Graduated in Agronomy from the Eliseu School of Agronomy of the Federal Rural University of Rio Grande do Sul (1967), Master's Degree in Agronomy from the University of Nebraska (1972) and PhD in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (1994). He is currently Researcher III of the Brazilian Corporation for Agricultural Research EMBRAPA. He has experience in Agronomy, with an emphasis on Plant Health.