Rate My Professor Caio Brunharo

Caio Brunharo is an Assistant Professor of Weed Science in the Department of Plant Science at Pennsylvania State University. He earned a BS in Agricultural Engineering in 2013 and an MSc in Crop Science in 2014 from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and a PhD in Horticulture and Agronomy in 2018 from the University of California, Davis. Following his doctorate, he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at UC Davis. Prior to joining Penn State in 2022, Brunharo served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Science at Oregon State University for three years.

Brunharo directs the Applied Weed Physiology Laboratory, focusing research on the evolutionary and physiological mechanisms enabling weeds to adapt to herbicides and agricultural practices, as well as to abiotic stresses from climate change. His interdisciplinary approach employs population genomics, whole-genome sequencing, and molecular techniques to investigate herbicide resistance, including target-site mutations like EPSPS gene amplification and non-target-site metabolism such as vacuolar sequestration and enhanced herbicide breakdown. Key publications include 'Role of Glutamine Synthetase Isogenes and Herbicide Metabolism in the Mechanism of Resistance to Glufosinate in Lolium perenne L. spp. multiflorum Biotypes from Oregon' (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2019), 'Non-target-Site Resistance in Lolium spp. Globally: A Review' (Frontiers in Plant Science, 2021), 'Multiple evolutionary origins of glyphosate resistance in Lolium multiflorum' (Evolutionary Applications, 2022), 'Evolutionary drivers of agricultural adaptation in Lolium spp.' (Pest Management Science, 2021), and 'The Genome of Lolium multiflorum Reveals the Genetic Architecture of Paraquat Resistance' (Molecular Ecology, 2025). His work supports sustainable weed management through site-specific strategies and informs responses to evolving weed populations. Brunharo contributes to USDA-funded initiatives on precision weed control and herbicide resistance tracking.