Spotlight: Brian Steffenson
Brian is the Distinguished Global Professor and Lieberman-Okinow Endowed Chair at the University of Minnesota at University of Minnesota. In this role, he seeks to improve and enhance small grain cereal crops with genes derived from wild species, foster the conservation of wild cereal genetic resources, disseminate information and germplasm, and educate the next generation of scientists in utilizing genetic diversity for crop improvement. Brian has been a longtime partner and collaborator with 2Blades.
Could you explain your research in 5 words?
Developing durably-resistant cereal crops.
Okay, now in a few more words..
I’m a plant pathologist, and my research focuses on breeding crops for disease resistance. My primary research focus is developing cereal crops, such as wheat and barley, for resistance to the rust diseases. These rust diseases are caused by various species of fungi that have devastated crops across the world for several millennia. My research group works on discovering and exploiting disease-resistance genes from the wild progenitors of our modern cereal crops, which are treasure troves of genetic diversity. The deployment of resistant crops is a highly effective, economical, and environmentally friendly means for controlling plants diseases.
Could you explain one technique you use regularly?
Testing the reaction of plants to various pathogens is one of the primary operations we perform in my laboratory. We have worked with 15 different cereal pathogens and each of them requires a slightly different protocol for isolating, storing, growing, and inoculating. Our tests are conducted in the laboratory, greenhouse, and field, depending on the pathogen and the purpose. The most important factor is providing the proper infection period for the pathogens—something that can be accomplished by incubating plants in high humidity.
What about your field of research is most exciting to you right now?
Two things come to mind. The first is that we now have the technology to rapidly identify and clone many resistance genes from plants within a very short period of time. Having a pool of resistance genes is essential for breeding crops with durable resistance. The second exciting development is the advance of transgenic technologies that can facilitate the rapid and efficient transfer of multiple resistance genes (up to five or more in a single ‘cassette’) into an already adapted cultivar. Using conventional breeding and hybridization techniques, this process would take 10-15 years, but now it can now be done in just 6 months! This is a quantum leap forward in terms of the efficiency and precision of introducing useful genes into plants. I am particularly excited about our recent field trial results, which demonstrated exceptional stem rust resistance obtained through the ‘stacking’ of multiple resistance genes in one wheat variety.
What keeps you busy when you’re not in the lab?
I enjoy cycling, hiking and traveling. A new hobby is keeping up with three young grandchildren, all under age 2. I am also a keen gardener. I have many different kinds of fruits, vegetables, and flowers in my large backyard. With the grandchildren, I try to keep organic as much as possible; however, I am a very frustrated apple grower, since I can’t keep apple maggots from ruining my apples. I recently tried putting plastic bags on every apple, but that is too laborious and extreme!
What would you be doing if you weren’t a scientist?
I actually started out in journalism, believe it or not, so I guess I might have been a journalist. I think I always had an interest in plant science though, which clearly won out in the end.
What’s the most enjoyable thing about your job?
Being in the university environment and interacting with so many talented and passionate students who are full of ideas. Plant molecular biology is very dynamic field with a constant flow of new ideas and technologies. Progress is really at the forefront of everyone’s mind in the discipline. I love my job and cannot think of doing anything else for a living. It means a lot to me that friends say “Brian you won the job lottery”, getting to work in such a dynamic environment with opportunities to travel and share knowledge. Another significant thing is being able work on problems that may help mankind. I remember meeting with Norman Borlaug (the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and architect of the Green Revolution) and being particularly inspired by his drive to get innovation into the hands of farmers.
How has 2Blades Foundation been beneficial to your work?
The impact has been immense. It is really gratifying to know there is a foundation with research objectives so closely aligned with mine. I was initially approached by several 2Blades members at a meeting in Mexico a few years back. They told me they were interested in collaboration and in funding our research. How can you say no to that? 2Blades is a wonderfully easy and professional group to work with, one of the best I’ve ever collaborated with in my 30 years as a professor. It is a big plus that they all have a strong research background. Moreover, they have a great can-do attitude and are focused on the defined outcomes. It has been an absolute pleasure to work and be associated with this group.