Trofim Lysenko was one of the most controversial scientists who did experiments. He was in charge of biology in the Soviet Union for many years and used his theories to make farming more productive. Trofim was a follower of the horticulturist Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin. He became well-known for criticizing Mendelian genetics and coming up with the term “Lysenkoism-Michurinism.” His work on plant breeding helped the Soviet agricultural industry, which had lost a lot of money because of the cold weather and lack of snow in the winter. Lysenko came up with a way to get winter wheat seeds to grow in the spring. At first, this method was called “Jarovization.” This method was later called “vernalization,” and the fact that peasants had been using it for decades made this famous scientist a target of a lot of criticism. But his research in science helped him get the support of the politician Joseph Stalin, which led to his success in biology. He influenced Stalin with his experiments, which helped him move up the success ladder and rule Soviet genetics for a long time. In the end, he lost his position because other scientists came up with new ideas that proved his ideas were wrong. Read on to learn more about this famous agronomist’s life and work.
Early years and childhood
In 1898, he was born in Poltava Oblast, Ukraine, to Denis and Oksana Lysenko (formerly known as Karlivka, Poltava Governorate). His parents were from the class of peasants.
He went to the “Poltava Primary School for Horticulture and Gardening.” After that, he went to the “Uman School for Horticulture,” where he graduated in 1921. Soon after that, he started working on experiments at stations in Bila Tserkva and Kyiv Oblast.
Then, from 1921 to 1925, he went to the “National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine,” which used to be called the “Kyiv Agricultural Institute.” During his time at this university, he wrote two articles about how to graft sugar beets and how to breed tomatoes.
Trofim Lysenko’s Career
After he finished school, he worked at an experimental station in Azerbaijan and did agricultural research. This could be seen as the first step toward his 1928 research paper on vernalization.
The method of vernalization that he wrote about in his paper got a lot of praise because it would help farmers in the Soviet Union. Because there wasn’t enough snow in the winter, a lot of damage was done to the country’s farming, and winter-wheat seeds were lost.
He then went to the “Gyandzha Experimental Station” and stayed there until 1929.
From 1929 to 1934, he was the Senior Specialist at the “Ukrainian All-Union Institute of Selection and Genetics” in Odesa’s Physiology department.
Between 1935 and 1938, he was the science director at the “All-Union Institute of Selection and Genetics.” After that, he was made the director of the institute.
During his time at the school, he supported Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin’s ideas about farming and disagreed with Gregor Johann Mendel’s ideas about genetics. When Michurin died in 1935, this radical experimenter took over the scientific movement he called “Lysenkoism.” Through this movement, he was able to gain political control over the Soviet Union’s farming and genetics.
In 1940, he became the Director of the Institute of Genetics at the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R., a job he held for the next 25 years.
He also became president of the “V.I. Lenin All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences” at the same time.
Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union and a supporter of Trofim Lysenko, died in 1953. This was the beginning of the end for Lysenko. Lysenko’s ideas were criticized by other scientists who came up with better ways to solve Soviet agricultural problems.
This scientist’s career as an experimental scientist came to an end when he was fired from his job at the “Institute of Genetics” in 1965. Even though scientists like Vitaly Ginzburg, Yakov Borisovich Zel’dovich, and Pyotr Kapitsa didn’t agree with his ideas, they were still used in China.
His Works of note
He has gone against the “Mendelian Inheritance” phenomenon and supported Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin’s theory on genetics, which he later called “Lysenkoism” or “Lysenko-Michurinism.”
This famous scientist is also known for his work on “hybridization,” in which he combined two plant breeds to make a new breed that was better than either of the parent species.
Personal History and Legacies
Other scientists have said a lot of bad things about his scientific ideas and even said that his research is wrong. This horticulturist lost control over Soviet biology when Stalin died. Stalin was one of Lysenko’s biggest backers.
He was also accused of using his position as director of the “Institute of Genetics” at the “Academy of Sciences” in a bad way. He may have stopped other scientists from taking their research further and making it real so that he could stay in power.
The Soviet press looked into his work because of these claims, and in 1965, Lysenko was finally fired from his job as Director of the “Institute of Genetics.”
The famous geneticist died in Moscow, Soviet Union, on November 20, 1976. The “Kuntsevo Cemetery” in Moscow is where he is buried.
Estimated Net worth
Trofim is one of the wealthiest environmentalists and is on the list of the most well-known environmentalists. Based on what we know and what Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider say, Trofim Lysenko is worth about $1.5 million.
Trivia
During his rule over plant genetics, he said that wheat seeds could make rye seeds if they were in the right conditions.