Agricultural Techniques
CrossbreedingTraditional wheat in Mexico was prone to rust. To develop a rust resistance wheat, Norman Borlaug crossbred thousands of varieties from around the world with traditional Mexican wheat. This led to the development of rust and disease resistant wheat varieties. |
Shuttle BreedingNorman Borlaug grew wheat twice a year in different climates and altitudes. This led to the production of highly adaptable wheat varieties.
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Dwarf VarietiesAfter developing disease resistant varieties from shuttle breeding in Mexico. Norman Borlaug found a problem with the height of the varieties as they lodged due to a weak long stem. So in 1954, Norman Borlaug crossed his disease-resistant wheat with dwarf wheats from Japan. This resulted in shorter, stronger, high yielding disease resistant wheat that produced two to three times as much grain.
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