All-Russian Research Institute of Agriculture and Soil Protection from Erosion

On the initiative of academic scientists S. S. Sobolev, professors M. N. Zaslavsky, K. L. Kholupyak, A. S. Skorodumov, the State Committee for Science and Technology of the USSR dated February 17, 1970 decided to organize in Kursk All-Union Research Institute for the Protection of Soils from Erosion, which entered the system of the All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences. When organizing the institute, it was entrusted with the tasks: developing the theoretical framework for combating water and wind erosion, studying the patterns of manifestation of erosion processes, developing zone anti-erosion measures and complexes, determining the economic efficiency of individual methods and complexes for protecting soils from erosion.

Institute building

The Institute was established under the leadership of Dr. Sc. N.K. Shikuly.

From 1974 to 1988 The Institute was headed by Doctor of Economics, Professor, Hero of Socialist Labor D.E. Vanin.

Under his leadership, the Institute’s material and technical base was formed, the Institute developed theoretical foundations for combating water and wind erosion, zone anti-erosion measures and complexes, studied the patterns of erosion processes and determined the economic efficiency of individual methods and complexes for protecting soils from erosion.

In 1981, the Institute was transformed into the All-Union Research Institute of Agriculture and Soil Protection from Erosion. The following tasks were identified for the new research center:

• development of the theory and improvement of methods for organizing soil conservation farming systems,
• development and improvement of scientific research methods on agriculture and soil protection against erosion,
• development of energy-saving soil-protective technologies for the cultivation of crops and the creation of special technical means for their implementation,
• analysis and evaluation of agricultural systems by region and region of the country and the rationale for their improvement,
• coordination and methodological guidance of agricultural research and soil protection from erosion

In the 80s, the Institute developed a methodology for substantiating measures to protect soils from water erosion in the country's zones for a long-term general plan for the use of land resources. For the first time, the areas of eroded soils were determined by the agricultural zones of the country for the main types of agricultural land (arable land, pastures, hayfields, etc.), taking into account the steepness of the slopes. The damage caused by erosion caused to the national economy is established, and promising anti-erosion techniques are justified. The needs for equipment and materials, the costs of protecting soils from water erosion, as well as the agro-economic efficiency of their investment are determined. A team of scientists of the Institute, together with specialists from the Kursk branch of the design institute of the Central Educational Establishment “Giprozem”, has developed a general scheme for protecting soil from erosion in the Kursk region.

For the first time in the country, a methodology was developed for conducting a large-scale scientific and production experiment to comprehensively study the effect of erosion processes and farming systems on changing soil fertility and crop yields, water runoff intensity, soil erosion and the removal of fertilizers and herbicides, regulation of soil moisture reserves and general condition natural environment.

As a result of many years of research, generalization and analysis of experimental data, a methodology for the design of anti-erosion complexes on a calculation basis has been prepared. The methodology was widely used by design institutes of the Giprozem system when drawing up on-farm land management projects for collective farms and state farms and developing soil-protective farming systems in various zones of the country.

A methodology was also developed for accounting for ravines, determining the intensity of their growth and new ravine formation using aerospace surveys.

From 1988 to 1997 The Institute was headed by Academician of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor A.P. Shcherbakov.

Under his leadership, the institute was further developed, especially in the field of landscape agriculture. For the first time in domestic agriculture, a concept and guidelines for the development of landscape farming systems have been developed.

In the framework of the State scientific-technical program "Perspective processes of agricultural production" in conjunction with the Altai Research Institute of Agriculture and Breeding, the Far Eastern Research Institute of Agriculture, NIISH CCHP them. V.V. Dokuchaev, near NRU of the Southern Urals, technological methods for soil fertility management of the Central Chelyabinsk Plant, Altai, the Far East, and the Southern Urals were proposed, the normative material and soil fertility management models were formed in the zonal plan using the example of reference farms.

In 1992, the Institute was renamed the All-Russian Research Institute of Agriculture and Soil Protection from Erosion of the RAAS, and in the same year, the dissertation Council for the defense of doctoral dissertations was opened at the institute, specializing in general agriculture and soil science and agrophysics.

