKhNIL, among which special attention should be paid to
experimental and natural mutagenesis,polyploidy, genetically regulaced
heterosis, and remote hybridizatiqn.
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'Che uge of thege methudg hns made it pogsible to introduce n numbpr of
varietipg intn produceinns Grhkum-114, a wheat-qUgCICgYllgg spring wheae
hybrid, Start wt.nter rye, nnd dernHtayuehchgyg-38, a whent grain feed,
all develnped in thp Mgin gotanicnl Gerdpn of rlie U55tt Acndemy nC Sc:lencewi
Novasibirskayn-67 spring wheat, drvelaped by thp USSR Academy of Sciences
Siberian Department Ingtieute ot Cyeology nnd GenetiGS; the Vegna vgriery
of early potatn developed in ehp tlSSR Acgdemy of 5CietlCeg Ingtf.tuCe of
Cenpral Genetics; end varieCieg of wilt-resistant 'Caghkent cotton dpveloped
in the U2bplt SSEZ ACAdEl11y OE SCiEt1CC9 Institute of Experimental Bidingy.
Also undprway is the producCion prdpggaCion aE n muCgnt varipty dE highly
produeeive semi-dwarf winter wheat, Kiyankn, developed by the Ukrainian
SSR Academy of $ciences InsCiCute of Mnlecular Bioingy and Genetics. New,
highly-productive varieties of wheat, bnrley, and tobaccn have been develppd
in thp USSEt Academy of SCiencpg Institute of Chemical Physics by the method
of chemiCal mueggenegis; they are now undergoing sCaCe vnrieties CegCing.
It is also necesgary to emphasize the impnrtance of work in remote plant
hybridizaCion. Interspecies hybridizetion makes it possible to create new
forms not found in the plene wnrld. Such, for example, is the new crop
Triticale, developed by crnssing whege with rye. Triticnle succegsfully
combines wheat's high protein COflt@ht nnd rye's high lysine content; Che
crop yteld runs as high as 100 to 120 quintals per hectare. It is adapt-
able to severe conditions such ag cold, sandy end acid soils, and rust.
In 52 countries, Triticalp occupies land totgling about 400,000 hectares;
the main centera of cultivation are Mexico, Canada, the United States, and
Ethiopia. In the US5R, rye-wheat hybrids were Eirst developed by N. V.
Tsitsin in the 1940's. Dut varie`ies of Triticale have been subjected to
extensive state testing only recently, thanks chieEly to efforts of the
Ukrainian Institute of Plant Nusbandry, Cenetics, and Selection. It would
be desirable to intensify these efforts in the institutes of the USSR
Academy of Sciences, in order to develop forms of Triticale that are not
only highly-productive but also meet agrotechnical standards.
No less important is selective breeding and genetic work in livestock
farming. Thus, the interspecies crossing of small, low-milk zebu with
milk and meat br�ieds of cattle has made it possible to develop hybrids of
up to 450 kg live weight which are resistant to various kinds of diseases
and are distinguished by high productivity. Such work is underway in the
Main Botanical Garden of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the Azerbaydzhan
SSR Academy of Sciencas Institute of Genetics and Selection, and the
�Georgian SSR Academy of Sciences Instituce of Zoology. The work of the
USSR Academy of Sciences Siberian bepartment Institute of Cy[ology and
Cenetics on hybridizing domestic swine with wild boars has made it
possible to substantially improve the meat qualities and vigor of the
hybrids. Unfortunately, we cannot yet say that this work has been widely
adopted in praccice.
Mention should also be made of mutagenesis. This is a very powerEul
method which yields excellent results. Radiation mutagenesis has played
a vital role in developing new varieties of wheat during the "green
41
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revolution." -Chemicgl mueageneaig hgs glso become effecCive. Mention
should glso be made of work being done in this field in the USSEt Academy
oE Sciences InsCitute of ChemiceL Phygicg and the UkrAinien 531t ACademy
oE SGiencea InsCiwCe of Mdlecular Btntogy nnd Cencttcs. 'Chr wlde pruc-
r.icnl. adoption of the Elndinga of thesc lnsefturus wltl uiidnubrrdly ylt-lci
subgtantial economic efEeCe, and the nc:ademies oE setencps must collabnrnte
with the appropriate departmentg to speed up rhe proepss.
New Varieties of wheat
developed by means of modern
methods of genetic selection
(on the left, Novosibirskaya-67,
on the right, Mutant-404).
Triticale--a new farm crop
developed by crossing wheat
with rye.
In connection with the tasks of agriculture, we will focus on new dtrections
in biology. New discoveries and advances in biotogy and the appearance oE
powerful methods of enalysfs are capable of revolutionizing agricultural
science. In cases where such approaches and methods are adopted rapidly,
results are not slow in coming. In this regard, the academic scientific
institutions are making a large contribution to the intensification of agri-
culture, and this contribution will continue to grow.
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rdit nFFICIAL USL' dNLX
Speaking in Alma-Atn in 1974, CC c:p5U Cenergl 5erreCary.and.U55lt 5uNrame
Snvier Presidium Chgirman Comrade L. I. Orpzhnev said; "AgriculCUre needg
new ideag capable of revolueidnizing agricultural production, it needg thp
congCanC inElux of fundamentgl kndwLedge prnvidnd by binchemigtry, genetice,
and molpculnr biology cdncprning the nature of planes and animals."
Abdve a11 it is necessury en wnrk out npw technnlugies of 5p1ECCivE brepding
in the shortegt pogsible time, based on the broad use, et gll BCAgE'.9 of
selection, of madprn edvgnces in biochemistry gnd mdlecular genptics, alao
mathematical analysis. Up td now, for example, selection has not made ade-
quate use of polymorphous proepins as merkers of gcnes or blockg of genes
controlling the variabiliCy of economicatly vnluable traits. E;xperiments
carried out in VASKhNIL's All-Union Institute of 5plpceive 8repding and
Cenetics have shown that e number of wheae and barley chromosomes mgnifest
the phennmenon of multiple allelism of blocks of componentg of prolamines.
It has been found that combinations of ehese blocks correlate eo the qual-
ity of the grnint resistance Co frast, resistance to diseeses, and other
propereies. This makes it possible nn the basis of the genetic formules of
the proeein-prolamines, formulas based on recomputation of variants of
blocks of components of proCein of the line or vuriety under atudy, to
judge their genotypically determined properties.
Of great practical importance now is molecular-cytogenetic research into
the linenr differentiation of chromosome structure. 5uch reseArch was
uncil recently dismi.ssed as merely "academic." Thanks to microscopic
determination of structural heterochromatin it has become possible to
identify the chromosomes of the most important farm crops. It has been
found that each variety of Triticale, wheat, and barley posseas a
specific karyotype, its own unique combination of morphological traits
of the chromosome set. This opens up completely new possibilities for
accelerating work in genetics and selective breeding based on the use of
Gheoretically long-Eamiliar methods of chromosome engineering--that is, the
ciliberate designing of karyotypes having an optimal, preselected erray
ot chromosomea.
In conneccion with this, great interest attaches to the Morfokvant instru-
menc, developed by the USSR Academy of 5ciences of Biological Physics in
collaboration with the GDR's Karl Zeiss Jena VEB. This instrument makes
it possible in 20 minutes to plot the karyotype (classiEication
chart of the set of chromosomes) of plants, animals or humans. It is,
however, necessary to develop simpler and cheaper instruments for
chromosame analysis.
Recent years have seen the intensive adoption of several fundamental and
technical advances in embryology and developmental genetics in live-
sCock practice. Specialists have worked out new methods of animal re-
production based on the manipulation of egg cells and embryos. In
principle these methods make it possible in a short time to increase
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herds of valuable breedg dE farm animals. 'I'he nature dE the eech-
nology nonsistg of the fact ChgC by means of hormonal tregtmentx tt
Is possiblp to ebtain up to 60 embryos per year inseead of juse one nr
two Erom a gingip pedigree female. They can ehen bp implaneed i.n non-
pedigrep females, rhus obtaining 20 to 30 calves per sCasdn frnm a
gingle cow. Techniques have been developed for freezing embryoe Eor
gtorage and transport. All of this taken eogpther hag Created the
base Enr sharply increaging the pEfeCeiveness and the pere nE ppdigrec
work on the one hand, and for further, more delicate manipulations
with farm gnimal embryos and their genetic apparatus, on the nther.
Although today's achievements in this regard are just the beginning, and
atthough wp are still dealing with relatively simple manipulations, researcli
ls proceeding very rapidly, and its adoption in practice promiges to yield
enormnus economic effpcts in livestock raising.
There are firms edopting CheB@ techniques in livestock farming in the United
States, Canada, Great Britatn, France, Australig, gnd New Zealand. A num-
ber oE speciglized scientific centers gre engaged in further research to
create the prerequisites for morp refined manipulations with egg cells,
embryos, and their nuclear apparetus.
The adoption of the latest advances of cell biology and molecutar genetics
now underway in this field opens up broad prospects for resolving such pro-
blems as sex cloning, genetic manipulation, and so on. A program oE [unda-
mental work in this area is in preparation now by the USSR Academy oE
Sciences in collaboration with VASKhNIL and other departments.
Of great interest to animal husbandry are the proscaglandins, thanks to
their high and variegated physiological activity. ProscAglandins are a
group of related lipids that are widely dispersed in animal tissues,
where they evidently serve as mediators of hormonal action. There arc
three basic ways to use prostaglandins: enhencemcnt of the efEectiveness
of artificial insemination of farm animals, synchronization of t}ieir sex
cycle, and artificial ab ortion, which is essential in certain par.tio-
logical situations or, for example, in obtnining karakul. In the near
future we can expect the massive usE of natural prostaglandins and syn-
thetic analogues of them in livestock farming; this should yield sub-
sCantial economic effect. In our country, work on producing prostaglandtns
and using them in livestock farming began only recently and is proreeding
very slowly, although in other countries, in particular the United States,
prostaglandins are produced by industry and are beginning to be used in
agricultural practice.
The mass use of prostaglandins in livestock Earming requires methods of
full chemical synthesis characterized by technological and patent purity.
Successful work is being done in the Latvian SSR Academy of Sciences
Institute of Organic Synthesis and the USSR Academy of Medicat Sciences
Institute of Endocrinology and Hormone Chemistry.
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,
~
,
t pH , 1 .
COOH
DH
(b) nr F,,
(e) CMHna npocrRnIHAHnoe no KopN (flf F,r)
Key:
, . ( g~
~ 8 MANA
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_ " .
npocTA rnA NAH14 w
:
COOH
/
HO CHs
( c )11�.e3ox~oK ~~e~T nr e,
0 ( E)
8 ctIANA
HO CN2OCH2C&N&
(a) pROSTAGLANDINS
(b) PG E2cc
(c) il- desoxy-l5-methyl-PG E1 (doxaprost)
OH ,
..~r
001
OH OH CI
( d ) 9xctpywAt
�
OH
coo
OH OH
(d) Extrumat
(e) Synthesis of prostaglandins after Cory (PG F2 d)
(E) 8 stages
The Interdepartmental Scientific-Technical Council for Problems of
Molecular $iolopy and Molecular Genetics under the State Committee
Eor Science and 'Cectinology and US.hR Academy of Sciences Presidium
has set up a Prostaglandin Program participated in by nine institutes
in various departments. It is essential to expand the Eront oE research
in thts vital agricultural problem.
Large prospects in plant husbandry and possibly livestock farming are to
be seen in methods of tissue culture, somatic hybridi2ation, and genetic
engineering. In partfcular, the U5SK Academy of Sciences is broadly de-
veloping research in subject matter relating to genetic engineering.
Altering the fine struc[ure of nucleic acids and replacing some genes with
others in a broad systematic range can revolutionize selective breeding,
lead to the creation of completely new forms, and open up possibilities of
programming Che form-physiological characteristics of organisms. Also in
the oEEing are such experiments as restructuring the genetic apparatus
by "shifting" genes from one organism to another; this is already being
45
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done with microorggnisms. Such wnrk ig being narried out in a number of
institutea of the US512 Academy of Scienceg, and iC must be intensiE'ied.
Etesparch in molecular biology and molecular genetics constiCuees nne nf
Che cornerseones in Coday's biology, and consequenely it is an egsential
basis for gcientific agricultural oppraeion. Bue such research requtres
that the institutes be prnvided with modern scientific equipment and re-
agents. Our indusCry, howpver, is not yet providing enough inserumenrs
or reagenCS. A CC CPSU and USSR Council of Ministers decree on moleculnr
biology and molecular geneticg in 1974 called for measures to develop
SovieC scienCific instrument making. Scientific and design organizations
of the USSR Academy of Sciences and certain other departments have de-
veloped a number of instruments meeeing today's high stgndards, but the
organization of series production of new equipmenC has run up against un-
surmountable difficulties. The Ministry of Instrument Making and a number
of other departments which were supposed to instieute the production of
such equipment do not have available prodtiction capacities; meanwhile,
consCrucCion has not begun on a single instrument making plant as stipu-
lated in the decree. As a result, the USSR Academy of Sciences has been
obliged to begin the construction of its own plants in order to resolve
the problem at least partially.
It seems to me that the problem of carrying out the CC CPSU and the USSR
Council of Ministers decree 1Measures to bevelop Scientific Research in
Molecular Biology and Molecular Genetics and usei-their Advances in, the
National Economy" requires special discussion. This decree has brought
enormous benefiCS to our biology and our science in general; it has made
it possible to take the lead in several directions of biology and pro-
gress in many areas of agricultural and medical practice.
The storage and processing of agricultural products. The problem of
reducing losses of farm products during transporting, storage, and pro-
cessing was urgently raised at the November 1978 CC CPSU Plenum; it
was the object of special attention in the speech at the plenum by
Comrade L. I. Brezhnev.
With regard to the development oE new technologies for storing graiii w,d
other products, one promising direction is the use of special acceleracors
capable of detoxifying grain products rapidlyr chieEly by rapidly breaking
down pesticide residues. The first models of such accelerators are already
in operation, and further research needs to be done. It is also necessary
to perfect drying processes so as to determine in each specific case, on
the basis of detailed study, optimal, sufficiently mild and at the same
time effective operating conditions which will not harm the germination of
the seed, the quality of the protein components, and so on. Mention musc
be made here of the work of the USSR Academy of Sciences Institute of Bio--
chemistry imeni A N. Bakh; this institute has developed methods of activr
ventilation for the storage of potatoes and vegetables. The USSR Academy
of Sciences lnstitute of Petrochemical Synthesis has proposed semipermeable
polymer film which is very effective in controlling the gas mixture in
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sCnragp feClliCieg. A number dt instiCUeeg of the Ukruinian SSR Academy
of Scienceg in collgboraCintt wieh the ScienCiEtC-RegearCfi Ingtitute of the
Sugar Indugtry of the Minigery of Fond industry tieve workcd our a new
meehod of storing sugar beees.
MenGion should also be made of the necessity of developing high-speed autn-
matic mprhods of evaluaCing and mnnitoring the finishpd prnduct: the tevel
of protein, toxiciCy, weed infestaeion, and sn on. Many of Chpse operati,ong
are now carried out by hand, although it would be best to use new methods
involving compueers.
MeehanizaCion end automgCinn. In terma of ehe production of tractora and
Earm machinery, our country holds first placp in the world. Neverthelegs)
the fleet gnd nompnclature of trectors and �arm mgChinery ia sti11 inade-
quate Co provide integrated mechanization of all agricultural processes.
For this regson, it is essential to furCher boosC the productive potential
of the machine building industry and ta substantially improve Che quality
of the equipment being produced. These are especially urgent prnblems be-
cause of our agricultureals unfavorable labor sieuatinn.
