Valery Ivanovich Ulyanishchev was born in Voronezh (Russia) in 1898. He showed an interest in fungi from the times of studying in gymnasium, when during summer holidays 1914-1915 he worked at Voronezh Station of Pest & Plant Diseases Control under the direction of famous Russian plant pathologist A.M. Sigriansky. After finishing secondary school, V.I. Ulyanishchev entered the Agronomical Faculty of Voronezh Agricultural Institute. After graduating from the Institute in 1924 he worked for some time at state farm near St Petersburg (Leningrad), and then got a job of laboratory assistant at Mycological Laboratory of the All-Union Institute of Plant Protection, which was headed by world-famed mycologist A.A. Yachevsky. Simultaneously with working at the Institute, V.I. Ulyanishchev decided to continue his education and entered the Academic Institute of Phytopathology & Zoology. In 1927 People's Commissariat of Agriculture of Azerbaijan made a request to A.A. Yachevsky to recommend one of his staff and progenies for investigation of cultural plants diseases agents and elaboration of fighting measures against them at the territory of Azerbaijan. A.A. Yachevsky sent on this assignment V.I. Ulyanishchev, who in 1927 on the basis of the Division of Plant Protection of People's Commissariat of Agriculture of Azerbaijan SSR founded the plant pathology laboratory. This laboratory was subsequently reorganized into the Station of Plant Protection. From the first months of his work at Azerbaijan, V.I. Ulyanishchev began to study fungi - agents of such widespread diseases as wilt and angular leaf spot of cotton-plant, stinking smut, diseases of vine and vegetables, and elaborated fighting measures against them. Just on his arrival to Azerbaijan, V.I. Ulyanishchev was invited as junior member of teaching staff to the Institute of Botany of Azerbaijan Agricultural Institute, where he worked till 1931. In order to reveal the most harmful for cotton-plant fungi V.I. Ulyanishchev organized the total mycological inspection of this crop on the territory of Azerbaijan by forth of students, which studied mycology and plant pathology. At the same period he investigated the resistance to wilt native varieties of cotton-plant, cultivated by the staff of Azerbaijan Selection Station. However the special attention V.I. Ulyanishchev paid to stem smut, the new for that times wheat disease on the USSR territory. He established the distribution range of stem smut in Azerbaijan, revealed the areas of the most harmfulness of pathogenic fungus - agent of this disease, described the presence of two races of pest (resided to soft and hard wheat) and suggested measures of restriction of this disease agent. On the basis of these investigations 1935 V.I. Ulyanishchev prepared and published the book on stem smut. These materials underlay the Ph.D. thesis of V.I. Ulyanishchev, which was defended in 1941. Simultaneously with investigation of stem smut V.I. Ulyanishchev collected and studied fungal agents of stinking smut and began to collect materials on pathogenic fungi, inhabiting native plants of Azerbaijan. He also studied species composition and biological peculiarities of pathogenic fungi - agents of the diseases of horticultural crops at Kubinsk district of Azerbaijan. At spring 1938 V.I. Ulyanishchev moved to the Institute of Botany of Azerbaijan SSR Academy of Sciences, where he worked till 1993 as a head of the Department of Lower Plants. Here, in the Academic Institute, V.I. Ulyanishchev continued his work on smut fungi, which at that time regarded as order Ustilaginales (now they are placed among the class Ustomycetes of section Basidiomycotina). Consentaneously with investigation of species diversity of smut fungi, parasitizing on wild vascular plants of Azerbaijan, V.I. Ulyanishchev studied the resistance of wheat varieties to stinking smut, determined the influence of sowing time, rotation of crops and other factors on the degree of affection. Much attention he paid to elaboration of fighting measures against fungus agent of this disease, in particular, to testing of effectiveness of different fungicides. Thoroughly studying morphology, biology and ecology of smut fungi, V.I. Ulyanishchev realized the necessity of writing the generalizing work devoted to this group, very important from the point of view both of biology and economy. Understanding that in future such generalizing works would be necessary to prepare on other groups of parasitic fungi, V.I. Ulyanishchev intended serial edition of "Mycoflora of Azerbaijan". In 1952 the monograph "Mycoflora of Azerbaijan. Smut fungi" was published as a first volume of this series. This monograph was defended by V.I. Ulyanishchev as a Doctoral thesis at the Botanical Institute of Academy of Sciences of the USSR (now BIN of Russian Academy of Sciences). This book was not a "Flora..." in its common intendment: it included results of long-term experimental investigations of biology of smut fungi, parasitizing mainly on cereals, as well as fighting measures against them elaborated by V.I. Ulyanishchev. ? 1952 ? V.I. Ulyanishchev got an academic status of Professor and this was completely righteously. He did not only carry out the enormous scientific work, but during 10 years (1946-1956) much time and energy devoted to teaching botany, mycology and plant pathology at Azerbaijan State University. But nevertheless the scientific work was on the first place in V.I. Ulyanishchev' life. In 1950-ies he concentrated on investigation of species composition of rust fungi (order Uredinales) of Azerbaijan. The wide experience of work with obligate-parasitic fungi, material on which was collected by V.I. Ulyanishchev and his numerous progenies since 1927, allowed him to prepare shortly two following volumes of "Mycoflora of Azerbaijan" (II and III volume in 2 parts) devoted to rust fungi (1959, 1960, 1962). In these volumes, besides of traditional for such editions identification keys, diagnoses and information on species of order Uredinales distribution in Azerbaijan, the reader could find the geographical analysis of uredinoflora of the region, numerous data on ecology and also recommended fighting measures against parasites of cultivated plants. Against the mycological literature available at that time in the USSR, three volumes of "Flora...", prepared and published by V.I. Ulyanishchev, were of great theoretical and practical value. So, they became the important contribution to the knowledge on fungi of key groups. That is why in 1964 for these books V.I. Ulyanishchev got the highest award in the USSR - the Lenin Prize. Academician M.V. Keldysh (President of the Academy of Sciences of the former USSR) wrote: "Investigations of V.I. Ulyanishchev on smut and rust fungi, which caused serious damage to agriculture, are of the great theoretical and practical significance for plant cultivation" (newspaper "Pravda", April, 25, 1964). At the same year in "Plant Protection" magazine (1964; ? 