Vavilovets: future skilled workforce

Freshers of Kursk State Agricultural Academy n.a. I.I. Ivanov and Voronezh State Agricultural University n.a. Emperor Peter the Great received an opportunity to get their first experience in agriculture and earn a decent salary. Due to EkoNiva’s pilot personnel project in plant breeding and seed production, the participants of student troop Vavilovets were charged with positive emotions. Most importantly, their assistance came in very handy.
Fifty students spent 5 weeks in the field, working hard on the production of F1 Grizzly corn hybrid, irrespectively of the weather conditions, both under the burning sun and in the pouring rain.

‘Formation of student troop Vavilovets was a joint project implemented by the plant breeding centre, rectors of Kursk and Voronezh agricultural universities and HR department of EkoNiva’,

says Vitaliy Voloshchenko, founder of the pilot project Vavilovets, Director of EkoNiva’s centre of plant breeding and seed production. ‘Our main objective is not only to help the enterprise, which is essential in the summer season, but also to stimulate the interest of the students in plant breeding and seed production.’
Currently, the shortage of career guidance and communication between agricultural universities and breeding centres results in a considerable lack of workers in plant breeding. EkoNiva’s specialists took the decision to change this situation, so they organised a pilot project for undergraduate students.
‘Zashchitnoye farming enterprise was chosen as the base for the implementation of the project for several reasons’, continues Vitaliy Voloshchenko’, ‘as it is the best facility for learning all the subtleties of plant breeding and seed production.’
Since 2016, Zashchitnoye farming enterprise has been growing F1 Grizzly corn hybrid originating from Austria, currently on an area of over 100 ha. This summer, the members of the troop put their hearts and souls into working in this plot.
Aleksandra Luginina, a sophomore of Voronezh State Agricultural University n.a. Emperor Peter the Great, viewed participation in the project as a source of invaluable experience.
‘The work in the corn field was definitely not easy for us,’ shares Alexandra Luginina. ‘However, whatever the work, it is less challenging as long as your friends support you. Besides, the specialists filled us in on the specifics of plant breeding and seed production. They also shared their best practices with us. Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to gain such knowledge and experience simply attending lectures at the university.’
Alexandra’s friend from the student troop, Olga Ivakhnenko, a student of Kursk State Agricultural Academy n.a. I.I. Ivanov, had striven to become an agronomist, however, getting a hands-on experience in corn hybridisation made her consider taking up an academic career in plant breeding and seed production in the future.

‘We were impressed with the sheer scale of work’, shares Olga Ivakhnenko, ‘it was obvious, that it would take a lot of time and effort. We removed corn side stems and tassels, which is very important for the production of F1 Grizzly corn hybrid.’

It took the students approximately an hour and a half to get one row done. Depending on the weather conditions, the students spent from 6 to 10 hours a day in the field. The work provided food for thought, so the participants of student troop Vavilovets had time to think about their future occupation, as some of them would become veterinarians, herd managers or agronomists, and maybe someone would dedicate their life to plant breeding.
Yuriy Vasyukov, Executive Director of Zashchitnoye, thanked the participants of student troop Vavilovets for fruitful work and offered them further cooperation next year.
According to Yuriy Vasyukov, an intellectual product, such as a variety or a hybrid, is the ultimate achievement in agriculture and the thing of the future.
The stay concluded with an extensive and informative tour of the enterprise and a festive concert, prepared by the participants of student troop Vavilovets
themselves. Each member of the troop received a memorable gift, and the top performers were awarded certificates for a trip to St. Petersburg, including the visit to All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources n.a. N.I. Vavilov. This month, the students are going to see the office of Nikolay Vavilov and his unique, world-renowned collection of seeds of agricultural crops with their own eyes.

By Tatyana IGNATENKO
Source: EkoNiva News No 61
Translation of the Russian article