The article examines the historical path in agricultural science of scientists of the Poltava State Agricultural Research Station named after М. Vavilova, which celebrates its 140th anniversary in 2024. What was the reason for the agrarians of the Poltava region to come to the idea of creating a scientific institution? Starting from the first half of the 19th century, the demand for the products of the agricultural sector increased significantly. Also during this period of development, the processing industry was acquired, which required agricultural raw materials in considerable volumes. The study of technological processes of growing agricultural crops was carried out even before this, as a rule, in the estates of landowners, but at an insufficient methodical and organizational level. All this led to the need to create a research institution of agricultural orientation. September 29, 1866 the agricultural society discusses the proposal from the first secretary of F. I. Hajduk's «proposal to establish fields or farms for agricultural experiments». But due to a number of organizational and economic issues, this process was delayed for 18 years. At the meeting of the Poltava provincial zemstvo in early 1884, the «Statute of the experimental field» was approved. On its basis, on October 28 (November 10), 1884, the Poltava Agricultural Society elected the first council of the Experimental Field, thereby marking the beginning of its existence.

Over the 140-year period of activity of the Poltava Research Station, research programs have repeatedly undergone changes, depending on the demands of agricultural production at various stages of its development. The scientific library of the station is recognized as one of the oldest in Ukraine, the book fund of which is a rare collection of scientific works of the classics of agriculture, plant breeding, entomology, breeding, etc. The famous name of this institution is directly related to outstanding scientists with a world name: M. I. Vavilov, V. I. Vernadskyi, V. V. Dokuchaev, A. E. Zaikevych, O. O. Izmailskyi, P. A. Kostychev, O. N. Sokolovskyi, I. V. Yakushkin.

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