Agricultural Biology

Agricultural Biology (Russian: «Сельскохозяйственная биология», transliterated Sel'skokhozyaistvennaya biologiya) is a Russian scientific journal dedicated to fundamental and applied research in the biology of agricultural plants, animals, and microorganisms. It was established in 1935 as a scientific-theoretical periodical and is published by the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences (RAASN). The journal appears six times per year and is the only Russian academic publication fully devoted to the biology of agricultural organisms. It publishes original research, reviews, and methodological articles on genetics, breeding, microbiology, biochemistry, biophysics, physiology, virology, and related fields. The journal is included in the Russian Higher Attestation Commission (VAK) list of leading peer-reviewed journals for the publication of doctoral and candidate dissertation results in agronomy, forestry, animal science, veterinary specialties, and since 2007 also in biological sciences. It is indexed in Scopus, BIOSIS Previews, Biological Abstracts (Web of Science Clarivate Analytics), and the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI), and has a high impact factor in the Russian Science Citation Index (RINC/eLibrary) for its subject area. The journal follows COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) principles. It publishes a Russian print edition (ISSN 0131-6397), a Russian online edition (ISSN 2313-4836), and an English online edition (ISSN 2412-0324) since 2015. The English version is freely available on the journal's website without embargo, while the Russian online full-text articles have an embargo of 3–4 months. Since 2015, volume numbering was resumed after not being used from 1983 to 2014. The journal's editorial office is located in Moscow, Russia.

The journal was established in 1935 under the name «Яровизация» (Yarovizatsiya, meaning "Vernalization"). It was published under this title from 1935 to 1941. During World War II, from 1941 to 1945, the journal was not published. In 1946, it resumed under the name «Агробиология» (Agrobiology) and continued under that title until 1965. During this period, the journal was completely controlled by Trofim Lysenko, who served as its permanent editor-in-chief, along with his closest associates and followers who acted as deputy editors and secretaries of the editorial board (I. I. Prezent, I. E. Glushchenko, I. S. Varuntsyan, F. A. Dvoryankin, I. A. Khalifman). Even after an editorial board was introduced in 1954, it consisted entirely of Lysenkoists. According to an estimate by A. Kupriyanov, the incomplete list of authors of "Yarovizatsiya" articles numbers about four hundred people, while that of "Agrobiology" exceeds two thousand. In the late 1940s and 1960s, as supporters of Michurinist agrobiology began to engage in "creative interpretation" of molecular biology achievements, the journal started publishing translations of articles and excerpts from books by classics of genetics, as well as authorized and unauthorized translations of articles on the role of DNA in pneumococcal transformation by foreign scientists such as O. T. Avery, C. M. MacLeod, and M. McCarty, and several texts by E. Chargaff. A critical review by C. Auerbach of the English edition of N. P. Dubinin's "Radiation Genetics" was also published as part of the polemic. The journal published speeches by Joseph Stalin on issues not directly related to biology, as well as official documents. A large number of articles on soil microbiology also appeared in its pages. The initial print run of the journal was 5,000 copies, although it soon reached around 12,000–13,000. In 1939, when T. D. Lysenko was elected a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the print run had grown to 20,000 copies. At the same time, an interesting feature emerged: whereas in previous years the last pages of issues contained apologies to readers who might not have received a copy, after the print run expanded the editorial board was forced to place advertisements for the sale of surplus copies. By the beginning of 1940, the print run had fallen to 13,000–14,000, which may have corresponded to the number of subscribers and readers. In the post-war years, print runs mostly fluctuated between 8,000 and 12,000 copies. In 1966, the journal was renamed «Сельскохозяйственная биология» (Agricultural Biology). Its frequency was six times per year. In 1975, the print run was 7,500 copies. The journal covered "the latest achievements in the field of genetics and breeding of plants and agricultural animals, microbiology, biochemistry, biophysics, physiology, virology, and other branches of biological science." After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the journal continued to be published in Russia. It is currently published by the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences (RAASN). Since 2015, the journal resumed volume numbering, which had not been used from 1983 to 2014 in accordance with national publishing standards. An English online edition (ISSN 2412-0324) was launched in 2015. The journal is included in the VAK list of leading peer-reviewed scientific journals and publications in the Russian Federation for the publication of main results of dissertations for the degrees of doctor and candidate of sciences (in agronomy and forestry, in zootechnical and veterinary specialties, and since 2007 also in biological sciences). The journal follows COPE principles. It is indexed in Scopus, BIOSIS Previews, Biological Abstracts (Web of Science Clarivate Analytics), and the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI). The journal's editorial office is located in Moscow, Russia.

• 2015

  Volume numbering resumed; English online edition (ISSN 2412-0324) launched.

• 2007

  Journal included in the VAK list for biological sciences.

• 1983

  Volume numbering discontinued in accordance with national publishing standards.

• 1975

  Print run was 7,500 copies.

• 1966

  Journal renamed «Сельскохозяйственная биология» (Agricultural Biology).

• 1954

  Editorial board introduced, though still composed entirely of Lysenkoists.

• 1946

  Journal resumed under the name «Агробиология» (Agrobiology).

• 1941

  Publication suspended due to World War II.

• 1935

  Journal founded under the name «Яровизация» (Yarovizatsiya).

The only Russian academic journal fully dedicated to the biology of agricultural organisms, serving as a key publication venue for fundamental and applied research in agricultural biology.

• Russian print edition

  ISSN 0131-6397

• Russian online edition

  ISSN 2313-4836, embargo 3-4 months

• English online edition

  ISSN 2412-0324, published since 2015, no embargo

1. 1«Сельскохозяйственная биология»: Главнаяagrobiology.ru
2. 2«Сельскохозяйственная биология»: О журналеagrobiology.ru
3. 3Wikidata: Agricultural Biologywikidata.org
4. 4Wikipedia (Russian): Сельскохозяйственная биологияru.wikipedia.org