For 1990-1997, the Institute’s team developed, published and tested the “Concept for the formation of highly productive environmentally sustainable agrolandscapes and improving landscape-based farming systems”, “Methodological recommendations for developing landscape farming systems in multi-structured agriculture” and “Methodology for developing landscape-based farming systems ". On the basis of the “Methodology”, the Institute prepared a project for land management and the agricultural system of the Kursk Region - AOZT “Rossiya” and land management projects for agricultural enterprises on a landscape basis for 9 households in 9 regions of the Russian Federation.

From 1997 to 2000 The Institute was headed by Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor V. M. Volodin. Under his leadership, employees of the institute developed a concept and methodology for bioenergy assessment of soil fertility and the effectiveness of farming systems, which made it possible to predict the state of agroecosystems and simulate their regimes on an environmental basis.

Based on the experience gained on adaptive-landscape designing of the agricultural system, the institute developed the “Methodology for the preparation of land-management projects on the landscape basis”, using which the Kursk land management enterprise Central Research Institute Giprozem, on the instructions of the administration of the Kursk region, prepared a land management and agriculture system for the peasant (farm) economy "Landscape" of the Solntsevo district. In 1997, according to this Methodology, the Central Scientific Research Institute Giprozem compiled similar projects for 10 farms of the Voronezh region.

In 2000, A.P. Shcherbakov, V.M. Volodin, G.N. Cherkasov, and I.P. Zdorovtsov, employees of the institute, were awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology for many years of research and development of landscape-based farming systems.

From 2001 to the present, the institute is led by the State Prize Laureate of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor Cherkasov Grigory Nikolaevich.

In 2002, the Institute was renamed the State Scientific Institution All-Russian Research Institute of Agriculture and Soil Protection from Erosion of the Russian Agricultural Academy.

Under the leadership of G. N. Cherkasov, the Institute’s team carried out important research on the development of principles and methods for the formation of the optimal structure of agricultural landscapes and agricultural specialization, the scientific foundations for the formation of adaptive landscape farming systems for the main natural and agricultural zones of Russia, the regulatory framework for creating resource-saving technologies, and theoretical foundations the formation of ecologically balanced agrolandscapes, agrotechnological modernization of agriculture, the information system hnologicheskogo provide adaptive-landscape systems of agriculture for the purpose of conservation and reproduction of soil fertility, the efficient use of the natural resource potential of agricultural landscapes and the production of a given quantity and quality of agricultural products.

A number of issues of a priority applied nature were resolved: patterns of functioning of agrolandscape territorial structures of various levels of economic importance were established, parameters of permissible anthropogenic loads on agrolandscape components were determined, and the erosion efficiency of the contour-reclamation organization of the territory was assessed.

The institute became the coordinator of research in the field of agriculture and soil protection against erosion at 42 National Research Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Developed and tested important in practical terms, methodological documents, programs, models and technologies: methods of agroecological typification of lands and assessment of their resource potential; a typical reference system to support management decisions at the farm level; degradation process management models for creating ecologically balanced agrolandscapes; resource-saving technologies for crop cultivation; effective methods of soil tilling of varying degrees of erosion; technology for using plant residues as organic fertilizers; methodology for designing the basic elements of adaptive landscape farming systems, computer programs; register of technologies for the cultivation of grain crops, a program for computer-aided design of a system of machines in adaptive-landscape agriculture, a program for the formation of systems and methods for primary soil cultivation, and many others, adaptive-landscape agricultural systems in the Kursk Region, peasant farm “Dawn”, Konyshevsky District, Kursk Region, SPK “Rus” Sovetsky district, Kursk region.

In 2014, the Institute was renamed the Federal State Budget Scientific Institution “All-Russian Research Institute of Agriculture and Soil Protection from Erosion”.

Over the 45-year period of work at the institute, a powerful scientific potential has been formed, represented by a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 13 doctors and 31 candidates of science, on whose account about 260 inventions, 44 medals and 9 diplomas and medals of the All-Russian Exhibition Center (VDNH), a large number scientific-methodical and scientific-production products, widely developed in different regions of Russia and beyond.

