Its parents were a semi-dwarf Japanese landrace that may have originated in Korea in the 3rd or 4th century AD, and two varieties from the USA.
[1] It provided two genes, Rht1 and Rht2, that resulted in reduced-height wheats, thus allowing better nutrient uptake and tillage, since when heavily fertilised with nitrogen, tall varieties grow too high, become top-heavy, and lodge.
[2] The Rht1 and Rht2 genes have been used in wheat breeding programmes worldwide to provide shorter plants with higher yields.
[3] These included high-output varieties tested in India (Lerma Rojo 64 and Sonora 64) during the Green Revolution.
[1] Norin 10 helped developing countries, such as India and Pakistan, to increase the productivity of their crops by approximately 60% during the Green Revolution.