SERGI NIKOLAIEVICH WINOGRADSKY

SERGI NIKOLAIEVICH WINOGRADSKY

·       Sergi Winogradsky was a Russian Microbiologist, Ecologist and Soil Scientist.

·       Sergi Winogradsky discovered

ü Microorganisms involved in Nitrogen cycle, Carbon cycle and Sulfur cycle (Biogeochemical cycle).

ü  Microorganisms (Nitrosomonas sp. and Nitrosococcus sp. now known as Nitrobacter sp.) responsible for Nitrification process (transformation of Ammonia to Nitrite) in soil.

ü  Sulfur oxidizing bacteria

ü  Iron oxidizing bacteria

ü  Lithotrophic nutrition in the bacteria Beggiatoa sp.

ü  Chemosynthesis – an entirely new mode of life, in which the energy to build organic molecules comes from chemical reactions rather than from sunlight in the more familiar photosynthesis.

ü Anaerobic nitrogen fixing bacterium Clostridium pasteurianum and cellulose decomposition.

ü  Cellulose decomposing bacteria

·   Invented Winogradsky’s column - A closed column inside which a diverse microbial community is cultured.

·       Martinus Beijerinck made major contributions to Microbiology by developing the “Enrichment Culture Technique”, simultaneously with Sergey Winogradsky, which permits the isolation of highly specialized microorganisms. 

·       Father of Soil Microbiology, Father of Microbial Ecology and Father of Sulfur Microbiology.