The historical aspect of biochemical studies of fruit, berry and vegetable crop collections at the Krymsk Experiment Breeding Station, a branch of VIR

Abstract

The history of the establishment, formation and development of the laboratory of biochemistry at the Krymsk Experiment Breeding Station (Krymsk EBS), a branch of VIR, is highlighted, and the need to resume its work is substantiated. Memories of veteran scientists, archival and reference materials were used to show the relevance of resuming the interrupted activities of the laboratory to study the biochemical characteristics of fruit, vegetable, berry crops and grapes. The literature data on the stage‑by‑stage development of the laboratory in the period from 1953 to the present time and the results of its activities are presented. The article also drew on annual scientific reports covering a longterm period from 1954 to 2003, on articles in scientific publications of that period and up to 2021, as well as on joint research with biochemical laboratories of other institutes. Historical analysis makes it possible not only to highlight the achievements of the previous years, to assess the level of biochemical analytical work and research on collection accessions, but also to plan the further work of the laboratory, taking into account the new requirements to modern crop cultivation technologies and to varieties for the processing industry.