Synopsis

Dr Narinder Dhillon, Principal Cucurbits Breeder for the World Vegetable Center, has worked with plant breeding programmes around the world, experience which give him a big-picture mindset for solving global food security issues and a special appreciation for collaboration.  

In this episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast we follow Narinder from his family farm in India, to his international vegetable breeding journey while genomic technologies rapidly evolved.  Narinder discusses the role of the World Vegetable Center and his love of cucurbits such as bitter gourd, luffa gourd and tropical pumpkins. He explains why these nutrient-rich crops are critical for food security, the quirks encountered when breeding squash, and how collaboration with private seed companies is a critical component in his program’s success.