V.P.Shulha
PhD
in Geography
PROFESSOR
M. KRAVCHENKO – A TALANTED SCIENTIST-BREEDER IN ANIMAL SCIENCE OF UKRAINE
OF THE XX CENTURE
Doctor
of Agricultural Sciences, Professor M. Kravchenko made a decisive
contribution to the development of theoretical and methodological foundations
of animal husbandry in the USSR of the second half of the 30's – early 80's of
the XX century. He is a developer planning basics breeding, improved methods of
genealogical analysis and line breeding, the methods of farm animal selection,
implementation of effective programs of Simmental improvement and others.
Research
scientist legacy is more than 250 scientific papers, including seven books, six
textbooks for students of agricultural higher education institutes, a number of
branch manuals and guidelines. One of his central areas – the problem of the
breed, it structure. M. Kravchenko – one of the first domestic scholars
justified breed system principles, highlighted its most characteristic
settings: meet human needs; adaptability to specific natural and economic
conditions; the presence of specific economic useful, morphological and
physiological traits; sufficient genetic constancy breed features; the ability
to change in the direction of selection and conditions of existence.
A special
place in M. Kravchenko scientific legacy takes the problem of line
breeding. He considered this method as the highest form of breeding work.
Scientists identified the following characteristics lines: 1) the subordination
to breed; 2) representatives of the common origin; 4) the universality of
animal type of one line; 5) the existence of specific features in each line; 6)
line partition in branches and families; 7) a separation a line from the other
and its close relationship with other lines; 8) value line characteristic; 9)
flexibility; 10) the line length; 11) zootechnical character [7]. He considered
important measures for the progressive improvement of lines: maintaining
organic connection between the line and breed within it exists, the need to use
all breed resources and mandatory selection of a sufficient number of prominent
animals to mate with leading line successors [1].
M. Kravchenko
offered intensive use all kinds of line crossing. He believed that main way at
line breeding –- to support its dynamic, ability of each generation to make
changes to it, which are fixed or refuse by selection. He attached particular
importance to the line differentiation that defines its direction and length
and while he considered excessive uniformity is a serious impediment to further
line progress.
The
researcher noted in his scientific papers that line breeding should be based on
the families as the relationship between them results in the greatest
accumulation of the valuable biological breed characteristics in the lines. To
increase the efficiency of family breeding he offered to share them on the
leading, reserve and perspective a groups, belonging to them determines the
direction of further work with them. He identified five main options
line-family selection [4]
M. Kravchenko`s
fundamental scientific papers on breed and line genealogy including method of
constructing cross-group pedigrees of herds is significant value for the
further development of the theory of selection in cattle breeding. It allows to
find out the history of the formation of herds, to evaluate the contribution of
heredity of some sires in their genealogical structure, provide main highly
productive families, select group of peers, identify cases of inbred selection
and reliably evaluate its considering complex factors, compare the intensity of
input into the herd of some sire offspring, determine heredity transfer of some
famous animals in several generations and others.
Scientists
have attached great importance to development bases of farm animal selection.
He refers to the basic parameters of animal selection: performance (quantity
and quality of products, efficiency of its formation); constitution associated
with the life and productivity; herd value (the ability to realize the benefits
of inheritance and transfer it to offspring) [3].
As
the main selection elements he singled out: assessment of available breeding
stock, the elucidation of its advantages and defects; forming of female groups;
"order" for sire; clarify of female characteristics, that is
desirable to preserve or improve; detection of sires which meet this
"order"; in the case of absence of the sires with desired qualities
search for opportunities to buy them or get their semen; the planned sire consolidation
for females; implementation of herd selection by mating of females with sires
assigned to them; mating registration and labeling offspring [1].
He
identified the main principles of selection: using of sires with higher quality
compared to females; a finding the best combinations; maximum use of the best sires;
replacing the previous sires in sires of higher quality; regulation of inbreeding
between bulls and females; consistency in selection in several generations.
M. Kravchenko
attached importance to the use of inbreeding, especially at the new breed
creation. Purposeful inbreeding is quite essential point; line breeding is not
made without it. It serves as a quick way for displacement of undesirable
heredity. Scientists have developed a formula for calculating the genetic
similarity of the animal and its common ancestor at inbreeding, which reflects
serving two simultaneous processes: accumulation of common ancestor heredity
that increases the genetic similarity with it, and the growth of homozygosity
and some reduction of similarities as its result [3].
The
researcher has provided important search of the prepotent farm animals.
