HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sergey Pavlovich Kravkov (
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
: ; 21 June 1873 – 12 August 1938) was a
soil scientist Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation t ...
and
agricultural chemist Agricultural chemistry is the chemistry, especially organic chemistry and biochemistry, as they relate to agriculture. Agricultural chemistry embraces the structures and chemical reactions relevant in the production, protection, and use of crops ...
. He lived in the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union.


Biography

Sergey Pavlovich Kravkov was born 21 June 1873 in
Ryazan Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...
in the family of a non-commissioned officer Pavel Alexeyevich Kravkov (1826-1910), who served as a senior clerk in the office of the Chief Enlistment Officer of the
Ryazan Governorate Ryazan Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 to 1929. Its capital was in Ryazan. Administrative division Ryazan Governorate consisted of the follo ...
. According to the family legend, the scientist's mother Evdokia (Avdotia) Ivanovna (1834-1891), before wedding a "
Kaluga Kaluga (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia. It stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Its population was 337,058 at the 2021 census. Kaluga's most famous residen ...
petty bourgeois ''Petite bourgeoisie'' (, ; also anglicised as petty bourgeoisie) is a term that refers to a social class composed of small business owners, shopkeepers, small-scale merchants, semi-autonomous peasants, and artisans. They are named as such ...
", was an illegitimate daughter of
Konstantin Kavelin Konstantin Dmitrievich Kavelin (; November 4, 1818 – May 5, 1885) was a Russian historian, jurist, and sociologist, sometimes called the chief architect of early Russian liberalism. Born in Saint Petersburg into an old noble family, Kavelin ...
(1818-1885), a famous Russian historian, jurist and sociologist, one of the ideologists of
Russian liberalism Within Russian political parties, liberal parties advocate the expansion of political and civil freedoms and mostly oppose Vladimir Putin. In Russia, the term " liberal" can refer to wide range of politicians, from the centre-right and propone ...
at the age of the reforms of Alexander II. In 1882-1892 Sergey Kravkov attended the First
Ryazan Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...
Gymnasium. In 1892-1896 he went on to study at the Natural Science Department of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the Imperial Saint Petersburg University. The future scientist's graduation thesis "On the crop rotation" was awarded a gold medal. After the graduation Sergey Kravkov remained at the Agronomy Chair of the Imperial Saint Petersburg University where he worked under the guidance of Professor Sovetov. In 1898 his first scientific work "" (On the effect of electrostatic charging of soil on the processes going on in it) was published. In 1898 Sergey Kravkov carried on geobotanical researches in the Derkul steppe in
Kharkov Governorate Kharkov Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. From 1765 to 1780 and from 1796 to 1835 the governorate was called Sloboda Uk ...
. Their results were published in the "" (Works of the Free Economic Society) and the "" (Agricultural newspaper). The years from 1898 to 1900 Sergey Kravkov spent in practical trainings abroad (
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
). After that he had headed for two years a research farm of the Agricultural Institute of
Nowa Aleksandria ''Nowa Aleksandria'' is the only studio album by Polish band Siekiera. It was released in 1986, through the record label Tonpress. The album marks a departure from the band's punk rock sound in favour of the coldwave and darkwave genres. Althoug ...
(now
Puławy Puławy (, also written Pulawy) is a city in eastern Poland, in Lesser Poland's Lublin Voivodeship, at the confluence of the Vistula and Kurówka River, Kurówka Rivers. Puławy is the capital of Puławy County. The city's 2019 population was Cen ...
in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
). In these years the scientist gained wide practical and agronomical experience. Since 1901 Kravkov prelected general agronomics at the Professor Stebut's Agricultural Courses for Women. The years from 1903 to 1904 Sergey Kravkov also spent abroad. He worked in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
under the guidance of Professor Ramann, studied the products of decomposition of organic substances. In 1904 Sergey Kravkov returned to the Imperial Saint Petersburg University, passed master's exams and was elected a privatdocent to deliver lectures on chemical and biological processes in soil. Also in 1906-1909 Kravkov worked at the experimental forest district of Veliko-Anadol, studying the problem of drying up of forests in the steppe. In 1908 he became one of the founders of the Agricultural Institute at
Kamenny Island Kamenny Islands (, ''Kamenny Ostrova'', meaning 'Stony Islands') are a group of three islands in the Neva delta, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Geography The three islands are flat. They are divided by channels and have bridges connecting each oth ...
in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
. In 1908 Sergey Kravkov defended the master's thesis "" (Materials on the study of the processes of decomposition of vegetal remains in soil) at the Imperial Kazan University. In 1909 he was elected associate professor of agronomy at the Imperial Saint Petersburg University. He was in charge of a compulsory course "Soil science and agrochemistry". In 1912 Sergey Kravkov defended the Doctor's thesis "" (Study on the role of dead plant remains in soil) at the Imperial University of Yuryev (now the
Tartu University The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a Public university, public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
), examining in it the processes of transformation of organic substances. He became the fourth Doctor of Agronomy in
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. At the same time Kravkov was elected the Head of the Agronomy Chair of the Imperial Saint Petersburg University and held this position till his death in 1938. Under Kravkov's guidance intensive experimental works on the problems of humus formation and soil chemistry were carried on. The problem of
humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...
formation had remained the main theme of the scientist's investigations for his whole life. Kravkov was the first to pay attention to the fact that the soil is an element that is constantly gradually changing and is not in a state of fixed chemical balance. Developing the ideas of
Vasily Dokuchaev Vasily Vasilyevich Dokuchaev (; 1 March 1846 – 8 November 1903) was a Russian geologist and geographer who is credited with laying the foundations of soil science. The Ukrainian city of Dokuchaievsk is named after him. Overview V ...
, Sergey Kravkov appealed to permanent systematic studies of soil horizons, qualifying the dynamics of soil processes as "the life of soil". He organized observations of dynamics of soil processes. After the
October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...
of 1917 Sergey Kravkov joined the preparation of agronomy staff for the needs of the economy of a new state. In 1922 the scientist was one of those who took part in the foundation of an independent Chair of Experimental Soil Science at the Petrograd State University. In 1921-1925 Kravkov headed the Department of Applied Soil Science at the North-West Regional Agricultural Experimental Station. Since 1926 he took an active part in the work of the State Institute of Experimental Agronomy. In 1927 Sergey Kravkov was one of the members of the Soviet delegation that took part in the First International Congress of Soil Science in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
He also participated in the work of the Second International Congress of Soil Science that took place in
Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
and
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
in 1930. When in 1932 the Kirov Higher Communist School of Agriculture was founded in
Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
Sergey Kravkov was invited to head its Chair of General Agriculture and to deliver lectures on soil science. In 1934 Sergey Kravkov was awarded a scientific rank of
Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...
in
Geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...
. On 10 November 1934 the decision of the Presidium of the
All-Russian Central Executive Committee The All-Russian Central Executive Committee () was (June – November 1917) a permanent body formed by the First All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies (held from June 16 to July 7, 1917 in Petrograd), then became the ...
gave him a title of Honoured Scientist of the RSFSR. Sergey Pavlovich Kravkov died in
Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
on 12 August 1938. He was buried at Smolenskoye Cemetery. Kravkov's research work extended and deepenedthe scientific insight on the
soil formation Soil formation, also known as pedogenesis, is the process of soil genesis as regulated by the effects of place, environment, and history. Biogeochemical processes act to both create and destroy order ( anisotropy) within soils. These alteration ...
processes, contributed to the wide spread of the idea of dynamism of all soil phenomena. His work was continued by a number of talented disciples – the Soviet soil scientists.


