Mayowa S. Aderoju is a first year Ph.D. student at the Iowa State University Seed Science Center and the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology. He is an enthusiastic seed pathologist studying the epidemiology and management seed-borne pathogens, particularly Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens (Cff), a re-emerging quarantine seedborne pathogen causing bacterial wilt in dry bean and tan spot in soybean. His research focuses on developing reliable detection assays and management strategies for Cff, by developing inoculation methods, evaluating varietal resistance, optimizing national seed-testing protocols (NSHS Be. 4.3) for Cff and conducting surveillance of its prevalence in Iowa, to generate translatable tools that enable regulators, seed companies, and breeders to make science-based decisions to manage Cff.

Reflecting on the quote “To feed the world, I believe we must first, seed the world” - Mk Misra, Mayowa strongly believes that “healthy seeds are foundational to feeding all forms of life”, and wouldn’t bear the thought of seed-borne diseases threatening the very foundation of food production and livelihood. This motivates him to continually contribute his quota to the seed industry by engaging in regulatory-relevant research that ensures seed health, advance thriving production systems by enabling breeders to screen for Cff resistance using validated assays and provides growers with evidence-based management strategies for producing healthy, high-quality crops, that ensures food safety and healthy human consumption.

Outside of having fun doing research, he also enjoys listening to music, photography, sightseeing, travelling, playing ping pong and billiards.