There are many problems which have not yet been resolved by rhe agricultural
machinery industry: increasing the durability and wear-resistance, using tlle
latest methods of disgnostics, using rew materials and caatingqq using more
effective sysrems and components, manipulators and robots, reducing the
consumption of fuel and lubricants, and so on. The amount of inetal used
in making our farm machinery, as a rule, is subsCantially greater then
in foreign models. Some kinds of farm equipment, in particular many Cypes
of combines, are too complicated and are not equipped with standard,
easily interchangeable components; as a result, repair costs exceed per-
missable normatives. In terms of convenience, controls, and comfort
our tractor cabs lag behind similar models of foreign make.
It is essential to Eind solutions to problems of inechanization and auto-
mation of processes of transporting, storage, and processing of farm pra-
ducts. This involves the development of automated plants to process grain
and produce combination feeds, improvement of systems of in-plant transport,
and, finally, the development of more effective technologies in the mil.ling
of flour and the manufacture of combinaCion feeds.
Many problems that have not been resolved within the agricultural machinery
industry frequently turn out to have been solved in other machine building
sectors, and this experience ought to be utilized. However, the extensive
dissemination of this experience and the application of the latest advences
of science and technology, it seems to us, are hampered by the lack of a
base institute within the USSR Academy of Sciences to deal with problems
of machine building, a base capable of coordinating these efforts and
directing them, in particular, into widespread use in agriculture. Very
likely such an institute ought to be organized in the near future within
the USSR Academy of Sciences.
47
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Agricultural economicg. 'Che denree of the July 1978 CC CP5U rLenum nneey
the necessity of Eocuging aCCenCion on problems oE agricultural economicy,
of improving the efEectiveneas of prnduction and reducing product prime
cogt, on perfecCing eednnmic rplaCions amnng aectora o[ the agroindustrial
cnmplex. Ae present, the process of forming this Complnx is proceeding
wiChout adequaCe gcipntific gubgtanCigtion; for this rpaqon, there is a
clegr 1aclc oE balance in its development. In particular, most of the
workers employed by the agroindustrial complex are involved directly in
agriculture. They amount rn 61 percent of the toral, while only 7 percent
are engaged in the produceion oE industrial means of production, and 32
percpnt are engaged in Cransport, storage, processing, and the sale of
finished goods. This distribution cxnnot be considered optimal.
InstituCions of the USSR Academy of 5ciences are collaborgCing with insti-
tutes in oCher departments on importanC reseaxch in the field oE the eco-
nomics of agricultural production and, in particular, they are eaking part
in formulating problems of the future ngroitidustrial complex as stipu-
lated in the integrated program of scientific-technical progress. But it
is worthwhile Co examine the question of strengthening the corresponding
subunits in the key economic institutes, including in the union republics
and the scientific cenCers of the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East, so
that the contribution of the USSR Academy of Sciences can be substantial.
Very large problems will have to be resolved. In particular, the problem
of labor supply is extremely important to the development of the agricul-
ture in many areas of the country. I should also like to emphasize the
necessiCy of fundamentally improving forms of organization of laboc nnd
wages for workers fn agriculture and related sectors, also resolving a
large number of tasks of a social nature. One serious problem is price
formation on farm equipment and spare parts. We can state definitely
that the rasolution of these problems will largely determine the effec-
tiveness of farm production in our country.
It is hardly possible to cover all problems relating to scientific-
technical progress in agriculture and the application of fundamental
scientific advances in this area. But we may already conclude that the
problem we are discussing today is unusually complex and is of priority
importance to our state. For this reason, the USSIt Academy oE Sciences
must step up its efforts along these lines; it must above all strengttien
its own ranks, refine and coordinate the thematics of its work, lay down
the exact time tables for carrying the work out, and strengthen thetr
base in the corresponding institutes of the USSR Academy of 5ciences and
the academies of sciences of the union republics. In order that the dis-
cussion at this session may lead to specific results, we propose that the
works program of the USSR Academy of Sciences "Scientific Principles of
Agriculture" for 1975-1985 be approved and that the work being done in the
program be given priority importance. In the long run this document must
reflect the development of the basic directions in science for the sake oE
agriculture, with the participation of institutes of the USSR Academy oE
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Sciencas, the USSR Minisery of Agriculture, VASKhNIL, the Minisrry of
Chemical Indusrry, the Main Administration oE Microbinlogy IndusCry, and
other deparCments. A preliminar,y variant of this program hes been worked
ouC with the parCicipation of departments of the USSR Acndemy of Sciences
and is kept in the USSR Academy of Sciences Presidium. BuC the acrual
problems and tasks must be made more specific. The program should not
incorporaCe all possible problems but only the mose import.r.nt economic
problems in which the contribution of the academic institttions can be
decisive. It is also advisable to provide f or a special system to co-
ordinare and control the research incorporated in the program.
In addiCion, it is advisable to specially earmark appropriations for the
agricultural works program and provide for priority financing of the most
important projecCs and problems. As a result of implementing such a pro-
gram, undoubtedLy, the USSR Academy of Sciences will make a subst+antial
contribution toward boosting agriculCure in our country. Both in spirit
and in coneent, such a program will be consistent with the decisions of
the November 1978 CC CPSU Plenum, at which Comrade L. I. Brezhnev said:
"Fundamentally new scientific ideas and technical solutions, the concentra-
tion of efforts on key problems of the development of the national economy--
these must be the focus of the efforts of our scientists, the USSR Academy
of Sciences, and the State Committee for Science and Technology."
Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences assuxe the CC CPSU, the Soviet
government, and CC CPSU General Secretary and USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium
Chairman Comrade L. I. Brezhnev that our country's scientists will exert
all their creative strength and knowledge to resolve the big tasks facing
our agriculture; they will accomplish new goals in developing fundamental
science and using its advances in practice; they will gratify their great
Homeland with new discoveries and accomplishments for the good of our
people, for the sake of peace, progress, and happiness on earth.
6854
CSO: 1870
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UDL 630=1
TASK5 0F AGI2ICUL'CURAL SCIENCE IN LICHT 0F TNE UECISIONS 0F TNE
JULY 1978 CC CPSU PLENUM
Moscow VESTNIK AKAbEMII NAUK SSSR in Russian No 3, 1979 pp 43-53
[Eteport by VASKhNIL President Academician P. p. Vavilov]
[Text] Our party is focusing consCant eCtention on the country's agriculture
end scientifir regearch in this sector end manifesting constant concern for
its development. New prooE of this is seen in the report by CC CPSU Cencral
Secretary and USSR Supreme Soviet Preaidium Chairman Comrade L. 2. 8rezhnev
at the July 1978 CC CPSU plenum and the decisions adopted there.
Pormulat:on of the multiple problems of accelerating scientific-technical
progress in agriculture has become so urgent that it has become necessary
to focus the efforts of scientists in a variety of scientific disciplines
in this direction. We face the task of subatantially boosting che
effectiveness of scientific reseqrch thet will assure progress in agri-
cuttural development. The resolution of this task in the near future
will be the focua of research work of both agrarian scientists and scien-
tists in many other specialties.
I will dwell on several problems of agricultural science in light of
the decisions of the July 1978 CC CPSU Plenum.
As is well known, the development of new varieties and hybrids is a power-
Eul means oE upgrading the effectiveness of farm production. In recenc
years, academicians P. P. Luk'yanenko and V. N. Remesto, VASKhNIL Aca�f"-
mician D. A. Dolgushia, VASKhNIL corresponding members 1. Ya. Kalinenko
and Yu. V. Puchkov, and others have developed and adopted in agricultural
practice such high-yield varieties of winter wheat as Mironovskaya Yubiley-
naya, Odasskaya-51, Oneprovskaya-775, Krasnodarskaya-39, Severodonskaya,
I11'ichevka, and many others which under high ctopping techniques yield
60 to 70 quintals of grain pcr her:tare (more than 80 quintals under
irriaation).
In 1979, win[er wheaC varieties with shortened stglk will go into production;
these are known as semidwarf, are not subject to lodging, and have a poten-
tial yield of up to 100 quintals per hectare (Polukarlikovaya-49, Odesskaya
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pnlukarlikaveya, ddeaskayu-75, and Mironnvgkayd Nixkoroalaya). VASKhNIL
Academicinn p. P. Carknvyy ig Cnmpleting wnrk nn the devetnpment nf new,
lndging-rhgigtane varieties nf 3pring barley, inrluding gix-row varieties
wiCh yipldg of 60 Co 70 quintnlg per hectare. For exnmpte, thp gix-row
bnrley varieCy pallidum-90 nn thp Dondixhnn SCdCe VarieCiee Testing plot
in Moldgvia chig year yielded 82.8 quinCalg nE grgin ppr hecture, eur-
pessing the zone adapted varieties by 17.4 quineals.
On the bggiS of ehe mutant YeM-i, ehe Bdghkir Scienrifin RpgBflrC}1 IM-
gCituee nf Crain Farming fnr the Eirse time prnduced the ghore-sCalk
winter rye variety Chulpgn, and the All-Union ItlgtitUtE of Plant Nugbandry
produchd the Mglysh-72; the gtelk in Chege varieties in twice ag ,hore as
in the older varieties--thcy nre practicallv invulnernble tn lodging and
have potential yieids of 50 to 60 quintals per hectarp.
Selective breeding of spring wheat has become considerably gCtivated. Ite-
cent years hnve seen the zone-adgptation of highly-productive varieties of
rhis crop such as Saratovskaya-46, Sarntnvgkaya-52, Tselinnaya-20,
5ibiryachka-4, 0 mskaya-9, and others. L
Breeders have developed millet varieties cheracterized by high panicle
grain content and resistance to diseases producing yiclds of 80 to 90
quintals per hectare. In recent years they have developed ricp varieties
with yields as high es 100 quintals or more per hectare. Thus, the new
variety 5palchik on the Krasnoperokopsk Varieties Testing Plot in Krym-
skaya Oblast in 1977 yielded 109.9 quinCals per hectare, while the
Solnechnyy variety on the Kharabati Varieties Testing Plot in Astrakhan-
sknya Oblast yielded 95.5 quintals. Advances have been made in the
selection of corn, sunflowers, sugar beets, cotton, vegetables, and
other crops.
We can state with conEidence that in the selection of a number oE crops
our country holds a leading place in the world. But the present level
is by no means up to current production requirements. It is sufEicient
to note that thrce varieties of winter wheae--Mironovskaya-808, Bezostaya-1,
and Odesskaya-51--occupy about 70 percent of all areas planted in this
crop in the US5K. These are unquestionably good varieties, but even
~ their extensive adaptive capabilities are not able to assure maximum
crop yields given the considerable variation in soil and climatic con-
ditions in zones where they are cultivated. Practically all varieties
of winter and spring wheat are susceptible to such diseases as stem and
brown rust, root rot, powdery mildew, and others.
The situation is especially bad with respect to heterotic selection. We da
not yet have in production sunflower hybr.ids and sugar beet hybrids based
on cytoplasmic male sterili[y; we have a limited array of highly-productive
early-ripening, medium-ripening, and late-ripening corn hybrids. We are
not making adequate use of the heterosis effect in the selection of grain
and especially feed crops. We are not finding adequate solutions to the
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prdblem of develnping varietieg of Eicld eropy having cnmplhx immunity
and tnlprnnCe td the mosc aggrpggive dlg@HgCg gfld p@9t5� Scleceive breed-
ing to improve crop quality ig noe prnceeding Eagt enough. It hns now
beCOme neeessary to subgtantially intensiEy the selertinn proceag, ed
develnp varieeieg and hybridg through ehe ugp of modern advances in
geneticg, molecular bidlogy, molecular gpnetics, binchemigtry, physiology,
and other gCieflCE!g. It ig eggptitial ed subgtantially shnrten the time it
takeg to develop new varietieg and in thp next Eew years reach a levpl of
planned deeign of gEnotypes in eccdrdancp with g preset progrgm. 'Chig
entaila gubseantially serpngthpning ehporptieal rpsearch carripd aut in
acipntific inaCitutiong of the USSR Ac:adpmy of Sciencpa and VASKhNIL de-
signpd to resolve applied tA8It8 of gelectivp breeding.
The most vnluable practical regults can be expected glong thp following
tines. Above all we must develop more cEfeetive methodg of trensferring
genetic information frnm one plent genotype to anothpr on the intrespeetpx
and ineerspecieg levels--ehat is, it is necessary to devplop Chromnsnme
engineering. The long-tcrm nature of such wnrk is indicated by the re-
search oi Academician N. V. Tsitsin, whn has developed e serieg of wheat-
quackgrasa, WhEgC-rye, and wheat-wildrye hybrids combining useful properties
of different specieg in a singte genotype.
We must step up eEforts to develop the directed transEer of chramnsumes
from one variety to another by means of aneuploid serics. The Krnsnodar
ScientiEic Research Institute of Agriculture has already produced linc�s
of Bezostaya-11 in which individual chromosomes have been replaced by
chromosomes of the highly frost-resistant variety A1'bidum-114. Simtinr
work is underway with other vurieties ln the All-Union Selection-Cenetic
Institute and the Siberian Scientific-Research Institute of Agriculture.
The All-Union Institute of Plant Nusbandry has developed 42-chromosome
allohexaploids of wheat (by crossing 28-chromosome species with einkorn),
which are distinguished by high resistance to fungous diseases.
Polypoidy is a very promising line of research. In this field we have
already achieved some success for a number of crops. Another promising
technique is that of transferring the nuclear apparatus of one species
into ttie cytoplasm of another. It has been demonstrated, Eor example,
that the cytoplasm of soft wheat has a marked effect on certain crait:,
of alloplasmic rye.
Broad possibilities are opening up [o chromosome engineering in connection
with the development of inethods of embryoculture and the produccion of
protoplasts and suspension cell culture. Breeders have developed wheat-
barley and rye-barley hybrids. They are resolving many problems of com-
bining in a single genotype genetic material from various species.
Obviously, it is now time to combine the eEforts of the scientists of the
USSR Academy of Sciences and VASK,hNIL in order to speed up the development
of inethods of chromosome engineering that are vital in resolving problems
of practical selective breeding.
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In order td dtvclnp heteratic oplectidn, it i.g pxtremety tmpnrtnnt to
have eEfective meEhodg of fnrecastfng hhterdgig in plantg. Scicneigta
have nirendy ddne a grpat deal in thig CEgdCd. Up tn nnw, hdwcver, gll
heterotic gelertinn hag been bagpd dn cnnducting n largp number of tegt
crogs breedings to determine genaeypes having high rombinatorial capabiliey.
Thig severply compiicates ptfnreg to develdp valuablp 1ih@s and highly-
heterotia hybrida.
Subgtantiel etEdrtg are required of rpgearchers in ordpr en wark oue thp
theoreeical principles of selecting plantg to aptimalize the gpleetion
prdcesg, iteluding nn the basis of aeeive utiiization of artificial
ctimate. llere a major EgCtdr ig wnrk in thp field nE evolution and
populaeidn genptics. tn connection wieh thts, I will Edcus briefly an
poagibilitiQS of $ubstantially pxpanding pEEortg in biaChemical genetics.
As ig wpll known, ehe primary product dE the activity nf geneg nr btocks
of genes aftpr trangrription and translation is ehr pnlypeptideg. Mpthads
of separgeing and identifying proteim molerules have been thoroughly
warked aut, npening up broad praspects Eor the extensive ugp of proCeins
as markers or gignalg (td use A. S. 5erebrovski's terminology) of genpa
nr blockg of genes canditioning the vgriability of economirnily useEui
trgits and propertips.
'Cheoreticatl.y important and practically valugble results in thia regard
have been achieved in the All-Union Selertion Cenetics Institute.
