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Ludhiana: Khudian inaugurates museum, institute on plant breeding
The museum is named after the world renowned rice breeder and a world food prize laureate, Gurdev Singh Khush
Punjab agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian inaugurated the Gurdev Singh Khush Institute of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology and Gurdev Singh Khush museum at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on Monday.
The museum is named after the world renowned rice breeder and a world food prize laureate, Gurdev Singh Khush.
Commemorating PAU’s 60 years of splendid service to the agricultural community, the event was a part of the XXth Triennial Congress of International Association of Agricultural Museums (CIMA), that kick started on Monday at PAU in collaboration with The Heritage Foundation.
Dr Khush said that this institute would focus on advanced sciences entailing genomics and biotechnology as well as the development of high-yielding and insect-pest and disease resistant crop varieties. About museum, he stated that it would stimulate the younger generations for the years to come.
PAU vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal said,“A PAU alumnus, Dr Khush’s academic brilliance and ground-breaking research have made him an iconic figure in the realm of rice breeding,” he added, while lauding his philanthropic gesture of donating 35 million dollars to PAU for bolstering research and teaching.
Sharing the rich legacy of father of rice revolution – Dr Khush, the professor of school of agricultural biotechnology Dr JS Sandhu said that the rice varieties comprising IR 8, PR 106, IR 36 and IR 64 were the revolutionary varieties that brought in rice revolution after wheat revolution in the late 1960s.
The museum celebrates the successful journey of Dr Khush who was born and brought up in Punjab, studied at PAU, Ludhiana and US; and served at the University of California, USA, and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines. In addition to prism of life, professional education and career profile, the museum features his research work and torrent of accolades bestowed upon him.