Over the past 10 years, 15 monographs, 10 methodologies, 14 recommendations, 5 models, 5 ALSZ projects, 6 registers, 4 databases, 10 collections of reports, 950 articles, including 186 in peer-reviewed journals, 34 abroad were published. Over the previous 40-year period, 34 monographs, 48 ​​methodologies, 43 recommendations, 26 units of the Institute’s works, 60 scientific and technical bulletins, 28 collections of reports were published.

Only for 2008-2012. 25 dissertations were defended in the Dissertation Council, including 7 doctoral and 18 master's theses. The geography of the reviewed and defended dissertations is vast: Kursk, Voronezh, Belgorod, Oryol, Smolensk, Krasnodar.

The institute has created and is constantly developing new research areas in the field of general agriculture, soil science and soil protection from erosion.

1. Development of modern fundamentally new and improvement of existing farming systems that ensure the rational use of land, the preservation and improvement of soil fertility, sustainable agricultural production, environmental protection in a multi-farm economy and market relations.
2. Development of the theoretical foundations for the formation of ecologically balanced agrolandscapes, adaptive-landscape farming systems that ensure high land productivity and environmental sustainability (safety) of the territory.
3. Development of information technology support for adaptive landscape farming systems.
4. Formation of agrotechnological policy of modernization of agriculture.
5. Development of forecasts for the development of agriculture, the consequences of soil-erosion processes, the state of soil and land resources, forecasts and programs in the relevant areas of the development of science for a long period, preparation of proposals on the main directions of development of scientific research in agriculture and the identification of scientific and technical problems for the long term , as well as the preparation of proposals and conclusions on the most important issues of agricultural development.
6. Studying the achievements of domestic and foreign science and preparing proposals for their practical use in agricultural production in Russia.
7. Development of adaptive-landscape farming systems for farms, agricultural firms, models of agricultural landscapes, methods for their environmental and economic assessment.
8. Development of soil fertility management systems and environmentally friendly products.
9. The study of the patterns and consequences of soil-erosion processes, the causes, extent and consequences of soil erosion. The study, the search for new effective means of combating soil erosion.
10. Development of theoretical principles and options for the formation of erosion-resistant agrolandscapes using the contour organization of the territory.
11. Development of resource-saving soil-protective technologies for the cultivation of crops and technical means for their implementation.
12. Development of theoretical principles and technological foundations of the biologization of agriculture.
13. Development and improvement of methods for conducting scientific research on agriculture and soil protection from erosion.

Over the 45-year period of work, the institute’s employees have created more than 270 inventions protected by copyright certificates and patents in our country and abroad. The Institute’s developments were awarded 2 gold, 10 silver and 2 bronze medals of the All-Russian Agricultural Exhibition Golden Autumn (All-Russian Exhibition Center, Moscow). The institute’s employees have produced a large number of scientific, methodological and scientific-production products, widely developed in various regions of Russia and abroad.

Over the past 10 years, 15 monographs, 10 methodologies, 14 recommendations, 5 models, 5 ALSZ projects, 6 registers, 4 databases, 10 collections of reports, 950 articles, including 186 in peer-reviewed journals, 34 abroad were published. Over the previous 45-year period, 34 monographs, 48 ​​methodologies, 43 recommendations, 26 units of the Institute’s works, 60 scientific and technical bulletins, 28 collections of reports were published.

Only for 2008-2012. 25 dissertations were defended in the Dissertation Council, including 7 doctoral and 18 master's theses. In all, during the work of the Dissertation Council, more than 40 doctoral and 80 candidate dissertations were defended. The geography of the reviewed and defended dissertations is extensive: Kursk, Voronezh, Belgorod, Moscow, Oryol, Smolensk, Krasnodar.

• Administration
• Laboratory of Agrology
• Laboratory of Agrochemistry
• Group of analytical work
• Laboratory of Geographic Information Systems and Agroecological Monitoring
• Laboratory of Contour-Reclamation Agriculture
• Laboratory of mechanization of soil protection agriculture
• Laboratory for modeling erosion processes
• Laboratory of Erosion Reclamation
• Plant rotation and crop protection laboratory
• Laboratory of Agricultural Systems
• Experimental design bureau with experimental production
• Department of Innovation, Coordination and Patent Research
• Economic sector

• All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture and Soil Protection from Erosion (Kursk) - official site of VNIIZiZPE