Glenn W. Burton, 95; Agronomist Specialized in Pearl Millet, Grasses

Glenn W. Burton, 95, an agronomist credited with improving a global food staple and developing grasses for cattle and golf courses, died Tuesday of natural causes in Tifton, Ga.

Burton’s work with pearl millet -- a food staple for 90 million people around the world -- enabled India, Pakistan and several African nations to increase their production.

A plant geneticist at the University of Georgia’s Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton since 1936, Burton developed nutritious grasses for cattle. His first hybrid, known as coastal Bermuda grass, doubled forage production in the South. His grasses were also credited with improving golf courses in the Southeast.

A native of Clatonia, Neb., Burton earned degrees at the University of Nebraska and at Rutgers University before starting work at the Coastal Plain station as an employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He also taught at the University of Georgia.