Ir 8 Rice

IR8 is a high-yielding semi-dwarf rice variety developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the early 1960s. It was the work by Peter Jennings (no relation to the U.S. journalist) and Henry Beachell. In November 1966, IR8 was introduced in the Philippines and India. Promoters such as the IRRI and farmer benefactors of IR8 have called it ‘miracle rice’, and celebrate it for fighting famine. IR8 dramatically increased the yields of Asian rice from 1 or 2 ton per hectare to 4 or 5 tons per hectare.[6] It played a significant part in the Green Revolution.