Agrophysical Research Institute (ARI) was founded in 1932 due to the initiative of two distinguished scientists of that time – a physician academician Abram F. Joffe and a prominent biologist and botanist academician Nicolay I. Vavilov. ARI was founded in the structure of Lenin’s All Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VASKhNIL) with the aim of a development of a new in those years branch of natural and agronomic sciences – agronomic physics, what, to A. Joffe’s opinion, with the use of achievements of physics & mathematics, provided with a transition from descriptive agronomy to the one, based on measurements & calculations of factors of plant & crop productivity, growth & development, and also with methods of managing productive process on fields and forming yield.

 

 

A.F. Joffe
              A.F. Joffe

Приказ №1

A.F.Joffe was a director of the Institute in 1932-60 years. In those years well known scientists worked in ARI: a plant physiologist founder of ecological physiology N.A. Maximov, physicists D.L. Talmud, P.P. Kobeko, soil scientists F.E. Koljasev, P.V. Vershinin, I.B. Revut, B.N. Michurin, M.K. Melnicova, thermo physicians A.V. Kurtener, B.P. Alexandrov, A.F. Chudnovsryj, plant physiologists V.P. Malchevskyj, B.S. Moshkov, radio biologists G.R. Rick, N.F. Batygin, et al.

A.F. Joffe developed a methodology of “electronic agronomist”, what included systems of collection & preservation of information, a use of semiconductors at a creation of systems of agricultural instruments and also an application of computers for working out optimal agronomic decisions in agriculture. Menkovskaja Experimental Station (MES) was founded in Gatchina district (50 km from Leningrad) as a base for the fulfillment of field investigations and for experimental applications of scientific results in the agricultural practice.

 

 

 

Нерпин Сергей Владимирович
            S.V. Nerpin

Corresponding member of VASKhNIL (then Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, RAAS), Doctor of technical sciences, professor Sergey V. Nerpin led ARI since 1961 till 1975. During those years the Institute had an orientation on a development of a methodology of mathematical modeling in investigations of plant productivity processes and energy-mass exchange in their surroundings. Besides that the following directions were developed: soil hydro physics; dynamic modeling of biological populations; ion exchange processes in soils; investigations of possibilities & elaborations of methods of using physical fields of different nature for pre sowing irradiation of seeds; biophysical plant researches on the sell level; creation & application of polymer films in agriculture (greenhouses, gardening, horticulture). The one of the first computer centers in agricultural institutes was created in ARI in that time, and also Specialized Construction Bureau with experimental manufacture was organized for designing work & producing experimental patterns of agrophysical instruments and devices.

 

Территория Агрофизического НИИ (1963 год)
Territory of Agrophysical Research Institute (1963)

Опытно-тепличное  хозяйство на территории института
Experimental greenhouses on the territory of the Institute

Nicolaj F. Bondarenko
        N. F. Bondarenko

Территория Агрофизического НИИ

In 1975 Nicolaj F. Bondarenko (corresponding member, then academician of RAAS, Doctor of technical sciences, professor) became a director of ARI. He activated a practical direction of agrophysical investigations, in that number a methodology of yield programming with the use of mathematical models of productivity process of basic field cultures and corresponding devices providing with an information support of yield programming technology. That methodology was developed and strengthened by researches with the wide participation of scientists of many countries. The following investigations had been developing for 1975-79: mathematical modeling of soil productivity element dynamics; magnetic treatment of solutions, natural waters, plant sells and seeds; using LASER for the aim of diagnostics of plant state & an intensity of physiology processes; using electromagnetic fields in modeling hydraulic and aerodynamic processes of mass transition in the atmosphere, and in elements of landscapes of ecological systems; projecting and developing automatized systems of management of technological processes in agriculture; and also the first generation of native vegetation installations of artificial climate.

