Cecil Salmon
Encyclopedia
Samuel Cecil Salmon was an agronomist
who was attached to the American occupying forces in Japan
after World War II
. He worked for the Agricultural Research Service
and during his time in Japan, Salmon collected wheat samples and found a dwarf strain which came to be called Norin 10
and which later triggered the Green Revolution
.
and received a B.S. degree from South Dakota State University
, a M.S. degree from Kansas State University
and a Ph.D. degree
from the University of Minnesota
.
He taught and conducted research on wheat production at Kansas State from 1913 to 1931. In 1931, he became Principal Agronomist in the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) "Office of Cereal Crops and Diseases".
While serving as the cereal crops consultant with the U.S. Army of Occupation in Japan after World War II, Salmon noted the vigorous, productive semi-dwarf wheats grown in that country. He collected 16 varieties and sent seeds of the wheats, including ‘Norin 10,’ to the USDA Small Grains Collection.
These seeds were used by Orville Vogel
at Washington State University
to develop the variety ‘Gaines,’ which holds the world record for wheat yields, and was used by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
(CIMMYT) in Mexico
to develop the varieties that started the Green Revolution
.
Salmon went on to serve two years in the Philippines
helping to rehabilitate the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture at Los Baños (UPLB) and undertook four tours with the U.S. Agency for International Development.
He co-authored several books on experimental design in agricultural research including The principles and practice of agricultural research, published by L. Hill in 1964.
Agronomist
An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. An agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, with the exception veterinary sciences.Agronomists deal with interactions between plants, soils, and...
who was attached to the American occupying forces in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He worked for the Agricultural Research Service
Agricultural Research Service
The Agricultural Research Service is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture . ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area...
and during his time in Japan, Salmon collected wheat samples and found a dwarf strain which came to be called Norin 10
Norin 10 wheat
Wheat Norin 10 is a semi-dwarf cultivar of wheat, with very large ears, which was bred in the experimental station of Iwate Prefecture, Japan. In 1935, it was registered as a numbered cultivar by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry...
and which later triggered the Green Revolution
Green Revolution
Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....
.
Biography
Salmon was born in South DakotaSouth Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
and received a B.S. degree from South Dakota State University
South Dakota State University
South Dakota State University is the largest university in the U.S. state of South Dakota, located in Brookings. A public land-grant university and sun grant college, founded under the provisions of the 1862 Morrill Act, SDSU offers programs of study required by, or harmonious to, this Act...
, a M.S. degree from Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
and a Ph.D. degree
from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.
He taught and conducted research on wheat production at Kansas State from 1913 to 1931. In 1931, he became Principal Agronomist in the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
(USDA) "Office of Cereal Crops and Diseases".
While serving as the cereal crops consultant with the U.S. Army of Occupation in Japan after World War II, Salmon noted the vigorous, productive semi-dwarf wheats grown in that country. He collected 16 varieties and sent seeds of the wheats, including ‘Norin 10,’ to the USDA Small Grains Collection.
These seeds were used by Orville Vogel
Orville Vogel
Orville Vogel was an American scientist and wheat breeder whose research made possible the "Green Revolution" in world food production....
at Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
to develop the variety ‘Gaines,’ which holds the world record for wheat yields, and was used by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center is a non-profit research and training institution dedicated to both the development of improved varieties of wheat and maize, and introducing improved agricultural practices to farmers, thereby improving their...
(CIMMYT) in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to develop the varieties that started the Green Revolution
Green Revolution
Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....
.
Salmon went on to serve two years in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
helping to rehabilitate the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture at Los Baños (UPLB) and undertook four tours with the U.S. Agency for International Development.
He co-authored several books on experimental design in agricultural research including The principles and practice of agricultural research, published by L. Hill in 1964.