SRINAGAR: Dr. Shabir H Wani, Assistant Professor of Genetics and Plant Breeding at MRCFC Khudwani, SKUAST-Kashmir, has been honoured with the prestigious Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Award 2026 in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions to the discipline of Genetics and Plant Breeding, particularly in advancing wheat improvement for food and nutritional security.
Dr. Wani received the award during the 13th International Conference on Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry & Allied Sciences for a Sustainable Himalayan Ecosystem, organized by HFRI Shimla recently.
Over the past five years, Dr. Wani has successfully developed the wheat variety Shalimar Wheat 3, characterized by high yield potential, resistance to yellow rust, and enhanced nutritional quality with iron and zinc concentrations exceeding 40 ppm. His prolific academic output includes more than 200 research papers published in internationally reputed scientific journals, alongside over 20 scholarly books with leading publishers such as Springer Nature, Elsevier, CRC Press, CABI (UK), and Wiley.
Vice Chancellor of SKUAST-K, Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai, extended his heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Wani on this remarkable achievement. He emphasized that such recognitions are a testament to the dedication and commitment of the scientific staff at SKUAST-K, which continues to uphold its reputation as one of the leading agricultural universities in the country.