In 1941, Nikolai Vavilov was imprisoned just after his election as President of the International Congress on Genetics. How could a prominent Russian geneticist and plant explorer simultaneously earn distinction and animosity? This is directly answered by Stalin using Vavilov as a scapegoat for the failure of collective farming, declining yields, and continued famine. Not as apparent is that Vavilov's defamation was made easier because of four scientific and managerial challenges, not previously noted explicitly, which aided Stalin's accusations. These include: (a) clarifying the time required for crop improvement and new varieties, (b) authorizing continued support for germplasm investments that would benefit countries other than Russia alone, (c) lacking yield‐enhancing genes for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and, (d) politicizing the term of his directorship, thus detracting from its impact. Stalin exploited these challenges to demean Vavilov while advancing Trofim Lysenko, setting Russian agricultural back for 25 years. Commemorating Vavilov not only restores honor and meaning to his life but also reminds society of the central nature of agriculture, the scientific integrity required to ensure food security, and the resources required to preserve genetic diversity.

中文翻译：

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各种各样的时间表和领导挑战影响了尼古拉·伊万诺维奇·瓦维洛夫（Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov）的遗产

1941年，尼古拉·瓦维洛夫刚刚当选为遗传学国际大会主席后被监禁。一位著名的俄罗斯遗传学家和植物探索者如何才能同时赢得与众不同的敌意？斯大林直接利用瓦维洛夫作为集体耕作失败，单产下降和持续饥荒的替罪羊直接回答了这一问题。由于四个科学和管理方面的挑战（以前没有明确指出）帮助了斯大林的指责，因此瓦维洛夫的诽谤变得更容易了。这些措施包括：（a）明确作物改良和新品种所需的时间，（b）授权继续支持种质资源投资，这将使仅俄罗斯以外的国家受益；（c）缺乏小麦增产基因（Triticum aestivum）L.），以及（d）将其董事任期政治化，从而削弱其影响力。斯大林在推进特罗菲姆·里森科（Trofim Lysenko）的同时，利用这些挑战来贬低瓦维洛夫（Vavilov），使俄罗斯农业倒退了25年。纪念瓦维洛夫不仅恢复了生命的荣誉和意义，而且使社会回想起农业的中心性质，确保粮食安全所需的科学完整性以及维护遗传多样性所需的资源。