Embedded Files
Vavilov is perhaps the greatest agricultural scientist ever and responsible for setting up the world's first seed bank in Leningrad Russia. We retrace Vavilov's quest to end famine
"The future of our food depends on tiny seeds in orchards and fields the world over. In 1943, one of the first to recognise this fact, is the great botanist Nikolay Vavilov,"
Why were plants domesticated in some areas, but not others? Only in certain areas between 45°N and 30°S latitudes were potential crop plants actually domesticated. This problem was not really solved by Vavilov, or by his predecessor de Candolle and others. Why was only part of the world's plant diversity domesticated? Why only these? In some areas (eg Rainforest), there was enough plant food, so no need to cultivate.
Vavilov is best know for his theory of seven centres of crop origins 3 in Asia (SW, India & China), Mediterranean, & E.Africa, 2 in Americas (Mexico & Peru). Each centre is a relatively small area of land. Finding these centres enabled him to provide the basics for plant breeding, as you can locate wild relatives there, and useful genes for future traits.
He considered that there is wider diversity of characters at the centres of crop origin. Knowledge of the origins of crop plants is important in order to avoid genetic erosion, the loss of germplasm due to the loss of ecotypes and landraces, loss of habitat (such as rainforests), and increased urbanization.
Germplasm preservation is accomplished through gene banks (largely seed collections but now frozen stem sections) and preservation of natural habitats (especially in centres of origin).
A major issue is who owns these seeds and genes?
Crop Origins
Crop Origins
In all cases agricultural origins and primitive diversity occurred in high and complex mountain regions between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. These areas are seasonal with a wide range of temperature and rainfall due to differences of altitude and aspect. Here were closed ecological systems of grasses and legumes where mutant forms could thrive and become established. Here also were isolated human communities exerting their own selection pressures for larger seed size, adaptation to drought, humidity and extremes of climate. These were ideal conditions for mutations and selections, especially for large seed size and adaptation to environmental extremes.
He got maize origins correct - which means the dominant theory of Mangelsdorf (the one I was bought up with) was wrong. More in 'maize'.
Leningrad Seed Bank
Leningrad Seed Bank
This seed bank he created in what we now call St Petersburg was protected during Nazi 3-year siege. Hitler set up a special SS commando Unit to find the Seed bank. Hitler was more interested in the seeds than the famous paintings in the city, and arranged his victory speech (which never came) at the Astoria hotel close to the seed bank. However the workers who hid the seeds and tubers refused to eat any of them, such that nine of them died of starvation rather than let them get into the hands of the Nazis.
Forbidden Garden of Leningrad Simon Parkin Pub 2024
"At the centre of the embattled city stood a converted palace that housed the greatest living plant library ever amassed - the world's first seed bank. After attempts to evacuate the collection failed, and as supplies dwindled, the scientists responsible faced a terrible decision: should they distribute the specimens to the starving population, or preserve them in the hope that they held the key to ending global famine? Inspired by their charismatic leader, Nikolai Vavilov, scientists at the world's most important seed bank risked - and gave - their lives to safeguard their collections for the good of future generations."
Meanwhile Vavilov died of starvation in prison....
Vavilov died in the Second World war while in prison at the hands of Stalin. He refused to accept the theory of his successor - Lysenko, whom he had encouraged. Lysenko & Stalin believed in 'the inheritance of acquired characteristics' - Lamarck's Theory of evolution. Stalin and others accused Vavilov of 'bourgeois pseudoscience'. Vavilov supported natural selection and Mendelian genetics, which supported Darwin's theory of evolution. He was blamed for the hunger caused by Lysenko's stupidity.
Google Sites
Report abuse