Scientific activity of prince V.O. Kudashev on the development of theoretical and methodological principles of agronomy and animal husbandry (second half of the XIX century - beginning of the XX century)

Abstract

The article highlights the research activities of Prince V.O. Kudashev on agronomy and animal husbandry. Both general and special methods of scientific cognition were used in the research. Based on the research, it was found that the results of unique studies conducted by V.O. Kudashev during 1878–1888 were the first in domestic branch science to experimentally prove the advantages of surface tillage as an effective way of preserving soil moisture. The prince proposed a specific plan for the application of agricultural measures aimed at optimizing the physical parameters of the soil to obtain sustainable winter crops in conditions of insufficient moisture, as well as improved the technology of harvesting cereals. The prince's research on animal husbandry is of scientific significance. Thus, in 1886, V.O. Kudashev was the first in the country to breed Karakul sheep. In his estate, the prince also successfully bred horses of the Orlovskyi breed. In 1887, as the owner of a first-class horse factory of 350 heads, he took part in the work of the horse department of the Kharkiv Agricultural Exhibition, as a result of which he received a large silver medal for four horses in the trotting department. His article, published in 1888 in the Journal of the State Horse Breeding, which presented the results of six years of experiments on fattening young animals with feeds containing phosphoric acid compounds, was scientifically fundamental and new for its time. The prince established the optimal dosage of the introduction of dibasic phosphate lime in the diet in the first two and 3-4 years of a horse's life on the background of unlimited nutrition. During the position of editor of three leading domestic industry publications during 1901–1904, another facet of V.O. Kudashev – as a great promoter of industry research – was revealed. Shortly after his appointment as editor, the Zemlerobska Gazeta magazine was awarded a gold medal at the 1902 International Exhibition of Magazines and Newspapers.His name is associated with constructive achievements and decisions that determined the further development of agricultural research in Ukraine for several decades to come.