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Alexandria, Virginia
December 13, 2001
 As a result of his discoveries in
corn breeding and quantitative genetics, Arnel Hallauer, Ph.D.,
distinguished professor of agronomy at Iowa State University
(ISU) and leader of the university’s corn breeding program, is
among the cream of the crop in his field. It was no surprise,
therefore, when he received the “Crop Genetics Award of the
Year” at the American Seed Trade
Association’s 2001 Corn & Sorghum and Soybean Seed Research
Conferences on Dec. 6.
This award is sponsored each year
by Verdant Partners,
an investment banking and consulting firm focused on the crop
genetics industry, to honor its research leaders. This includes
outstanding professionals in the seed sector, traditional plant
breeding and plant biotechnology. With the award, Verdant issues
a $10,000 scholarship to an agricultural educational institution
in the winner’s name.For Hallauer, the check was made out to
Iowa State University (ISU), where he has spent most of his
career.
The winner of the “Crop Genetics
Award of the Year” is selected by a three-judge panel drawn from
the public sector, academia and industry. This year’s judges
included Norman Borlaug, Ph.D., Nobel Laureate and co-discoverer
of the structure of DNA; Ray Godlberg, Ph.D., emeritus Moffett
Professor of Agriculture and Business, Harvard Business School;
and Owen Newlin, Ph.D., retired senior vice president and
director, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., who presented
Hallauer’s
award.
Among many accomplishments,
Hallauer was honored for conducting empirical quantitative
genetic studies in corn to determine the types of genetic
effects important in trait expression and conducting long-term
selection studies to determine the direct and indirect effects
of response to selection on trait expression. His work provided
a much better understanding of the inheritance of
quantitative traits and allowed for the development of more
effective breeding methods.
Moreover, Hallauer has made
valuable contributions to corn breeding by adapting tropical
germplasm to temperate areas. Since the 1960s, he has crossed
exotic corn varieties with U.S. Corn Belt lines, adding valuable
traits to the latter like drought tolerance, and disease- and
insect-resistance. His work with the ISU-U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) breeding program led to the free release of
over 30 inbred lines.
In fact, Hallauer was part of the
team of USDA and ISU scientists who developed the B73 line of
hybrid corn, which remains the basis for nearly all the
seed-parent lines of corn used in the United States and
temperate areas of the world today. In 1990, it was found that
Hallauer’s lines are so widely used that they have made their
way into most commercial corn produced in the U.S. Cornbelt.
These lines produce an estimated $1 billion per year for the
American farmer. Due in part to such improved breeding lines,
average U.S. corn yields in the past 40 years have more than
doubled.
“Rapid changes in technology have
occurred during the past 40 years, but plant breeding remains
the ultimate delivery system to transfer technology from the
laboratory to the producer,” Hallauer noted. “And this will
remain so in the future. Plant breeders welcome new technology.
“The technology, however, has to be incorporated into the
breeding programs that are developing improved lines and
hybrids. If we are to realize the benefits of the new
technology, it and its products must be made available in the
best genetic systems.”
Hallauer essentially began his
work in agronomy in 1946, when he was 14 years old. He took a
job for 35 cents an hour harvesting experimental corn plots at
Kansas State University. He harvested every fall and planted
every spring while he was in high school and spent his summers
detassling for the Kansas Crop Improvement Association.
It was a natural that Hallauer
went to Kansas State University in 1950 for a B.S. in plant
science. He worked all four years for the cooperative
federal-state maize-breeding project, and
graduated with honors in 1954. He then went on to ISU, where he
received his M.S. and Ph.D., in plant breeding in 1958 and 1960,
respectively. He also received minor degrees in botany with his
M.S. and genetics and statistics with his Ph.D.
In 1961, Hallauer went to North
Carolina State University as a research geneticist for the USDA.
In 1962, he transferred back to ISU, where he continued to work
for the agency. In 1989, after 30 years of federal service,
Hallauer retired from the USDA and accepted a full-time faculty
position at ISU. He was named a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished
Professor in Agriculture there in 1991.
Hallauer has led corn-breeding
research at ISU since 1958. His research has had a worldwide
impact on plant-breeding programs. It has been reported in more
than 250 peer-reviewed publications and summarized in the book
Quantitative Genetics in Maize, known as the standard plant
breeding text in most classrooms and breeding programs. Hallauer
is also editor of two editions of the book Specialty Corns.
Hallauer has been recognized for
his a-maize-ing accomplishments by many organizations and
individuals. In 1989, he was elected to the National Academy of
Sciences, one of seven scientists in the history of ISU to
receive this honor. In 1992, he was elected to the USDA’s
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Hall of Fame. He is also a
fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society
of America, and Iowa Academy of Sciences. Other honors include
the Iowa Governor’s Science Medal in 1990, “Scientist of the
Year” from USDA-ARS in 1985, Distinguished Achievement Citation
from the ISU Alumni Association, and Outstanding Achievement in
Research Award from ISU’s College of Agriculture.
Moreover, Hallauer has assisted
maize scientists all over the world, especially in developing
countries. He has trained many graduate students, who
consistently name him one of the best instructors of agronomy at
ISU. Great teachers inspire great students. “During the past 10
years, greater interest has been given to molecular genetics and
related areas, and students have generally been attracted to the
newer technologies,” Hallauer said.
“But there are students who have
had internships in both areas and appreciate the importance
of plant breeding. It seems that students realize that plant
breeding is important for developing
the complete package of incorporating the traits developed in
molecular genetics with the newer
genotypes developed from the traditional breeding program.”
Besides being an outstanding
scientist and educator, Hallauer is also highly respected as a
kind
and generous person. According to ISU, a former student wrote,
“Despite his achievements
and recognition, he has remained humble and modest. He treats
everyone as an equal and is
always willing to listen … Arnel Hallauer is a man who has the
distinction of being respected,
admired, and loved by all.”
ASTA news release
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