John Axtell

1934 – 2000
Lynn Distinguished Professor of Agronomy
Unlocked secret to improved sorghum nutrition

Nutrition Contributions Reached Around the World

Interdisciplinary research, scientific leadership in plant breeding and genetics, and agricultural development work of international scope define the varied and vast contributions of Agronomy Legend John D. Axtell.

His most significant achievement was discovering and identifying the factors responsible for grain sorghum’s reduced protein availability and digestibility. Under his leadership, a team of biochemists, nutritionists and geneticists found that tannins negatively impact protein availability and, therefore, sorghum’s nutritional quality.

Increasing the amino acid lysine in sorghum, they found, would improve the diets of people worldwide who rely on the cane-like plant as a staple. He developed new hybrids, pioneered research on an in vitro pepsin digestibility method and contributed to germplasm development.

Spending more than three decades on the Purdue campus, Axtell taught advanced genetics and an interdisciplinary genetics seminar. His influence lives on through the numerous graduate students he guided who went on to key leadership posts around the world.

Education
1957                B.A. University of Minnesota, agronomy and plant genetics
1965                M.S., University of Minnesota, plant genetics
1967                Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, genetics

Purdue Years
1967 – 2000

Career Highlights
1977               Crop Science Society of America Crop Science Award
1978               American Society of Agronomy, Fellow
1982               Lynn Distinguished Professor of Agronomy
                        National Academy of Sciences Member, Purdue Agronomy’s first 
1984               Gamma Sigma Delta International Award for Distinguished Service
                        to Agriculture
1998               School of Agriculture Dean’s Team Award