Ll. Shishov et al., A CLASSICAL HERITAGE IS ALWAYS VALID (ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEBIRTH OF KONONOVA,M.M.), Eurasian soil science, 31(7), 1998, pp. 700-710
The paper elucidates the main stages of the scientific, organizational
, social, and international activities of Professor M.M. Kononova, who
devoted more than fifty years to the study of soil organic matter. Th
e most important works that were performed in the laboratory of bioche
mistry and biology of soils under her supervision are described. The p
roblems of the biochemistry of humus formation, the nature and composi
tion of humic substances and their role in soil fertility, the interac
tion between humic substances and the mineral mass of soil, and the tr
ansformation of the humus status of soils under agricultural use and a
melioration are discussed. It is demonstrated that the methodology dev
eloped by Kononova and the knowledge gained by her together with her d
isciples are of fundamental importance for solving the modern problems
of soil conservation and for the preservation of ecological balance i
n the biosphere.