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SRINAGAR: Dr Imtiyaz Khanday, a native of Pattan in Kashmir and currently an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Davis, has been honoured with the Special Prize for Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields at the 2025 VinFuture Prize awards.
Dr Khanday and his research team have developed a revolutionary method to produce clonal hybrid crops, allowing hybrid rice—and potentially other staples—to generate seeds that retain their hybrid vigour across generations. Traditionally, hybrid seeds must be purchased each season anew, as the advantages of hybridisation are lost in the next generation. This innovation promises to significantly reduce seed costs for farmers, increase productivity, and contribute to global food security.
The breakthrough builds on years of meticulous research. In 2023, a team led by Dr Khanday and Professor Venkatesan Sundaresan at UC Davis had already achieved 95 per cent efficiency in producing clones of commercial rice hybrids. Their work demonstrated the feasibility of apomixis—a natural process in some plants where seeds are clones of the parent—which can now be harnessed in major crops for the first time at scale. Collaborating with scientists in France, Germany, and Ghana, the team achieved multi-generational stability for cloned crops, paving the way for sustainable, high-yield agriculture.
Dr Khanday, who earned his Master’s in Biotechnology from the University of Kashmir and a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology and Genetics from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, has emerged as a role model for young scientists in Jammu and Kashmir. His work exemplifies how rigorous research and innovation can address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from food security to sustainable farming.
“This recognition is not just a personal achievement but a testament to the potential of science and innovation to transform agriculture globally,” said Dr Khanday. The VinFuture Prize now shines a spotlight on his work, inspiring a new generation of scientists from the region to pursue breakthroughs with global impact.
