Khush’s historic work on rice honored with VinFuture prize
A UC Davis alumnus and emeritus faculty member has been awarded $250,000 for his role in inventing disease-resistant rice strains that now are the dominant varieties planted across southern and southeast Asia.
Gurdev Singh Khush, an adjunct professor emeritus in the Department of Plant Sciences, received the Special Prize for Innovators from Developing Countries from the VinFuture Foundation during a ceremony today in Hanoi, Vietnam. The independent, non-profit foundation supports technological innovation improving people’s daily lives in Vietnam.
The VinFuture Prize carries an award of $500,000. Khush received the prize together with Xuan Vo-Tong, a professor at Nam Can Tho University in Vietnam. VinFuture commended “their significant contributions to the invention and advancement of disease-resistant rice varieties, ensuring global food security.” Each researcher received $250,000.
Khush is a renowned rice breeder and geneticist who pioneered the development of more than 300 rice strains while at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines. The varieties have greater pest resistance, shorter growth periods and higher yields. Most notable are IR36, IR64 and their genetic descendants. They have become “the most common (rice varieties planted) in tropical Asia, helping to cut production costs, enhance yield, restrict pesticide use and promote global agricultural sustainability,” VinFuture said in a prepared statement. Khush’s varieties also are widely planted in Africa and Latin America.
Khush has received numerous other awards recognizing the global impact of his work. Despite such accolates, according to a Department of Plant Sciences employee who has worked with him, he is “a very humble person.” While head of the plant breeding division at IRRI in the Philippines, Khush “knew the name of every person in the division and called us by first name,” the colleague said.
“Gurdev Khush has not only revolutionized rice cultivation with his groundbreaking research, but he’s also been an inspiring colleague,” added Ermias Kabreab, the associate dean for global engagement in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis. “His dedication to science and his humble approach toward collaboration have immensely contributed to our understanding and improvement of rice varieties.”
VinFuture credited Vo-Tong with playing “a pivotal role in the advancement and dissemination of IR36 seeds across frequently pest-infested regions in (Vietnam’s) Mekong delta, collaborating with farmers to implement innovative transplanting techniques.”
More about Gurdev Khush
A native of Punjab, India, Khush had an example in his father, who was the first person in their village to complete high school. Khush earned his doctoral degree at UC Davis in 1960. He continued as a postdoctoral scientist before going to IRRI, then returned to Davis in 2002 as an adjunct professor. He retired from the Department of Plant Sciences in 2017. In 2018, he received the UC Davis Medal, the university’s highest honor.
Khush donates his papers to UC Davis library
Khush interviewed for UC Davis Punjabi Week, 2023
Khush's postdoctoral work with Charley Rick at the UC Davis Tomato Genetics Resource Center.
Media Resources
- Trina Kleist, UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, tkleist@ucdavis.edu, (530) 754-6148 or (530) 601-6846