 

 

Усков Игорь Борисович
             I.B. Uskov

Since 1979 till 1996 a corresponding member of VASKhNIL (then RAAS) Doctor of technical science, professor Igor B. Uskov was the director of ARI. He saved the science orientation created by his predecessors and laid a foundation of new directions in agrophysics: a development of the theory methods & instruments of a management of microclimate of field and greenhouse installations; a development of agroclimatical researches with the use of methods of mathematical statistics & computer mapping; an elaborating theoretical basis of wind erosion of soils and methods of calculations of counter-erosion systems; soil saving measures and specialized agricultural machines; an elaboration of the methodology, principles and rules of applying the similarity theory in agrophysics, agroecology and in experimental occupation; a use of optical methods for a visualization & researches of transparent unhomogenities in atmosphere lays near soils, and also in greenhouses; applying of physical modeling in researches of physical, biophysical and soil forming processes on risotrones, aerodynamic and other laboratory installations; a development of methods and technical devices of non-contact distant sounding fields and crops; investigations of processes and an elaboration of methods of bio restoration of soil, polluted with poisonous forms of organic matters; a creation of the theory of calculation of plant ontogenesis processes on the base of calculating analogues. During that period the Institute was the leader of All Union scientific complex of electronization and development of devices in all branches of science and manufacture of agricultural industry. It was developing agrophysical measurement devices by means of an elaboration of informational & informational-calculating systems, specialized calculating & managing devices and systems on the base of microprocessors; patterns of a new generation of vegetation-climatic installations such as dry wind, gradient, freezing and other ones with unusual light (облучение) blocks were being designed & created. The computer centre was organized on the experimental station of ARI – it was the first in our country centre situated in the village. It provided with initial applying computer information technologies in agronomy. So the completion of materialization of the idea of “electronic agronomist”, what had been formulated by the founder of ARI Academician A.F. Ioffe, took place. The information-consulting centre “Agroconcul” was formed on the base of the Institute; a program “Agroprognosis” had been translating on TV every day for those years. The Institute developed the system of agrophysic specialist preparation on the special annual courses for specialists of agricultural scientific institutions and high schools of the country. The scientific specialty “agrophysics” as a science has got an official status in branches of natural sciences. Corresponding Dissertation Counsel has started to function; it has the right of the conferment of degrees of doctor & candidate of sciences in the field of agricultural, technical & biological sciences.

 

Victor P. Yackuchev
        V. P. Yackuchev

Since 1996 till 2016 academician of RAS, Doctor of agricultural sciences, professor Victor P. Yackuchev was the director of ARI. Saving general scientific directions now ARI takes an orientation corresponding to the 21-st century – the one of informatics. The following directions are being developed: scientific works on the creation of computerized bases of knowledge, accumulated by agronomy, agriculture, agrophysics, agrochemistry, agrobiology, agroclimatology, what are necessary for developed by the collective of the Institute automatized complexes of a synthesis of agrotechnology of programmed reception of sustainable yields; sets of agrophysical parameters for an informational support on the plan & predicting-operative temporal levels for zonal technologies of plant production are being elaborated. Methodology, new principles and methods of a modern field experiment are being worked out with the use of mathematical modeling of plant productive processes, with a development of balance investigations & complex applying modern means of informatics. Researches in the field of scientific providing realization of agrotechnologies of the 21-st century – “precision agriculture” – are being started. This direction is a new step of developed by the Institute the method of programming yield.

 

 

 

 

 

Yuriy V. Chesnokov
             Yuriy V. Chesnokov

 

Since 2016 Doctor of biological sciences, Yuriy V. Chesnokov leads ARI. Yu.V. Chesnokov is a specialist in the field of private genetics, molecular biology, mobilization and use of the genetic resources of cultivated plants, as well as modern physicochemical methods for their research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yuriy V. Chesnokov - Doctor of Biological Sciences (Ph.D., D.Sc.), specialist in the field of private genetics, molecular biology, mobilization and use of genetic resources of cultivated plants, as well as modern physicochemical methods for their research. For more than 30 years of work in the field of biological and physical-chemical sciences Yu.V. Chesnokov:

