Dilbagh Singh Athwal
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Agriculturist
Geneticist
Dilbagh Singh Athwal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 12 October 1928 India |
| Died | 14 May 2017 (aged 88) New Jersey,[1] United States |
| Occupation(s) | Plant breeder Agriculturist Geneticist |
| Known for | New varieties of wheat and rice |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize |
Dilbagh Singh Athwal (12 October 1928 – 14 May 2017) was an Indian-American[2] geneticist, plant breeder and agriculturist, known to have conducted pioneering research in plant breeding.[3] He was a professor and the Head of the Department of Plant Breeding at Punjab Agricultural University and an associate of Norman Borlaug, a renowned biologist and Nobel Laureate,[4] with whom he has collaborated for the introduction of high-yielding dwarf varieties of wheat.[5]
Popularly known as Father of Wheat Revolution, he was instrumental in developing ‘PV 18’ in 1966 and the most popular amber grained wheat variety ‘Kalyansona’ in 1967.[1] In 1967, he joined International Rice Research Institute's management team and ultimately served as the Institute's first deputy director general.[6][7] His research has also returned several innovations in rice breeding[8] and his body of work has been documented in a number of books and articles published in peer reviewed journals.[9][10][11] The University of Sydney conferred the degree of Doctor of Philosophy on him in 1955 for his contributions to agriculture[12] and, in 1964, he received Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the highest Indian award in the Science category.[13][1] The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1975, for his contributions to biological science.[2]
He died in New Jersey on 14 May 2017.[1]
Early education
Athwal received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Sciences at the Punjab University in 1948.[14] Afterwards, he joined the Punjab Agricultural Services as the Agriculture Assistant in the Millet Breeding Scheme.[14] Later, Athwal was awarded an international fellowship to study at the University of Sydney, where he received his PhD in Genetics and Plant Breeding in 1955.[14] He returned to India in 1955 to start his career as a plant breeder as head of the plant breeding department at the Punjab Agricultural University.[14]
Work at IRRI
Athwal’s career and advancement in plant breeding allowed Indian farmers to produce higher crop yields with greater nutritional value and paved the way for increasing food production in India.[14] In 1967, he accepted a position as the assistant director of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).[15] Athwal worked with new rice varieties such as IR8. IR, which stands for international rice is used as a prefix to the number rice crosses.[16] The objective of IRRI’s breeding program was to create a variety that grew efficiently in the tropical region.[17] IR8 was the first improved variety as it was more resistant to diseases, more sensitive to applied nitrogen, and had double yield potential.[17] However, IR8 had poor grain quality and was not desirable to several Asian countries. Athwal's work contributed to the release of new varieties such as IR20, IR22, IR24, and IR26.[15] These new varieties had IR8’s high yield potential and good grain quality.[17] Athwal retired from the IRRI in 1977 and later joined the International Agriculture Development Services.[18]
