Has worked in collaboration with colleagues and students on a wide range of problems in basic and applied plant genetics, agricultural research and development, and the conservation and enhancement of natural resources over a period of 60 years.

Among the more important contributions are:

1. Elucidation of the origin and differentiation of potato species (1952);
2. Improving the yield potential of indica rice through crosses between indica and jopanica varieties (1954);
3. Standardisation of techniques for the induction of polyploidy (i.e., doubling the number of chromosomes) in several economic plants, including tuber-bearing solanum species (1950);
4. Accomplishment of difficult crosses in potato species, resulting in alien gene transfer for frost resistance (1953);
5. Elucidation of the factors influencing the induction and recovery of mutations in wheat and rice and elaboration of the relationships between the secondary effects of food irradiation and the assessment of the wholesomeness of irradiated food (1958);
6. Understanding of genetic relationships among wheat species (1960);
7. Identification of the barriers to high yields in wheat and the initiation of the wheat breeding programme involving the “Norin” dwarfing genes obtained from Mexico (1963);
8. Initiation of a rice breeding programme designed to transfer the non-lodging plant type to basmati strains (this led ultimately to the release of Pusa Basmati-1121) (1965);
9. Development of the concept of “crop cafeterias”, “mid-season corrections in crop-scheduling”, risk distribution agronomy and alternative cropping strategies for different weather conditions (1966);
10. Purposeful manipulation of genes in improving the yield, quality and stability of performance of wheat, rice and potato (1949 – 1989);
11. Development of whole village or watershed operational research projects based on principles of ecology and economics and promotion of the concepts of ecological economics and economic or developmental ecology (1972);
12. Development of disaster management strategies based on relief and rehabilitation measures in the most seriously affected (MSA) areas, and improved crop productivity in the most favourable (MFA) areas, and elaboration of the concepts of “drought code” and “good weather code”(1975);
13. Management of the disastrous drought of 1979 as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Agriculture and Development of a scientific Monsoon Management Strategy (1979);
14. Collection and conservation of plant genetic resources, particularly of potato, rice, wheat and mangrove species (1949 onwards);
15. Development of the National Demonstration, Lab to Land programmes and while village, watershed operational research projects for the effective field testing and dissemination of research results among small farmer households (1964);
16. Organisation of coastal systems research and biovillages (1990);
17. Organisation of Genetic Resources Centres for Sustainable agriculture and for adaptation to sea level rise (1991);
18. Promotion of a job-led economic growth strategy based on a pro-nature, pro-poor and pro-women orientation to technology development and dissemination (1992);
19. Organisation of Resource Centres for Farmers’ Rights and Ecotechnology (1993);
20. Organisation of Biovillages and Community Centred natural resources management strategies (1993);
21. Establishment of computer-aided and internet connected Rural Knowledge Centres (1997); organisation of the Jamsetji Tata National Virtual Academy for Rural Prosperity and a National Alliance for Mission 2007: Every Village a Knowledge Centre.
22. Organising a Community Gene, Seed and Grain management strategy, involving concurrent attention to conservation, cultivation, consumption and commerce (1998)

The results of the above research studies and extension efforts have been published in scientific papers in national and international journals as well as in several books.

Contributions to Education and Extension 

In the early nineteen sixties, he designed and implemented the National Demonstration Programme in wheat, rice and other crops.  The National Demonstration Programme resulted in a small government programme becoming a mass farmers’ movement for increasing productivity.

76 students have done their Ph.D thesis work under the guidance of  Dr. Swaminathan. In 1972, he introduced the “Techniracy” concept of imparting training in the latest technical skills entirely through work experience, in order to bypass the problems created by illiteracy and fostered the establishment of a chain of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (Farm Science Centres) for this purpose by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.  He also initiated the Lab to Land Programme and the whole village operational Research Projects, when he was the Director General of ICAR.  Designed the organisation of Farm Schools in the fields of Farmer-achievers to promote farmer to farmer learning.