Family

In 1909 Sergey Kravkov married an artist Mariya Mikhailovna Buraya (1861-?). He educated a stepdaughter Mariya. The scientist's elder brothers were Vasily Kravkov (1859-1920), army medical officer of high rank, author of memories about
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
and
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, and
Nikolai Kravkov Nikolai Pavlovich Kravkov (in Russian Николай Павлович Кравков) was a prominent Russian pharmacologist, Full Member of the Imperial Military Medical Academy (1914), Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Science (1 ...
(1865-1924), a prominent pharmacologist.


Memory

By the resolution of the Presidium of the
Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR The Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR, later the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, was the supreme government institution of the Russian SFSR from 1938 to 1990; between 1990 and 1993, it was a permanent legislature (parliament), elected ...
in 1939, the Laboratory of Experimental Soil Science of the
Leningrad State University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...
was named after Sergey Pavlovich Kravkov.


Selected bibliography (English, French, German)

* Kravkov S. /S. Kravkoff. - St. Petersbourg, s.a. * Kravkov S. /S. Krawkow. – Sankt Petersburg, s.a. * Kravkov S. St. Petersbourg: impr. de M. M. Stasioulevitch, 1911 * Kravkov S. P. "Achievements of Russian science in the field of agricultural pedology." Leningrad, Office of the Academy of Sciences, of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Russian pedological investigaqtions. IX, 1927 – 27 p. * Kravkov S. P. "Producing powers of soils in the USSR" // Proceedings and papers of the Second International Congress of Soil Science (Leningrad-Moscow, USSR, July 20–31, 1930). Vol. IV. State publishing house of agricultural, cooperative and collective farm literature (Selkolkhozgis), Moscow, 1932 – pp. 145–152 * ''The Earth's crust.'' (Editor S. P. Kravkoff) Leningrad-Moscou, , 1935 – 192 p. * Kravkov S.P. "Materials for studying decomposition processes of plant remains in soil" // Bio- and agrochemistry of soil processes. Leningrad: Nauka, 1978 – pp. 67–102 * Kravkov S.P. "Studying of the dead vegetation cover role in soil formation" // Bio- and agrochemistry of soil processes. Leningrad: Nauka, 1978 – pp. 103–127


References

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kravkov, Sergey Pavlovich 1873 births 1938 deaths People from Ryazan Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Soil scientists from the Russian Empire Soviet soil scientists Soviet agronomists Soviet chemists