Gurdev Khush facts for kids

Gurdev Singh Khush, born on August 22, 1935, is a very important scientist. He is an Agronomist, which means he studies how to grow crops better. He is also a Geneticist, meaning he studies genes and how traits are passed down. Dr. Khush is famous for helping to grow much more rice around the world. This was very important because the world's population was growing fast! In 1996, he won the World Food Prize for his amazing work. He shared this award with his mentor, Henry Beachell.

His Early Life and Learning

Gurdev Khush loved learning about plants. He earned his first degree, a B.Sc., from Punjab Agricultural University in India in 1955. Later, he moved to the United States. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) in 1960.

His Work with Plants

After finishing his studies, Dr. Khush worked at the University of California for seven years. There, he studied the genes of tomatoes. In 1972, he joined the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines. This institute focuses on improving rice. He became the head of the Plant Breeding Department.

For over twenty years, Dr. Khush led important research. He worked to create better types of rice. These new rice varieties helped feed more people. They also supported farming economies around the world. He played a key role in developing more than 300 new rice types. One very famous type was Semi-dwarf IR36. This special rice grew shorter and produced more grains.

Thanks to his work and others, world rice production greatly increased. In 1966, about 257 million tons of rice were grown. By 2006, this number jumped to 626 million tons! This huge increase helped prevent hunger for many people.

Dr. Khush retired from IRRI in February 2002. He then returned to UC Davis as a professor. He also helped judge the Infosys Prize for life sciences in 2010.

Awards and Recognitions

Dr. Khush has received many important awards for his contributions. These awards show how much his work has helped the world. Some of his awards include:

• The Borlaug Award in 1977
• The Japan Prize in 1987
• The World Food Prize in 1996
• The Padma Shri in 2000, an award from the Indian government
• The Wolf Prize in Agriculture in 2000
• The VinFuture Prize in 2023

He was also chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1995. In 1991, the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences made him a foreign fellow.