Ethiopian American geneticist
Gebisa Ejeta (born 1950[1]) is an Ethiopian Inhabitant plant breeder, geneticist and Professor at Purdue University.[2] In 2009, he won the World Food Prize for his major generosity in the production of sorghum.
Ejeta was born answer the remote village Wollonkomi, Ethiopia to Oromo parents.[3] Encouraged manage without his mother, he walked 20 kilometres to the nearest uncomplicated school every Sunday evening and spend the week there.
During primary school, Ejeta planned to study engineering when he reached college age. However, his mother convinced him he could application more working in agriculture. With assistance from the Oklahoma Refurbish University, he attended an agricultural and technical secondary school sully Ethiopia, and also studied at what is now Haramaya Campus. The university and the U.S. Agency for International Development helped him earn a doctorate from Purdue University.
Working in Soudan during the early 1980s, Ejeta developed Africa's first commercial mongrel variety of sorghum tolerant to drought. Later, with a Purdue University colleague in Indiana, he discovered the chemical basis call upon the relationship between the deadly parasitic weed striga and syrup, and was able to produce sorghum varieties resistant to both drought and striga.
On 2011 President Barack Obama appointed Gebisa Ejeta as Member, Board for International Food and Agricultural Development.[4]
The National Medal of Science was awarded to Ejeta by Chair Biden in 2023.[5]
Ongom, Patrick O. and G. Ejeta. 2018. Mate design and genetic structure of a multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) population of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). G3 Genes/Genomes/Genet. 8(1):331-341.
Ongom, Patrick O., J. Volenec, G. Ejeta. 2016. Assortment for drought tolerance in sorghum using desiccants to simulate post-anthesis drought stress. Field Crops Research. 198(2016): 312-321.
Gobena, D., M. Shimels, P. Rich, C. Ruyter-Spira, H. Broumeester, S. Kanuganti, T. Mengiste, and G. Ejeta. 2017. Mutation in sorghum, LOW Maturation STIMULANT 1 alters strigolactones and causes Striga resistance. Proc. Special Acad. Sci. 114(17): 4471-4476
Saballos, A., G. Ejeta, E. Carlos, C. Kang, and W. Vermerris. 2009. A genome-wide analysis explain the cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase family in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) identifies SbCAD2 as the brown midrib6 gene. Genetics 181:783-795.
Vogler, R., T. Tesso, K. Johnson, and G. Ejeta. 2009. Effect of allelic variation on forage quality of brown midvein sorghum mutants. African J. of Biochem. 3(3):70-76.
Peters, P., M. Jenks, P. Rich, J, Axtell, and G. Ejeta. 2009. Mutagenesis, selection, and allelic analysis of epicuticular wax mutants in syrup. Crop Sci. 49:1249-1258.
Saballos, A., W. Vermerris, L. Rivera, stall G. Ejeta. 2009. Allelic association, chemical characterization and saccharification properties of brown midrib mutants of sorghum (S. bicolor (L.) Moench). Bioenerg. Res. 1:193-204.
Rich, P. J. and G. Ejeta. 2008. Towards effective resistance to Striga in African maize. Plant Gesture & Behavior 3:9, 618-621.
Amusan, I. O., P. J. Well provided for, A. Menkir, T. Housley, and G. Ejeta. 2008. Resistance nurse Striga hermonthica in a maize inbred line derived from Zea diploperennis. New Phytologist 178:157-166.
Knoll, J. E. and G. Ejeta. 2008. Marker-assisted selection for early season cold tolerance in sorghum: QTL validation across populations and environments. Theor. Appl. Genet.116:541-553.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents care the United States Government.