Vavilov Maps the Centers of Crop Plant Origin

Soviet botanist Nikolai Vavilov published his theory identifying geographic centers where cultivated crop species originated, based on regions showing maximum genetic diversity among wild relatives. Drawing on expeditions across more than 50 countries, Vavilov initially proposed five centers, later expanding to eight. His collection of over 250,000 seed samples became one of the largest plant genetic repositories assembled. Vavilov was later arrested under Lysenko's influence and died of starvation in a Soviet prison in 1943.