Because of our severe climate which is unstable over lnrge areag, speciat
importancp attaches to selective breeding to increase frost-resiscance,
winter-hardiness, drought-rpsistanre, and so on in farm crops. We must
confess, unfortunately, that for many crops almost all new varieties of
intensive type are less resistant to stress factors than the old aboriginal
varieties. This involves the influence of a number of Eactors, in par-
cicular a cer[ain negative correlation which is physiologically-genetically
condi[ioned. $ut research in recent years has shown that in principle it
is possible to combine high yields, Erost-resistance, and drought-reststance
in a single genotype. But realizing these possibilities will require
special, integrated research.
In connection with the implementation of ineasures mapped out by the party
to substantially boost deliveries of mineral Eertilizer, a new probtem
has appeared on the agenda; directed development of varieties distinguished
by the ability to make more efEective use of mineral nutrients to build
up an economically valuable crop. In resolving this problem, a key role
is played by mineral plant nutrition genetics. This is a new line in
biologicat science, and we intend to develop it in every aay.
Among the most important long-range problems, mention must be made of
the use of suspension cell culture in selection work. In essence, bio-
logical and selective breeding science stand on the threshhold of
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selerting valuable mutaEidng and r@combing�es nn the lpvel nE individual
ce11g Ear gubspquent rp$pnergCion and ehe produceion of Cruir bearing
planeg.
Work along thesp tines is gtready underway in this cnuntry, bur 1t 19
not dpvelaping fase enough. it is nnw necpssary cd cnmbinr the pEEorts
of gcfentlgeg in working dut meehdds of suspension cell selectton E`or
ouch cropo as wheot, cnrn, barley, eoy, pnratops, and feed cropg. 'Che
prospeCtg of using these mpthods in selective breeding, especiglly fnr
resistance eo certain paehogenes, pesticides, salt buildup, and Ernst,
arp exeremely high. 'Chp regnlution of this tgak requires eadreg, equip-
mpnt, and reagents.
Unfnrtunately, hopes for qualitative edvances in plane aelection on the
bAgiB of using methoda of generic enginepring on ehe tevel of manipu!ating
Eragments of DNA molecules are not being realized Easr enough. 8ut we are
cnnvinced that this problem will be galved SUCC09gEUlly through the joint
efforts of the gcientists of our acadpmies.
In the Eield of selective breeding for immunity, apecial importance attaches
tn studying thc narure of non-speciEic resiseance to pathogenes. PracticAt
work has shown thaC the development of varieties having only what is known
as vertical or race-specific resistance give rise to rapid adaptation and
then increased virulence of the pathogene to genotypes having this type of
resistance. A clear example is seen in the history of the Pvrora and Kav-
kax varieties. We need varieties possessing stable resistance to the
most aggressive dispases. Very likely a big step Eorward in resolving
this problem can be made by speeding up the Eormulation of the hypothesis
eoncerning the link between plant resiatance and the formation of phyto-
alexins. in any case, theoretical solutions in the field of studying
the genetic nature of plant resistance to pathagenes and tolerance co
pests are coming to be of increasing importance in selective breeding.
Let me inform you that our country has organized 44 selecCive breeding
centers dealing with grain, legume, and feed crops. They are setting up
(with difficulty, to be sure) the necessary conditions for seleccive
breeding at the presen[ level.
In the project planning of the complicated facilities for selective
breeding centers, VASKhNtL is getting considerable aid from the US5R
Academy of Sciences CIPRONII [All-Union State Project-Planning and
Scientific-Research Institute for the Project-Planning of 5cientific-
Research Institutes, Laboratories, and Scientific Centers of the US5It
Academy of Sciences and the Unicrt Republic Academies of Sciences]
for which we are sincerely grateful. Nothouses, phytotrons and
facilities for processing selection material are being built; com-
plicated scientiEic equipment has been installed and is in operation.
All of this is making it possible to raise the question of developing
essentially new technology for the selection process based on the
active use of artificial climate conditions, and especially the use of
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modern advances tn the natural gcienceg. 1.n partlcular, the All-Uninn
GcneCicg Inseieute in ndeggg has Complctc�d the conseructlun nE thc wnrtd'g
1nrqeHt phyentrnn. Wr hnph thnt Kclr.ntlxtg o[ thr U55I2 Ar.ndrmy oC 5elrncrN
wlll Cnko netive parl ln fiftcliKlCying Suvtnt Helucl.1011 wnrlt. We ar4 nuw
building up real pogaibilitieg Cor qualirgtive changes in Buch work. 'I'he
presidium of VASKhNIL ig ascribing special importance to this regeArch and
will take the necesgary measureg to implemcnt it.
Pareicular conditiona arQ necespary eo realize the poeentials of rhe new
varietieg. 'Chey are being crpated on ehp bagi8 of the usp of modern
technoingies aE crop cultivation. Thp convergion of pldnt husbendry to
an indugtrial bagig eneailg Che necesaiey of develnping technologies
which will make it possible Co produce high, stable yields per unit of
land nrea at mitiiimal coat. In developing 5UCI1 eechnologies, the scientists
are encountering considerable difficuleies. The fact is that modern tech-
nology combines in itself achipvemenCs in many sciences and Cechnical pro-
gress. Complex problems arige at the interfgCe of biology and the technical
scienCeg, problems of prdtecting the envirdnment, gnd so nn. For exarople,in-
Creased doses of fertilizer sCrengthen the development of weed vegetarion.
Agrotechnical means of controlling weeds are by no means nlways effective.
We need a broad spectrum of herbicides which suppresa the weeds without
having a negative impact on the crops and the environment. This has al-
ready bpen discussed by Agriculture Minister V. K. Mesyats and Academician
Yu. A. Ovchinnikov. This problem is at the interEace of biology and chem-
istry. Increasing the vigor of soil cultivaCion gives rise to rapid de-
velopment of aerobic processes, which result in reduced potential soil
fertility and the loss' of nutrients. For this reason, it is very im-
portant tn take an integrated approach to the development of new tech-
nologies of cultivacing crop plants.
It is very important not to allow the development of bottlenecks in the
sequence of techniques designed to produce high, stable crop yields. We
hope that in the future the agrarian scientists will collaborate more
actively with scientists working in various fields to resolve problems
of plant husbandry.
A rational system of land cultivation serves as the long-term basis of
plant husbandry development. Our scientists have made substantial
successes in working out land cultivation systems.
In the field of land cultivation and its chemicalization, the efforts
of scientists must be focused on the theoretical study of t1ie physical,
chemical, physiochemical, and biological processes taking place in
the soil, on studying the soil's organic matter, development of the
physiochemical mechanics of earth and soil systems (with the end goal
of developing soil classification and methods of improving fertility),
on the study of the moisture cycle and the water balance in the main
farming zones of the country, on forecasting the level of soil fertility,
and on working out ways to make rational use of land resources.
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It is egsenCial Cd gcienCifically subseaneiate and work oue the opCimel
vgrtant of agriculturel zoning oE the Soviet Union's tErriedry.
'Che bnetC dirrctlon nE scipntific-technicsl progrcgs ln iand eulefvntfon
and turther lneengiCtcatlon nf thig gector uE agrirulture wlll bn thr
adoption of speCialized r.rop rotatlon cyclea, the improvement of sdil
fertility through the brogd use of mineral and organic fertilizera, the
liming of gcid soils and gypsuming of alkaline soils, also the adopeion
nE advanced cropping techniques in the culeivation of farm crops.
In connectinn with this, gpeeigl impdrtance aCtaches to more rhorough
formulation of the theory of mineral plant nutrition (retations between
the root system and the soil solution, the mechaniam by which mineral
nutricnts enter the plants and are converted there) and the study of
nutrient metabolism in land culCivation.
Specialization and concentration of farm producCion obligea us to take
a new approach to the structure of crop rotation cyCles. The scientific
instituCions especially, must study problems of sgturaCing specialized
crop rotation cycles with key crops in each zone, subzone, nnd oblast
and make appropriaCe recummendations. 'Chis will make it possible to
obtain the maximum yield of high-quality output with minimal outlays oE
labor and funds and ensure expanded reproduction of soil fertility.
In arid regions of the country, the most eEfective means of ensuring
high and stable grain crop yields is to include bare faltow in the
rotation cycles. According to scientific data, the production of grain
in areas of insufficient and unstable moisture is possible only under
conditions of correct proportions between grain crop plantings and the
bare fallow. Unjustified reduction of the bare fallow area brings about
disruption of the grain fallow crop rotation cycle and leads to a slowing
of the rate of growth of gross grain harvests in a number of farming areas
of the country and to increased losses of grain crops. In the Euture we
must spread the use of intensive crop rotation cycles which make it
possible to harvest 1.5 crops per year in the southern parts of the
European USSR and 2 or 3 crops on irrigated lands through the adoption
of secondary sowing. In zones of sufficient moisture and on irrigated
and drained lands, areas under perennial leguminous grasses in crop
ratation cycles must be maintained at 20 to 25 percent.
In connection with intensification of agriculture, great importance
attaches to strengthened theoretical and applied researcti into problems
of inechanical soil cultivation. In the forefront of efforts in recent
years is the search for ways to minimfze soil cultivation without re-
ducing crop yields. It is essential to continue research in the follow-
ing basic lines of this problem: reduction in the number and depth oE
cultivation; combination of technological operations in a single process;
reductinn in the number oE operations by developing unft equipment and
combine machinery; reduction of the negative effect of the machinery's
running gear on the soil and crops; reduction of the surface of the ,
cultivated fields.
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In areas af Ndreh Kazakahgtan and 5iberin, more than 31 nitlidn hectdreg
are under a gdil proCeceion sygepm develuped by ehe All-Union Scientific-
Ite$earCh IngtiCUCp of Grain rarming under rhe gupervisidn of VASKhNiL
Academician A. I. 'Barayev. 'Chis has made ie pngsible td hn1C wind grosidn
in many aregs, Create cnndiCions for moisture accumulatinn ih thc soil,
boost the yields dE varioug grain crops, and rhus ensurp an additional
harveat of 5 eo 6 million edng of grein every yegr in ehar areg.
Undpr intensified farm productton, waeer erosion hag risen gubgtantially;
on erndpd goils, erdp yields, as is well knnwn, deG1ine by Sd and mometime
80 percent. About 38 million tons of nutrients are washed gway every yegr.
The gnnugl loss due to snil prnsion in the counery exceeds ten billion
rubles. Wp have a great deal of work Co do in this reggrd. Almogt 80 per-
cenC of our country'g farm lands arf to some extent sub,ject tn eroaion.
The problem of soil protection is gn urgent one. Ie is essentiel eo
focug scientistg' efforCS on finning intpgrated solutions.
Of great importance to booseing the productivity of land cultivation in
the southeastern zone dE ehe country is the reclemACion of elkeline
lands, which add up to more than 100 million hectares. VASKhNIL research
has shown that about 18 to 20 million hectares of such land could be re-
habilitated gnd used to raise chiefly feed crops. Thta will require
integrated research into chemical processes taking p1aCe under mechanical
reclamation of alkaline soils; it will be necessary to study the effects
of gypsum in alkaline soils of various typps, the nature of hydrological
cycle processes and so on. This complex, integrated task will require the
,joinC eEforts of scientists in various spec3alties.
The sails have begun to build up an excess quantity of nitrates introduced
along with mineral fertilizers, also nitri.fication of the ammonia of iive-
stock farm runoff. Nitrates are easily leached out and contaminate the
environment. For this reason, it is of great practical importance to
work on the problem of inhibiting microbial nitrification.
Also of great importance is research into the role played by micro-organisms
in what happens tn mineral fertilizer in the soil. It is also necessary to
study micro-organisms capable of mobilizing the phosphorus of mineral and
organic compounds that are not easily accessible. The microbiologists
face a serious task--that of determining the ways of microbial degradation
of organic matter discharged along with industrial and household wastes,
also thos2 that enter the soil when plants are treated with pesticides.
As V. K. Mesyats has stated, in the next few years the microbiologists wil
have to make a substantial contribution toward resolving the problem of
feed pro[ein through intensification of biological ni[rogen-fixation.
A basic goal of xesearch designed to boost Eeed production must be Euture
maximum intensification of field feed production on the basis of increased
yields of feed crops, improvements of the structure of crop planting, and
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mdst productive pnssible uge of plnwed land ehrough thp use oE intrrmhdiate
crops making it paggible, in grecag dC suEEiciene mdigeure nr under irrige-
tion, to produce scveral crops per year on Clte snmp tgnd, AC present,
rpgolution of the feed problem depends more on organizaeional-eCOnomic
measurea than on acientific research.
Under cdnditians of concpnCraeion and specialization of farm producCion,
when high-yield cropg are bping culCivaCed dn largp areas, a scientifically-
substantiaCed gystem of plant prnCenCion plays an increasing rdle. In
recenC ypgrs, despite Che incrpasing usp of pestieideg, grain shortfalls
have been increasing bpcause of root rot, powdery mildew, rust, and
enzyme-mycotic depletion of the plants. It is of great importance in the
system of plant protection, therefore, not juse to deatroy harmEul types
of organigms but eo suppress and inhibit their populaeion thrnugh the inte..
grared use of chpmical, biotogfcal, and agrotechnical methuds. In thig re-
gard, wp are not doing sufEicient research. The development of integrated
control systems combining bll methnds and taking gccount of the econnmic
threshholds of disease and pest harmfulnesa is one of the main problems
far.ing science in p1anC proCection.
And, as follows from rhe decisions of the July 1978 CC CpSU Plenum, we
must not slacken efforts to improve the chemicgl method of controlling
hazmful organisms and to find highly-effective and safe pesticides.
Research being conducted along these lines by institutes of the chemicgl
industry is not adequate. For example, the All-Union Scientific Research
Institute of Chemical Means of plant Protection has recommended hardly a
singte compound for practical use in recent years. The development of
herbicides is lagging especially badly. Our situation witli regard to
herbicides and deEoliants is especially bad. Institutes of the US5R
Academy of Sciences and the USSR Ministry of Chemical Industry must take
more active part in developing new compounds. It is essential to expand
efforts to develop new, perfected forms of pesticides and advahced methods
of applying them. Special attention must be foCUSed on the developmcnt
and adoption of biological methods of controlling harmful organisms in
agriculture.
As Academician Yu. A. Ovchinnikov mentioned in his report, good prospects
are to be found in new lines of research based on the use of biotogically
active snbstances such as hormones, pheromones, and others whicli control
the growth, development and behavior of insects. Research has shown that
substantial success has already been achieved in this regard, but the lack
of modern equipment and instruments has been hampering research. Mean-
while, the use of pheromon,s yields substantial economic effect (re-
ducing the number of chemicr.l treatments by two or three times).
An inportant reserve for riaducing crop losses is the organization of
virus-free seed breeding fo: nt~ratoes and vegetables and the creation of
heatthy conditions for fruits and berries that are frequently subject to
virus infection.
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Ie ig esaential ed fdCUS mdre gCtentton on the development dE ngroeechnicgt
meehodg df protecting p1anCg egainst pegCs, digeaseg, and weedg. tiligh-
quelity land cultivation and edvanced tcchnoingies in Crap cultivaeion con_
grieure the bgsig of en tntegratpd sygrpm oE plant prneeceion. IC is
important to wdrk out mnre eEfecCive sysrems of plane prneeceion on the
bgsis of znnal gystema of land culeivaeion and the lntegt gCientifiC and
practiCal advances with regnrd to the chnracCerisCics of developmene oE
furm produceion under cdnditions of Conneneraeinn gnd speciAlization.
In the field df land reclamation, science faces the tgskg nC seeking
out ways tn bnost the productivity oE reclaimed land and developing
meChods of reducing wgeer logses in irrigatinn ttnd meesures Co protece
the environment when building land reclnmaLion proJecta.