Prepotency as quality of farm animals consistently pass their features to
offspring primarily it conditioned by more stable heredity that created with
homogenous selection, carried out for a long time under the same conditions in
the same direction and it is supported with inbreeding, animal health,
appropriate selection of females for mating with a sires, conditions of animal
keeping. He singled out real, notional and imaginary prepotency.
M. Kravchenko
developed a system aimed farm breeding based on awareness of animal body integrity.
He explained of such the concept of individual development animals as
selectivity, dynamism and individuality. He actualized the problem of aging and
lifelong productivity of farm animals. The scientists substantiated that the
aging process depends on the breed, individual characteristics of animals and
the conditions in which they are grown. He developed a system of measures that
permit extend the service life of farm animals.
M. Kravchenko
carried out breeding work in Simmental herds for 50 years as Vice-Chairman of
Board for breed improvement and then it Chairman. He researched the origin of
Simmental cattle in Ukraine, elaborated its valuable biological
characteristics. He saw the greatest advantage in breed versatility, combining
characteristics such as high milk yield and milk fat, excellent energy growth
and meat cooking quality. M. Kravchenko`s research have shown that
Ukrainian Simmental has a certain advantage over Simmental from other areas for
milk production and body weight. Their origin from the Gray Ukrainian breed
played a crucial role in forming Simmental productivity because of maternal
inheritance remained in the new breed and it was successfully assimilated [5].
M. Kravchenko
compared the main lines of Simmental cattle in different regions of Ukraine in
different environmental conditions and within the contiguous animal generations.
This made it possible to objectively evaluate inherited as the best sires in
the whole population as individual types (Trostyanetsky, Prilutsky,
Pereyaslavsky et al.). As a result, he first pointed out the need for state
testing and primary distribution of animals of new lines, including Radonis
838, Virhyi 925, Laur 3307 and others that provide growth of milk production of
Simmental herds in the entire region up to 4000 kg and tribal reproducers –
under 5000 kg or more [5].
M. Kravchenko
– one of the initiators of the first Ukrainian beef breed creation. He
explained the efficiency of inter-breed crossing as the main method of rapid
reconstruction of tribal resources. He gave special attention to reproductive
crossbreeding – the most difficult zootechnical method, it using is appropriate
in cases when existing breeds not fully satisfy the social order on the
production of any animal products. Scientists substantiated that at
reproductive crossbreeding part of more productive breeds, genetic potential
which contributes to solving the set tasks, should gradually increase and less
valuable ones decrease.
M. Kravchenko
developed the basic methodological provision of reproductive crossbreeding,
which was aimed at creating the first domestic beef breed. In different regions
of the Ukrainian SSR researchers have implemented various schemes of breed
selection. However, genotypes which were generated by the method of M. Kravchenko
and have 3/8 Charolais, 3/8 Simmental, 1/8 Gray Ukrainian breed and 1/8
kianina, were better for the complex biological parameters [2].
Thus,
Professor M. Kravchenko made a significant contribution to the development
of theoretical and methodological foundations of domestic animal science in the
second half of the 30's – early 80's of the XX century. Scientists have offered
a technique of cross-group pedigree constructing for herds, optimized system of
line breeding of livestock. He has proposed a formula for calculating the
genetic similarity of the animal and its common ancestor at inbreeding. He has
developed a system of measures that permit extend the service life of farm
animals. He also improved the foundations of preservation and management of
domestic livestock an example Simmental. M. Kravchenko has recommended
breeding programs to improve the gene pool of domestic breeds by pure breeding
and interbreed crossing with the best breeds of foreign selection. He
developed and implemented the concept of a specialized branch of beef cattle in
the Ukrainian SSR.
Literature
1.
Кравченко Н. А.
Племенной подбор при разведении по линиям / Н. А. Кравченко. – М.: Сельхозгиз,
1954. – 264 с.
3. Кравченко
Н. А. Разведение сельскохозяйственных животных: для зоотехн. фак. / Н. А. Кравченко. –
М.: Сельхозиздат, 1963. – 311 с.
4. Кравченко М. А.
Теоретичні основи розведення тварин по лініях // М. А. Кравченко
//Тваринництво України. – 1969. – № 11. – С. 17–19.
5.
Происхождение
симментализированного скота в Украинской ССР / Н. А. Кравченко,
И. А. Даниленко, И. А. Зозуля, И. М. Клочко //
Гос. плем. книга крупного рогатого скота симментальской породы. – К.:
Держсільгоспвидав, 1961. – Т. 10. – С. 3–25.