7) V.I. Ulyanishchev published small article, in which he imparted his plans. He set himself as one of the first tasks to prepare the next volume of "Mycoflora of Azerbaijan", devoted to peronospore fungi (order Peronosporales, section Oomycota). This volume was published in 1967. The book had a dedication: "I dedicate this work to my dear teacher - the Correspondent Member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Professor Artur Arturovich Yachevsky". After appearence of this book V.I. Ulyanishchev occupied the deserving place among the leading experts on peronosporales fungi. In general part of the book the data on species and taxonomic diversity of representatives of order Peronosporales from different countries of the world are presented. Here the vast material not only on Peronosporales of Azerbaijan, but the Caucasus as a whole is accumulated; new species, described on the basis of materials collected from the Caucasus, species developing on plants - endemic of the Caucasus and rare for the region species are presented. The distribution of Peronosporales according to altitudal zones and different biotopes, where host plants growing, is analyzed. But the most valuable from the theoretical point of view is analysis of geographical distribution of Peronosporales in comparison with the classification of ranges of plants of the Caucasian flora, proposed by ?.?. Grossgeim. V.I. Ulyanishchev did not content himself with using the already developed scheme of ?.?. Grossgeim, but suggested the original division of Peronosporales (according to their distribution all over the world) into 18 geographical elements (groups of areas). Among them Holarctic, Palearctic and European elements turned out the dominant by the number of species. In the special part of the book the descriptions of Peronosporales species are presented. The serious work on biometry preceded writing of this part: for each species length and width of 100 conidia and distribution of their parameters by dimensional groups are presented. This was especially important for species identification, when the limited number of morphological characteristics is available. This part of the book contains also many comments and annotations, which dealt with the peculiarities of distribution of certain species (according to altitude and biotopes), their inclination to certain type of range, affinity with related species and differences, which allow to regard the species as the separate. "Mycoflora of Azerbaijan. Peronosporales fungi" with dignity concluded the series planned by V.I. Ulyanishchev. The success of this serial work engendered the idea of identification guides of smut and rust fungi of the USSR creation. So, the "Guide for identification of smut fungi of the USSR" (1968) was brought out shortly after publishing the last volume of "Mycoflora of Azerbaijan". Henceforth V.I. Ulyanishchev for a long period returned to the work with rust fungi. In 1969 the famous Belarus mycologist and plant physiologist Academician V.F. Kuprevich suddenly died. Being the brilliant uredinologist, he actively created "Guide for identification of Uredinales fungi of the USSR", but, unfortunately, he had no time to complete this work. V.I. Ulyanishchev had to finish the first volume of this edition by himself (1975), and then he right away began to compile the second volume, which was published at the year of eightieth universary of V.I. Ulyanishchev (1978). Despite of considerable age, V.I. Ulyanishchev kept the bright intellect and good memory, was very energetic and active. During a long period of time he was the Chairman of Transcaucasian Council on Scientific Work on Plant Protection Coordination, knew perfectly mycologists and plant pathologists not only of Azerbaijan, but also of Armenia and Georgia. Obviously, that is why at the beginning of 1980s V.I. Ulyanishchev put forward the idea of joining the efforts of mycologists of these three countries and he became an initiator of writing "Guide for identification of fungi of Transcaucasia". In 1985 the first three volumes of this edition were published (including the guide for identification of Peronosporales fungi of Transcaucasia) and V.I. Ulyanishchev was the chief editor and the author of some parts of the book. Thus, V.I. Ulyanishchev accomplished a real scientific feat: in the course of his activity he wrote and published 80 papers on the problems of mycology, and more then 12 books devoted to the most important groups of obligatory parasitic fungi. He profoundly investigated fungi of orders Peronosporales, Uredinales and Ustilaginales. But for the end of his life he regretted that have not worked up one more order of obligate parasites - Erysiphales. Along with the outstanding Armenian mycologist S.A. Simonian in 1983 he published the paper on some problems of systematics of true mildew fungi, and at the beginning of 1990s (at the age over then 90) he informed about writing the keys for Erysiphales fungi identification. Because of political changes on the map of the former Soviet Union, which concerned almost every family of the country, the young generation of V.I. Ulyanishchev's family (grandchildren) has emigrated to the USA. V.I. Ulyanishchev stood aside for a long time, but in 1993, when his daughter and son-in-low decided to reunite with their children, he went with them. In the USA he died being 97 years old in 1996. Services of V.I. Ulyanishchev and his contribution to the mycology science of the former USSR, Russia, Azerbaijan and the Transcaucasia were highly appreciated. He was the Lenin Prize laureate and the Academician of Azerbaijan SSR Academy of Sciences. In 1974 he was given the title of Honoured Worker of Science of Azerbaijan SSR. V.I. Ulyanishchev was awarded also the Order of Lenin, the Order of Red Labour Banner, medals and diplomas. Biographies & obituaries. Anon. Микология и Фитопатология [Mycology & Phytopathology] 13: 439, 1976 [+ portrait]. Guseinov, E.S. Микология и Фитопатология [Mycology & Phytopathology] 31 (3): 92-93, 1997 [+ portrait]. Lists. Publications. Taxa. Kirk & Ansell form of name: Uljan.