10.11.2019

The beginning of Karpenko’s breeding

Oleksandr Karpenko was born on November 11, 1929 in the village of Sinne, Sumy region, in a family of peasants. From childhood he was raised by his parents in the love of work and responsibility. After graduating from high school in 1946, he enrolled in the Boyar College, which he graduated in 1949 with a specialty in beekeeping. Perseverance and commitment have always been inherent in Alexander Petrovich. After serving in the Soviet Army in the fall of 1953, when the school year had already begun, he was pressured to test knowledge by the commission and was admitted to the first course of the Ukrainian Agricultural Academy. He studied excellently, received a Stalin scholarship, with honors defended his diploma work. In 1958, after graduating from the academy in the field of agronomy, he continued his studies in postgraduate studies of USGA under the guidance of Professor M.O. Zelensky.

In 1958, Karpenko was sent to work in the country side. Krasenivka Chernobayiv district of Cherkasy region as an agronomist, and then – manager of the department of the Drabiv state farm.

After studying at the postgraduate study of USGA in 1963, Alexander Petrovich defended his Ph.D. thesis and began working as the head of the seed department of the Luhansk Regional Agricultural Research Station. During this period he is engaged in the selection of peas, corn, as well as the technology of cultivation of cultivated crops.

In 1967, he was awarded the title of Senior Research Fellow in the field of breeding and seed production. Oleksandr Petrovich heads the corn department, where he worked on the creation of high-yielding varieties and hybrids of crops, adapted to the arid conditions of the East of Ukraine, studied and improved technologies for cultivation of varieties and hybrids of cultivated crops in the Donbass. From 1979 to 1991, Karpenko is the Deputy Director of the Luhansk Regional Agricultural Research Station. Under his leadership at the station, the level of research and implementation in production is significantly increased. Systematic field trials and reports on the implementation of scientific programs at meetings of the Academic Council were organized. During these years, the Lugansk Experimental Station became one of the leading in Ukraine in terms of performance. In 1989, the All-Union Corn Conference was held on the basis of an experimental station on the initiative of Alexander Petrovich.

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The intensive breeding work has produced a significant result – in 1981, the hybrid Aidar MV was created, which occupied the main areas of corn for grain, silage and green fodder in the Luhansk region in 1985-1990, and was located in Armenia and Tatarstan. In the early 1990s, new mid-term hybrids were introduced – Lugansk 222 MW and Lugansk 287 MW, which were accepted in the Register of Varieties of Plants of Ukraine in 1995. These hybrids are drought resistant, have high yields and cost effective seed production. According to research, Alexander 1993 defended his doctoral dissertation. His pen belongs to more than 140 scientific works. Under his leadership, 4 PhD s were defended. Scientists who have received a degree are taught in higher education institutions and remain grateful for the timely scientific support and parental support of Alexander Petrovich.

For more than 40 years, the scientist has given to the development of agricultural science, much attention has been paid to the organization of improvement of scientific work at the research station, training and education of young scientific stuff.

Along with scientific activity Alexander was the first in Ukraine to organize and head the hybrid maize research and production system, the purpose of which is to cooperate scientists with producers on the introduction into the production of scientific developments on the cultivation of hybrid maize seeds on a cost basis.

The scientist had good personal relations with agrarian scientists and farmers of the country. He kindly shared news on seed and cultivation technologies.

In 1982, Alexander Karpenko was awarded the Council of Ministers of the USSR Prize for the removal and introduction into production of the pea variety. In 1989, scientists received an author’s certificate for the invention “Method of cultivation of grazing crops”, and in 1990 – for the invention “Harrow”.

Alexander was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, the Diploma of the II degree of the VDNH of Ukraine, the anniversary medal «100th Anniversary of the Birth of M.I. Vavilov “, Honorary Diploma of the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian Soviet Union” For the successes achieved in the introduction of new promising varieties of crops and intensive production technologies “.

Alexander Petrovich passed on his scientific property to his son Alexander Karpenko, who together with his colleagues in 2001 founded the Lugansk Institute of Breeding and Technologies (LLC LIST). During the period of its activity, the Register of Plant Varieties of Ukraine accepted 30 varieties and hybrids, co-authored by Alexander Alexandrovich.

Selection achievements of LIST LLC have already gone beyond Ukraine – in 2010, the sunflower hybrid Stepok accepted the Register of the Republic of Belarus, in 2015 the Russian Federation included in the Register a variety of winter wheat Sheet 25 and two sunflower hybrids Ai Dar and Derkun, and in 2017 year in the Register of Turkey entered the variety of winter soft wheat Zlatoglava. LIST varieties and hybrids are being tested in Turkey, Russia, Spain, Chile and Germany.

By now, grandson Alexander, granddaughter Anna, and the whole Karpenko family are already engaged into the business started by Alexander Karpenko.