The variety of rice known as 'miracle rice', first harvested in India in the late 1960s with exceptional yields, was:

IR8 was a high-yielding, semi-dwarf variety of rice developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines and released in 1966. It became known as "miracle rice" because it gave much higher yields than traditional varieties, and it played a major role in the Green Revolution in Asia, including India, where it was introduced from 1967-68.

Traditional rice varieties were tall and leafy. When farmers added more fertiliser to increase the yield, the plants grew taller, became heavy with grain and fell over (lodging), which spoiled the crop. IR8 was a short, sturdy plant with strong stems, which could absorb large amounts of fertiliser and produce more grain without falling over. With adequate irrigation and fertilisers, it could produce several times the yield of traditional varieties. It also matured in a shorter time, allowing farmers to grow more than one crop a year.

IR8 was developed by crossing a tall, vigorous Indonesian variety called Peta with a dwarf variety from Taiwan called Dee-geo-woo-gen. IRRI was established in 1960 with the support of the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations, and M.S. Swaminathan later served as its Director General.

The Green Revolution in India began with wheat. High-yielding Mexican varieties of wheat developed by Norman Borlaug, such as Lerma Rojo and Sonora 64, were introduced, and Indian scientists developed new varieties from them, such as Kalyan Sona and Sonalika, and later Sharbati Sonora. High-yielding rice varieties such as IR8 and, later, Indian varieties such as Jaya followed.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Pusa Basmati 1 is a high-yielding basmati rice variety released in 1989.
• ✗Kalyan Sona is a high-yielding wheat variety of the Green Revolution.
• ✗Sharbati Sonora is a high-yielding wheat variety, not rice.