Nicolai Ivanovich Vavilov made significant contributions to the field of modern plant genetics. His identification of plant centers of origin, and the relationship between cultivated plants and their wild cousins, revolutionized the means by which scientists evaluate plant populations. Devoting a great deal of his career to the cause of agricultural improvement, he was a consummate traveler, fervent researcher, and a passionate advocate of the practical application of genetic research.

Vavilov was born in Moscow. He studied genetics at Cambridge and the John Innes Horticultural Institution in London under the direction of William Bateson (1861-1926). He returned to Russia and took a position as a professor of botany at the University of Saratov. In 1921, he left the university to work for the government and became director of the Bureau of Applied Botany in St. Petersburg. His next position was as director of the All--Union V.I. Lenin Academy...