Architect of India’s Green Revolution departs

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Last Updated30/09/2023

M.S. Swaminathan, the agricultural scientist known as the father of the Green Revolution in India, died at his residence in Chennai.
He played a pivotal role in defining India’s tryst with scientific agriculture.

A period of rapid, scientific agricultural advancement in the mid-1960s that involved growing a high-yielding, disease-resistant variety of wheat, primarily in Punjab.
He was the key architect of this movement
Short-straw or dwarf varieties of crops like rice and wheat formed the basis of India’s Green Revolution.
Dwarf strains have a higher Harvest Index, which means that the plant puts more of its energy resources into seeds rather than leaves or other plant structures.

HYVs produced a higher yield of crop per hectare in comparison to traditional variants.
These variants are produced using a combination of traditional breeding steps and biotechnology, which includes genetic diversity.
The resulting HYVs are usually disease-resistant and have a higher tolerance to conditions like drought.
IR8, a variety of rice developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
This “miracle rice” was first introduced in the Philippines

The difference between the potential or maximum achievable yield of a crop and the actual realized yield for a given area is called the yield gap.
During the Green Revolution, one of the main areas of focus was the increase productivity from existing farmlands using HYVs in order to tackle the threat of famine.

Cytogenetics is the study of chromosomes (DNA-carrying structures) and how they relate to hereditary characteristics and traits.
Identifying traits such as resistance to diseases, drought, and pests in crops are applications of cytogenetics.

Scientifically known as Triticum aestivum, hexaploid wheat contains six sets of chromosomes and is among the most widely cultivated cereal crops across the world.
It is also called “bread wheat
Dr. Swaminathan is associated with research on the cytogenetics of hexaploid wheat.