How can agriculture directly improve public health? In collaboration with researchers from University of Nebraska–Lincoln, CIMMYT, Rothamsted Research, and multiple international partners, we contributed to a perspective proposing a new paradigm linking crop breeding, food systems, and health outcomes. The work highlights how improving dietary fiber levels in staple crops such as wheat could reduce risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer at the population scale.

Stripe rust remains one of the most destructive diseases affecting global wheat production. In collaboration with scientists the USDA-ARS Wheat Health, Genetics, and Quality Research Unit, our team introgressed the adult plant resistance gene Yr78 into durum wheat and evaluated its effect on stripe rust resistance. Field trials demonstrated that combining Yr78 with Yr36 significantly enhanced resistance, while additional stacking with seedling resistance genes Yr5 and Yr15 created a powerful multi-gene resistance package.

Whiteflies are major pests threatening cassava production worldwide. Collaborating with scientists from CIAT, ICARDA, and EMBL-EBI, weidentified quantitative trait loci controlling resistance to the whitefly Aleurotrachelus socialis. A major QTL on chromosome 8 explained over 35% of phenotypic variation, and associated SNP markers were validated across diverse cassava germplasm. These markers enable efficient marker-assisted selection of insect-resistant varieties.

Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) is one of the most devastating viral diseases affecting cassava production worldwide. In collaboration with researchers from the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), the Vietnamese Agricultural Genetics Institute, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, and CIAT, we developed DNA markers targeting mutations associated with the CMD2 resistance locus. These markers enable efficient identification of resistant plants in breeding populations.

Over the past decade, cassava breeding programs have achieved significant improvements in nutritional quality while maintaining agronomic performance. This study analyzed multilocation breeding trials conducted between 2013 and 2022 to quantify realized genetic gains in biofortified cassava. The results revealed annual improvements of 7.03% in β-carotene content and 4.15% in root yield, demonstrating the success of sustained breeding investments.

Cassava starch variation offers new opportunities for renewable bioenergy systems. In collaboration with researchers from CIAT, CIRAD (France), the University of Montpellier, and Hanoi University of Science and Technology, this study investigated specialized cassava starch mutants—including amylose-free and small-granule starch types—for bioethanol production. 

Biofortified cassava varieties enriched in provitamin A are critical for addressing micronutrient deficiencies in tropical regions. In collaboration with scientists from IITA Nigeria, CIAT, Texas A&M, the University of Hawaii, Cornell University, and the IITA Zambia hub, this study evaluated the effectiveness of KASP and DArTseq marker systems for diversity analysis, quality control, and trait selection in biofortified cassava breeding populations.

Cassava breeding has traditionally relied on highly heterozygous parents, limiting the efficiency of trait introgression and genetic improvement. In this study, our team proposed a transformational breeding strategy based on inbred-parent hybrid systems, similar to the revolution that transformed maize breeding. By leveraging self-compatibility, doubled haploids, and genomics-enabled selection, this framework enables the purging of deleterious mutations and systematic exploitation of heterosis.