BuG the main direction in regearch on prdblems of irriga:ion and land
drainngp, in our opinion, must include the development oE meehods of con-
Crolling the growth and development of farm crops in all sCages of life.
This will help Cn maximally optimalize the VABiC factors of the plant's
life and mgke the Eullest possiblp determination and utilizaCion of the
plane's biological potential. The initigl StdgE should be to work on
programming farm crop yields under condiCions in which the two basic
fnctors of plant life are regulated: water and nutrition. This kind of
effort, carried out by the US5R Academy of Sciences and VASKhNIL deserves
encouragement.
Modern inCegrated land reclamation measures are characterized by conversion
to steady contrnl of the growCh and developmenr of plants by regutating
not only the water and nuerient conditions of the soil and the phytoclimate
but also the soil's heat and gas conditions, also the plant's physiological
processes. This problem is a vast one, and its solution will involve the
efforts of specialists in various scientific fields.
Crucial tasks involved with improving the productivity of the forests and
improving their qualitatfve composition face scientisrs in forestry.
From the agricultural standpoint, grear importAnce attaches to research
into the environ,nen[al-protection and environmentttl-formation role played
by natural and man-made forests within the complex of ineasures designed
to boost the efEectiveness of agricultural production, also research deal-
ing with determining the social role played by protective forest plantings
and their signifiCance in efforts to combat drought, dry winds, and wind
and water erosion of the soil. In this regard, the scientific institutions
of the USSR Academy of Sciences can provide invaluable aid both to agri-
cultural sc"Lence and farm productton.
Implementation of the party's master plan to further enhance the people's
wellbeing largely depends on the development of livestock farming. The
July 1978 CC CPSU Plenum noted that the present level of livestock
development is not keeping pace with the rapidly rising needs oE the
peop le.
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Thp overalL direceinn of devetopment in this sector is the Cnnverstnn to
indugtrial technnlogies of ehe production of meat, milk, eggs, and so dn.
In connection with thig, ehe livestock breedprs face ehp task of quickLy
developing breeds and serains of farm animals ChaC are ndaprablp eo such ,
teChnologiea. It is also necessary to work out improved merhnds of
acceleraring Che development of new breeds, serains, types, nnd hybrids of ri
farm animgls, methods of egrly prognosis of unimal productivity and
recommendaeions on ehe use of thesC methods in selecCive breeding aiid hybrid-
ization on the basis of modern aCiVal1C89 in population genetics, the analysis
of geneeic inEormation by means of compuCers, and more precise meChods of
eveluating e genotype by means of modern selection eechnology. Life it-
self demands expanded research in problems of livegtock selection designed
tn develop genetic immunity to a number of widespread diseeses (leucosis,
mastitis, And others) and to enhance the reproductive cnpabilities of
animgls and improve the quality of livestock products. Still not cnm-
pletely resolved are problems of selecting livestock for fast maturaCion
and increased productivity. .
Special importance attaches to the cycle of research and spplications in
the theory and methods of breeding livestock specialized for meat produc-
tion, the development of new high-yield breeds of ineat livestock adapted
to specific natural and climatic conditions. It is essenCial to srep
up scientific effort in the theory of heterosis and the system of cross
breeding making more extensive use of world genetic resources (in par-
ticular, Holstein Frisian cattle) in order to improve breeds of farm arlimals
that are most widespread in this country.
Very promising at present is exploratory research on developing methods
of cloning, genetic copying of farm animals by means of modern cyto-
genetic and transplantation methods.
In the field of feeding farm animals, more efforts must be made in re-
search designed to improve the animals' assimilation of nutrients,
especially protein, to raise the coefficient of feed nutrient trans-
formation into high-quality livestock products. It is worthwhile to
expand research into the microbiology of rumen digestion among ruminants
in order to improve the effectiveness of the animals' assimilation of
nutrients from coarse feeds, including straw, which in terms of the
volume of annual production of organic matter constitutes an enormous and
still inadequately utilized reserve for the production of livestock
products. �
It is very important to seek out new, nontraditional sources of feeds
based on products of chemical and microbiological synthesis.
It is necessary to complete work on determining optimal dimensions of live-
stock complexes of various types in all zones of the country and to make
specific scientific recommendations on problems of organfzing technological
processes and the recovery and proper use of livestock complex wastes.
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Ie shduld be stated that in ehe yearg nE Soviet rule our vcterinary
BCiet1C@, egpeCinlly in Y@Cet1t deCade5, hAq mnde cnngidprable 5UCC0gg, fOC
whiCh our gcienCigts in ehis field desErve muCh thanks. Nevertheleag, thp
nnnveegion u't tivpstork farming eo an industriel basig bringe up many big
npw easka. Speclnl aCLenClon mugC be Eocuged nn dpvploping 3ygtetllg en
prevent animal diseases under cdndtCions of large livestock Earms.
Labor prnduceiviey in agriculture will in the futurp be lgrgely determinpd
- by its level of mechxnizaeion and auComation. kegegrCh by VASKhNIL scien-
tists in the field of inechanization, plectrificatinn, nnd gutometion of
agriculture in the next few ypars must be focused nn developing and creating
new technologies end technical means necessary to convert all farm sectors
to an indugCrinl bagig. It is necessary to develnp new-generation machinery
that ia 2 to 2.5 Cimes more producrive than present designs.
It is essential eo design models of machinery cnmplexes for ehe productinn
and processing of liveseock products. In the electromechanization of live-
stock farming, basic research should look for optimal meehods of automating
the operation of technological procegses noC only in industrial livesCock
complexes but in large kolkhoz and sovkhoz farm units.
Research by scientists of VASKhNIL end other deparrments muet also promote
accelerated development of new equipment for agriculture through the formu-
lation of integrated, goal-direcCed economic programs.
The tasks of agroeconomic science in the lOth Five Year Plan and the longer-
term future are mapped out in the decisions of the 25th CPSU Congress, CC -
CPSU plenums, and the CC CPSU and USSF2 Council of Ministers decree "Mea-
sures to Further Improve the Effectiveness of Agricultural Science and
Strengthen Its Ties With Production" dated 26 August 1976.
I should like here to emphasize that agrarian economists must focus atten-
tion on more thorough formulation of problems of specialization and co�-
- centration of farm production on the basis of interfarm cooperation and
agroindustrial integration, on theoretical and practical substantiation of
optimal levels of concentration of specialized production, on formulation
of the basic directions of systematic and proportional development of
agriculture in conjunction with other sectors of the agroindustrial com-
plex. Extremely great importance attaches to research designed to improve
economic incentives to develop farm production, to equalize economic con-
ditions of management, and also to improve price formation and cost-
accounting relations on kolkhozes and sovkhozes and in interfarm and
agroindustrial associations. It is essential to study the social aspects
of agricultural development and certain other problems.
~ It must be acknowledged that in these respects, unfortunately, we do not
yet have sufficiently precise, clear, and thorough theoretical solutions.
Agrarian economists have published many aooks, pamphlets, and articles
summarizing what has been done in practice, but what-is really required of
the scientists is illumination of ways to further develop these processes.
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We believe that these problems must be ehe fucus of xeeention the ngra- _
rian gCOnomists, VA5KhNIL's Presidium, and sector and regionnl dpparemeneg
of VA5KhNIL, beC8U9e they are of. Eundamental importnnCe eo agriCUltural
development and Snviet; gociety as a whole. The difEiculey and complexicy
of these problems lies in the face ehat there is a lgck not only of well- I
trodden roads but even footpathg. There is prnCeically no one we can turn to [or help in Chis regard; we have to work out these problems Erom scratch,
and in a vigorous manner. For this reason, the resolution nE a1L agrarinn-
economic problems must involve the gcCive participatinn of scientists not
only in VASKhNIL bur nlso in Che insCitutes of economics of the USSR Academy
of Sciences and rhe aCademies of sciences of the union republics and the
institutes of the agricultureal ministries.
Not having the possibiliey of dwelling in detai-l on all the problems Eacing
the acienCisCs of VA5KhNIL and Che US5It Ministry of Agriculrure in light of
Che decisions of the July 1978 CC CPSU Plenum, I have named jusr the basic
ones as well as those which should be worked out in creative cnllaboration
with scientises of VASKhNIL and the USSR Academy of Sciences.
It should be noted Chat collaboration between the USSIt Acudemy of Sciences
and VASKhNIL has been expanded in recent times. I am convinced that by '
joining our e�fforts we can resolve the rasks the party has assigned to ~
science in the field of agriculture.
We must also step up research efforts in problems of the Nonchernozem Zone.
This applies to scientista and scientific institutions regardless of aEfilia-
tion. No one can remain uninvolved. Each of us must obey the call of our
heart and mind in finding our place in efforts to help the agriculture of
this important region.
In the name of the scientists of VASKhNIL, allow me to assure all those
attending this meeting that we will exert all our effort and skill to
promote the resolution of the tasks facing our country in accordance with
the decisions of the July 1978 CC CPSU Plenum and the speech given there
by CC CPSU General SecreCary and USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium Chairman
Comrade L. I. Brezhnev.
6854
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rotz orFzcznt, usE orrt,Y
UDC 630:001
EARTH SCIENCE FOR AGRICULTURE
Moscow VESTNIK AKADEMII NAUK SSSR in Russian No 3, 1979 pp 54-59
[Report by Academician A. V. Sidorenko]
[Text] The session of the General Meeting of the USSR
Academy of Sciences heard coreports by USSR Academy of
Sciences Vice President Academician A. V. Sidorenko,
academicians Ye. N. Mishustin and S. I. Vol'fkovich,
USSR Academy of Sciences Presidium Chief Academic
Secretary USSR Academy of Sciences Corresponding Mem-
ber G. K. Skryabin, USSR Academy of Sciences Vice Presi-
dent Academician P. N. Fedoseyev, and USSR Academy of
Sciences Corresponding Member K. V. Frolov.
Boosting the USSR's agricultural development is the cause of the whole party,
the whole Soviet people. Guided by this directive of CC CPSU General Secre-
tary and USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium Chairman Comrade L. I. Brezhnev, the
scientists--geologists, hydrogeologists, geographers, hydrologists, clima-
tologist:, and specialists in the study of earth from space--consider it
their duey to take active part in resolving this most vital problem of our
time.
Of the great variety of problems relating to agriculture being dealt wiCh
by institu*_ions of the Section on Earth Sciences of the USSR Academy of
Sciences Presidium, we will dwell on the three most important ones.
The country's land holdings. The land is the main means of production
in agriculture, the spatial basis for the location of industry, transport,
the place where human beings live. We are accustomed to speaking of the
limitless expanses of our Homeland, saying that the Soviet Union occupies
one-sixth of the earth's surface, but we do not always keep in mind that �
our land resources are not unlimited, and land areas suitable for agri-
culture are limited. The effectiveness of utilization of land resources--
boosting their productivity, protecting the land against destruction--
constitutes a vital national economy task which requires all-out scientific
effort. The land, the soil, the vegetation, the water--these are the main
components of the biosphere. -
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Fnlt tlFFICIAL USE dNLY
In considcration of nll this, KEp5 [Cnmmigston for the 5tudy dE rroduetlvc
FbCC@8 Elt1d NBCUCFIl KC'9nUCCl'g] of thc USSEt ticademy 0f SCIEt1CE5 in cnllnborn-
tion with the US5R Minigtry of Agriculture, VA5KhNIL [AII-Unton Acndemy of
Agricultural Scienceg], State Cnmmittpe Eor Forestry, the U55R Mtnistry of
Water Management, and other organizatidng recently held u scientiflc-tpchni-
cal cnnfprence nn thp cduntry'g land resourees. Materials of Che conErrence
remind us oncp again thgt our ugricultural lands must be used rgtionnlly.
Hglf nE the c.ountry'n territory is fnrest land. Narm innds take up 607
million hectares or 27.2 percent of the cnuntry's territory, with plowed
land constituting onLy 224 million heetnres or less than 0.9 hectares of
plowed land per inhebitnnt. It must also be kept in mind that dtmogt
three-quartprs of our land ig locgted in conditions that nre extremcly
unEavornble Eor agriculture--in cold, erid, degert, nnd mountain regions.
OE the arable land, onty nbout 60 percent ts locnted in favorgbip sotl and
climatic condi.tiong. bespite the development of huge areas of virgin lands,
the area of plowell land per capits is continuing tn shrink because substan-
tial areas are be!.ng set aside tor nonagriculturel use (industry, transporC,
cities, and so on)�
Calculations show that by the ycar 2000 the locating of new industrial
enterprises, roads, and population centers will require about 35 million
hectares of farm land and forest land. Land reserves suitable for ngri-
culture are limited--about 38 million hectares. From L. I. Brezhnev's
work "Tselina" [Virgin Lands] we know about the enormous outlays of man-
power, energy, and Einancial and material resources it rook to develop tlie
vtrgin lands in past years. And the development of new areas in thr, Norch
(six mtllion hectares), in the deserts and semi-deserts (about six milltori
hectares), and in the Nonchernozem Zone of the European part and in the
East (21 million hectares) will require more substantial outlays. For
this reason, rational utilization of our land, even considering our vast
expanses, is a most vi[al economic task.
A serious cause of concern is the destruction of the lan!. More than 150
million hectares of plowed land and about half of the nntural pasture land
are afEected by deflation and erosion which impair soil fertility.
The Master plan of Utilization of Resources of the USSR, now being wortced
out, places grPat responsibility on the institutes of geography, water pro-
blems, agrochemistry, and soils science, on the scientiEic institutions o(
the Siberian Department, the Far Eas[ern Scientific Center, brancties oE tlie
USSR Academy of Sciences, the republic academies, and the scientific institu-
tions of VASKhNIL Eor the scientific substantiation oi the development of
new lands and the rationat utilization of lands put into farm productiov.
Our Soviet science has always been famous for its high level of soit anJ
geographic research. The Dokuchayev School of Soils Science is known
throughout the world. Now, soil-geographic research must be raised to a
new level. Classic soil geography must be supplemented by spacc mettiods
of investigating land resources and closely coordinated wirh physical and
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rnk oFrr.cinl, usE ncr1.Y
chemicat methnds oF studytng naCurnl renources. Only nn the basis of inte-
grdting the ngCUrnl nnd exncC ec:tenceg cnn we gCt n modern idea about the
country'g lgnd pnteneial gnd lay e gcicnCiliC foundntidn Cnr expanding the
Country'g farm lande.
At the present stage it is possible eo increQge the nurput of Earm products _
nnly by Eurther intengiEying the productivity of the lnnd.
providing the nntional pcnnomy with explored reserves oE raw material for
the production of minernl ferCilizers. SCienCistg nE the US5R Acbdemy oE
5ciences iave made a substsntial contributinn eoward developing a reliable
rnw materials base Eot, the production oE fertilizers. Our country holds
Eirst place in the wnrld with respecC to the producrion of mineral ferti-
lizers. At the preaent gtage, fertilizer production is not held back by
explored reserves. The main thing which hampers the production of potassium
and phnsphorus fertilizers is the sCatus of industrial capactties and tech-
nologies for processing the rnw material. This is especially true of Belo-
russia, which has a powerful poeassium industry that produces halt of all
of the country's potassium fertiliaers. The urgent problem Chere is the
recovery oE wastes Erom the mining of salt polluting the environment. Sslt
mining technology needs to be streamlined in the Solikamsk Basin thts side
oE the Urals. But the geologists of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the
USSR Ministry oE Geology also face major theoretical and practical tasks
in boosting reserves of mineral raw materials and improving the:r geograph-
ical deployment.
