A UC Davis alumnus and emeritus faculty member has been awarded a $500,000 prize 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.

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.”

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. “Gurdev Khush has not only revolutionized rice cultivation with his groundbreaking research, but he’s also been an inspiring colleague,” said 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 earned his doctoral degree at UC Davis in 1960. He worked as a postdoctoral scientist here before going to IRRE, then returned in 2002 as an adjunct professor in the department. He retired in 2017. In 2018, he received the UC Davis Medal, the university’s highest honor.

This story has been updated to include additional comment.