On the way to GMO

With world population rapid growth traditional breeding methods are not effective enough to prevent hunger. The latest achievements of genetics may be vital to human survival. The creation of genetically modified plants helps to quickly solve the following agricultural problems: protection against vermin, weed control, the emergence of new economically valuable properties. But how did scientists discover and create GMO? The path was long and difficult. The exhibition “On the way to GMO” is dedicated to Georgy Dmitrievich Karpechenko - Russian scientist, first in history genetic engineer of plants. For over 20 years of scientific work he managed to uncover the mysterious processes taking place inside a cell when crossing different species and genera of plants. He explained how forms with an increased number of chromosomes - carriers of genetic information - are born.

Being N. I. Vavilov’s close associate, he was also an outstanding geneticist, a remarkable cytologist, a talented organizer and a teacher ... Georgy Dmitrievich’s life abruptly ended at the age of 42. Like many soviet scientists, he became a victim of “Lysenkoism” (a political campaign conducted by Trofim Lysenko, his followers and Soviet authorities against genetics and science-based agriculture) and persecution of Russian genetics.

Chromosomes of most animals form pairs. Is it possible to increase their number? What will happen then? At the exhibition you will see that very many plants that we use as food are polyploids - their chromosome sets are repeated not twice, but three, four, or even six times. Georgy Dmitrievich was one of the first to experiment with the artificial production of polyploids, to study and compare, for example, barley with usual and enlarged chromosome set. Tetraploid barley has not yet been introduced into agricultural sector, while useful properties of tetraploid buckwheat or rye are already being used by breeders.

The fields for cultivated plants crops are not limitless. It would be good to use them as efficiently as possible, for example, to combine root and leaf vegetables in one plant. Karpechenko tried to create a hybrid of cabbage and radish. To make the "child" of the experiment viable and fruitful, he also had to increase the number of chromosomes. The descriptions of Karpechenko's experiments on obtaining breeding radish-cabbage hybrids were included in all textbooks on genetics and selection. The resulting plants behaved like a new species - their appearance did not change from generation to generation, they gave seeds during cross-pollination and did not interbreed with the parental forms.

The radish-cabbage hybrid did not show the expected results: it gave neither cabbageheads nor root crops. Perhaps the situation could have changed with subsequent selection, but the tragic death of Georgy Karpechenko deprived science of such an opportunity.

Not knowing the truth about the mechanisms of creating GMO, we are inclined to believe the rumors and unjustified hype around genetic engineering, its methods, objectives and consequences. That, however, does not prevent us from dressing in jeans made of genetically modified cotton or buying medicines based on genetically modified bacteria. The success of modern genetics would not have been so significant if not for Georgy Karpechenko’s contribution.

EXHIBITION PARTNERS: 

• Memorial Cabinet-Museum of N. I. Vavilov of the General Genetics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences;
• Scientific, Educational and Cultural Center "House Karpechenko";
• Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy.