 He also had a major hand in influencing Norman Borlaug to pursue a career in phytopathology.In 1938, in a speech entitled "These Shifty Little Enemies that Destroy our Food Crops", Stakman discussed the manifestation of the plant disease rust, a parasitic fungus that feeds on phytonutrients, in wheat, oat and barley crops across the US.He had discovered that special plant breeding methods created plants resistant to rust.