T.T. Chang, 1999 Tyler Laureate
T.T. Chang, Ph.D. is the world authority on rice genetics and conservation.
His research on the evolution and variation of rice has led to major advances
in plant breeding, productivity, and disease resistance with a profound
impact on agriculture productivity throughout much of Asia, Africa, and
South America. Before his retirement in 1993, Chang was principal geneticist
of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines.
Chang contributed to developing high-yielding varieties of rice by using
a semidwarfing gene, discovered in Taiwan, and exploiting its usefulness.
The new process of international testing and breeding initiated the "Green
Revolution" in the 1960s. This and other new rice varieties have boosted
rice production and prevented rice shortages in tropical Asia and Latin
America over the past three decades. As these varieties quickly became accepted
in developing countries they replaced and often eliminated numerous indigenous
varieties. Faced with the peril of losing genetic resources that may hold
the key to the future development of newer and better crops, Chang perceived
the danger and quickly turned his efforts to saving unimproved varieties
and their wild relatives. He mobilized international and multi-agency resources
in 14 Asian nations and several African nations to undertake massive field
collections of nearly 40,000 specimens, many on the brink of extinction.
This collection increased the International Rice Research Institute's holdings
to over 80,000 samples -- the largest collection for a single crop plant.
Desirable genes from this invaluable resource continue to sustain advances
in global rice production. Over the years, Chang has shared his expertise
in genetic conservation with national agricultural research centers in China,
India, and Taiwan as they established genebanks for other crop species.