Kostrikin Ivan Alexandrovich

Ivan Aleksandrovich Kostrikin (17.02.1939 – 26.07.2009) was a prominent Soviet and Russian scientist in the field of viticulture, grape breeder, Honored Agronomist of the Russian Federation, laureate of the Russian Federation Government Prize in Science and Technology, and corresponding member of the International Academy of Viticulture. His name is inextricably linked with the creation of modern complex-resistant grape varieties that made a breakthrough in domestic viticulture.

Biography and Scientific Career

Ivan Aleksandrovich was born on February 17, 1939, in the village of Otrado-Kubanskoye, Gulkevichsky District, Krasnodar Krai. In 1961, he entered the Kuban Agricultural Institute (now the Kuban State Agrarian University), faculty of fruit and vegetable growing and viticulture, graduating successfully in 1966.

Immediately after graduation, his entire professional career was dedicated to the Ya.I. Potapenko All-Russian Research Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking in Novocherkassk. Rising from a senior researcher in the breeding and variety study department, he led this department for many years, served as the head of the breeding center, and held the position of deputy director for research. In 1975, he successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on "Studying certain methodological aspects of breeding resistant grape varieties."

Contribution to Breeding and Key Varieties

Under the leadership of I.A. Kostrikin, unique techniques for accelerated breeding processes were developed, reducing the time required to introduce new grape varieties by 1.5 to 2 times. He co-authored dozens of highly productive, winter-hardy, and disease-resistant varieties currently grown both on a commercial scale and in amateur vineyards.

Among the most famous varieties of his breeding are:

• Vostorg — a legendary variety recognized as a benchmark for table grapes.
• Talisman (Kesha-1) — a large-berried variety that became the genetic foundation for numerous modern hybrid forms.
• Timur, Victoria, Elegant Sverkhranney (Extra Early Elegant).
• Rusbol, Rusven, Druzhba (bred in collaboration with scientists from Bulgaria, Hungary, and Moldova).

The Founder of Amateur Breeding

Ivan Aleksandrovich possessed a unique quality for an academic scientist: he actively supported, consulted, and guided amateur grape growers, sharing his vast experience, literature, and genetic material. He stood at the origin of the so-called "folk (amateur) breeding," mentoring such renowned master breeders as V.N. Kraynov, E.G. Pavlovsky, and V.U. Kapelyushny. Kostrikin's scientific programs "Velikan" (The Giant) and "Rozovoe Oblako" (The Pink Cloud) laid a solid foundation for the development of modern amateur viticulture in Russia.

Over his forty-year scientific career, the researcher published around 200 papers and received more than 20 author's certificates and patents for inventions. In memory of the outstanding breeder, a large-berried pink table grape variety was named after him — "Pamyati Kostrikina" (In Memory of Kostrikin).