National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

KUPREVICH Vasily Feofilovich

KUPREVICH Vasily Feofilovich
7th President of the NAS of Belarus

Vasily Feofilovich Kuprevich (24.01.1897, v. Klenniki, Smolevichi district, Minsk region – 17.03.1969), botanist, statesman and public figure. Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (1952), Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1953), Doctor of Biological Sciences (1942), Professor (1950). Hero of Socialist Labor (1969). Honored Scientist of the BSSR (1967). Member of the Great October Socialist Revolution.

— Graduated from the Institute for Advanced Studies of the personnel of public education in Moscow (1931).
— In 1934-1938 - Senior Researcher of the Institute of Biological Sciences of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR, in 1938-1949 - Head of the laboratory, in 1949-1952 - Director of the Botanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
— In 1952-1969 - President of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR, at the same time since 1953 - Head of the Department of the Institute of Biology of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR; since 1958 - Head of the Department of Physiology and Systematics of Lower Plants of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR.
— In 1954-1969 - Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, in 1951-1955 - Deputy of the Supreme Council of the BSSR. Chief Editor of the journal "Reports of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR" (1952-1969), "Mycology and Phytopathology" (1967-1969) and "Botanical Journal" (1959–1966).

Work on the physiology of the sick plant, the systematics of fungi, soil enzymology. He discovered extracellular secretion of enzymes in obligate parasites and put forward a hypothesis about the progressive reduction and specialization of the enzyme apparatus of parasitic fungi in the process of their evolution. For the first time he proved that plants can assimilate carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, which enters the root system with water from the soil. He discovered extracellular enzymes secreted by the tips of the roots of higher plants, and this proved the possibility of heterotrophic nutrition of higher plants in natural conditions. He justified the possibility of using the activity of soil enzymes as an indicator of the biological activity of the soil. Launched a new direction in the study of soil - soil enzymology.

Published more than 100 scientific papers, incl. 7 monographs.

Awarded with the Order of Lenin (1967, 1969), the Labor Red Banner (1957), the Badge of Honor (1953), and medals. The Institute of Experimental Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus is named after him.

Major papers:

  1. Научные труды. Т. 1-4. Мн.: Наука и техника, 1971-1974.
  2. Физиология больного растения в связи с общими вопросами паразитизма. М.; Л.: Изд-во АН СССР, 1947.
  3. Почвенная энзимология. Мн.: Наука и техника, 1966 (совм. с Т.А. Щербаковой).