ANDRIY PETROVYCH KRUGLYAK – FAMOUS SCIENTIST AND PRACTITIONER IN THE FIELD OF SELECTION AND REPRODUCTION OF FARM ANIMALS
Authors: Gladiy M. V. , Kovtun S. I. , Porkhun M. G. 
Published: January 2022

On December 20, 2021, Andriy Petrovich Kruglyak, a well-known scientist and leading researcher of the Department of Cattle Breeding of the Institute of Animal Breeding nd. a. M.V.Zubets of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, will turn 80 years old. The jubilee was born in the village of Kupchyntsi, Illinetsky district, Vinnytsia region, into a peasant family. In 1962 he graduated from the Illinetsky Agricultural Technical School, worked as a zootechnician-manager of a cattle farm of the Kamyanogirsky sugar factory of the Illinetsky district of the Vinnytsia region.

After serving in the Soviet Army he studied at the Ukrainian Agricultural Academy: 1965–1970 – a student of the Faculty of Zootechnics, 1970–1972 – an intern at the Department of Farm Animal Breeding, where he worked under the guidance of Professors I. V. Smirnov and M. A. Kravchenko, 1972–1974 – graduate student of the Ukrainian Agricultural Academy.

In 1974 he defended his dissertation "Age features of the reproductive capacity of bulls in connection with the types of higher nervous activity" in the specialty 06.02.01 – breeding and selection of farm animals. He was awarded the title of senior researcher in 1980.

1974–1976 – senior researcher at the Central Research Station for Artificial Insemination of Farm Animals. Since 1976, the scientific activity of A. P. Kruglyak is connected with the Ukrainian Research Institute of Breeding and Artificial Insemination of Cattle (now the Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics nd. a. M.V.Zubets NAAS of Ukraine), where he holds the position of senior researcher, head of the laboratory for reproduction of farm animals, and since 1996 – the laboratory for breeding red-white cattle and gene pool of breeds (now the department of Selection of Cattle).

The scientific's research is aimed at further development of the breed process through the effective use of the world's best gene pool and improver breeders of domestic breeds, improvement of biotechnology methods for reproduction of farm animals and conservation of genetic resources of farm animals.

On the initiative of A. P. Kruglyak in 1975, as a basis for the accelerated breeding of domestic dairy and beef breeds, technological and organizational method of conservation and rational use of local and endangered domestic breeds, the Bank of Genetic Resources of Cattle at the Ukrainian Research Institute of Breeding and Artificial Insemination of Cattle (t-n Brovary) was created, which concentrated the genetic material of prominent bulls of 50 breeds and breed combinations of the world. The operation of this bank has ensured the accelerated breeding of dairy and beef breeds of cattle in Ukraine through the effective use of the best world gene pool of specialized breeds on all improved breeds of the country as a whole and preservation of local gene pool of local Gray Ukrainian and White-headed Ukrainian breeds.Due to the accelerated implementation of scientific developments of scientists of the institute in selection using genetic material of the gene pool bank, at the personal request of A. P. Kruglyak, the bank of genetic resources was awarded the status of National Heritage (order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from August 19, 2002 № 472-r.).

With the consent of NAAS and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine in 2003–2007, A. P. Kruglyak headed the selection center "Genetic Resources". With his direct participation, the best in Europe breeding and technological center in cattle breeding has been built and the selection work, of which is aimed at improving dairy and beef breeds of cattle, was organized.

From 2007 to 2011 he worked as a leading researcher at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, and from 2014 to the present – a leading researcher at the Department of Cattle Breeding of the Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics nd. a. M.V.Zubets NAAS of Ukraine.

Andriy Petrovich is a co-author of the first domestic specialized dairy – Ukrainian Red-and-White dairy breed, its central, Carpathian intrabreed, Kyiv and Bukovyna factory types and 10th factory bloodlines.

Dairy productivity of cows of the active part of the population for 305 days of the last completed lactation in 2020 was 7174 kg, and in the 12 best herds – 10.0–12.0 thousand kg, which corresponds to the level of productivity of cows in the most developed countries. During the last 10, creative collective of Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics nd. a. М.V.Zubets of NAAS of Ukraine and specialists of breeding plants of experience economies of NAAS of Ukraine state plant "Khrystynivske", "Nyva", "Hontarivka, the own plant "Agroecologija", LTD plant "Krok-Ukrzalizbud", LTD plant "Kolos", "Bohdanivske", breeding enterprises LTD plant "The Genetic resources", LTD "The Ukrainian genetic company", JSC "Poltavaplemservis" and PSC SPC "Progress", under scientifically-methodical guidance of Andriy Petrovich works on the leadingout of new high-performance protein- fet- dairy Leader 1926780 bloodline in the Ukrainian Red-and-White Dairy breed, that now ratified Ministry development economy, trade, and agriculture (order № 2121 from 06.01.2021) as a breeding achievement in stock-breeding.

He has prepared a number of original works on biotechnology of cattle breeding: is a co-author of recommendations for breeding, use and evaluation of bulls in complexes, instructions for grading cattle of dairy and dairy-beef breeds, artificial insemination of farm animals, developed a two-stage method of sperm thawing, long-term storage of thawed bull semen and native boar semen at positive temperatures, using the method of hypobiosis, developed and implemented at the Institute of Fisher Economy of NAAS of Ukraine method of freezing fisher gamets.

A. P.Kruglyak's scientific achievements include more than 370 publications, including monographs, programs on breeding new breeds and types of cattle, reproduction of farm animals and preservation of the gene pool of breeds, sire catalogs, state books of breeding animals of cattle, articles in collections and periodicals, abstracts of reports, etc. Scientific achievements are protected by 17 copyright certificates and patents.

Andriy Petrovich is a co-executor of international projects on selection and reproduction of animals, which were carried out together with scientists and practitioners from Canada, the USA, Switzerland and Poland.A. P. Kruglyak has long been a member of the Scientific and Technical Council of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine and the Academic Council of the Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics nd. a. M.V.Zubets NAAS of Ukraine, a member of the editorial board of the scientific collection "Animal Breeding and Genetics" (1991–2006).

Under the leadership of A. P. Kruglyak, 4 candidates of agricultural sciences, 16 graduates of the zootechnical faculty of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and more than 2,000 livestock specialists were trained. For the last 40 years he has been giving a course of lectures on selection and biotechnology of reproduction of farm animals at the School of Advanced Training of Livestock Specialists (t-n. Brovary).

In 1993, A. P. Kruglyak was awarded the State Prize of Ukraine in the field of science and technology for the development of methods and breeding of the Ukrainian Red-and-White Dairy breed of cattle.

By the decision of the Presidium of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine A. P. Kruglyak was awarded a memorable anniversary medal "100 years of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine". The Presidium of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine and the staff of the Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics nd. a. M.V.Zubets NAAS of Ukraine sincerely congratulate dear Andriy Petrovich and wish him good health, creative longevity and further success in the scientific field!