Russian soil scientist Vasily Vasilyevich Dokuchaev came up with the idea of studying soil as a special natural body. The great geologist devoted his scientific activities to uncovering the regularities of the geographical location of soils. The scientist's practical contribution to the study of chernozem is recognized all over the world.
Vasily Vasilievich Dokuchaev is an outstanding soil scientist of the 19th century. The geologist was born on February 17, 1846. The place where the future scientist was born was the village of Milyukovo in the Sychevsky district of the Smolensk province. The father of many children of the future scientist was a clergyman. The mother raised seven children with her husband.
Scientific activity of a soil scientist
Young Vasily Dokuchaev showed a craving for science after the seminary in Smolensk and in 1867 he entered the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Vasily was enrolled in the university for the first year of the Natural Department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics in the fall of 1867. The beginning of his career was associated with the appointment of the future professor of geology as a tutor for the third year. After 2 years, Dokuchaev received a diploma of higher education, having completed work related to the study of the soils of the banks of the Kasnya River.
Under the influence of the scientific activities of Mendeleev, Inostrantsev, Beketov and Sovetov, Dokuchaev continued to study soil science. The positions to which he was appointed made it possible to make a great contribution to the study of the discipline. The scientist served:
- keeper of the mineralogical collection - 1872-1878;
- the head of the "black earth commission" - 1878-1881;
- researcher of the lands of the Nizhny Novgorod region - 1882;
- Professor of the Department of Mineralogy - 1883-1888;
- director of the Institute of Agriculture and Forestry in Novoaleksandriysk - 1892-1895.
The expedition through the chernozem with a length of 10 thousand km lasted 4 years. The first visit was made by a scientist in 1877. The geologist spent a lot of time on frequent trips to the southern regions of Russia, he was in the Crimea. His pupils were engaged in extensive analysis in laboratory conditions: Zemyatchensky P., Kostychev P., Schmidt K., Sibirtsev N. In 1882, Dokuchaev carried out a total study of the soils of the Nizhny Novgorod region after the proposal of the zemstvo interested in accurate prices of land plots. In the course of repeated trips, scientists introduced the methodology of soil survey, the basis of which was soil maps, genetic classification, appraisal, the principle of genetic soil science.
Expedition reports
Since 1877, the scientist worked on the report "Materials for the assessment of lands in the Nizhny Novgorod province". Over the course of 6 years, he published 14 issues of the report with an attachment in the form of soil maps for each of the sites that underwent a full survey. Pupils of the scientist, who took an active part in the development of the report, were: Krasnov A., Levison-Lessing F., Ferkhmin A. and others. After repeated visits, the geologist published the monograph "Russian Chernozem" in 1883, where he described methods of determining the soil by origin, application, chemical composition, methods of examination and classification. The scientist did not examine the soil as a surface layer from the point of view of agronomy. He believed that the origin of soils is influenced by such basic factors as:
- mother breed;
- climatic conditions;
- Flora and fauna;
- terrain relief;
- Spread;
- geological age of the region.
The scientific work "Russian Chernozem" is a basic doctoral dissertation in the field of genetic soil science. According to the developed methods, it became possible to influence the fertility of the soil composition. After defending the monograph, Dokuchaev became a Doctor of Geological Sciences and for 5 years served as a professor at the Department of Mineralogy.
Organizational activities
Since 1888 Vasily Dokuchaev conducted a large-scale Poltava expedition. The report on the work performed under the guidance of the scientist was compiled in 16 volumes. He subjected to a thorough study the salt licks and gray layers of forest soil, revealing 7 zones: deserts, boreal, forest-steppe, northern forest, steppe, dry steppe, subtropics. For his research, the scientist was awarded numerous awards during his lifetime.
The famous scientist held leading positions, managing various commissions for the organization of soil science and geology. In 1888 he took over as chairman of the Soil Commission, the first scientific association of geologists. From 1889 to 1890 headed the commission that carried out the study of soils in the environs of St. Petersburg.
The geologist who visited the World Paris Exhibition with his collection of soils was awarded the Order of Merit for Agriculture in 1889. The scientist became the organizer of the Department of Genetic Soil Science in 1884, headed by his pupil Sibirtsev N. M. During the "Special Expedition" in 1892, the geologist proved the effectiveness of the program. The appraisal expedition extended to the soils of the Shipov Forest, Kamennaya Steppe and Khrenovsky Bor. This made it possible to identify specific causes of degradation of chernozem soils and to develop methods to combat this phenomenon.
Privacy and funeral
The end of 1895 was marked by the discovery of a severe nervous system disorder in a scientist. In 1896 he had an attack, and a year later in February the scientist lost his wife, who died of cancer. Due to severe headaches, Dokuchaev began to lose memory and feelings, but willpower allowed the scientist to return to his beloved work for a while.
A repeated attack of a serious illness in 1900 did not allow the geologist to leave his house. In 1901, in the spring, an outstanding soil scientist wrote a farewell letter to V. I. The death overtook the scientist in 1903 on October 26. The funeral took place at the Lutheran cemetery in St. Petersburg, where on October 29, 1903, many of the pupils of the great geologist gathered.
Recognition of the scientist's ideas
The pupils of the great professor of geology, who worked on expeditions with him, earned fame and recognition due to the spread of the great geologist's ideas outside Russia. The ideas of the outstanding scientist became the basis for research in the field of various geological sciences, including land reclamation, forestry, hydrogeology, dynamic geology, etc. On the occasion of the anniversary of the birth of the soil scientist in 1946, the Dokuchaev prize and gold medal were established. The prize was awarded to soil scientists for outstanding work by the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
