CRBS AN USSR

The Central Republican Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR (CRBS AN USSR, currently known as the M.M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden of the NAS of Ukraine in Kyiv) is one of the largest scientific research botanical institutions in Europe. The core objectives of the organization have traditionally focused on the introduction, acclimatization, and conservation of the global plant genetic resources pool.

History and Specialization of Viticultural Research

Established in 1935, the Botanical Garden served as a pivotal academic testing ground for investigating the adaptive capacities of plants. In the post-World War II period, alongside other warmth-loving and subtropical crops, the institution's scientific staff actively introduced diverse grapevine cultivar accessions into its collection repositories.

Unlike highly specialized agricultural institutes oriented toward commercial winemaking, the viticultural research conducted within the CRBS was fundamental, scientific, and introduction-oriented. The primary emphasis was placed on studying the winter hardiness, phenology, and physiology of the vine under the environmental conditions of the Ukrainian Forest-Steppe and Polesia regions, as well as evaluating the potential of grapevines for landscape architecture, pergola designs, and vertical greening applications.

Collection Pool and Scientific Significance

Hundreds of accessions of the cultivated grapevine (Vitis vinifera) passed through the botanical garden's system of introductory quarantine nurseries. Utilizing these repositories, the garden's scientists conducted research on plant acclimatization and analyzed the outcomes of interspecific hybridization between Vitis vinifera and frost-resistant wild species—primarily the Amur grape (Vitis amurensis) and North American species.

During these studies, particular attention was given to the characteristics of vine training on high trunks and complex multi-tiered supports. To test environmental adaptability, locally widespread cultivars and selections (specifically, the hybrid form "Kyivskiy Violetoviy") were also integrated into the garden's collections for evaluation.

The findings from these long-term observations provided the theoretical foundation for recommendations on extending the northern boundary of sustainable fruit cultivation. Today, the unique historical collection pool of living plants is fully preserved and maintained within the ampelographic and dendrological collections of the operational M.M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden of the NAS of Ukraine.