Aleksey Iulianovich Lobik was born in Krondshtadt (Russia) on 5 March 1888 in the family of a military official - native of Belorussia. A.I. Lobik studied in Yuryev (Derpt), then at Novgorod gymnasium. After finishing the gymnasium in 1908 he entered Natural Sciences Department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St Petersburg University. In 1912-1913 A.I. Lobik was a secretary of student's botanical circle directed by senior lecturer V.L. Komarov. In 1914 A.I. Lobik graduated from the University.
This page is a brief synopsis of an article about A.I. Lobik (to 80th anniversary of birth) written by V.F. Kuprevich Mycology & Phytopathology 2 (5): 443-446, 1968.
In 1912 A.I. Lobik began to work as a trainee in phytopathology at the Central Phytopathological Station of the Department of Agriculture attached to St Petersburg Botanical Garden. Simultaneously he worked with algae at the Department of Cryptogamic Plants of St Petersburg Botanical Garden.
In 1912-1914 A.I. Lobik carried on phytopathological and mycological inspections in Pskov, Ufa and Perm provinces. In 1915 he and B.P. Karakulin studied harmfulness of clover diseases in former Riazan province. On the basis of these investigations A.I. Lobik came to conclusion (which was subsequently proved) about rust favourable influence on the yield of clover.
In November 1915 A.I. Lobik moved to Tiflis, where he got an appointment of the assistant in plant pathology and simultaneously the head of mycological laboratory of the Botanical Garden. In 1916 A.I. Lobik was mobilized to Army, but, as a botanist was sent to the Caucasus at disposal of the Board of Medical Unit for inspection and organization of collecting, storage and cultivation of medicinal herbs for Army needs. In 1918-1921 A.I. Lobik headed the Station of Medicinal Herbs, created on his initiative at Nothern Caucasus. In March 1922 A.I. Lobik moved to Yessentuki where, at the suggestion of the People's Commissariat of Agriculture, he organized Tersk Station of Plant Protection. Being the head of the Station in 1922-1929 A.I. Lobik studied mycoflora of Northern Caucasus and guided phytopathological investigations.
At that period A.I. Lobik published 35 works, devoted to questions of plant protection, in particular - the elaboration of fighting measures against smut of cereals ????????, diseases of vine and other crops. Mycological investigations of that time were summarized in publications (1928), where fungi flora of the region listed 1295 species, including 157 new forms.
Since January 1929 till March 1933 A.I. Lobik headed Department of Phytopathology of the Territory Station of Plant Protection in Rostov-na-Donu, since 1933 till 1937 - the Department of Phytopathology of the All-Union Science-Research Institute of Subtropical Orcharding in Sukhumi (AUSRISO). Simultaneously he was a lecturer at Higher Educational Institute of Subtropical Crops. Because of reorganization of AUSRISO and liquidation of the Educational Institute in September 1937, he went to Kirovabad, where held an appointment of the head of the Chair of Entomology and Phytopathology of Azerbaijan Agricultural Institute. He worked there till 1946. Since February 1946 A.I. Lobik headed the Department of Plant Protection of the All-Union Science-Research Institute of Dry Subtropics in Stalinabad (Dushanbe) and simultaneously - the Chair of Plant Protection of Stalinabad Agricultural Institute. At the same year during the expedition to Turkmenia and southern regions of Tanzhikistan, A.I. Lobik acquired the hard brain disease, which entailed his death. A.I. Lobik died at Dushambe on 7 January 1947.
Scientific activity of A.I. Lobik started in 1912 with works on algology, but since 1914 and till the end of his life A.I. Lobik concentrated on investigation of mycoflora and diseases of plants of the Caucasus. During the period since 1913 till 1947 A.I. Lobik wrote more then 100 scientific and popular scientific works, including 78 ones published in central and local press organs and as a separate editions.
A.I. Lobik was very active mycologist and phytopathologist. He described about 200 new species of parasitic micromycetes, predominantly from the group of Imperfect fungi.
Lists. Taxa. Kirk & Ansell form of name: Lobik.