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BIOGRAPHIES
UDK 635.9:582.572.8
SELECTIONIST K.T. KLYMENKO
(Devoted to the 110th anniversary)
Konstantin Trophymovich Klymenko was born on May the 21st in 1905, Rylske town of Kurska province in Russia.
Since 1921 he had been in Anti-gang Special Forces of the Red Army and due to his courage and bravery was awarded by personal weapon.
After Army Klymenko K.T. worked as a metalworker at Moskovsky factory, in the evenings he visited workers' courses. After courses he entered Timiryazevskaya Academy and became a student of urban greening department in a start-up group of selectionists-orchadists.
In spring being one of 12 best students he was sent for practice to Kozlov city (Michurinsk), nursery of I.V.Michurin. Purpose of this practice was to familiarized with I.V. Michurin achievements in selection of fruit and other cultures and master his efficient selective methods. At the nursery of Michurin I.V. students worked as trainees and studied breeding cycle, agrotechnology, plant care and science of nurseries. Konstantin Trofimovich was one of I.V. Michurin's favourite pupils, who was trusted preparation and staging of the most complicated combinations of distant hybridization.
Students of Timiryazevskaya Academy were pioneers at the new Institute of fruit cultures named after I.V. Michurin.
In 1934 after graduation Konstantin Trofimovich with his wife Vera Nikolayevna having speciality "agronomist-orchadist-selectionist" were recommended by I.V. Michurin as talented interns for selection of citrus cultures to Georgia and Adzharia. In autumn 1934 couple Klymenko started their investigations at the department of citrus culture selection in Batumi botanical garden.
Besides selection of citrus cultures Klymenko K.T. was charged with breeding of tung tree, significant for the whole country culture in prewar period, as fruits of this plant were sources of valuable tung oil, necessary for airplanes and submarines.
In his selective researches on citrus and tung cultures Klymenko K.T. successfully applied diverse Michurin methods, but principal method of his work was distant hybridization with species from China and Japan. He was a researcher in development of biological fundamentals of efficient selection under conditions of Adzharia subtropical climate.
Hundreds of crossing combinations were carried out, was grown a whole selection
fond.
Vavilov N.I. twice saw works on introduction and selection of K.T. Klymenko personally in Batumi botanical garden and he was quite satisfied by their results. Their first meeting happened in Michurinsk.
Vavilov N.I., concerned about floriculture state in the country, which was far from satisfactory, recommended Konstantin Trofimovich and Vera Nikolayevna to take up selection of flower-ornamental cultures in addition. To develop this direction Konstantin Trofimovich chose quite rare at Caucasian Coast at that date camellias and ornamental rhododendrons.
Results of his selective researches with citrus cultures became 6 frost-resistant sorts of orange, bred in collaboration with Vera Nikolayevna: "Adzharsky bessemyanny", "Gladkokozhy", "Gruzinsky", "Korolyok Gruzynsky", "Korolyok №15", "Korolyok № 25". These varieties were released in Georgia with author's certificates. New high-yielding hybrid forms of tung were presented for industrial growing. Highly ornamental forms of camellia and rhododendrons, which still decorate expositions of Batumi Botanical Garden, were picked up out of rich selective fond.
Results of selective researches carried out in the Caucasus were described by Konstantin Trofimovich in his three monographs and Ph.D. thesis "Selection of tung tree in Adzharia", which was successfully defended in 1954 at All-Union Institute of Plant-growing.
In 1941 on June the 23rd Konstantin Trofimovich went to the front. He was badly wounded twice on Caucasian passes, near Sukhumi and in the Ukraine near Belaya Tserkov. He participated in organization of Tehran Conference. After the war he resumed his activity in Batumi.
In 1949 Konstantin Trofimovich together with his wife were invited and transferred to the Crimea, Nikitsky Botanical Gardens, where he continued his introduction and selective researches with citrus and floral cultures.
Later Kostantin Trofimovich started introduction and selective researches with herbaceous and tree-like peonies, primulas and bulbous cultures as well: snowdrops, crocuses, narcissi and tulips. Collections of these plants were replenished and recreated. Classical methods of selection were applied based on cultures mentioned above: individual selection, clonal selection, hybridization (intraspecific and distant), development and applying of new methods of experimental mutagenesis, thereby chemical mutagens, x-ray and gamma irradiation were applied, different ways to overcome combining disability and get polyploid forms were developed.
As a result of intervarietal and interspecific hybridization, highly ornamental forms of tree- like peonies were bred: "Solnechny Krym", "Geroyam Adzhymushkaya", "Yaltinskaya Vesna"
Valuable hybrid fond resulted from hybridization of early blooming Central Asian varieties of tulips with 20 best sorts of Holland selection. After the death of Konstantin Trofimovich (March the 22nd in 1977) 4 varieties out of this fond were marked and presented for State sort testing: "Zhemchuzhny", "Skif', "Krymsky", "Yaltinsky", which were rel eased all over the Crimea with authorized certificates (in co-authorship).
A senior researcher, candidate of Agricultural Sciences K.T. Klymenko had worked in Nikitsky Botanical Gardens for more than 20 years.
Course of his life was determined by active stand in life. Patriot of his native country, inexhaustible toiler, creative personality, whose works and ideas were and still remain actual.
Results of his scientific studies were published in 82 works. Workers of Nikitsky Botanical Gardens remember him as a generous, sympathetic and extremely hard-working person. He was a good mentor for young workers, talented scientist-selectionist.
In memory of this great person a new special white and pink tulip variety selected in Nikitsky Botanical Gardens was named "Konstantin Klymenko".
L.M. Aleksandrova, Z.K. Klymenko
The article was received at editors 14.04.2015
Aleksandrova L.M., Klymenko Z.K. Selectionist K.T. Klymenko (devoted to the 110th anniversary) // Bull. of the State Nikit.Botan.Gard. - 2015. - №114. - P.67-69.
The article covers main life scientific stages in Nikitsky Botanical Gardens of K.T. Klymenko, candidate of Agricultural Sciences.
