Origin of Winter Wheat breeding at the South of Ukraine before the beginning of October Revolution by the example of Breeding department at Odessa Research Field.

Abstract

History of Winter Wheat breeding rise at the South of Ukraine since the end of XIX century till the beginning of October Revolution by the example of Breeding department at Odessa Research Field is represented. Odessa Research Field was established in 1894 to study the agrotechnics of agricultural crops, in particular, Winter Wheat. The Breeding department at Odessa Research Field was established in 8th of March, 1912, and headed by Private- Docent of Novorossiysk University, A.O. Sapegin. The main procedure applied in breeding was individual multifold selection of elite ears from the existing local blends and artificial crossing of lines selected to the purpose of improving economically valuable characteristics and identifying the inheritance. Five years of breeding (1912-1917 pp.) resulted in creation of three Winter Wheat varieties: Kooperatorka (0194), Zemka (0158) and Stepniachka(0119). In 1918, the Council of People’s Commissars of USSR has parted the Breeding department of Odessa Research Field to independent Odessa agricultural breeding station recognizing development of plant varieties by the Department.