"MUTATION BREEDING AWARDS” honoring teams of scientists who have helped increase food security by using radiation to breed better crop varieties were presented by FAO( Food and Agriculture Organization ) and IAEA( International Atomic Energy Agency ). XYW rice team from Institute of Nuclear Agricultural Sciences, CAB, was selected for Achievement Awards.
Mutation breeding, which uses radiation to mimic natural plant mutation events, is a well-established method that enables plant breeders to work with farmers to develop variations of rice, barley, sesame and other crops that are higher-yielding and more resistant to disease.
The awards were initiated by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture to celebrate successes achieved so far and promote the development of further sustainable crop varieties. The Joint Division - a strategic partnership between the IAEA and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year - supports countries in their use of the method.
