GENERAL INFORMATION

Development of genetics in Belarus is associated primarily with solution of practical problems of breeding and seed growing of agricultural crops. The research works of academician of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR Anton Romanovich Zhebrak in the field of remote wheat hybridization and experimental polyploidy, initiated by him in the thirties in Moscow and continued in 1953-1965 in the Academy of Sciences of the Byelorussian SSR, have given rise to purely genetic investigations. For the first time in the world A.R.Zhebrak has produced unique fertile hybrids from crossing remote wheat species. By crossing wheat amphidiploids between both themselves and with original forms, he has analysed wheat origin and has performed prospective wheat breeding for improvement of immunity to diseases and pests, for an increase in the protein content, in kernal and ear size, and has developed 20 new forms of this crop. In the laboratory of polyploidy set up by him at the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR he studied embryology and physiology of autopolyploid forms of buckwheat for breeding high-yielding varieties of large-fruited buckwheat. A.R.Zhebrak also took an active part in working out the Byelorussian program for breeding polyploid forms of sugar varieties.

In 1948 A.R.Zhebrak managed to combine genomes of two wheat species with rye genome, i.e. to develop a new species named triticale. By means of this research he actually laid down the foundations of the modern genome and chromosome engineering. The present advances of Byelorussian geneticists in the field of wheat cytogenetics and polyploidy are inseparably linked with the results of scientific activities of academician A.R.Zhebrak. The scientific heritage of this eminent scientist contains monographs “Synthesis of new wheat species” (1944) and “Polyploid wheat species” (1957) as well as a great number of works of current concern.

Establishment of the Department of Genetics at the Institute of Biology of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR in 1955 (head – academician of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR N.V.Turbin), transformed in the independent Department of Genetics and Cytology in 1963 and in 1965 in the Institute of Genetics and Cytology at the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR (Enactment of the Council of Ministers of the Byelorussian SSR No 115 of March 19) promoted further development of fundamental genetic investigations in Belarus.

A gifted scientist, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences Nikolai Vasilievich Turbin became an organizator and the first director of the Institute. He was not only the organizer of the Institute but the man of its ideological principles and supervisor of studies at the Institute. The research trends determined by N.V.Turbin and the stated problems were new and urgent for the republic and for the whole former USSR. Classical genetics became only to revive at that time after “Lysenko’s scientific trend” and therefore handling of such purely genetic problems as heterosis, polyploidy, mutagenesis and extrachromosomal heredity has brought fame and gained prestige to the Institute in both our country and abroad.

The first researchers of the Institute were L.V.Khotyleva, A.N.Palilova, V.E.Bormotov, V.G.Volodin, N.V.Atrashenok, V.N.Zagrekova, Yu.B.Vakhtin, I.M.Surikov, O.O.Kedrov-Zikhman, A.I.Palilov, G.V.Kraskovsky, I.B.Mosse, R.I.Goncharova, L.N.Kaminskaya, V.K.Savchenko, etc. Corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR A.N.Ipatiev and corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Kazakh SSR P.A.Bulanov also worked at the institute. They were the backbone of the Institute. Formation and development of genetics proceeded owing to their creative enthusiasm, high capacity for work and ideas. Many of them continue to work, became doctors of sciences and some of them became corresponding members and academicians of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

From the first days the laboratory of theoretical genetics was headed by the noted Byelorussian scientist, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR Peter Fomich Rokitsky who has made a valuable contribution to the development of mathematical (statistical) genetics. His manuals “Principles of variation statistics for biologists” (1962), “Biological statistics (1st issue, 1964; 2nd issue, 1967; 3rd issue, 1973), “Introduction to statistical genetics” (1st issue, 1974; 2nd issue, 1977) became well-known in all the parts of the former USSR. In 1974 P.F.Rokitsky was awarded the title of the State prize winner of the epublic for working out the problems of statistical genetics and introducing mathematical methods to biology. Academician P.F.Rokitsky has retained a rich scientific school. V.K.Savchenko, I.B.Mosse and R.I.Goncharova have advanced and gained their doctorate in this laboratory.

In 1971 Lyubov Vladimirovna Khotyleva took the place of a director instead of N.V.Turbin and successfully headed the Institute for 23 years. She became a noted scientist, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and made a valuable contribution to the development of heterosis theory and genetics of quantitative characters. At present L.V.Khotyleva is the honorary director of the Institute, head of laboratory and continues to participate actively in all affairs of the Institute.

In 1994 a promined scientist in the field of plant molecular genetics, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Nikolai Aleksandrovich Kartel was elected director of the Institute. Molecular-genetic methods were organically included in investigations of practicically all the laboratories of the Institute under Prof. Kartel's leadership. He was an iniciator of worcing out thre State Program "Genetic Engineering" and creating the Centre for Collective Use “Molecular-Genetic and Biotechnological Investigations”.

