Aircraft Names in New Plant Varieties: The Poetry of Breeding and Hidden Codes

At first glance, the names of new plant varieties are purely pragmatic tools for registration and cataloging. However, behind them often lie deep historical, cultural, and technological narratives. The connection between aviation and breeding, reflected in the names of varieties, is a unique phenomenon that demonstrates how advanced technologies of one era become sources of metaphors and orientations for another.

Historical Context: When Aviation Was a Dream

In the first half of the 20th century, aviation symbolized breakthrough, speed, and the conquest of the unconquerable. This made it an ideal source of inspiration for breeders, whose work was also aimed at "conquest" of nature — increasing yield, resistance, and ripening speed.

"Airplane" and "Aeroplane". These names were given to varieties in the 1920s and 1930s that were distinguished by rapid maturity or unusual yield for that time. For example, the pea variety "Aeroplane" (USA) or the early potato variety "Airplane" in the USSR. The name told the farmer: "This variety is as fast and modern as an airplane."

Names of pilot heroes. Varieties of fruit and vegetable crops were named after Chkalov, Gromov, and Levanevsky. This was an act of patriotic recognition, as well as endowing the variety with symbolic qualities of a hero — "stamina", "endurance", "ability to set records". The apple variety "Chkalovskoe" still exists.

Direct Analogy: "Aviation" Properties of Plants

The second wave of names was not related to metaphor, but to a direct agronomic analogy. In the 1960-80s, during the era of large-scale chemicalization and mechanization of agriculture, varieties appeared that were perfectly suited for aerial treatment.

Low height and resistance to lodging (a key property for aerial chemical work) were reflected in names indicating stability, compactness, and "stamina": "Steady", "Stable", "Strong". Although there are no direct aviation terms in them, they were a direct response to the demands of aviation agronomy.

Plant "fighters". Some names played on the fight against diseases and pests, which were fought with the help of aerial spraying. For example, a sunflower variety resistant to witchgrass could receive a "warlike" name, indirectly referring to the power of aviation.

Modern Breeding: From Metaphor to Precision

In the 21st century, the connection has become more sophisticated and multi-layered. Names now rarely refer directly to aviation, but borrow its philosophy and terminology.

"Stealth technologies" for plants. The appearance of varieties resistant to diseases or pests due to invisible biochemical characteristics (such as the absence of specific volatile substances attracting insects) is metaphorically associated with stealth technology. Breeders in the professional community may call such lines "invisibles".

Plant "pilots" and "prototypes". Experimental lines created with the help of genome editing (CRISPR/Cas9) often receive code names similar to designations of experimental aircraft (X-series, "Prototype-5"). This emphasizes their innovation and status as "test samples".

Navigational accuracy. Modern precision varieties, whose requirements for fertilization and irrigation are precisely verified and laid down in maps for differentiated application, are associated with navigation systems. Their idea is maximum efficiency with minimal resources, which directly echoes aviation fuel economy and landing accuracy.

High-flying ambitions: space breeding. Here the connection is most direct. Varieties created with the participation of space mutagenesis (when seeds are exposed to radiation and weightlessness in orbit) often receive "space" names: "Cosmic", "Satellite", "Orbit". For example, in Russia, there are lines of wheat and flower crops bred after flights on biosatellites of the "Bion" series. This is no longer a metaphor, but a confirmation of the technological platform for creating a variety.

Hidden Codes and Professional Jargon

In addition to official names, there is a professional jargon in the breeding circles that actively uses aviation analogies:

"Planting" can mean not only sowing seeds but also the successful implementation of a new variety in production.

"Test flight" is the primary field test of a new hybrid line.

"Approach for a second round" is the repetition of crossing to fix a trait.

"Bring to cruising speed" is to achieve stable high yield of the variety under different conditions.

Examples from Global Practice

Tomato "Black Stork". The name refers not only to the bird but also to the famous Soviet biplane used in agriculture. The variety combines an exotic appearance with resistance.

Wheat "Aviada" (Aviation + dada). A European variety, the name of which is a play on words, emphasizing the "high-flying" quality of yield.

Barley "Zenit". Although zenith is an astronomical term, in the context of Soviet/Russian culture, it is firmly associated with rocket and space technology, symbolizing the highest achievement.

Salad "Aelita". A legendary name, referring to the science fiction novel by A. Tolstoy about a flight to Mars. This name in the USSR became a symbol of scientific and technical progress and was given to a number of varieties, including famous flower seeds.

Cultural-Psychological Aspect

The name of a variety is the first and often decisive communication signal for a farmer or gardener. The aviation metaphor works at several levels:

Trust. Associations with technology, reliability, and accuracy.

Progress. Indicates modernity and innovation of the variety.

Effectiveness. Promises high, "record" indicators.

Conclusion

Aircraft names and analogies in breeding are not just a nod to fashion or beautiful words. They are a linguistic trace of a deep technological connection. They reflect the evolution of agriculture from archaism to industrialization and then to digital precision. From the metaphor of speed ("Airplane") through the metaphor of adaptation to a specific technology (aerial chemical work) to the metaphor of accuracy and controllability ("navigation", "stealth") — these names document how humanity, changing tools for transforming nature (from the airplane to CRISPR), changes and language for describing its creations. A new variety today is no longer just a "successful hybrid", but a complex biotechnological "device", and aviation terminology perfectly conveys this new essence, where the plant becomes an object of high technology.

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