• Home
• People
• Derald Langham

Derald Langham

Derald George Langham (May 27, 1913 - May 10, 1991) was an American agricultural geneticist, sesame researcher, and founder of the Genesa Foundation.He is known as the "father of sesame" in the Western Hemisphere for his basic research on the genetics of sesame. Most of the sesame lines grown in the Americas came from his breeding work. Sesame plants are a rich source of vitamins and minerals, and Langham focused on cross-breeding the plant into more fruitful versions. He also attempted to look for other uses of sesame beyond a mere food source. Derald Langham is less known for his genetic work in corn and beans. The Rockefeller Institute in Mexico incorporated his varieties into their materials and his genes are carried on in almost every corn hybrid used in the world.