5pecial attention ought to be paid to the problem of prospecting for
potassium salts in Siberta, a region where such salts have not yet been
found--all reserves of the raw material for producing potassium fertilizers
are located west of the Urals and in Central Asia. Scientists of the
Siberian Department of the USSR Academy oE Sciences have scientifically sub-
stantiated, and geologists of the Eastern Siberian Geology Administration of
the RSFSR Ministry of Geology as a rpsult of many years of work, have proved
the possibility of discovering industrial potassium deposits in the Eastern
Siberian salt basin. We need more intensive geological-exploration work
in Irkutskaya Oblast. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of pros-
pecting for depostts of potassium salt to the development of the agriculture
of Siberia and the }'ar East. Organizing the production of potassium ferti-
lizers in Siberia will reduce long-distance hauling and yield substantial
economic effect.
The main supplier of phosphates (up to three-quarters of all phosphate con-
centrate production) is the Khibiny apatite basin. Thorough scientific
substantiation of prospectirig for new ore in Khibiny begun by Academician
A. Ye. Fersman and continued by scientists of the USSR Academy of Scfences
Kola Branch imeni S. M. Kirov, has shown that new major phosphate deposits
may be discovered in Khibiny. At present, ore reserves there will provide
for reliable development of the mining industry for many years. Even the
level of ore production estimated for the year 2000 will provide for at
leaeC fifty years.
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FOR nFFtcinr, UsC nxLY
Neverthelegs, Che geogrgphy of phoaphaCe producCion nlgn needs tn bc
geriously improved. We havf large regerveg of phoaphoriees In Aktyubin-
akaya Oblagt in Knzakhaten. But they nre not being dpveloped East pnough.
Development ig algo going roo slowly in Kazgkhatan's huge Karatau phospbate
bagin. These ores are diEficult to procegs. It is necessnry eo geurch
more vigorously for new methoda of proceasing the tough phosphorua ores
of this area. This is g task which must be rpgnlvpd by ehe chemiats of
the USSR Academy of Sciences and the technology specialista of rhe U5Stt
Ministry of Chemical Industry.
Until recenC years, Siberta did not heve its own major phosphate deposits.
Small deposits have been explored there, but iC is not economicalty profit-
able to work them. In recent years on the USSit-Mongolian border eEforts by
the USSR Miniatry of Geology and the Joint Soviet-Mongolian InCegrated Ceo-
logical ExpediCion of the US3R Academy of Sciences and Chp Mongolian Aca-
demy of Sciences have resulted in the discovery of a major new phosphate
basin (the Khubsugul depnait in Mongolia and the Ukhagol in Buryatia).
DevelopmenC of this basin will radically change the possibilities of
supplying phosphates to Siberia and the Far East as well as fraternal
Mongolia. Preliminary estimates and exploration of these deposits have
shown that the basin is comparable to the Karatau in terms of size. The
ore is of high quality and is accessible to open-pit mining. Oevelopment
is being delayed by a number of organizational-technical factors, chiefly
the inadequate attention paid to this region by the USSR Ministry of Chem-
ical Industry. We believe that in the framework of Soviet-Mongolian eco-
nomic cooperation it is essential Co step up the development of mining-
concentration enterprises and chemical plants there to produce superphospliate
and other kinds of fertilizers. This will provide the eastern areas of the
country with scarce phosphorus fertilizers. Calculations of the Sibe:ian
Department of the USSR Academy of Sciences have shown that supplying Siberia
and the Far East with adequate amounts of fertilizer will make it possible
to boost grairi production there to 30 million tons. The resolution of this
task will be a specific ~answer Co the directives of Comrade L. I. Brezhnev
during his trip to Siberia and the Far East.
It is necessary to continue prospecting for phosphate ores.
In recent years we have found major deposits of phosphorites in Khabarov-
skiy Kray, apatites in Yakutia, and apatite-bearing alkaline intrusions
in northern Krasnoyarskiy Kray. In order to assess the importance of
these deposits for the future, the exploration and technological and eco-
nomic evaluation work must proceed systematically, purposefully, without
sensationalism and haste. We are deeply convinced that major new deposits
of phosphorus materia2 will be discovered in Siberia, especially in its
ancient precambrian and lower paleozoic geological complexes.
In order to resolve the national task of boosting the agriculture of the
Nonchernozem Zone, developing new lands there, and increasing the fertility
of acid soils, it is necessary to have greater quantities of local fertilzers
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FdIt Ob'FYCIN, USL hNi,Y
to 1ime the gnil, dlso peat and gapropelites to use an orgatiiC additiveg.
At onc; time, the All-Unidn Gcoldgy Invpntory of thE U55K Mitiigcry nf Gen-
logy drew up detniled CQtltlgtpYg of depogitg o[ that raw matErial Eor eacli
nblagt. tiut the ngricultural drgang of tkie Nonrhernaxem zone are not
using tltrbe mnterigls. Thr USS[2 Ministry of Agriculture must EOCUS atten-
tiun dn t11e u$e of lncal fertilizerg to improvp ehc aotl feretlity in the
- NnnchErnozem znne.
Thus, our Cnuntry's agriculture and Chemical industry have tt reliablc raw
materialg base fdr developing the mincrnl fertilizer Industry in the coming
Eive-year plnns. There ig no regsnn tn Eear that potasgium and phnsphorus
resources will be depleted even gECer 1990. But if we set nurselves the
task of applying the sgme emount of phosphdrus per hpctare uE ptnwed land
and hay lands ns ehey do in Burope and geCting the same crdp yields as they
do there, the need for phosphorus will rise shgrply. E'nr this reason, it
is essential to step up the senrch fnr new depdsits. The USSR ACgdemy of
5ciences must cnllabdrate wich Che USSIt Ministry of Geology in drawing up
_ a special integrated progrem to prepare the raw materiats base fnr the
phnspharus industry nvcr the long rerm, and KEPS of the USSl2 Academy of
5ciencps must collaborgte with VASKhNIL to draw up a scientific prognosis
of the long-term minernl fertilizer needs.
Considering that the mineral fertilizer needs will rise rapidly, the USSEt
Academy of Sciences nnd the republic academies must collabornte with the
chemical-technology organizations of the various ministries in working on
the search for radically new types of minerals Eor the national economy,
including agricul[ure. In siberia, in the BAM [Baykal-Amur Railroad] area,
we have found leucitic syenites containing up to 18 percent potassium gnd
28 percent aluminum. They can serve as complex raw macerial for the pro-
duction of potassium fertilizers end an unlimited source for nonEerrous
metallurgy. Everyone knows of the high effectiveness of using bentonite
clays as additives in combination feeds, zeolites to improve soil structure,
and so on. Obviously, the initiator of rhis work in the interests of de-
veloping the economy should be the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Water resources. Large areas in the USSLt comprise either arid or excessively
moist land. In =onnection with this, the problem of rational utilization,
regulation, and redistribution of water resources is an urgent one. The
largest consumer of fresh water is agriculture. It accounts for about halE
of the total water consumption--150 to 180 cubic kilometers. By the end
of the century, because of stronger development of artificial irrigation,
these indicators will at least double.
Considering industry's water needs, supplying fresh water Eot fArm produc-
tion and supplying pure water for the population centers have become vital
problems. Calculations show that in the next Eew years this problem will
become just as crucial as that of supplytng people with food, fuel and
energy resources, and minerals. It is necessary to get rid of the idea
that zhe country has a surplus of fresh wacer. Already a number of regions,
even those outside the arid zone, are encountering serious difficulties in
supptying water for industry and the population. Even in areas of Siberia
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FOIt bFFICIAL USS nNLY
and ehp norehprn Eurdpcan partg nE the count.ry ehtre nrh diEEiCUltirs in
gupplying wgCer eo thp populaeinn, eBpcc:iqlly in the citips. Yroblems of
redigtributing gurfarp waeer bptween variaug areas of ehe country nnd ehe
erpatlon of a uniEied sygtpm of managing waCer resources, about which so
much has been gaid, require profound yeientiEic nnalygis to predict the
ecologieat cansequencpg of such mpagureg.
Man's global interferenCp in redistributing wgter regources hns in a num-
ber of eases led to serious nhanges in the environment that nre difficult
to correct. We are nor ggninat Che redisCribution of waCer between znnes
of excesa and deEicient moisture, but we do advocgte ehat this be not only
technically and economically but algo ecologically sound. It is already
beyond questinn, however, that we need more rational means of utilizing
water fnr irrigation (Che efficiency of many irriggCion systems does not
exceed 0.5--thnt ig, irrigation consumes twice as much water as is necessnry
fnr plant growth), also fuller utilization of ground water and tempnrary
surfaCe runoff.
By directive of the USSit Academy of Sciences Presidium, a special commission
has been set up under the supervision of Academician L. M. Brekhovskikh,
academic serretary of the Department of Oceanology, Atmospheric Physics,
and Geography; the commission is to collaboraCe with the organizations con-
cerned in drawing up a program and the acientific principles governing the
transfer of the rivers of Siberia into Central Asia, also procedures for
forecasting the effect this transfer will have on the environment.
It must be stated that the work front on water problems has been slacken-
ing in the US5R Academy of Sciences. At one point, the academic scientiEic
organizations involved with problems of hydrogeology, hydrology, limnology,
and meliorative hydrogeology were transferred entirely over to the depart-
ment. The Institute of Water Problems that was created within the Academy
of Sciences several years ago, also other small scientific collectives, are
still in the organizational stage, they do not have the materials base for
scientific research and cannot deal with all the variety of scientific pro-
blems involved with supplying fresh water for agriculture, industry, and
the population. It is urgently necessary to strengthen the institutes of
water problems and limnology. It is also necessary to do everything
possible to promote more effective cooperation in scientific research
dealing with water problems on a national scale. Although a composite
program of integrated research into the problem "Scientific Substantiation
of the Feasibility, Scale, and Sequence of Projects for the Territorial
Distribution of Water Resources, Taking Account of its Inftuence on Eco-
logical, Physical-geographical, anJ Social-economic Processes" has been
approved by the USSR State Committee for 5cience and Technology, it has
not yet been given the priority water resources deserve. It is the task
of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the USSR Ministry of Water Management
to function as the organizing center of such research. Water problems
are not the responsibility of the Earth Sciences Section alone but of the
whole Academy of Sciences. -
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FOR nFFtCIAL U5E ONI,Y
We will not digCU55 here muny dther problemg that dre cloaely linked td
ngriculture, in particular prnblpms of the study of enrCh frum Spt1Ce (the
uae of spgcpcraft und nircraft ro gtudy the stgte of agriCUlturnl landg,
soil moiseure, and crop yieid esttmateg), ngricultural weather fnrecadt-
ing, nnd so on. 'i'hese are problemg being dealt with by rhe institutes of
the Earth Sciettces Seceion of the USSR Acrademy OE SCiEt1c@S nnd the republic
academies and the USSR AGademy of SCiennes Institute of Spgce Rpsearch.
We will merely note ChaC these effnrts muse be gtepped up considprably,
requiring broader cooperatidn between sCienCists nnd prnducCion wnrkers.
Scientists of the Earth Sciences Seceion of the US5E2 Academy of Sciences
understand the importance of the easks ehe party nnd the governmene have
assigned eo them, and they will use ell their strength, knnwledge, and
experience ro resolve the national taak of boosting the Soviet Union's
ngriculCurgl production.
6854
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UbC 621
BIOLOGICAL NI'CROGEN AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN AGRICULTUItE
Moscow VESTNIK AKADBMII NAUK 5SSIt in Russien No 31 1979 pp 59-67
[Report by Academician Ye. N. Mishustin]
[Text] The July 1978 CC CPSU Plenum, commenting on the scientlfic sound-
ness and vital strength of the Leninist agrarian policy of the CPSU,
seressed the necessity of continuing to keep strictly to the course oE
action mapped out at the March 1965 CC CPSU Plenum and subsequent plenums
and party congresses. That plenum mapped out the ways oE further agricut-
tural dcvelopment, in particular stresaing the necessity of strengthening
chemicalization, which must become one of che main levers for boosting
farm productiv:ty.
The effectiveness of chemicalization is indisputable. In the past ten
years of extensive use of chemical fertilizers, farm crop yields hnve
risen by 1.5 times; the 1978 grain crop set a record.
The volume of chemicalization must be increased intensively, but we must
keep in mind that in many cases, especially with regard to supplying
nitrogen for agriculture, the chemical industry's task can be made much
easier by biology.
At the end of the 18th century, a prestigious commission of French scien-
tists which included Lavoisier announced that a basic constituent of atr
is "nitrogen," which means "lifeless" in Greek. It turned.out,.however,
that nitrogen compounds are essential for plants, animals, and humans
to exist. Mineral compounds especially determine crop yield levels
for most farm crops. Organic compounds of nitrogen, especially pro-
teins, are essential for man and animals. As a rule, however, there is
not enough protein. The "protein deficiency" syndrome is a frightening
phenomenon of the 20th century for many countries. The population oE
the USSR has enough vegetable protein but not enough animal protein.
Livestock animals do not have enough feed protein, especially complete
protein. This brings about considerable overconsumption of feeds and
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FoR aFFrctni, ust, ortLY
reducpg livegeack prdductivity. 'Che tnCa1 proCein drficteycy fdr humans
and farm animalg in ehig rountry pXCehdS 9.5 millidn rnng.
Ag a prartieal matCer, gasedus, mdlecular nitrogen is inaccessibte to
higher organismg gnd cannot be ngsimilated by them. Uut chrtdin prn-
cpsges Can ennvert this inere gns ineo fixed cnmpnunds that can bp
assimilated by animals and plnnes. Thus, the world prndurrion nf Earm
crops annuglly takes nut of ehe sdit abdut ild million tnns nf nitrogen.
'Che world'g chemieal industry mnkeg it pogsible to ineroduce ineo the
soil about 44 millinn Cons of nitrogen fprtilizer (Calculgted gg N2),
the utilization coeEficient of which does not excred 50 percenc. Thus,
about 90 million tons of nitrogpn come fram sompplace else--Chiefly, bio-
logiral fixntion of ehe nir's nitrogen.
2n soil ehat has not been agriculturally developed, the plants do not get
nitrdgen fertiliaers and do not grow well, consuming nttrogen that has been
built up binlogicglly.
A greae vartety of free-living microorggnisms gnd symbiotic miCrobes that
generally live in.the plgnt's root system can fix molecular nitrogen from
Che air. These nirrogen-fixing microorganisms hgve nn enzyme complex
called nitrogenase which makes it possible for them to assimilete N.
One widely-used source oE nitrogen in farming practice ts legume crops that
are in symbiosis with 12hizobium bacteria. There are other planCs which
also assimilate molecular nitrogen in symbiosis with particular micro-
organisms (so far these grassy and woody plants have not been put to
agricultural use).
Without participation by the microorganisms, the higher plants could not
assimilate molecular nitrogen. This is generally acknowledged, although
there have been attempts to prove the opposite. In the 19th century, for
example, during the time of Napoleon III, his favorite chemist Georges
Ville claimed that NZ is accessible to higher plants. It should be pointed
out that the same view was held by the Soviet scientist F. V. Turchin,
whose experiments however, were impossible to duplicate. In our times,
Professor M. I. Volskty went even further. He claimed that not only
the higher plants but also man and animals, even without the participation
of microorganisms, can assimilate gaseous nitrogen in quantities that are
more than enough for nitrogen exchange. M. I. Volskiy even attempted to
have his stidies registered as the discovery of the phenomenon of assimi-
lation of gaseous nitrogen by all higher organisms.
A special commission of the USSR Academy oE Sciences, after precise verifi-
cation experiments, declared that the conclusions oE M. I. Volskiy were
erroneous. The same conclusions have been announced by a number of foreign
researchers (J. Costa et al, 1974; D. Pierce, 1974, and others).
