Educational and scientific aspects of history of genetics and selection at The Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko (1960–1990)

The article is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Faculty of Natural Geography at the Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko. The article focuses on the primary aspects of educational and scientific work on genetics and selection performed by the lecturers of the Botany Department – Professor Nina Ivanivna Dehtiarova and Professor Mykhailo Ivanovych Steblianko, docent Klavdia Demianivna Honcharova and docent Maiia Havrylivna Shulha during the 1960s–1990s. Their contribution to the establishment and development of genetics and selection at higher pedagogical and secondary education institutions in Ukraine was analysed. The importance of Ukrainian genetics and selection for historiography as well as popularisation of scientific and pedagogical accomplishments of lecturers in higher education institutions, who are engaged in basic training of future genetics and selection specialists, was denoted. Keywords: genetics, selection, history of the Faculty of Natural Geography, Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko.

PERKEMBANGAN PEMANFAATAN, REGULASI, DAN METODE DETEKSI PRODUK REKAYASA GENETIKA PERTANIAN DI INDONESIA / Development of Utilization, Regulation, and Detection Methods of Agricultural Genetically Modified Products in Indonesia

<p>Genetically modified crops (GM crops) have developed very fast globally, although to date controversies over the GM crop uses are still occurring. GM crops have been planted on over 191.7 million hectare area and cultivated in 26 countries in five continents. Biosafety of GM crops both globally and domestically are guaranteed through regulations made at the level of law, government regulations, related ministrial regulation including the guidelines. In general, those regulations have been implemented, thus the biosafety of GM crop utilization is guaranteed in Indonesia. Unfortunately, although Indonesia gave a certification for released permit for drought tolerant sugarcane, it only grown in a limited areas belongs to state-owned agricultural company (PTPN XI). The country has certified 27, 7, and 16 GM events for food, feed, and seeds for environment safety, respectively. The implementation of these regulations needs a monitoring system that is equipped with facilities of GMO detection laboratory with adequate capacity. Indonesia has several such laboratories. The methods of GMO detections have developed from very basic techniques, i.e. qualitative screening to the determination of specific events that define the type of trait of GMO, even quantitative detection, both single and multiplex. Each method has its own advantages. The capacities of GMO detection laboratory in Indonesia still need to be upgraded to master the fast-developing technology. The purpose of this review is to provide information on the development of global GM crops utilization including in Indonesia and the development of regulations and detection methods with their prospects and challenges.</p><p>Keywords: Genetics, modification, regulation, detection methods</p><p> </p><p><strong>Abstrak</strong></p><p>Pemanfaatan tanaman produk rekayasa genetik (PRG) telah berkembang cepat dan mendunia walaupun sampai saat ini masih terjadi kontroversi. Luas penanamannya telah mencapai 191,7 juta ha dan ditanam oleh 26 negara di lima benua. Keamanan hayati PRG secara global maupun domestik telah dijamin oleh peraturan pada tingkat undang-undang, peraturan pemerintah, peraturan kementerian terkait, dan pedoman pelaksanaannya. Secara umum peraturan peraturan tersebut telah dijalankan sehingga keamanan hayati dari pemanfaatan PRG terjamin di Indonesia. Sayangnya di Indonesia PRG yang sudah diberi izin edar hanya ditanam secara terbatas seperti tebu toleran kekeringan di beberapa kebun milik PTPN. Indonesia juga telah memberikan sertifikat aman hayati pada beberapa varietas PRG diantaranya 27 PRG pangan, tujuh PRG pakan, dan 16 PRG benih (lingkungan). Implementasi peraturan yang telah ada memerlukan sistem pengawasan yang dilengkapi dengan fasilitas laboratorium deteksi PRG dengan kapasitas yang memadai. Indonesia telah mempunyai beberapa laboratorium tersebut. Metode deteksi PRG telah berkembang dari teknik yang sangat mendasar yaitu deteksi untuk skrining kualitatif PRG sampai teknik penentuan spesifik event yang menetapkan jenis/sifat PRG, bahkan teknik deteksi secara kuantitatif yang bersifat tunggal maupun multiplex. Metode-metode deteksi tersebut memiliki keunggulan masing-masing. Laboratorium penguji PRG di Indonesia masih perlu ditingkatkan kemampuannya dengan penguasaan teknologi yang berkembang dengan pesat. Makalah ini memberikan informasi perkembangan pemanfaatan PRG global termasuk di Indonesia dan perkembangan regulasi dan metode deteksi serta prospek dan tantangan.</p><p>Kata kunci: Genetika, rekayasa, regulasi, metode deteksi</p>

Do not forget the name of V.P. Efroimson (1908–1989)

In 2018, 110 years have passed since the birth of Vladimir Pavlovich Efroimson (1908–1989). Efroimson studied at the biological department of Moscow University, in 1929 was expelled for the support of S.S. Chetveryakov. In December 1932 he was arrested. Since 1935 works in the Central Asian Institute of Sericulture, but in August 1937 he was dismissed from the Institute for his performance in defense of "Mendelism-Morganism". In the same year he was declared an enemy of the people, and he leaves for Ukraine. During this period he wrote a book on "Genetics and breeding of the silkworm". In May 1941, Efroimson defended his Ph.D. thesis at Kharkov University and went to the front. Rewarded by the Red Star and Patriotic War II degree. After the war, Efroimson returned to Kharkov University as an assistant professor of the Department of Darwinism and Genetics. In 1947 he defended his doctoral dissertation on the problems of evolutionary genetics and breeding of the silkworm. In 1951 he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. After rehabilitation he returns to Moscow and works as a bibliographer. In 1967, he received the title of professor and worked in the Institute of Psychiatry. He published a number of monographs, among them "Genetics of Oligophrenia, Psychoses and Epilepsy". His well-known books on medical genetics, anthropogenetics, gene determination of intelligence and behavior: "Genius and Genetics", "Genetics of Ethics and Aesthetics", "Pedagogical Genetics". Keywords: genetics, history of science, V.P. Efroimson.

