不可否認,Henry M. Beachell 對水稻育種的貢獻,要不然96年也不會獲得世界糧食獎。在這裡我主要就誰是雜交水稻之父的問題進行討論。
先說說文章中提到的IR8品種。它的的確確是一個非常優秀的品種。不過,各位可以在網上搜一下,就知道它是常規品種(variety)而不是雜交種(hybrid)了。Henry M. Beachell 1963年到IRRI(國際水稻研究所)工作,將台灣的一種矮桿的品種與菲律賓的一個抗病品種雜交后選育而成,產量大幅度提高。
1970 - China discovered a commercially usable genetic tool for hybrid rice (male sterility in a wild rice = Wild Abortive )
1973 - PTGMS rice was found in China
1974 - First commercial three-line rice hybrid released in China
1976 - Large scale hybrid rice commercialization began in China
1979 - IRRI revived research on hybrid rice
1981 - PTGMS rice genetics and application was confirmed
1982 - Yield superiority of rice hybrids in the tropics confirmed (IRRI)
1990s - India and Vietnam started hybrid rice programs with IRRI
1991 - More than 50% of China』s riceland planted to hybrids
1994 - First commercial two-line rice hybrid released in China
1994 - 1998 - Commercial rice hybrids released in India, Philippines Vietnam
從上面雜交水稻的歷史介紹,我們就不難看出世界第一個雜交水稻來自中國,也就是袁隆平。
在Henry M. Beachell 在百歲逝世時,看看紐約時報對他的介紹
While working for the institute in the 1960s, Mr. Beachell and others crossed rice plants from Taiwan and Indonesia to produce a new variety, which they named IR8. The resulting plant was shorter and sturdier than its progenitors, less prone to damage during harvest and quicker to cultivate. …IR8 helped to feed the population in the Philippines and other countries and ''remains among the highest-yielding rice varieties.'' 文中對其輝煌的成就作了介紹,壓根就沒有關於雜交水稻的介紹。如果是世界雜交稻第一人的話,應該沒有人會忘了吧?