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Cultivar · Wheat cultivar

Norin 10

Norin 10 is a historic Japanese semi-dwarf bread wheat, registered in 1935, whose reduced-height alleles were later introduced to Western breeding programs and became foundational to the semi-dwarf wheats of the Green Revolution.

Dated referenceLast reviewed: 2026-07-12Updated: 2026-07-12
Illustrative diagram · AgricultureID (original)

Record

Cultivar / variety
Variety of
Wheat
Botanical taxon
Triticum aestivum
Type
Cultivar
Breeding method
Cross-breeding (pedigree selection)
Origin
Iwate Prefecture, Japan
Released
1935
Breeder / institution
Gonjiro Inazuka; registered by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Registry status
Historical · as of 2026-07-12
Registries
  • USDA GRIN — National Small Grains Collection · United States · as of 2026-07-12Introduced to the United States after 1945 by S. C. Salmon and conserved as germplasm; genebank presence reflects conservation, not commercial registration.
Intended use
Bread wheat, Foundational breeding parent for semi-dwarf ("Green Revolution") wheats

Registry listing or variety protection is jurisdiction- and date-specific and does not by itself indicate current commercial availability, universal cultivation approval, patent status, or a recommendation.

Norin 10 is a semi-dwarf bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) bred by Gonjiro Inazuka at an agricultural experiment station in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, and registered as a numbered cultivar by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in 1935. It is much shorter than the tall wheats that preceded it, reaching roughly 60 to 110 centimeters.

After the Second World War the agronomist Samuel Cecil Salmon collected Norin 10 in Japan and sent it to the United States, where Orville Vogel used it in wheat breeding at Washington State. Its reduced-height alleles subsequently reached the international spring-wheat program associated with Norman Borlaug and became central to the semi-dwarf wheats of the Green Revolution.

History and development

Norin 10 was developed in Japan by Gonjiro Inazuka and registered as a numbered "Norin" cultivar by the national Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in 1935. Its striking feature was its short stature, which set it apart from the tall wheats then in general cultivation.

Norin 10 came to international attention when Samuel Cecil Salmon collected it in occupied Japan and forwarded seed to breeders in the United States. There it entered the breeding lines used by Orville Vogel and, through derived materials, the international wheat program in Mexico.

Reduced-height genes and legacy

Norin 10 is the classic source of two reduced-height alleles, now designated Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b (historically Rht1 and Rht2). These alleles shorten the straw and were widely incorporated into modern wheats. Because of this, Norin 10 is remembered less as a commercial variety than as one of the most influential breeding parents in the history of wheat improvement.

Relationships

Evidence-backed connections in the knowledge graph.

Adapted to climate

Scope & limitations

Geographic scope: Documented Japanese semi-dwarf bread wheat cultivar of historical and breeding importance; its influence is global through derived cultivars rather than through direct cultivation today.

Climate context: Originating in temperate Japan; significant chiefly as a source of reduced-height alleles used across many wheat-growing environments.

  • Adaptation and trait notes are region- and season-specific, and performance varies by environment.
  • Norin 10 is significant mainly as a historical breeding parent; its own commercial cultivation status is not asserted here.

Sources

This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.

  1. [1]GRIN-Global / National Plant Germplasm System (opens in a new tab)

    USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Wheat genetic-stock/germplasm accession and characterization

    Type:
    Official registry
    Jurisdiction:
    United States / Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  2. [2]CIMMYT — International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (opens in a new tab)

    International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

    High

    Cited for: Role of Norin 10 reduced-height alleles in semi-dwarf (Green Revolution) wheat breeding

    Type:
    Research institute
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12

Related topics

Crops

Climate