Semi-dwarf IR36 facts for kids
Semi-dwarf IR36 is a special kind of hybrid rice plant. It was created by a scientist named Gurdev Khush. This rice variety became very important for feeding many people around the world.
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How IR36 Was Created
Dr. Gurdev Khush worked hard to create IR36. He did this by cross-breeding different types of rice. Imagine taking the best qualities from many different rice plants and combining them! He used IR8 and 13 other parent rice types from six different countries.
Why IR36 Was So Special
IR36 was amazing because it was a "semi-dwarf" variety. This means it didn't grow as tall as older rice plants. Taller plants can fall over easily in strong winds or heavy rain.
This new rice plant was also very strong. It could fight off many common insect pests and diseases that often harmed rice crops. When rice plants were healthier, farmers could grow much more rice. This helped to lower the prices of rice, making it easier for families in Asia to afford this important food.
Fast Growing and Popular
IR36 grew much faster than other rice types. It took only about 105 days to be ready for harvest. Older types like IR8 took 130 days, and traditional rice could take 150 to 170 days. This meant farmers could grow more rice in a year!
The grains of IR36 were also slender, which many people preferred. Because it grew fast, resisted pests, and produced good grains, IR36 quickly became one of the most widely planted food crops in the world. By 1981, about 110,000 square kilometers (that's a huge area!) were planted with IR36. Dr. Khush later developed other successful rice types like IR64 and IR72.
The Green Revolution and Rice
IR36 was a big part of something called the Green Revolution. This was a time when new, high-yield crops were developed to help feed the growing world population. While these new varieties like IR36 helped many people, they also replaced many local types of rice that farmers used to grow. In 1960, there were over 100,000 different local kinds of rice. Many of these have now been replaced by these newer, hybrid varieties.
