Juan Osorno, NDSU assistant professor of plant sciences, received the Early Career Grain Legume Scientist Award at the 2017 Feed the Future Legume Innovation Lab Legume Research Conference in Burkina Faso. The conference was held in partnership with Burkina Faso’s Institute of Environmental and Agricultural Research Aug. 13-19.

Osorno joined NDSU in 2007 and is the leader of the dry edible bean breeding project.

The award is presented to researchers in their first 15 years of professional research experience who have demonstrated international leadership and innovation, and a commitment to improving the livelihoods of grain legume producers and stakeholders in the grain legume chain in developing countries of Africa and Latin America.

Osorno was one of two award recipients. He is the Lead Principal Investigator for the Legume Innovation Lab’s “Genetic Improvement of Middle-American Climbing Beans for Guatemala” research project. The lab was established through the U.S. Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

According to Phil McClean, professor of plant sciences, “The LIL was funded for five years at the level of $25 million with the primary goal to work with international partners in multiple Central American and African countries to improve productivity and delivery of biotic and abiotic stress tolerant common bean and cowpea.” McClean served on the LIL Technical Management Advisory Committee. McClean is also an investigator on the Guatemalan bean project Osorno leads.

Other NDSU researchers attending the conference included McClean, and graduate students Luz de Maria Montejo Dominguez, Carlos Maldonado Mota and Maria Gabriela Tobar Pinon.

Osorno, Montejo Dominguez, Maldonado Mota and Tobar Pinon all gave presentations during the meeting.

More information on the Legume Innovation Lab and the Feed the Future LIL Legume Research Conference is available online.

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