Many researchers have wondered whether man and animals might not be �
supplied with fixed nitrogen by free-living nitrogen-Eixing organisms liv-
ing in their gastrointestinal tract (there are nc+ mass accumulations of
microorganisms in the other organs).
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FOIt OFFICIAI. USC dNt,Y
On the bagis of gCUdieg by many investigatorg we mgy cdngider ie an
egtablighed fac:e ChaC in gome inaeCtg whinh feed primarily on hydro-
carbong (gphida, borers, termites, and so on) the nierogpn-Eixing
mierobes living in the inreseinal trace play g vital role in the or-
genism's niCrngen balgnce. HuC ehis finding Cgnndt be extended to mgn
and furm animals. Acnording eo R. F. Hardy, onp of the leading Ameriran
speciglists in nierogen f.ixation, nitrdgen-fixers in the gastroinCegtinal
Crect df Earm gnimals are cgpable of providing the orggnism wieh only
abo!it 0.1 peraenC nf the proCein iC nepds.
The beneficial influence on soil fertiliey by symbiotic nitrogen fixers--
legume plgnts--hgs been well known gincp ancient rimes. This is known
frum the wrieings of Theiphrastus, Virgil, pliny, Cato, and Cnlumelt8.
At the end of the 18th century, the Auatrian monarch Joseph II elevaeed
the agronomist I. Schubare to the Court for introducing clover to culti-
vetion, leading to a sharp increase in yields of other farm crops. The
Bprlin Academy of 5ciences awarded Schubart prizes Eor his wnrk on the
development of feed grasses. In the 19th century, G. Schulze from
Lupitze became famous in Germany for cultivating heath lands, using
lupine as green ferrilizer. After conversion Erom the Chree-field sys-
tem to crop roCaCion cycles with clover, yields were doubled in Europe
_ between 1840 and 1910.
In Russia, the firsC legume crop was clover. Introduced in 1776 from
England, it was first grown in gardens. Even then, the first Ctussian
scienCific egronomist A. T. Bolotov advocated and promoted the idea oE
using clover as a feed. In the 1820's, I. I. Samarin introduced clover
sowing into Russia on large planted areas and developed the valunble
Kanishchevskiy variety, which was further developed into today's Moskov-
skiy-1 variety. The Zemstvos and the Zemstvos agronomists advocated
the sowing of clover. In his lecture "Sources of Plant Nitrogen" (1890),
K. A. Timiryazev mentioned the names A. A. 2ubrilin and V. G. Bazhayev.
By the late 19th century and early 20th century, clover was already
widely cultivated in this country. Before World War I, Russia was ex-
porting up to 500,000 poods of clover seed.
At present, many countries are making extensive use of legume crops,
in particular soy, to boost soil fertility and produce protein. Ttie
exceptional value of legumes as a rich source of protein accounts for
the fact that in the United 5tates the area planted in soy was increa5ed
from one million hectares in 1935 to 23.5 million in 1977 (the country
has a total plowed land area of 140 million hectares). Large areas in
the United States are also planted in alfalfa and other legumes (about
15 million hectares). It is worth noting that 80 percent of the income
from United States farm product exports comes from soy, which is pur-
chased by many countries in Europe and Asia. Other countries in the
Western Hemisphere are also increasing their areas planted in legumes
(Argentina, Hrazil, and others), frequently at the expense of coEfee
plantations.
72
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FoR orFrcIAL usc aNLY
Lngumeg havp a number oE valuable prnperCles. Their abundance oE protein
is evidencgd by compgraCive daea given in Table 1.
Tablp 1.
CO11e111NqHt10 ~Jn6nnwe trytlbrypw CoAep~aulte
8lpIt0Y1JA NyJtbTyalt OE11N9. % OO11HA~ %
M pq
(7) 0 (88pH0
nym'~yua ?0NtLO090C
(eoPeo)
(8) ConoNa
7,0
Jlmttng (aoplfo ~ 9
3Z,0
10,0
Cott (GoGwy
13,0-15,0
Ceno
Cono~sa (12)
1S.C
P,.; ,
Y1~
Key:
1. Grain Crops
2. Protein Content, percent
3. Legumes
4. Protein Content, percent
5. ltice (grain)
6. Corn (grain)
7. ldhear, rye, oats (grain)
8. Straw
9. Lupine (grain)
10. Soy (beans)
11. Nay
12. Straw
Legume protein is more complete than grain proeein, and in terms of amino
acid composition it surpasses grain protein in solubility (Table 2).
Legumes, especially perennials, leave rich post-harvest residues in the
field and serve as excellent predecessors for other farm crops. They fre-
quently function as sanitizing agents preventing plant diseases. A1falEa,
for example, clears the soil of the verticillium agent of cotton wilt.
Alfalfa-cotton rotation cycles make it possible to combat this disease,
which devastates-mnnocutture:cotton. Many tegumes can be used as green
fertilizer.
another important factor is that legume protein is cheap. It is ten
times cheaper than cereal grain protein and several dozen times cheaper
than animal protein; feed yeast protein is also more costly than legume
protein.
In his report at the July 1978 CC CPSU Plenum, CC CPSU General Secretary
and USSR General Supreme Soviet Presidium Chairman Comrade L. I. Brezhnev
focused specially on the protein problem. He spoke of plans to expand
crop areas and increase the legume crop harvest. L. I. Brezhnev said
that soy is a valuable crop and that it is necessary to seek out ways to
expand crop areas and perfect the technology of soy cultivation.
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Table 2.
( 1), ltYnbrypm
~i) ~
$epgoswe:
~
j
e
s
a (
11 1
o
enbu
8
p
nm
nqueab (eepno)
1
S060swe:
(14
awnaa aopuo)
1 S�
~
; cua (606m)
aauopaa ceno)
FOlt OFFTC:[AL USE qNLY
2 COAOpNtUdNO 9M11II0KHUOT. f/k1
A a9~a I MernouxIt I u~ orI+u ~s
(
8,8
9,9
5,5
18,9
2i,0
11,6
Key:
1. Crop
2. Amino Acid Content g/kg
3. Lysine
4. Methionine
5. Cystine
6. TrypCophan
7. Total
8. Protein Solubiltty,
percent
Pacrao-
NMOCTb
Dcero enw~ !b
2,!
1,6
0,5
7,6
31
2,2
2,0
1,8
9,9
60
2,2
1,9
1,7
!!,8
50
4,2
4,6
8,8
3l,5
90
4,8
5,3
4,8
383
85
2,3
3,8
8,2
25,9
90
9. Grains:
10. Corn (grains)
11. Wheat (grain)
12. Barley (grain)
13. Legumes
14. Lupine (grain)
15. Soy (beans)
16. Alfalfa (hay)
The theoretical and practical significance of the nitrogen-fixation pro-
cess is such that international conferences ere held every year to deal
with the problem. In the United States, some privar-_ organizations (the
DuPont Company, the Kettering Fund, and others) have special laboratories
studying the problem of biological air nirrogen fixation.
Nitrogen fixation has drawn the attention of many outstanding foreign and
Soviet scientists, in particular D. I. Mendeleyev, K. A. Timiryazev, D. N
Pryanishnikov, and others.
In 1690, K. A. Timiryazev stated in his public lecture "Sources of Plant
Nitrogen" that there are few phenomena in nature whose scientific study
is more closely linked to practice than nitrogen assimilation and the
cultivation of legumes.
The founder of our agrochemistry, D. N. Pryanishnikov, emphasized that it
is wrong to set the use of mineral fertilizers off against the use of
biological nitrogen: they complement one another, but they cannot com-
pletely substitute for one another. To this we may add that the effective-
ness of mineral fertilizers increases strongly on backgrounds cultivated
with legumes.
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FOtt OFrICiAL USL dNLY
In thie CounCry, the sctentific lnstteuttons nE the U55R Academy oC
ScienCes, the USSEt MiniStry af Agriculeure, VASKhNIL, and oCher depert-
ments are doing a great deal of coordinating worlc on the problem of
nitrogen fixaeion. 'Chey are studying the biology nnd physinldgy oE the
nierogen fixers, the biochemisCry of the process, and the geneeics oE the
nitrogen-fixing microbes and legume crops (ehis work nnw ries in with
genetic engineering, aCtempCs are being made to transfer nitrogenase
from nitrogen flxers to microbes that do not assimilaee N) and modeling
the process of nitrogen fixaCion in order to find wgys ro2fix N2 under
"soEr" conditions.
In this case I will confine myself to juat one aspect oC the problem of
biological nitrogen--irs practical aspect--explAining the role of the
nitrogen EixaCion process in our land cultivaeion. First of all, a few
comparaeive figures.
According to 1977 data, the USSIt had 21.1 million hectares planted in
perennial grasses and 15.8 million in annual grasses--a total of 41.9
million. From the aggregate data we can judge that legumes Cake up About
25.8 million hectares or about 11.4 percent of the plowed land. In the
United States, legume crops take up 27.5 percent of the plowed land.
Average yields there are higher than in this country, chiefly because of
climatic conditions.
Our rough calculations show that legume crops in this country produce
about 21 percent of all the protein produced on-arahle -sofl.
Table 3. shows the amount of protein produced from arable soil in 1917.
Table 3.
Ik07IN48� HOJl1f40- (7)
( 1) HeAo6oemo cTeo (6 1o6oeMO 1ryabrypU creo
xp~brypw GenKa, 6oaKa,
Mm r MAH� r
s~3 3epso
l Conoaia
~ 5 1 Ce$o
26,2 Fo6u (a)
5,2 Ceso:
3,0 a~uoroneircar xyn6TYp s10
OJ(1lOIIOTfIit!C ICyJILiyp (11~
2,9
5,2
1�1
(12) Bcero
I 34,4 Bcero (12) I
. 9'2
Key:
1. Non-legume crops
2. Amount of Protein, millions
of tons
3. Grain
4. Straw
5. Hay
6. Legume crops
7. Amount of protein, millions
of tons
8. Beans
9. Hay:
10. Perennials
11. Annuals
12. Total
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roR orFrciaL usL nNLY
'nce mcadnws of the 115S1t cati pruducr. hHy c'.untnlnliig ubuut: 3.0 mt l llon tuns
of proteln, including about 0.8 millidn tons Erom legume grnsses.
'Chus, thc land area Ln agriculturnl
of prntein, including 10.0 million
abouC 1.5 million tons of protein).
use can produce 46.6 millton tons
from legumes (legume pastures produc:e
In the United States, 140 million hectares of plowed land yield aboue
68 million tons of protein, with 36 millton cnming from grain and about
32 million from legume crops--that is, legumes produce 47 percent of the
protein.
In the world production of protein, according to FAO data, legume grains
account for about 20 percent; in this country the figure is only 5.8 per-
cent.
The protein our livestock animals get in feeds is chiefly grain crop pro-
tein. But these crops are poor in protein, thus accounting for consider-
able feed overconsumption. of the total cereal grain harvest, the popu-
lation consumes 35 to 37 million tons; livestock animals get at least
four times as much.
Available data make it possible to determine the approximate amount of
molecular nitrogen fixed by legume crops on our fields under present
conditions. The amounts of nitrogen fixation--that is, the amount of N2
fixed by legumes on all land aYeas--are given in Table 4. In compiling
it, account was taken of differences in the amount and chemical makeup
of after-harvest residues of perennial and annual legume crops, and it
was assumed that 70 percent of the protein is built up by the legumes
by fixing molecular nitrogen.
Symbiotic fixation of N2 on agricultural lands yields a total of about
3.0 million tons of nitrogen. This means that at present prices on
mineral fertilizers, our country's agriculture is getting about 0.7
billion rubles from legume crops. Income from legumes can be substan-
tially increased if crop yields can be doubled.
We have decertulned quite clearly what agronomic measures promote increased
legume crop yields. These crops react very raell to phosphorus fertilizers
and certain trace elements (molybdenum and Uoron); many of them require
liming of the soil. It is useful to introduce small doses of nitrogen
fertilizer for legume grain crops. Perennial legume grasses do not need
nitrogen fertilizer, although sometimes relatively authoritative organi-
zations have given the opposite recommendations; this is not only useless
but also harmful, because mineral nitrogen suppresses nitrogen fixation.
76�
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Table 4.
` lin7uvir.rnn nouru, wmi, r
oGiuero 'DIIui IInOBpIIHOPO '
2 ) ua uuaayxn `g
(4) IIaam
Ypoacaii GoGonwx 1,5
9.1
Ttumrutum.ie OCTAThI( GUGOBLI:C I 9;5 I l'p
(7)' E0T8CTD0IIL140 J!)+1'& II II&CT6IIIQU �
(Cmio, cof,panuoe c nyroB, u rpa- 0,4 0,28
(g ~ na, norpeGucuHan )ltztnor-
nwnut nprl nianoco
(q) liop�Onble ocruTrn 606oBbIx 0,7 0,69
+ II TCII, 4T0 6p6oauUi ItOMt10H@NT COCT8gA1l@T 12,5% MdCCW
(10) Tpaeocron. ,
Key:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Amount of Nitrogen, millions
of tons
Total
Fixed from the Air
Plowed Land
Legume l.Yield
After-harvest Legume
Residue
7. Natural meadows nnd
pastures *
8. Hay harvested from meadows
and grasses consumed by
gr.azing livestock
9. Legume Root Residues
10. *It is assumed rhat the
legume companent consititutes
12.5 percent of the grass
stand mass.
Recently, plantings of Legumes have doubled in certain areas of the USSR:
Odesskaya, Chernigovskaya, Kustanayskaya, Krasnodarskaya, and a few
other oblasts. But not enough grain le$umes:are being planted. Our
main crop is peas, but peas could be utilized to a greater extent. Areas
planted in lupine and feed beans are inadequate. We must substantially
increase plantings of soy beans in areas suitable for this crop. Green
beans, which took up 160,000 hectares before the revolution, are now
planted on a considerably smaller area. Land planted in lentils has been
reduced by eight times since before the revolution (from 420,000 to
50,000 hectares).
The total area planted in beans in recent years in the USSR has been de-
clining, as seen in data preserted in Table 5, which shows the harvested
area planted in certain bean crops (in millions of hectares). These are
approximate data, because we have only generalized material on hand, and
these do not always clearly define the status of individual crops.
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Fox nFFicint, cr5E Orrt.v
Table 5.
ItfnlaypM
1000 r,
013 r,
1070 r,
I971 r,
2) Hce 6u6oeme
20.0
20,7
23,3
25,8
4 ~ B roII vecao;
stuoronornNO Tpauw
f3,0
14,8
l4,2
fb,i
S oAnnno*nNO rpauLc
(6) nepuoGoGoniaa (c coaA)
7,2
9,7
7,9
7,3
2,8
0,3
4,b
aA
Key:
t.
Crops
- 2.
All Legumes
3.
lncluding:
4.
Perennial Grasseg
5.
Annual Crnsses
6.
Cereal Legumes (including
soy)
Legumes Eix niCrogen properly only if their root system is infesthd with
bacteria-forming nodules. For this reason, when sowing legumes it is
recommended thnt they be inoculated with rhizobia. Our country produces
a compound of such bacteria, nitragin, which must be applied when snwing
legumes on land new to them.
Nowever, the situation is nut very good with respect to the manuEacture
oE nitragin. In 1978, agriculture received 0.5 million tiectare batches
of nitragin versus requirements of about 4 to 5 million. We are now
taking steps to boost production, but so far industry's nitragin tnrget
has not been specified.
Expansion of the cultivation of legumes In our couritry is being hampered
by a number of objective difficulties (lack of seed, fertilizers, tier-
bicides, new systems of machinery, and so on). But it seems the maiti
diEEiculty here is that some leading agrochemists claim that the nitro-
gen problem i-i our land cultivation can be resolved only on the ba5is
of using mineral fertilizers.
