Meadow growing is a branch of agriculture that is engaged in improving natural forage lands and cultivating meadows. At the same time, meadow growing is also a science that develops the basics of grassland growing. One of the founders of this important science in our country, which is famous for its meadows and pastures, was Andrey Mikhailovich Dmitriev, a Soviet and Russian plant scientist, head of the first research institution in the USSR for the study of meadows, the State Meadow Institute (now the All-Russian Williams Fodder Research Institute), the founder of the first department of meadow farming in the USSR.
The scientist was born on December 30, 1878, in the city of Rybinsk.
Over the years of his scientific work, Dmitriev developed a classification of grasslands of the non-chernozem zone, created a system of measures to improve the fodder base depending on the specifics of various regions of the USSR, studied the perennial herbaceous vegetation of Russian meadows. His famous textbook Meadow growing with the basics of meadow science (1941) was published three times and translated into foreign languages.
Andrey Dmitriev laid the foundations of fodder production in Russian agricultural science and solved several key problems that faced meadow growing in the Soviet years. Andrey Mikhailovich brought up a whole galaxy of talented plant scientists.
The outstanding meadow grower passed away on July 25, 1946, at the age of 67.
The article is based on open sources.
Photo: enginakyurt / 123RF
