Agricultural science in the Soviet Union in 1945-1965

Abstract

The law on the five-year plan for the restoration and development of the national economy of the USSR for 1946-50 provided for a significant increase in the volume of agricultural machinery. It was necessary to introduce into agricultural production new high-performance tractors, self-propelled combines, mounted machines with hydraulic control, specialized machines for technical, tilled, forage crops. (Research purpose) The research purpose is in analyzing the achievements of agricultural engineering science in the USSR in 1945-1965. (Materials and methods) Author studied the history of agricultural engineering science development in the USSR in the post-war period on the basis of archival materials and scientific literature. The sources have shown that the creation of new agricultural machinery required the development of research methods, new more effective technologies for design work and the consolidation of efforts of agricultural engineering science, testers and manufacturers of equipment. (Results and discussion) The article presents an analysis of the development of scientific research and technical developments aimed at improving agricultural technologies and agricultural machinery, and intensifying agricultural production. Author have found regional specialized research institutes, specialized design bureaus, and zonal machine-testing stations were established during the period under review. The article notes that the Department of Mechanization of the All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences has been significantly strengthened. A crucial role in the development of agricultural engineering science played the leading research institutions in the country, the All-Union Scientific and Research Institute of Mechanization of Agriculture, All-Union Institute of Electrification of Agriculture, All-Union Scientific and Research Technological Institute of Repair and Operation of Machine and Tractor Park, Research Tractor Institute and the National Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Agricultural Universities - Moscow, Azov-black sea, Chelyabinsk, Kharkiv institutes of agricultural mechanization, Rostov and Kirovograd institutes of agricultural engineering. (Conclusions) Thanks to the efforts of academic and university scientists, designers and testers, the latest agricultural machines and equipment were created, the introduction of which made it possible to fully meet the country's needs for food and agricultural raw materials.