‘Father of wheat revolution’ DS Athwal passes away in US

Often called the ‘Father of Wheat Revolution’, agriculture scientist Dilbagh Singh Athwal passed away in the US, a Punjab AgriculturalUniversity (PAU) official said on Monday. He was 89.

Vice-chancellor BS Dhillon, officers and scientists of the university paid tributes to Athwal, who died on Sunday, at a condolence meeting held at the PAU campus here.

Dhillon said the outstanding contributions made by Athwal in the field of agriculture “remain unsurpassable till date”.

“Dr Athwal was one of the stalwarts who played a pivotal role in initiating the Green Revolution in the country. He was a well-known geneticist, plant breeder and agricultural scientist of international repute,” Dhillon said. “Athwal developed world’s first grain pearl millet hybrid ‘Hybrid Bajra 1’ in 1965 that heralded a new era in cultivation of this crop,” he said.

In 1967, he joined the management of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines and eventually served as the Institute’s first Deputy Director General.

The University of Sydney bestowed the degree of Doctor of Philosophy on him in 1955.

In 1964, he was conferred with Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

He was also decorated with Padma Bhushan in 1975 by the government for his contributions to biological science. After retirement, he settled in the US.