INSTITUTE
OF GENETICS & CYTOLOGY

The rapid growth of the authority and efforts of the Belarusian Society of Geneticists and Breeders is evidenced by the meagre lines of the chronicle. Thus, in 1970, the Society consisted of 154 people and 5 collective members (the Institute of Genetics and Cytology, the Institutes of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, the Institute of Forestry and the Belarusian Agricultural Academy). Ten meetings of the Republican Genetics Workshop were held where not only Belarusian scientists spoke, but also Dr. M. Zacharias from the GDR; 200 popular science lectures were given to the population; the 3rd All-Union Conference on Polyploidy was held bringing together 250 scientists from Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv, Novosibirsk, Kharkov and Dushanbe.

In 1978, the Society already united 378 people and had 15 departments and sections at various research institutes and universities of the Republic. An outstanding event of that year was the 14th International Genetic Congress in Moscow. Belarusian science was widely represented there: the leading scientists of the Republic L.V. Khotyleva, G.V. Kraskovsky, A.N. Palilova, V.K. Savchenko, G.I Lazyuk and Yu.K. Fomichev presented their reports covering various challenges in the area of genetics and breeding. The Republican Genetics Workshop continued its work. Seven meetings were held; among the speakers were the scientists from Kyiv and Chisinau. Much attention was devoted to the propaganda of genetic knowledge, appearances on radio and television. Relations were maintained with the scientists of GDR, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia.

The year 1992 was significant and eventful for Belarusian scientists and the Belarusian Society of Geneticists and Breeders. In June of that year, the 6th Congress of the Belarusian Society of Geneticists and Breeders was held, and in November, the 6th Congress of the All-Union Society of Geneticists and Breeders was hosted by Minsk. The organizers of the Congress were the All-Union Society of Geneticists and Breeders, the Belarusian Society of Geneticists and Breeders, the Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, and N.I. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. More than 600 scientists from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Poland took part in the Congress. The scientific program of the Congress reflected the current state of various areas of genetics and breeding developed in the CIS and Baltic countries. At the opening of the Congress, the President of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Academician L.M. Sushchenya, emphasized in his speech the need and importance of maintaining and strengthening the ties that had been formed among the scientists and research institutions over many years of cooperation. All subsequent activities of the Congress confirmed the desire of geneticists and breeders to establish creative contacts, exchange scientific information and combine efforts aimed at the further development of genetic science.

The plenary sessions featured the reports by the Academician of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus L.V. Khotyleva, the Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences S.G. Inge-Vechtomov, the Academician of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences V.S. Shevelukha, the Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yu.P. Altukhov, the Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yu.V. Ilyin and the Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences L.I. Korochkin who summarized the achievements and prospects of the development of fundamental areas of genetics and breeding. In addition to 2 plenary sessions timed to coincide with the opening and closing of the Congress, 30 Symposia were held summarizing research results in a wide variety of areas of genetics and breeding; leading specialists from the CIS, Baltic and Poland presented their reports. A poster session was held where about 200 reports were presented in the directions as follows: general and molecular genetics, plant genetics and breeding, animal genetics and breeding, microorganism genetics and breeding, human genetics and medical genetics. The Congress summed up the results of the entire and almost 30-year period of active and fruitful work of the All-Union Society of Geneticists and Breeders. An atmosphere of creativity, mutual understanding and responsibility prevailed there. Everyone was aware that it was the last Congress of the All-Union Society of Geneticists and Breeders where a decision was made to cease its existence in connection with the liquidation of the USSR.

The last Congress of the All-Union Society of Geneticists and Breeders became a new benchmark in relations between the geneticists and the breeders of the former USSR. At the same time, their creative ties were not only kept alive, but grew stronger and richer opening up new opportunities for unification and integration into the global scientific community. The Belarusian Society of Geneticists and Breeders played a significant role in that with its scientific forums becoming a platform for meetings, communication and scientific discussions.

In 2024, in accordance with Article 4 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Amending the Laws on the Activities of Political Parties and Other Public Associations” of February 14, 2023, No. 251-3, the status of the Belarusian Society of Geneticists and Breeders changed and corresponding amendments to the Charter of the Society were introduced. In connection with that, the Public Association “The Belarusian Society of Geneticists and Breeders” was renamed the Public Association “The Society of Geneticists and Breeders.”

Today, the Society of Geneticists and Breeders is the representative scientific and public organization, which includes more than 300 scientists from 19 specialized scientific, breeding and educational institutions of the Republic of Belarus. The activities of the society are aimed at consolidating geneticists and breeders of the Republic by implementing joint projects, organizing workshops and conferences, publishing collective works, as well as strengthening international scientific contacts for the purpose of effective development of scientific research on the problems of genetics and breeding.

Since 2007, the Society has been under the direction of the Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus A.V. Kilchevsky. Four areas of the Society’s activity are supervised by Deputy Chairpersons: Academician S.I. Grib — plant genetics; Academician I.P. Sheiko — animal genetics; Doctor of Medical Science L.E. Makarina-Kibak — medical genetics; Doctor of Science in Biololgy N.P. Maksimova — teaching genetics.