Medvedev has ordered an investigation, but with the first plot of station land to go on the auction block on Sept. 23, scientists worry that a decision may come too late. “If we lose those lands . . . many kinds of plants will become extinct forever,’’ said Fyodor Mikhovich, head of Pavlovsk Agricultural Station.
The agricultural station is facing the loss of 225 acres on which it grows one of the world’s largest field collections of fruits and berries, including almost 1,000 types of strawberries from 40 countries, 300 varieties of cherries, and almost 900 kinds of black currants. It also has a rich variety of grasses and grains, though the institute’s larger grain fields are located elsewhere.
As many as 90 percent of the plants are no longer found anywhere else in the world. Most of them are old varieties no longer in use, but the Vavilov Institute maintains them in case they will be useful in the future for developing new varieties.
Moving the plants to other fields is not feasible, said Sergei Gandrabur, an agronomist at the station, as he looked out over sprawling strawberry fields last week. He said the plants might not survive being transplanted.
While the strawberries have already been harvested, the fruit is now ripening on long rows of plum, apple, and pear trees.
The federal fund that oversees residential housing construction won court approval this summer to take over the land, which it insists contains nothing of value. Fund spokesman Andrei Tikhonov said specialists visited the site several times and found nothing but weeds on one land plot and mowed grass on the other. “They probably do have this unique collection, but not on our land plots,’’ the spokesman said.
He said the agricultural station had petitioned three years ago to use the same land plots for housing development, but was denied. Tikhonov accused the station’s management of being motivated by its own commercial interests.