Percepções de Alunos do Ensino Médio Quanto aos Conceitos Fundamentais da Genética Básica: um Estudo de Caso

A genética é um assunto de elevada importância pelo conhecimento científco que pode proporcionar para a vida pessoal e acadêmica dos alunos. Portanto, ela é imprescindível na formação destes para que possam decidir acerca de assuntos que envolvem sua própria vida e a sociedade. Nessa perspectiva, os docentes precisam compreender como os alunos percebem a genética, o que acham das aulas, se eles atribuem alguma razão em aprender o assunto. Diante do exposto, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi verifcar quais as percepções que os estudantes do Ensino Médio apresentam sobre os conceitos fundamentais de genética e quais as difculdades apontadas por eles em aprender esses conceitos. A pesquisa foi realizada em uma escola da rede pública de Manaus/AM com duas turmas do Ensino Médio. Para a coleta de dados foram utilizadas múltiplas fontes como a observação direta, questionários e entrevistas. Para melhor analisar os dados coletados, foram elaboradas categorias relativas a cada etapa da pesquisa. Essas categorias foram desenvolvidas baseadas em todas as evidências, que foram anotadas em campo, a partir de observações, dos questionários e das entrevistas. Os dados obtidos foram analisados à luz da Análise Textual Discursiva. As conclusões apontam que, muitas vezes, o ensino em sala de aula prima apenas pela memorização de conceitos, perdendo assim a contextualização dos conteúdos. Nota-se que os alunos têm a percepção de que a genética é complexa e difícil a sua compreensão, devido ao vasto vocabulário que envolve a matéria. Uma das possibilidades de mudança desta situação foi a proposição de uma Aula Expositiva Dialogada, que é uma estratégia que vem sendo sugerida para superar o ensino tradicional, por promover a participação e o envolvimento dos alunos ao tema exposto.Palavras-chave: Ensino da Genética. Estudo de Caso. Aula Expositiva Dialogada.AbstractGenetics is a subject of great importance for the scientifc knowledge that it can provide for the students’ personal and academic lives. Therefore, it is indispensable in the formation of these so that they can decide on subjects that involve their own life and the society. From this perspective, teachers need to understand how students perceive genetics, what they think of the classes, if they attribute any reason to learning the subject. In view of the above, the objective of this research was to verify the perceptions that the High School students present about the fundamental genetics concepts and what difculties they pointed out in learning these concepts. The research was conducted in a public school in Manaus / AM with two high school classes. For data collection, multiple sources were used such as direct observation, questionnaires and interviews. To better analyze the data collected, categories related to each step of the research were elaborated. These categories were developed based on all the evidences that were recorded in the feld from our observations, from the questionnaires and the interviews. The obtained data were analyzed in light of the Discursive Textual Analysis. The conclusions show that teaching in the classroom often only requires the concepts memorization, thus losing the context of the contents. It was noted that students have the perception that genetics is complex and difcult to understand because of the vast vocabulary surrounding matter. One of the possibilities for changing this situation was the proposition of an Exposed Dialogue Class which is a strategy that was suggested to overcome traditional teaching, by promoting the participation and the involvement of the students in the exposed subject Keywords: Genetics Teaching. Case Study. Expository Dialogued Class.

Genetic control of white clover seed yield potential

Improving the seed yield potential of new white clover (Trifolium repens L.) cultivars is critical to their commercial viability and to overcoming the increasing pressures from land use change in Canterbury. The genetic control and response to selection was investigated for two seed yield characteristics, inflorescence density (no./m2) and seed yield per inflorescence (g/ inflorescence). Inflorescence density and seed yield per inflorescence were both responsive to selection and acted independent of one another to increase seed yield. Selection for high inflorescence density resulted in 34% higher seed yield than the low inflorescence density selection. This change in seed yield was associated with a 33% higher inflorescence density, while seed yield per inflorescence was unchanged. Similarly, selection for seed yield per inflorescence resulted in a 17% difference in seed yield between the high (HYI) and low (LYI) seed yield per inflorescence selections. This change in seed yield was associated with a 24% higher yield per inflorescence for the HYI selection, while inflorescence density remained unchanged. These results confirm that both mechanisms are under independent genetic control and can be utilized to increase seed yield of new white clover cultivars. Keywords: genetics, inflorescence density, seed production, Trifolium repens, white clover

Farmers adopting technology to improve sheep production - a nine year study

The Kuriwao Farm Action group has followed a process of continued monitoring and evaluation to improve sheep production. Involvement in this project has given the farmers meaningful information for all members to use as part of their decision making. As a group they have evaluated options such as pasture cultivars and renovation strategies, sheep genetics, chemical topping and hogget mating. The benefit to all members has been faster progress and less costly mistakes. Many new technologies such as scanning, improved pasture species, chemical topping and improved animal genetics and nutrition are now standard practice on these properties. The farmers made bigger gains in the last five years as the impact of new sheep genetics and crossbreeding combined with a greater understanding of the importance of ewe nutrition in both lamb numbers and growth. The original objectives of the project were to improve lambing percentage, pasture performance and lamb growth. On average, lambing percentage improved by 2% per year for the last nine years (and 3% per year since 1996). Average lamb growth rate lifted by 8.6g/d/year (5% per year). Keywords: genetics, learning, nutrition, pasture improvement, pasture production, sheep production