2022 Plant Breeding & Genetics Award winner Istvan Rajcan, soybean breeder at the University of Guelph, sat down with Marc Zienkiewicz at last week’s Seeds Canada Semi-Annual Meeting to talk about his long breeding career and his secret to mentoring successful plant breeders.
The award, sponsored by Germination and Seeds Canada, is part of the Canadian Plant Breeding Innovation Awards program and is presented annually to a public or private sector researcher who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of Canadian plant agriculture through research in plant breeding and genetics.
Rajcan joined the faculty at the University of Guelph in 1998. His germplasm is now present in a large percentage of commercially successful soybean varieties grown in Eastern Canada. His products have also been grown beyond Ontario in Quebec, Manitoba and Eastern Europe. They’ve also gained major recognition with soybean end users throughout Europe and Asia.
During his time with the University of Guelph, Rajcan has been a mentor to many graduate students and several plant breeders who are now active in the industry.
Originally from Serbia, said his success — 116 publications and 85 varieties developed, and 48 grad students trained — is due largely to the fabulous mentors he’s had over the years.
“Many things that we do are influenced by our teachers. I had the pleasure of having excellent teachers of plant genetics and breeding in my early years,” he said.
“Being a good plant breeder means being engaged with everyone we interact with, and that includes students themselves. I often tell them I learned from them as much as they learn from me. They make me a better mentor and better professor, because they give me feedback on how to do that. A friend of mine many years ago said that a grad student is like a rose. If they’re treated well, they will bloom.”
