Nazareno Strampelli and the first Green Revolution

AbstractThis article describes the wheat‐breeding work of the Italian agronomist Nazareno Strampelli, who was the first agronomist to cross Japanese and western wheat varieties to develop high‐yielding semidwarf wheat. The article describes the environmental and agricultural conditions that motivated Strampelli's breeding, the evolution of his varieties, their role in addressing agricultural and food supply problems in Fascist Italy, some of Strampelli's attitudes about agricultural improvement and the Fascist regime and the influence and heritage of his varieties for later agricultural improvements.