For example, Professor V. K. Prokoshev, speaking at the Pryanishnikov
Lectures in 1975, declared that legumes have outlived their usefulness.
He recommended that high doses of nitrogen be applied to grain crops
and that the resulting straw be used to feed livestock. Nitrogen ferti-
lizer tncreases the protein content in the grain and straw oE cereal
crops, but nevertheless this "rationalization" of the feeding of live-
scock is doubtful.
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FOIt UFFICIAL U5E ()NLY
Wrong Idr.im ,ibout tlir ItnporCancr of IrKumrs ;ire ba4rd dn n numbrr ul
vrror!;. tn pnrL[rular, it ly uttrii clatmvd t.hat thv countrtrs ol wVHlvrii
I:urnpr du nuC c:ulLlvratr lrkumrs dn a Iarge ticulr. tfut tlirsr cuuiitrlrs
purchuyv cnormoun qunnt[tlr5 nC soy in the Un(ted 5tntcs. ir, ior rxnmplc,
thr 1'{tC wanc.cd tn produce the lpgumes tt nEeds nn i.tq nwn it wnuld have to
usV h.711 of it5 urablr latd.
D. N. Pryantshniknv emphasized thet to resolve ngriculturul problems it is
riecrtisary to procrrd on the bnsis of nur own cnuntry's intereqts and noC
btlndly copy forrign pr+ictlc:e. This {s true nlso of the nitrogen problem.
At preseiit, the U55tt M[nistry of Agrlc:ulture, Implementing the decree of
thr CC CI'SU and thr US512 Council of Mtnisters "Measures to Jncreasr thr
i'raduc t I on and Irnprove Lhe clua 1 t ty of Feeds," pub I t shed un 1 l Ju ly 1978
pluns to c,irry nut ;i riuuihur of esSentlal mrasurrs des[Knrd, in pnrtirulnr,
t" r>:pniid lvgume plniitingy and bodst crnp yfrlds.
Uur cnlcul.7ttons show thnt the role o[ legumes in protein productinn wlll
tncrvase strongly. in 1977, legumes accounted Eor about 20 perCent of the
vrket;ablr protein produced by this country's agriculture; in 1980 the fig-
urr should reach 24 perCent, and In 1985--28 percent. 'Chis is [ully con-
sistent with the decisions of the 28th CEMA Sesston in 1977, which rec-
ommended that CEMA.countries txpand land areas planted tn cereat legumes,
in p.7rticular soy.`
N Itecr.ntly VASKhNIL E'resident Academtcian P. P. Vavilov and Candidate of
Agricultural 5ctences C. S. Posypanlv published an article titled "Legumes,
Nitrogen, and the ['rote{n l'roblem." The authors are of the opinion that
evrn[ually area planted in cereal legumes in this country should reach
20 tn 25 millton hectares. Even in this case, however, there will not
br enough complete protetn (about 2.5 to 3.0 million tons) considertng
tlie growth of livestock farming plannvd by the USSR Ministry of Agricul-
L"rr.
c11 rours~~. llir ~ rf iciency in complr[V pro[ein can be made up partially
by m(rrnl,i;il synchotiiti. Nevcrthrless, in our opinion, for boosting [he
produrcion of protetn it is advisable to make morr intensive usc of tLc
lrgume componen[ on natural meadows and pastures. So far, only 50
million our of 380 million hectares of such land have been cultivatcd.
Pfost of this area, in essence, is virgin land, the development of which
is quice promising but rc�quires subs[an[ial efEorts. In this connection
wc recall [he heroic era on the virgin lands of Kazakhstan, so brilliantly
described by CC CP5U Cenerai Secretary and USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium
c:hairman Comrade L. 1. Brezhnev in his work "Tselina" [Virgin Lands].
All soil5 h,1vc many frce-ltving nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. These are
mostly bac[eria feeding on organic substances. Inhabiting the plants'
root zone, where che roots release various organic compounds, the bacteria
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Fox OrFICtAI. usE oNLY
can �ccumulatc y c:ertain qugntity of nit.rogen. Cxpertmentul datu indicIIte
thae amounts of :;uch iiitrdgen accumulntion are not gre,yt ind hava nn sub=
tnnttA l. tnfluenc:e nn the size o[ rhe crop.
'Co Fi greciter rxtent the nc:tivity of the nitrogen-fixer:i i5 deCermiiicd by
thc sotl.'s orgnntc compounds and plant residues. Until recently it was
belleved thar thrsr sources of nitrogcn-ftxer nutriti.an wcrc 'llso Ln-
capublc nE cnyurtng adequatcly htgh nitrogpn accumulation tn thp soil (tlot
more than 6 kg of nitrogen per hectare of sotl per year), but a c:ycle of
research rarrled out in eecent yeurs abr.ohd and iri the USSk compcl us to
c:hange thts potnt o[ view.
l'able 6 shows d1ta on atnounts of nitrogen ftxation by frrr-living miCrobrs
utiltziig p1nnt resl.dues and, in part, products of humus mincrbllzatton,
in differenL solls of thc USSK (ktlograms per hectare per year).
'1'ab l c 6.
(2) Aaormrkcaqan
31 88 CqCT
(4)
~ 5~
~ TIO~IbN
~1pOx)'K100
A C4QT
~IItI1P~~0:1N38�
qllH f}'YyCa
nACiHTEJt6-
1114% OC78TNOB
ecero
6
~
;
7 Tlepnono-noAaoagcnte
1,8-8,0
5-7
6,8-13
Cepmo nocsa~e
~ ~ ~ 4e
uoaeYm
3,D-9,0
18
0
0
0
i5-20
8
35
18-29
3
p
CQl K
,
-
,
-
2
7-53
aMTaeosbte
(10) C
3.0--10,0
f5-20
18-30
epoaeum
3,040
15-20
18-29
Kry:
I . Soil 6.
2. Plitrogen Fixation 7�
3. From Products of }lumus 8.
htineralization y�
4. F'rom Plant Residues 10.
5. Tocal
Soddy-Podzolic
Grey Forest
Chernozems
Chesr.nut
Serozems
Appruximaccly the samc data are citeJ by other investigators (i. G. 'Lakhar-
rlirnku, C. S. Pirozhrnko, 1970; J. Day et al., 1975; I. S. Shatiluv,
1478; .iid othersl on the basis of anal}tzing many years of fteld experi-
Iill'I1tS.
NitroKen Itxed by tree- living microo:ganisms sliould be vicwed as a soil
rcplenisliment: it is consumed more slowly than mincral nitrogcn. I( we
;lssume rather modes[ amounts of nitrogen fixation by tree-living microbes
(15 kilograms per hec[are per year for arable soi1, 6 for cultivated
meadows, iind 2 Cor virgin meadows), the nitrogen accumulation on agri-
culturatly developed land in the USSR will be expres~,ed in thc f.ollowinc;
80
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rnn nFFtcrnI, USL ONLY
nmounts (calCUlated tnr N): 3.5 mlllton tnns nE ntCrngen per year Edr
ardble sdil) 1.0 millidn idr meadowg and pngture Lat1d5, r.dtal 4.5 millinn.
Thp equivnlenC mmounC of minernl fertilizers Cd5tg 1.2 billion rubleg.
The questinn Hrl.ge5 as to whether ?.e is nne rdglilble to strengthen Chp
soil gctiviey of the frpe-living nitrdgen-fixers7 Thty can be accom-
plished by inCroducing nrgnnic matCer intr, thp snil. Most Epnsible for
Chis purpoge is thp use of strgw, the mmounr of whLch in the USSR comes
Co more than 100 millinn tons nnnually. As n rulp, this straw is
burned. There is e relucCancp Co plow ir inro the snil, bpcause strgw
C8U508 fixation of minernl niCrogen end thus Y'edUC05 crop yields.
However, techniques have been worked oue for avoiding this unfavorable
effect of straw and making it possible even in Che first year to obtain
positive results Erom its introductinn. The positive effecCs of straw
are alsn apparent in the next one or two years. 5traw can be used
successfully as gn organic ferCilizer for rice, legumes, and grgins. In-
troduced into the soil as a Eertilizer, 100 million tons of straw are
equivalent to 0.5 million tons of nitrogen. Soil microorganisms fixing
N2 can fix at leasr five kilograms of nitrogen for every ton of strAw
tFiat is introduced. This results in another 0.5 million tong of Eixed
nitrogen. Consequently, 100 million tons of straw put into the soil
will enrich it with compounds containing 1 million tons of nitrogen
which can be used by the farm crops. The only cost will ye otitlays on
plowing the straw in. In terms of the coefficient of assimilation by
the plants, nitrogen fixed by microbes is approximately equal to mineral
Eertilizers.
If we compare the amount of nitrogen produced in this country by the
chemical industry and by biological means, it turns out that the contri-
bution of biological nicrogen to agriculture is quite substantial.
According to data from 1977, the chemical industry supplied agriculture
with 7.7 million tons of nitrogen calculated as N2, while soil nitrogen-
fixers supplied about 7.5 million tons (about 3.0 miIliori tons from sym-
biotic and 4.5 willion tons from Eree-li.ving nitrogen-fixers).
The importance of mineral nitrogen as a more effective factor in boost-
ing crop yields will undoubtedly increase, but we cannot ignore bio-
logical nitrogen. It is essential to find ways to make more extensive
use of it.
The academic institutions must determine the possibility of using not
only legumes but also other plants capable of fixing N2 in symbiosis
with microorganisms; they must determine the symbionts of these plants,
find out what factors determine the energy fixation of molecular nitro-
gen, determine the structure of nitrogenase, expand efforts on the
genetic engineering of nitrogen-fixers, and resolve a number of other
tasks.
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FOit OFFICIAL U5C nNi-1t
Thp regeerch ingriCUtiong of ehe US312 Minigtry of Agziculture, VASKhNIi.,
and other deparementg must determine whae xaneg atie guitable Eor culti-
vnting legumps, develop varieties ChgC efEicientty Eix nitrogen under
certain conditions, gnd develop equipment for their cultivation and
harvesting. Glavmikrnbioprom will have to subgCgneially expand the
production of bacterial i:ertilizers.
LeC us hope that these reaponsible projects will be carried nue.
FOOTNOTES
1. See P. P. Vavilov and G. S. Posypanov, VESTNIK SEL'SKOKH02YAY5TVENNOY
NAUKI, No 9, 1978.
2. 5ee Kh. Goranov, MEZHDUNAR09NYY SEL'SKdKHbZAYSTVENNYY ZHURNAL, No 4,
1977.
3. See VESTNIK SEL'SKOKHOZYA.'iSTVENNOY NAUKI, No 9, 1978.
6854
CSO: 1870
~
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FoR nrFzcrnL vs r. nNLY
UDC 630:54
FOR'THCOMING TASK5 OF AGFtICULTUttE CHEMICALIZATION
Moscow VESTNIK AKADEMII NAUK S5SR in Russian No 3, 1979 pp 68-75
[Report by Academician S. I. Vol'fkovich]
[xext] The chemicali~.ation of agriculture in the USS[2 in recent years
has been developing on a steadily rising scale and at an increasingly
faster pace.
In 1973, the 5oviet chemical industry emerged in first place in the world
in terms of total volume of mineral fertilizer production. In terms of ~
the output of synthetic carbamide, potassium salts, and feed phosphates,
our country holds a leading place; the Qroduction of pesticides and the
number of physiologically active substances is not developing fast
enough.
With each passing year, especially since 1965, there has been an incrPas- `
ingly marked rise in the number of integrated measures to intensify farm
production, to chemicalize, mechanize, electr,ify, and reclaim the land,
to improve the quality of land cultivation, all factors which strengthen
one another. An analysis of toclay's status of chemicalization indicates
that in addition to substantial progress in this area there are also somi
shortcomings. The level of agricultural development is not yet keeping
pace with our rapidly rising needs, and requires further vigorous efforts
to buost it.
One of the most important scientific-technical and economic tasks facing
our nation today in the area of the production and use of mineral ferti-
lizers and livestock feeds is that of raising the level of use oF natural
raw materials and combating significant mechanical, chemic.al, and bio-
logical losses of products. Over the next few years, plans call for major
capital investments in building mining and cher:;ical enterprises to pro-
duce mineral Lertilizers. And increasing levels of production and larger
amounts of capital outlays make increasingly intolerable enormous losses
of raw minerals containing nutrients, aspecially phosphates and potassium
salts.
�
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Naturnl minergl resourcpa nre limited and non_renewable. Meanwhile, irrr-
trlevHbla lnsses Eire yn grent that evr.ryone invnlvr.d In rhr minings pro-
crsying, nnd utlllznttun oC feretllzer ln ngrtculture must urgenrly Und
vigorously tgckle the tgsk oE gubstantigtly haosting tlir etEtcienry index
of both raw maCerials and fertilizers.
Industrial experience indicates that from 25 eo 50 percent of the minernl
is lcft in the ground when mining natural phosphates. Up to 30 tn 40 per-
cent of the mineral is lost in the process of primgry and secondary con-
centrgtion of phosphorite ore (washing, crushing, grinding, flotation, and
so on). After flotation concentration of the apatite-nepheline ores oE
the Khibiny deposirs, the phosphate has been reduced by six to eight per-
cent. With mechanical and chemical operations in the processing oL
natural phosphates for phosphoric acid or concentrated fertilizers, five
to eix percent of the phoaphorus is lost.
Phosphorus losses are also great in the soil, because of retrogradation
(the binding of easily soluble, mohiie torms of phosphorus to forms thar
are insoluble or assimilare slowly) and other processes t}iat are not
_ fully studied. In the first year of application of phosphates to ehe
soil, the plants assimilate 20 to 40 percent oE r.he phosphorus, depend-
ing on the soil type and the fertilizer; in subsequent years the figure
is even lower. But several dozen years of field experiments at the
Uolgoprudnyy Experimental Station imeni D. N. Pryanishnikov (Moscow OblasL),
Rothamstead Station (GreaC Britain), and elsewhere indicate that phosphates,
especially in acid soils, continue to nourish the plants for a long time.
Losses are also great in the mining and concentration of potassium salts,
running as high as 30 to 40 percent; the shortage of chlorine-free po-
tassium fertilizers reduces the quality of potatoes, buckwheat, grapes,
.
citrus, and other industrial crops.
The storing, transporting, and use of ammonium nitrate also invotve sub-
stantial losses. Rain and irrigation water convert the nitrate into
soluttons which soak through the filtering soill down to depths that are
inaccessible to the plant roots.
To a lesser extent such losses, also hydrolysis releasing gaseous ammonia,
occur in the use of carbamide (urea). In contrast to am,nonium niCrate,
moreover, carbamide is not flammable or explosive when m~.xed with certain
organic substances, and it contains eleven percent more nitrogen than
ammonium nitrate. For this reason, the production of carbamide ought to
be developed further, especially since the cost per unit of nitrogen in
carbamide and ammnnium nitrate is now comparable in a number of plants;in
some foreign plants, the cost of carbamide is even ten r.o fifteen percent
lower. '
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rnR orrtCtnL usr nrri,Y
Uinlogl.cnl ldwsry ot' nitrogr_n contiinrd {n frrt[l1.zer.:;, due tn prochysrs
of nttriEtcation at,d aenitriricnr.ton of immonli, and thc use of ehe ciltr.n-
gr.n by mic:rnorgantsms In the soil, ,71tr.r the origtnal acce:;gibtliey nt' the
fertf 1 ixrry to rhr plnnty and cnuse th~ gnsrnus produrt4 01` itw c-orivrrsinii
to vvrporaiLv. ltrsrrirch by I~, V. 'I'urchln fand uthrr riurachvmlst~ liiiw shawn
thAt tol-nl losses of ntrrngcri run as hlgh as 15 ro 30 porcrnL.
