Washington, DC
October 8, 2008
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer
today announced that USDA has
awarded more than $28 million through the Specialty Crop
Research Initiative (SCRI) to solve critical specialty crop
agriculture issues, address priorities and solve problems
through multifunctional research and extension.
The Specialty Crop Research Initiative was established by the
2008 Farm Bill to support the specialty crop industry by
developing and disseminating science-based tools to address
needs of specific crops and their regions in five focus areas:
1) improve crop characteristics through plant breeding, genetics
and genomics; 2) address threats from pests and diseases; 3)
improve production efficiency , productivity and profitability;
4) develop new innovations and technologies and 5) develop
methods to improve food safety. Each of the focus areas received
at least 10 percent of the available funds. The majority of the
funded projects address two or more focus areas.
The funded projects address research and extension needs for
crops that span the entire spectrum of specialty crops, from
sustainable production systems for turf grass to mechanical
fruit thinning devices for peach and apple. Except for projects
that addressed plant breeding, genetics and genomics of specific
crops, successful applicants simultaneously addressed needs in
more than a single crop. Major projects were also funded to
protect important specialty crops from invasive pests, such as
Citrus Greening.
Although 17 institutions will manage the research/extension
grant funds from this program, each award includes collaborators
from an average of three other states who will work together in
a multi-disciplinary approach to solve problems. All of the
awards required 100 percent matching funds from non-federal
sources which will double the impact of the award dollars.
Fiscal Year 2008 SCRI research and extension grants were awarded
to:
- University of
California-Davis, $3,221,134: Advanced Sensing and
Management to Optimize Water and Nitrogen Use in Tree Crops.
- Colorado State University,
$1,667,679: Risk Assessment of Sampling Methods for
Evaluating the Microbial Safety of Fresh Produce.
- USDA/ARS U.S.
Horticultural Research Laboratory, (FL), $991,591:
Development of a Decision Support System for Managing Viral
Watermelon Vine Decline and Other Vegetable Diseases
Caused by Whitefly-Transmit.
- University of Georgia,
$1,703,301: Advancing Blueberry Production Efficiency by
Enabling Mechanical Harvest, Improving Fruit Quality and
Safety, and Managing Emerging Diseases.
- USDA/ARS Pacific Basin
Agricultural Research Center (HI), $437,000: Ohelo,
Vaccinium reticulatum, A Specialty Ornamental and Value
Added Crop from Hawaii.
- Purdue University,
$350,000: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Develop a Safe and
Effective Chlorine Dioxide Gas System for Controlling
Pathogens in the Produce Industry.
- USDA/ARS Beltsville Area
Research Center,(MD), $1,000,000: Generating Genomic Tools
for Blueberry Improvement.
- Michigan State University,
$555,313: Multi-Faceted Approach for Soil Detection and
Management of Pythium and Phytophthora in Carrot,
Tomato, Cucurbits, and Asparagus.
- Rutgers University,
$996,687: Breeding and Genetics of Fruit-Rot Resistance and
Polyphenolics in the American Cranberry.
- The Ohio State University,
$1,113,214: Social Networking, Market and Commercialization
Infrastructure for Midwestern Fruit and Vegetable Crops in
Local Food Systems.
- Carnegie Mellon
University, $3,996,247: Integrated Automation for
Sustainable Specialty Crop Farming.
- Carnegie Mellon
University, $6,010,232: Comprehensive Automation for
Specialty Crops.
- The Pennsylvania State
University, $1,000,000: Innovative Technologies for Thinning
of Fruit.
USDA/ARS Kika de la Garza Subtropical Agricultural Research
Center (TX), $493,290: Development of an Area-Wide Approach
for Controlling Infection and Spread of HLB of Asian Citrus
Psyllid.
- Washington State
University, $2,244,274: Enhancing Biological Control to
Stabilize Western Orchard IPM Systems.
- University of Wisconsin,
$485,085: Increasing the Environmental and Economic
Sustainability of Sod Production using Biosolids.
- USDA/ARS University of
Wisconsin, $371,845: Deployment of Nutrient-Rich
Nematode-Resistant Carrots to Benefit Growers,
Consumers, and the Environment.
- USDA/ARS University of
Wisconsin, $998,957: Ensuring U.S. Onion
Sustainability: Breeding and Genomics to Control Thrips and
Iris Yellow Spot Virus.
The 2008 awards included a group
of planning grants that will enable awardees to develop quality
proposals for future SCRI funding opportunities. The FY 2008
planning grants were awarded to:
- University of Arizona,
$50,515: Informed Stakeholder Management of Virus-Vector
Disease Reservoirs in Southwestern-U.S. Irrigated
Vegetable Crops using GIS Mapping and
Bio-Climatic/Economic Projections.
- University of
California-Davis, $99,994: A Multitasking Sensor
Platform for Precision Management of Specialty Crop
Production.
- University of Florida,
$92,308: Planning Meeting for Woody Landscape Plant
Production and Pest Management Innovation.
- Iowa State University,
$34,020: Bioplastic Container Cropping Systems:
GreenTechnology for the Green Industry.
- Michigan State
University, $75,000: Expanding Fresh Vegetable
Production for the Great Lakes Market: A Planning Grant.
- The Pennsylvania State
University, $99,646: Aligning Consumer Demand,
Agricultural Industry Resources and Research and
Education to Service Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable
Markets.
- University of Vermont,
$100,000: A Public-Private Partnership to Promote
Integrated Pest Management Implementation in Northern
New England Greenhouse Ornamentals.
- Washington State
University, $98,181: Project Planning for Specialty Crop
Covers that Use Degradable Materials.
- Washington State
University, $79,487: Developing a Team to Address
Optimizing the White Wine Quality Through Plant Nutrient
Management.
Through federal funding and
leadership for research, education and extension programs,
CSREES focuses on investing in science and solving critical
issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future.
For more information, visit www.csrees.usda.gov |
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