Luther Burbank: Developer of New Vegetable Varieties

- વિશ્વના વિજ્ઞાનીઓ

Plants are living things. Vegetables, grains, pulses, and other plants are used as food for humans and are considered essential for life. You might have heard the term "hybrid" in farming. There are many varieties of vegetable and grain plants. You might have heard names of different types of mangoes or rice. Scientists breed different types of plants to develop new varieties that contain more edible matter, ensuring that humankind gets good and sufficient food. For example, a well-bred plant of a good variety produces better and larger potatoes than a regular potato plant. The contribution of such scientists in botany is significant. American scientist Luther Burbank has provided invaluable service to humanity by developing around 800 new vegetable plants.

Luther Burbank was born in Lancaster, America, on March 7, 1849. Burbank barely studied until high school. However, by keenly studying Charles Darwin's theories of evolution and heredity, he learned to cultivate new plant lineages. After conducting these experiments on 17 acres of land at the age of 21, he developed a new variety of potato during his 55-year career. After "Burbank Potatoes" became very popular, he built a nursery garden and a greenhouse which became world-renowned. He developed around 800 new vegetable plants. He became most famous for potatoes. The plants he developed yielded three times more large potatoes. He also developed new flower plants and wrote numerous books on botany. In 1986, America posthumously honored him as a National Inventor. His birthday is celebrated as Arbor Day. He passed away on April 11, 1926. He received many honors after his death.