The National Association for Plant Breeding (NAPB) has announced its awardees for outstanding accomplishments in five categories yesterday, and among them is Canadian soybean breeding maestro Istvan Rajcan, who has received the Public Sector Impact Award.

The list of Rajcan’s accomplishments is extensive — 140 publications in refereed journals. Eighty-seven soybean cultivars including OAC Kent, which won the Seed of the Year Award in 2008.

Rajcan is a giant among soybean breeders, to say the least.

Rajcan joined the faculty at the University of Guelph in 1998. His germplasm is now present in a large percentage of commercially successful soybean varieties grown in Eastern Canada. His products have also been grown beyond Ontario in Quebec, Manitoba and Eastern Europe. They’ve also gained major recognition with soybean end users throughout Europe and Asia.

Read the full story below.

A Guelph Researcher was Just Named Among the NAPB's 2025 Plant Breeding Rockstars - Seed World