  • formulated new scientific ideas about the effect of foreign transgenic DNA on the genome of intact agricultural plants in the interaction "genotype - environment", including in field and controlled conditions of agroecosystems;
  • a unique selection system for embryogenic cells capable of growth and development of agricultural plant cells under controlled in vitro environmental conditions was developed;
  • based on QTL and associative analysis, a block structure structure of the genomes of agricultural plants was established and an effective strategy for screening accetions of plant genetic resources, including under controlled conditions of an ARI agrobiopolygon, was proposed with a view to its practical application in domestic breeding and acceleration of the selection process;
  • the possibility of selecting transgenic pollen genotypes in vitro, increasing the vitality of pollen grains of agricultural plants after short-term irradiation with UV waves (330 nm), as well as increasing single and double strand DNA breaks under the influence of laser radiation when used together with dyes, was shown intercalators in order to expand the frequency and spectrum of genotypic variability in higher agricultural plants, as well as a number of other scientific - research experiments of fundamental and scientific and applied value.

The main goal of the development of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution of ARIs and the Menkovsky Branch (ARI testing area, S = 538 ha), proposed by Yu.V. Chesnokov, for the short-term (until 2022) and long-term (until 2025-2030), is the improvement and further development of the main research areas of the institute's activities, laid down and formed in the previous years of the establishment of the Agrophysical Research Institute and defined by the “Food Security Doctrine of the Russian Federation”, “Climate Doctrine of the Russian Federation”, “Environmental Doctrine of the Russian Federation”, as well as the provisions of the “Doctrine of the Development of Russian Science ”.

A special goal of the development of the institute at the present stage is the expansion and consolidation of the leading positions of the Agrophysical Research Institute in Russia and at the world level in the field of modern innovative technologies for managing the production process of agricultural crops in natural and regulated conditions, the creation of a domestic physical, technical and software-hardware base for precision agriculture and testing it at the ARI test site and in production, developing general principles for building automated resource-saving production technologies of plant products production and research on risk assessment and adaptation of the agro-industrial complex of Russia to the observed and predicted climate changes.

To achieve the goals and objectives, the development of research work leading at the present time by Yu.V. Chesnokov Agrophysical Institute and its Menkovsky branch plan to conduct research in the following main areas of improving science in the production of agricultural raw materials and food products with increased yield and quality:

  1. Development of a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to establish mechanisms of plant productivity and management of the main biological and edaphic factors during its implementation;
  2. Further improvement of agrophysical and bioinformation approaches for information support of managerial decisions at the planned and forecast-operational levels of generation and implementation of agricultural technologies;
  3. The use of physical and mathematical modeling in the study of physical, biophysical and soil-forming processes on risotrons, in aerodynamic and other laboratory installations;
  4. Improvement of physical research methods and information technology of non-contact remote sensing of fruiting layers of fields and crops of agricultural plants in the precision farming system;
  5. Evaluation and management of the production, adaptive, environment-preserving and environment-improving ability of plants and associated edaphic biota in modeling the action of various factors in controlled and controlled environmental conditions and the development of highly efficient resource-saving phytotechnologies that increase the productivity and stability of plants, obtaining high-quality plant products in an open environment and protected ground;
  6. Improving the methodology and principles of computer planning and conducting modern field experiments using a wide range of physico-chemical, biological and mathematical methods for assessing, modeling and controlling the production process, including optimization of mineral nutrition and the physical condition of the arable horizon.
  7. Strengthening the network of accredited laboratories and the Institute's MIP, equipped with modern equipment and computer technology, performing scientific and research work and tasks within the research areas of the Federal State Budget Scientific Institution for ARI.

The Agrophysical Institute is constantly working to solve the problems of agriculture in the Leningrad Region. Many scientific results and recommendations find practical application in farms of the Leningrad land, including programming of crops in the field and in greenhouses, biostimulation of seeds and planting material, etc.

An important research and production unit of the institute is the Menkovskaya experimental station located in the Gatchinsky district of the Leningrad Region, which was organized in 1969 on the basis of the Menkovo experimental farm that existed since the late fifties. Station employees conduct their own research. First of all, new developments of the institute are tested, and comprehensive field experiments are conducted. The station is equipped with modern equipment and computer technology, has an accredited agroecological laboratory

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