Developer of New Vegetable Varieties: Luther Burbank

• વિશ્વના વૈજ્ઞાનિઓ

Scientists breed different types of plants to develop new varieties with higher edible yields, ensuring humanity gets good and sufficient food. Compared to what a standard potato plant yields, a well-bred, high-quality plant produces better and larger potatoes. The contribution of such scientists to botany is significant. American scientist Luther Burbank rendered an invaluable service to mankind by developing around 800 new varieties of vegetable plants.
Luther Burbank was born in Lancaster, America, on March 7, 1849. Burbank barely completed high school, but by keenly studying Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and principles of heredity, he learned to grow new plant lineages. At the age of 21, he acquired 17 acres of land to conduct these experiments, and over a 55-year career, he developed a new variety of potato. After the "Burbank Potato" became extremely popular, he set up nursery gardens and greenhouses that became world-renowned. He developed around 800 new vegetable plants, though he was best known for potatoes. The plants he developed yielded three times more large potatoes. He also developed new flower plants and authored numerous books on botany.
In 1986, America honored him posthumously as a national inventor, and his birthday is celebrated as Arbor Day. He passed away on April 11, 1926. Many honors were bestowed upon him after his death.