Mikhail Stepanovich Voronin was born in St Petersburg on 21 June/July (2 July/August old calendar) 1838 in the family of rich merchant, which was subsequently ennobled. M.S. Voronin got excellent home education. One of his teachers was student N.G. Chernyshevsky (later on famous Russian writer). M.S. Voronin had a perfect command of three languages: French, German and English. In 1854 M.S. Voronin entered St Petersburg University (the Department of Natural Sciences). Young at that time L.S. Tsenkovsky stood out among Professors of the Department; he excited in M.S. Voronin the interest to investigation of lower plants, among which fungi were placed that time. In 1858 M.S. Voronin graduated from the University. According to recommendation of L.S. Tsenkovsky together with his mate A.S. Famintsyn went to probation to Freiburg University (Germany) to Professor de Bary. Although de Bary intensively investigated fungi, he suggested M.S. Voronin to study anatomical peculiarities of Calycanthus shrub. Just to this question the first scientific article of M.S. Voronin, published in the journal "Botanische Zeitung" (1860) was devoted. Later on friends were introduced to known algologist G. Ture. He proposed to M.S. Voronin to investigate phases of development of Mediterranean alga Acetabularia. M.S. Voronin thoroughly studied the ontogenesis of Acetabularia and demonstrated that it was the initial stage in the developmental cycle of other form of algae. As a result, the large experimental material was accumulated, which underlay Master dissertation of M.S. Voronin "Investigations of sea algae". M.S. Voronin successfully defended this work in St Petersburg University in May 1861.
Still working in Freiburg, M.S. Voronin decided to devote himself to investigation of fungi. After taking the Master's degree in botany M.S. Voronin refused from paying position at the University, because he did not want to be digressed from his scientific investigations. The means of his family allowed M.S. Voronin not only to subsist comfortably, but to established at home equipped scientific laboratory. In this laboratory he started the first investigation on fungi, dealt with bread mould (Monilia). The work turn out very complicated and M.S. Voronin became aware of necessity to consult with de Bary. In 1963 he went to Freiburg, where he worked with gusto on the peculiarities of moulds development. He studied in passing also some other fungi. His work was interrupted by sudden death of his father. M.S. Voronin had to return to St Petersburg. Then he continued the investigations and it helped to restore mental balance. After studying of ontogenesis of mucoraceous moulds on bread, M.S. Voronin decided to investigate the developmental cycle of typical representatives of different groups of fungi. His attention was attracted by Archimycetes, in particular representatives of the genus Synchytrium, parasitizing on vascular plants. The same group of fungi fell into the sphere of interests of de Bary. In the course of correspondence scientists agreed to carry on collaborative investigations.
At the same time M.S. Voronin took a great interest in another subject - tubercles on lupine roots. The thorough investigation allowed revealing the cause of these structures formation. On numerous microscopic sections it was observed, that cells of tubercles were filled with rod-like bacteria, which M.S. Voronin called "root nodule bacteria ". Under experiment M.S. Voronin demonstrated the possibility of artificial inoculation of lupine roots, and then also roots of alder-tree, by nodule bacteria. He came to the conclusion that bacteria, like fungi, could cause disease of plants. This M.S. Voronin's statement became the basis for teaching on bacterial diseases of plants, which was developed in XX century.
But at least the eagerness to fungi had its effect. Resting in outskirts of St Petersburg along with his family M.S. Voronin often made excursions in nearby forests. During one of these excursions he noticed red spots on upper side of some leaves of cowberry. Investigating few thousands of plants with similar spots on leaves, M.S. Voronin regarded as proper to describe new species - Exobasidium vaccinii. On the basis of this fungus, specific family and order of fungi was established. Investigation of Exobasidium on the cowberry was carried on in classic manner: developmental phases of species were studied in detail, different sensibility of flowers and leaves to the fungus was established and correlation between the age of plant and its receptivity was revealed. Later on this work underlay the teaching on immunity of plants.
In summer 1866 M.S. Voronin with family went abroad and continued work with de Bary. This once they wrote common work "Materials on morphology and physiology of fungi" (in German), which became one of the fundamental books about fungi.
In spring 1867, M.S. Voronin returned to Russia, where continued scientific work and also actively participated in scientific-public life. M.S. Voronin repeatedly was a sponsor of his alma mater: endowed the building of greenhouse in the Botanical Garden of the University, refused from salary of senior lecturer (since 1869 till 1870 he lectured mycology at St Petersburg University) in favour of purchasing of study aids for botanical laboratory. In 1868 in St Petersburg the Naturalists Society with three departments (botanical, zoological and mineralogical) was organized. M.S. Voronin was elected as a secretary of the Botanical Department. On periodic meetings of the Department he reported the results of his investigations, introduced synopsis of works of foreign scientists on fungi, algae and lichens, and also on general problems of biology, participated in discussions of reports of other members of society. As a result M.S. Voronin struck up many of interesting scientific contacts both with venerable Russian scientists and with scientific youth. At the Second Meeting of Naturalists and Physicians of Russia (August, 1869, Moscow) M.S. Voronin was elected the secretary of section of botany, anatomy and physiology of plants.
