Soviet genetics / by Alan G. Morton.

  • Morton, A. G. (Alan G.)
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Soviet genetics / by Alan G. Morton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    II THE VICTORY OF MICHURINISM I IN the ten years from 1938 to 1948 the two trends in genetics continued to exist side by side, although the relation between them was not a static one, and but for the need to devote all efforts to defeating the German fascists and to repairing the terrible damage which they inflicted, it is probable that the conflict in genetics would have been resolved earlier. Until 1948, however, orthodox genetics continued to be taught to all students in universities and agricultural colleges, and guided the work of some of the older research institutes. Most teachers in the higher institutes of learning were its adherents, as well as the directors of a number of research stations. Thus in a sense Mendelism continued to be the official theory. On the other hand, the number of supporters of Michurinism was increasing very rapidly among the younger scientific workers and especially among those in the more recently established State Selection Stations, where the bulk of the plant breeding and seed production for agriculture is carried on. I shall have occasion to deal in more detail with the work of the Selection Stations in a later chapter. It was here, where research is most closely linked to collective farm practice, that the success of the new methods in seed production and plant breeding, methods based on the new theory, was demonstrated on a large scale. The Michurinists thus accumulated very abundant data testifying to the practical efficacy of their theory. In addition many new lines of experiment were developed which threw doubt on the basic postulates of Mendelism. The publication of this mass of experimental data greatly streng¬ thened the theoretical position of the Michurinists. At the same time their successes in the practical field were reflected in increased support by the Ministry of Agriculture for the new trend.
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