In the past ten ycars, thE 5oviee Union has created a substnntial network
of agroChemicttl laborarories (more ehen 200) und a number of scientific-
research instttutes of ugrochemtsrry and soils science and experimental
_ stations; they have been doing considerable work on charting soils to
determirte the sufFictcncy or defictency of nutrients in Ctie snil.
What is astonishing is that Eor several Eive-year periods the planning
orgnns httve been using rhe same Eertilizer effectiveness standnrd--1.1
quintal of grain yteld increase per quintal of terrilizer (in standard
units). This Eigure ts lowcr than yields on many lcading lcolkhozes and
sovkhozes, also farms in a number of Eoreign Cquntries, where yteld gains
run as high as three to Eour quintals or more.`
It must be stared, regretfully, that despite eFCorts to combat mechanical
losses of fertilizers in transporting and iri ware}louse storage (10 to 15
percenr), these losses have remained practically unchanged Eor several
years.
Not enough Rttention is being focused on efEorts to combat losses of
fertilizer nutrients due to their consumption by weeds. necause of poor
weeding and inadequa::e use of herbicides, large qtiantities of fertiltzer
never reach "their interAed recipient."
Because of the variability, both in time and terms of varying climatic
and soil conditions, of data concerning losses and inadequate utilization
of fertilizer nutrients, it is difficult at present to calculate precisely
the total eEficiency of fertilizer and total losses. We can state without
exaggeration that the average practical efficiency of mineral fertilizers
does not exceed 50 to 60 percent of the total nutrients conCained in the
raw mineral. Consequently, enormous capieal investments in mining
and chemical enterprises are not being fully utilized. If we could
produce and use mi;ieral tertilizers on a completely scientific, systematic
and thrifty basis, our national economy could save large anounts of capital
investments and labor.
In the future coe must make a deeper and more thorough analysis of the
possibility of replacing some of the sulfuric acid with nitric acid in
the production of phosphoric acid and fertilizers, also the possibility
of developing thermal and alkalirie-thermal methods of production, in-
cluding the hydrottiermal meehod using natural gas or fuel oil, and,
as power engineering becomes further developed and electricity becomes
cheaper, the use of electrothermy. Losses may also be reduced in the
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FnK OrrIc.IAL i15C UNLY
Euture by working nn Chc production nE polymer phuqphorus t`rrttlizers
that nre not fixed by the soil, und nitrogen fnrtlli7r-rs thnt arr ilot
wnshed away by rain nnd irrigation wnter.
In reccnt ycars, explor.ntory nnd thcorctical reshnrch has been carried nut
to determine the pnssibility of Utnding the nitrogen oE the air (witli thti
pnrtiriparion nE cnralysts) wirh various compounds inro ammonln and othrr
compnunds, also the pnwstbtlity oE synthesiiing nmmnnix Frnm iiitragen ntid
hydrogen at low temperatures and pressures.
Plans call for developing the production oE carbamide And its derivitive5,
ammonium polyphosphates, carboammophoska, potassium, polymetaphosp}iatr,
phosphorus acid amides, and orher new economical coricentrnthd and inte-
grated fertilizers; plans also call for substaneially developing the
production of mineral fertilizer mixes.
Also being studied is the possibility of mining potassium salts by
dissolving them in the ground and carrying out integrated processing of
potassium-containing salts.
It is also possible to conserve in the production of fertilizers by using
production wastes; phosphogypsum, fluoride gases, carbon monoxiae, slag,
rare elements, and other substpnces. This is not only of economic but
also oE great ecological importance.
DraEt plans for the production of mineral fertilizers call for boosting
their output to 135 to 140 million tons in 1985 (in standard computation),
with production to be increased in the 13th Five-Year Plan. Attaining
the necessary level of fertilizer production in the llth Five-Year Plan
will require the inauguration of plants having a capacity of at least
40 million tons of fertilizer. Raw material and energy resources arc
enough to accommodate the construction of nitrogen and potassium enter-
prises of large capacity. The situation is different with the produc-
tion of phosphorus fertilizers because of limited proven reserves of
high-quality raw material. It is partly because of this that in recent
times there have been difficulties in meeting the phosphorus fertili.zer
production plan both in terms of quanti.ty and quality. Some of the
phosphorites that are mined contain a low percentage of phosphorus and
are distinguished by variegated composition. The shortage of phosphates,
compared with nitrogen and potassium, is also due to the lack of th? mean
ratio of nutrients in the soil, especially nitrogen and phosphorus,
required by agrochemistry. The July 1978 decree of the CC CPSU F'lenum
emphasizes the necessity of eliminating this disproportion and ensuring
the necessary raw material for the production of phosphorus fertilizers.
The shortage of phosphoric acids has made more ~irgent the task of pro-
ducing phosphorus fertilizers by acid-Eree and waste-free methods.
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roit nrrtc; CAL US1, Otvt,v
In tk?e lase E'i[tecn years, thc 5oviet chemtCal Industry has, on rhe
basis of Soviee scieneiEic-teChnicxl developments, created a sector
Eor the produceton of teed phoaphAtes, CI1jCfly on the basis of whrat
is known as the hydrnthermal or pyrnhydrolyttc process, ttlso whar gre
known as Acid methods. In 1978, Eeed phosphates were betng produced
by Lourteen Soviet chemLcal plants'. Mnny years of romprehensive re-
senrch by the agroc:hemists have shnwn that melted defluorinated phos- ,
phaees made of Soviee raw materials, with bulk appLicaeion to the soil,
is equnl in effectiveness ro superphosphate, a water-soluble fertilizer.
Just as efEective are products trom celcing or Cusing phosphates with Alkn-
line salts and natural nluminosilicates.
To reduce nitrogen losses due to Che high solubility of ammonium nitrate
and carbamide, meehods have been developed for fusing them with formalde-
hyde, urotropin, or other substances in order to produce �ertilizers that
dissolve slowly; these are especinlly effective in corton farming. To
some extent, granulared fertilizers also help to accomplish the same pur-
pose. Successful experiments have been carried out in modifying and
capsulating fertili.zers, especially carbamide in composition with elec;.en-
tary sulphur. For reducing losses of gaseous nitrogen oxides, the use of
inhibitors has been proposed.
As a result of many years of vegetative and field experirnents, we have now
essentially proved the effecriveness not only of phosphorite meal of a cer-
tain geological age, chtefly on acid soils, but also thermophosphates that
have been defluorinated with stearti at high temperatures, and melted phos-
phates. Because the p:-oduction of these fertilizers does not require acids,
and the defluorination process does ciot require alkali, there is no fo:�ma-
tion of many tons of production wastes. All of this indicates that the
production of these types of fertilizers deserves substantial develop-
ment.
In the near future it will be necessary to develop mechanical fertilizer
mixing in order to turn out products having a specified ratio of m�trients
and required ph-ical and chemical properties. It is necessary to expand
the output and u~e of liquid compound or mixed fertilizers. The produc-
tion of these items is increasing too slowly despite the fact that there
is no doubt about their technical and economic effectiveness and other
advantages.
Several years of industrial experience in the hydrothermal processing
of phosphates in cyclone furnaces to make feed have demonstrated its
economic advantages over acid processes. Among citrate-soluble phos-
phorus fertilizers, many countries have long been using phosphate slag
from steel production. In the USSR, phosphorus-containing iron ores
from Kerch' annually yield sever.al hundred thousand tons of phospiiate
slag. We also have other phosphorus-containing iron ore deposits a
Lisakovskoye, Ayatskiye, and others~ The next vital task facing our
metallurgists is that of producing phosphate slag frow these ores in
order to increase reserves of phosphorus fertilizers.
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Because of rhe low perceneage of phosphorus in most Soviet phosphorites
and the substantial amount of undesirable inpurities in them, we face the
urgent task o� developing economical methods of concentrating low-grade
phosphoriCes. ElecCrothermal merhods of processing phosphates intd fcrti-
Lizers a re costly. IC is much more promising, as is indicaeed by 5oviet
and foreign practice, to process nitric acid phosphates to produce com-
pound nitrogen-phosphorus and nieruaen-phosphorus-potassium EerCiltzers.
In addition to exploratory and more intensive chemical-technological re-
search inCo Che use of low-grade phosphates, it is essential to srep up
geologic al-exploration work in order to find abundant deposits of phos-
phates and intensively develop effective processes of inechanical, thermal,
and chemical phosphate concentration.
An important technical-economic task facing the potassium industry is the
use of e normous wastes of sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, and other
substances formed in flotation or halurgical processes of making potassium
chloride from sylvinite. Major forces must be mobilized to resolve rhis
task, which is not only of economic but also ecological importance. Con-
tests should be held for the best solution.
Up to now we have not found satisfactory solutions to the task of process-
ing compound potassium ore, which also contains sulphates, from deposits
in the western Ukraine and the southern Urals.
In the last few five-year periods, scientific-technical applications in
the nitrogen industry have achieved substantial economic effectiveness
thanks to the us^ of natural gas, improved equipment, a higher degree of
utilization of energy in the synthesis of ammonia, and increased equip-
ment unit capacity. It is essential to further develop the production of
- carbamide and carbamide salt, including phosphates which are used not only
as compound fertilizers but also as effective supplementary feed for live-
stock.
It is also necessary to expand work on introducing into complex and mixed
fertilizers trace elements of particular composition and quantity, in
accordance with the recommendations of the biochemists and agrochemicnl
services. Also deserving support is work on the rational production oE
m;.neralor4anic mixes which include peat, ::oal, and other types of raw
material.~
Standing somewhat apart are problems of developing hydroponic plant hus-
bandry and hothouse farming on closed ground.
Despite the. already proven enormous technical and economic prospects of
plant husbandry without the use of natural soil, and the presence in the
USSR and other countries of many years of industrial and agrochemical
experience, it seems to us that hydroponics is developing suprisingly
slowly. Hydroponics provides continuous, year-round and round-the-clock
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automxCed plant husbandry which does not depend on Climatic and sail
conditinns--a genuirie product of ineegrarion of c:hemicalizntion and
elecCriL�icarion of ineensive plant husbandry. Flydroponics makes it
possible eo grow vegetables, berrtes, and cerCain Ceed nnd induserial
crops not only in present farming areas, but also above the artic circle,
in desert and tnountain areAS, and on waste land. klydroponic hothouses cen
be multi.-level and placed even on thc upper stories of large buildings.
Hothouse installations ttre being used successFully both in the USSR and in
other countries, in many enrerprises and around large cities and p1AnCs,
especially in the North. Nydroponics represenls the next advance in indus-
rrial hothouse fnrming. Because in hydroponics the soil is replaced wiCh
gravel, sand, and othar mineral or organic materials of constant composi-
tion that are insoluble in warer there is no worry about the composition
of the eareh. ny means of automatic monitoring, the planes are periodi-
cally irrigated with solueions of fertilizers of a given composition.
Electric lighCing and heating are also dosed automatically. Hydroponics
makes it possible to boost plant productivity considerably And to re-
duce outlays of labor and consumption of water per unit of output. It
is possible that some plants should be nourished with solutions of mineral-
organic fertilizers with physiologically active substances (vitamins,
growth regulators, and so on).
Although capital outlays on hydroponic hothouses are higher than for
ordinary ones, their technical-economic advantages over the larter are
substnntial in operation.
According to data of the Institute of Agrochemical Problems and Hydroponics
of the Armenian SSR Acedemy of Sciences (rhe first Soviet institute of
hydroponics), in the near future all nursery culti�-ation of fruit and in-
dustrial crops should be converted to hydroponics, also year-round pro-
duction of fresh green Leed for livestock and poultry. The institute has
designed several such plants made up of several levels and sections with
- six to eight day cycles for germinating fresh green feed from grain seeds.
One installation can produce 250 to 300 kilograms of green grass per day,
rich in enzymes and biologically active and mineral substances.
IIecause of the importance of boosting livestock farming in our country it
is appropriate here to cite data from the report of Armenian SSR Academy
of Sciences Academician G. S. Davtyan in the State Committee for Science
and Technology Council for Chemicalization of Agriculture (June 1978).
One hydroponic installation is sufficient for the healthy feeding of
60 to 80 milk cows or about 800 suckling pigs or sheep, or 12,000 laying
hens. Such installations are now operational for large poultry plants in
Yerevan; they have a daily productivity of 500 to 600 kilograms of green
mass. Capital investments for the6construction of such plants should be
recouped in seven to eight months.
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FOIt OFT'TCYAL USE dNt,Y
Iri recommending the development of industrtal hydrnponics, at coursc, we
are noe placing it in opposition to ordlnary Earm producrt.on; we ar.e vtew-
ing it as A branch of plant husbandry which not only opens up promising
economic prospects but nlyo makes ir possible ro grow cr.ops under condt-
tions where ordinnry soil cultivaeion is impossiUle or not worrhwhlle.
Recently, ttie Scientific-Research Institute for Cer.ellir.ers, lnsecticides,
and Fungicides imeni Ya. V. 5amoylov And several laborar.ortes in other in-
atitutes have worked out processes for producing warer-soluble Integrated
fertilizers of varying composition for hydroponic and closed hothouses.
Hydroponic installations of varying productivity are being, designed.
Chemicalixarion of livestock farming began to develop later than chemicali-
zation of plant husbandry. 'Phe experience of the leading livestock farms
as well as biochemical and zootechnical research have shown that rhe use
of chemical means of feeding and treating animals and poultry is very
effective.
Chemical and biological preservatinn of vegetable feeds along wirh drying,
feed enr.ichment, and air conditioning in storage have become one of our .
most urgent tasks, because improper procurement and storage of feeds 9 ause
losses of nutrients in many cases to run as high as 23 to 50 percent.
With chemical preservation of moist vegetable feeds (according to data of
VASKhNIL's Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Physiology), nutrient
losses do not exceed two to ten percent. _
According to the decree of the July 1978 CC CPSU Plenum, the production of
supplementary mineral feeds in the llth Five-Year Ylan should be raised to
7 million tons per year. T.he assortment of supplementary feeds should also
be expanded, including complex feeds containing not only phosphor.us, cal-
cium, and nitrogen but also sulphur, magnesium, certain trace elements,
and, possibly, other physiologically active compounds (vitami.ns, liormones,
amino acids, and so on). It is these directions, also the development of
veterinary means, that should be the focus of efforts of chemists, bio-
chemists, microbiologists, collectives of enterprises of Glavmikrobioprom,
and the medical and chem;.cal industry ministries.
To intensify feeds production it is extremely important to improve the
quality of vegetable feeds and enrich them with supplements. Up to now L
we have not properly evaluated the nutritional effectiveness of compounds
of magnesium, sulphur, silicon, and certain trace elements.
Problems of protectin~; plants, animals, and the environment are linked by
many strands to the use of fertilizers, feeds, and cropping techniques.
With the development of chemicalization~and industrialization, thereEore,
tliey have acquired great urgency and comolexity. As a result of the eff.orts
of a number of authoritative commissions in the USSR Academy of Scienccs,
the USSR State Committee for Science and Technology, VASKhNIL, and various
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roR orrIciAL usE orn,Y
ministries, A number of decisions have been made on integrating chemical,
biological, and mechanical (agrotechnical and zootechnical) methods of pru-
tecting planes and animals; unforeunaeely, these decisions are not being
implemented East enough.
} It has been decided to subsCantially increase the amount and assortment
of insecticides and fungicides, especially herbicides and compounds to use
against plant diseases and pesrs that huve not yet been conquered. Along
with empirical trials and screening it is necessary to develop Cheoretical
work ro determine dependencies between the composition, propprtie