However the scientific work always remain foremost for M.S. Voronin. At the end of 1860 - beginning of 1870s his attention was attracted by two scientific-practical problems: rust of the sunflower and club root. The sunflower affected by rust fungus Puccinia helianthi provided low yield of seeds. In 1868-1869 this disease achieved menacing amplitude in Russia, in particular in Voronezh province. "Agricultural newspaper" made appeal to M.S. Voronin for help. He immediately commenced on the investigation of pest, studied its life cycle, established presence of summer and winter (autumn) spores, revealed that spreading of fungus agent as well as the disease caused by it are promoted by thickness of planting and non-observance of crop rotation. On the example of rust of the sunflower M.S. Voronin formulated major rules of mass spreading of fungal diseases of plants.
At the same time (1869) near St Petersburg and other north-western regions of Russia club root disease began to expand. The losses of truckers were so significant, that Russian Society of Horticulturists in 1872 announced a competition on revealing the cause of this disease. M.S. Voronin succeeded to find the cause of this disease. It was the slime mold Plasmodiophora brassicae.
In 1874 M.S. Voronin was elected the honoured member of Moscow Naturalists Society. In 1875 the Council of Novorossijsk University (Odesa) conferred him the degree of Doctor of Botany honoris causa. However M.S. Voronin continued investigation of Plasmodiophora brassicae - the organism with intricate developmental cycle. During period since 1873 till 1878 he published 6 articles on the agent and the disease. Russian Society of horticulturists in 1878 awarded M.S. Voronin the golden medal for investigations of club root.
In 1877-1878 M.S. Voronin lived abroad, but after wife's death he predominantly devoted himself to education of children. And only after returning to Russia, M.S. Voronin began the new cycle of investigations on biology and classification of smut fungi. These fungi attracted him as long ago as in 1865, when he managed to collect Tuburcinia trientalis in outskirts of St Petersburg. 16 years after, in 1881 he published summarized work on smut fungi in Frankfurt in "Transactions of Zenkenberg Naturalists Society". De Bary used M.S. Voronin's materials on smut fungi in his variant of natural classification of fungi.
Life and activity of M.S. Voronin were tightly bound with life and activity of his preceptor and friend - A. de Bary. That's why, when in October 1880 Strasburg University celebrated 25-anniversary of Professor activity of de Bary, M.S. Voronin took part in celebration and took as a present the new species of alga, named after de Bary - Vaucheria debaryana. On this celebration, where all pick of European botany assembled, colleagues saw in a new fashion M.S. Voronin and his role in the development of mycology of that time. As a result, in 1881 Vienna Botanical Society elected him as honoured member, in 1882 Russian Academy of Sciences conferred him Academician Ber Prize, in 1883 Berlin Naturalists Society elected M.S. Voronin as corresponding member, and finally, in 1884 he was elected corresponding member of Russian Academy of Sciences.
But M. S. Voronin took all honours easy. His attention was attracted by new unstudied problems of mycology. In the 1880s M.S. Voronin concentrated on investigation of fungi of genus Sclerotinia, which remain his favourite object till the end of life. M.S. Voronin studied developmental cycles, described new species of this genus on bilberries, cowberries, great bilberries, cranberries, investigated Sclerotinia on bird tree and mountain ash.
In 1898 M.S. Voronin established the relationship between anamorphs of genus Monilia on cherry and seed fruit trees, and teleomorph of genus Sclerotinia. His main work on Sclerotinia "On Sclerotinia, affected plants of genus Vaccinium" (1888) he dedicated to his teacher and friend A. de Bary, who died in January 1888.
In 1889 the head of the Emigrant Department of South-Ussuriysk Territory of Russia F.F. Busse made a request to M.S. Voronin to reveal the cause of wide-spreaded in Ussuriysk Territory and dangerous disease called "tempulent corn" or scab. M.S. Voronin received numerous specimens of affected cereal plants and he began investigation. On affected ears he revealed numerous species of fungi, ranked them by extent of potential harm for human and animals and then singled out two the most probable initiators of the disease (subsequently it turn out, that they were two stages of the same fungus). Comparing the intensity of manifestation of disease with metereological data in the Territory, M.S. Voronin came to the conclusion that agent of scab developing intensively in rainy and warm weather during stacking of harvested cereals directly on the ground.
Renown of M.S. Voronin grew from year to year, his name was held in respect in scientific groups of Europe and America. Scientific Societies considered it a honour to see M.S. Voronin among their honorary members. In 1889 he was elected the full member of Russian Geographical Society, honorary member of the Society of Amatours in Anthropology and Ethnography in Moscow, in 1894 - honorary member of Moscow Naturalists Society and Petersburg Naturalists Society, in 1895 - honorary member of Russian Society of Horticulture and foreign member of Linnaean Society in London. And finally, in 1898 M.S. Voronin became the Academician of Russian Academy of Sciences. In 1899 he was included as a honorary member into Scientific Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and State Properties, at the same year he was invited to head the Department of Cryptogam Plants of the Botanical Museum Russian Academy of Sciences, in 1902 he was elected the honorary member of Kharkov and Yuryev Universities.
Prominent scientist-biologist, brilliant expert in fungi, M.S. Voronin died of pneumonia on 20 February (5 March old calendar) 1903.
Lists. Taxa. Kirk & Ansell form of name: Woronin.
