India on Wheat Research 1978
A commemorative postage stamp on 5th International Wheat Genetics Symposium, New Delhi :
Issued by India
Issued on Feb 23, 1978
Issued for : The Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department is happy to bring out a postage stamp on Wheat Research to commemorate the holding of this Symposium.
Description of Design : The design shows a stalk of wheat in stylised form with a picture of the Globe to the right. The creepers in the centre symbolise genetics in Agriculture.
Type : Stamp, Postal Used
Colour : Yellow and blue green
Denomination : 25 Paise
Overall size : 3.91 X 2.90 cms.
Printing size : 3.55 X 2.54 cms.
Perforation : 13 x 13
Watermark : Unwatermarked paper
Number printed : 30,00,000
Number per issue sheet : 35
Printing process : Photogravure
Designed and printed at : India Security Press
About :
- One of the major food crops of the world, wheat has been in cultivation in the Indian sub-continent since long. Carbonized grains of wheat obtained from the excavations of Harappa and Mohanjodaro testify to the antiquity of this cereal. Subsequent excavations carried out in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh lend further proof that wheat has been an important food crop of the inhabitants of India. Extensive references to this cereal have been made in our ancient Vedic literature.
- Three species of wheat are grown in India today. These are the common bread-wheat (Triticum aestivum), the macaroni wheat (Triticum Durum), and the emmer wheat (Triticum Dicoccum). The bread wheat is most extensively grown by our farmers.
- One of the first Indian wheat varieties isolated from a local farmer’s field and given the name ‘New Pusa 4’ won a number of international prizes for quality in exhibitions held in Canada.
- The Wheat Revolution in recent years in India started with breeding of high yielding varieties and has resulted in doubling of wheat production in a short span of 5 years. From 12.5 million tonnes in 1965, wheat production rose to 26.4 million tonnes in 1972 and 28.3 million tonnes in 1976. This type of phenomenal increase in production has hardly been equalled by any other country in the world. India has developed the infrastructure, the scientific base and the capacity to further augment wheat production in the years ahead.
- As a tribute to the progress India made in wheat research and production, the International Organising Committee is holding the Fifth International Wheat Genetics Symposium in India. The first four were held in Canada, Sweden, Australia and the U.S.A. It was for the first time that this prestigious symposium was being held in an Asian Country.
