| Citation | Gurdev Khush is distinguished for the application of genetics and cytogenetics to the increased production of irrigated rice in East and South East Asia. His variety IR 36 is planted on about 11 million hectares and altogether derivatives of his breeding programmes are currently occupying more than 30 million hectares. Khush's work has been a major contributor to the increases in rice production per caput in Asia. Following investigations of relevant genotype x genotype interactions, he has incorporated from other parents resistances to virus, bacterial and fungal diseases and to several insect pests. Some resistances were transferred to cultivated rice from related wild or weedy species. In breeding research Khush isolated the twelve trisomic lines of rice that enabled RFLP mapping top be assigned to chromosomes. He has use the comparative RFLP maps of rice and of related species to determine the genomic changes associated with the introgression of resistance. Currently, Khush is breeding new plant types to increase yield potential according to models that define the required morphological and physiological characteristics. Such increase is necessary if the human food requirements of Asia are to be met in the 21st Century. |