In December 2004 a corresponding member of NASB A.V.Kilchevsky was appointed director of the Institute. The basic trend of his investigations is the development of principles and methods of ecological breeding of plants using biotechnology for developing high-productive, energy-efficient and ecologically stable cultivars providing production of ecologically safe produce. Worging in the Belarusan State Agricultural Academy (Gorki), he has established and headed the Chair of Agricultural Bbiotechnology and Ecology. The Biotechnological Centre, the largest in Belarus, was attached to the chair and large-scale production of healthy planting material of potato, strawberry, and ornamental plants was set up for farms and inhabitants of the Republic.  

Over the years of its existence the Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus has made a great contribution to the solution of a number of fundamental and applied problems of genetics being of importance for agriculture, health protection and environmental control. The Institute became a large scientific centre for genetic investigations – in Belarus, CIS and foreign countries, with its own original scientific school being developed. One of the basic trends of the Institute activities since its establishment was working out of genetic principles of plant productivity and resistance to biotic and abiotic factors. The following fundamental problems are studied: heterosis, structural and functional organization, resistance and variability of genomes, theory of selection, mutagenesis and antimutagenesis, regularities of interaction between nucleus and cytoplasm, genetic and cellular engineering of plants and microorganisms, genetic diversity, development of new gene pool of genetic collections of agricultural plants and microorganisms, oncogenetics, radiation genetics and cytogenetics.

It should be noted particularly that many fundamental investigations pursued at the Institute have resulted in important practical results that were introduced to the national economy of the republic and CIS. This is, first of all, varieties, new forms of agricultural crops, bacterial fertilizers, genetic and breeding methods and programs improving efficiency of the breeding process, etc., which were widely used or are used now in the agroindustrial complex. High-yielding variety (80-100 centner/ha) of spring triticale Nemiga-2 was produced in the course of joint investigations by the laboratory of our Institute and the laboratory of genetics and physiology of the All-Union Institute of Plant Growing (acad. N.V.Turbin). At our Institute there were developed and released cultivars of sugar beet such as Belorussky polyhybrid 31, Belorussky MC-27, Beldan, Kavebel, Danibel, Manezh (corr.-m. V.E.Bormotov),  tomato  hybrids Start and Shtorm, sweet pepper cultivars Troika, Zolotisty, Alesya, Kubik-K and hot pepper cultivar Yezhik (acad. L.V.Khotyleva), as well as soya cultivars Vilia, Stviga, Berezina and Yaselda (corr.-m. O.G. Davydenko), bacterial preparations with effective plant protection against diseases Rhizophyl and Rhizoplan, treatment-and-prophylactic milk product lactan, etc. And in the future the Institute will pay great attention to working out of genetic principles of plant breeding for productivity and resistance to biotic and abiotic factors, to study on genetic diversity, development of new gene pool of genetic collections, sources of selection characters of agricultural plants and microorganisms.

The efficiency of the Institute activities can be confirmed by the following figures. Over the years of its existence (about 40 years) the researchers have published 37 monographs, 7 manuals and school-boos , 112 books and brochures, 7.3 thousand papers and abstracts, above  60 patents and inventor’s certificates were issued. Seventeen researchers have gained Doctorate in Biology and above 120 have done Ph.D. (Candidate) degrees.

Now the Institute of Genetics and Cytology is a research institution with the staff of 157 persons including 13 scientists with D.Sc. degree in Biology (2 academicians and 2 corresponding members of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus) and 42 researchers with Ph.D. degree. The research structure of the Institute includes 11 laboratories and 1 centre.

The Board for the defence of Doctorate  dissertations in specialities “Genetics”, “Molecular Genetics” and “Biotechnology” functions on the basis of the Institute.

The researches of the Institute were awarded three State prizes of the Byelorussian SSR and the Republic of Belarus (1974, 1982, 2002), the prize of Leninist Young Communist League of Belarus (1990) and five prizes of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (1993, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003).

At present all-round investigations in the field of genetics, genetic engineering and biotechnology are under way at the Institute. The Institute is a leading institution in the State program for oriented fundamental research  “The Study on Genetic and Physiologo-Biochemical Processes of Regulating Viability of Plants and Animals for Controlling Their Productivity and Resistance” (Bioproductivity), and in the State program “Development and Application of Gene Engineering Biotechnologies in the Interests of Agriculture and Medicine” (Genetic Engineering). The Institute also participates in other programs for fundamental and applied research (Biotechnology, Biosystem Functioning, Biological Resources, Modern Sciences of Life, Bioanalysis and Diagnostics) as well as in  programs  of medicobiological sciences (Radiation and Anthropoecology, Regulation and Pathogenesis).

At Present the Centre for Collective Use “Molecular-Genetic and Biotechnological Investigations” is established at the Institute in accordance with the decision of the Board of experts for development of the material and technical basis of science of February 26, 1999 No 8.

Main scientific trends of the centre are applications of molecular-genetic, genetic engineering and biotechnological approaches and methods for the following purposes: