Semi-dwarf IR36
Encyclopedia
Semi-dwarf IR36 is a rice variety developed by Gurdev Khush
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The variety was one of many of the Green Revolution
which replaced many local strains and genetic diversity previously found in rice paddies. It is estimated that over 100,000 local strains were grown in 1960, which have been largely replaced by hybrid varieties.
Gurdev Khush
Dr. Gurdev Singh Khush is an agronomist and geneticist who, along with mentor Dr. Henry Beachell, received the 1996 World Food Prize for unparalleled achievements in enlarging and improving the global supply of rice during a time of exponential population growth.In pursuit of ever-improved rice...
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History
By cross-breeding IR8 with 13 parent varieties from six nations, Dr. Khush developed IR36, a semi-dwarf variety that proved highly resistant to a number of the major insect pests and diseases that drove down farmers’ rice yields and raised prices of the staple food for Asian families. IR36 matures rapidly – 105 days compared to 130 days for IR8 and 150–170 days for traditional types – and produces the slender grain preferred in many countries. The combination of these characteristics soon made IR36 one of the most widely planted food crop varieties worldwide in just a few years. About 110,000 km² were planted with IR36 worldwide in the 1980s, a success which Dr. Khush topped with IR64 and again with IR72 in 1990.The variety was one of many of the Green Revolution
Green Revolution
Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....
which replaced many local strains and genetic diversity previously found in rice paddies. It is estimated that over 100,000 local strains were grown in 1960, which have been largely replaced by hybrid varieties.