Dr. Yue Jin was born and raised in rural Inner Mongolia, China. He earned a B.S. in Plant Protection from the Inner-Mongolia College of Agriculture. After teaching high school mathematics in China, he conducted graduate studies at North Dakota State University (NDSU), where he earned an M.S. in Plant Pathology in 1988, and both M.S. in Applied Statistics and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology in 1990. He conducted postdoctoral research at NDSU from 1990-1995. He was hired by South Dakota State University in 1995 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1999. In 2003, he accepted a position at the USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Laboratory, attaining the rank of GS-15 and adjunct Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Minnesota in 2011.
Dr. Jin's excellence in original research in addition to professional and public service sets him apart as a highly distinguished plant pathologist of world renown. The cereal rusts are among the most devastating pathogens known to humankind and continually threaten food security--even to this day. In this field, Jin is known for his 'sixth sense' in understanding cereal rust pathogen biology. While at NDSU, he discovered that a “leaf rust" epidemic on barley was not caused by the usual barley leaf rust pathogen Puccinia hordei, but rather a new variant of P. coronata, the oat crown rust pathogen. He described a new form of P. coronata (var. hordei) based on teliospore morphology and determined the alternate host as common buckthorn (Rhamnus species). Similarly, in 2010, Jin reported that barberry was the alternate host of the wheat stripe rust pathogen, P. striiformis f. sp. tritici. The textbooks told us that this fungus has no known alternate host. However, through Jin's power of observation, he deduced that barberry was the alternate host after finding grasses heavily infected with stripe rust near the barberry collection at the University of Minnesota arboretum. He then conducted the definitive experiments to prove this for the stripe rust isolates attacking wheat, which was captured in the seminal paper “Century-old mystery of Puccinia striiformis life history solved with the identification of Berberis as an alternate host." This discovery opened up a new frontier for conducting classical genetic studies in the pathogen. The breakthrough also helped explain the possible origin of the extreme variation observed in P. striiformis f. sp. tritici populations and the recent pandemic races affecting the wheat crop worldwide. Simply stated, Jin's research fundamentally changed the global understanding and management of wheat stripe rust. Jin emerged as an international leader in cereal rust research through his important contributions to understanding and combating stem rust epidemics on barley and wheat.
In the 1990s, a race of P. graminis f. sp. tritici new to the Great Plains (QCC) began causing epidemics on barley in the U.S. and Canada. Jin determined that QCC carried virulence for the widely used resistance (R) gene Rpg1. Extensive evaluations of over 20,000 barley accessions revealed only a few sources of QCC resistance, the best being line Q21861. Jin conducted elegant genetic work to identify and map the R genes in Q21861, including Rpg1 and two new genes, rpg4 and Rpg5. He cleverly exploited the temperature sensitivity of rpg4 to resolve the genetics in the progeny. This research proved invaluable for addressing the African stem rust epidemics caused by the “Ug99 race group" (exemplified by type race TTKSK) in the mid-2000s. Over 95% of cultivated barley accessions are susceptible to this African race. Significantly, the rpg4/Rpg5 complex is the only one currently described in barley that is highly effective against race TTKSK and its variants. Jin's international stature accelerated to its current high and prominent state with his research on wheat to the Ug99 race group. This race group is the greatest threat to world wheat production and food security in over a half century as more than 80% of wheat cultivars worldwide are highly susceptible. Jin reported the authoritative description of wheat stem rust R genes effective and ineffective to this widely virulent race group. Subsequently, he was the first to describe new virulence types within the lineage of the original Ug99 isolate--those with virulence for the stem rust R genes Sr24 and Sr36, both widely deployed in wheat across the world. The description of R genes and discovery of new virulence types within the Ug99 race group were essential elements needed by breeders for developing a strategy against the worldwide population of the wheat stem rust pathogen. Jin also was instrumental in establishing germplasm screening nurseries in East Africa, which now host important research conducted by scientists from all over the world. Jin's expertise in combating rust epidemics of wheat and barley, contributed to forming the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat (DRRW) project, a consortium of scientists from 22 institutions across the world. The DRRW and related projects subsequently invested over $100 million dollars in stem rust research and wheat improvement around the globe. Jin continues to play an integral role in stem rust research and training the international community of scientists in the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI). For his special contribution in training women in cereal rust research, he was awarded the Women in Triticeae Mentor Award in 2013. He received the USDA Secretary Honor Award in 2008 for his efforts in the rapid mobilization of research expertise and resources to assess the vulnerability of U.S. wheat to the Ug99 race group. The University of Minnesota recognized Jin with the prestigious Siehl Prize in 2013 for his remarkable contributions and international leadership in addressing the threat of African stem rust to wheat.
Over the course of his distinguished career, Jin has demonstrated the value of understanding pathogen biology for the effective management of globally significant plant diseases. He embodies all of the best characteristics of an outstanding scientist whose significant discoveries have changed the way we think about controlling the most ancient of plant enemies: the cereal rusts. For these reasons, Dr. Jin is most deserving of the APS Fellow award.
