Washington, DC, USA
November 18, 2009
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA has awarded more than $46 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.
“Specialty crops are an important part of American agriculture, valued at nearly $50 billion every year,” Vilsack said. “This significant investment into research, education and extension will enable specialty crop producers to improve their products and increase their profitability.”
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 the needs of specific crops 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 projects funded in 2009 address research and extension needs for crops that span the entire spectrum of specialty crops production, from studying invasive mealy bug pests in west coast vineyards to developing biodegradable mulches for specialty crops produced under protective covers. Major projects were also funded to protect important specialty crops from invasive pests and to develop improved varieties.
Although 20 institutions will manage the research/extension grant funds from this program, each award includes an average of 8 principal investigators from 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 2009 SCRI research and extension grants were awarded to:
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark., $1,463,234
Management of Virus Complexes in Rubus
University of California, Davis, Calif., $3,965,999
Increasing Consumption of Specialty Crops by Enhancing their Quality and Safety
University of California, Berkeley, Calif., $1,957,835
An Invasive Mealybug Pest and an Emerging Viral Disease: a Dangerous Mix for West Coast Vineyards
University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $1,894,904
A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Sustainability and Profitability of U.S. Blueberry Production Using the Tree-like Species Vaccinium arboreum
University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $1,967,863
Laurel Wilt of Avocado: Mitigation and Management of an Exotic, Insect-vectored Disease
University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., $774,581
Advancing Onion Postharvest Handling Efficiency and Sustainability by Multimodal Quality Sensing, Disease Control and Waste Stream Management
University of Illinois, Urbana, Ill., $1,951,981
Integrated Genomics and Management Systems for Control of Fire Blight
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La., $2,841,987
Participatory Modeling and Decision Support for Improving Sweet Potato Production Efficiency, Quality and Food Safety
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La., $518,749
Development of an eXtension Community of Practice - All About Blueberries
University of Maryland, College Park, Md., $5,161,495
Precision Irrigation and Nutrient Management for Nursery, Greenhouse and Green Roof Systems: Wireless Sensor Networks for Feedback and Feedforward Control
University of Maine, Bangor, Maine, $1,023,805
Systems Approach to Improving the Sustainability of Wild Blueberry Production
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $1,831,469
RosBREED-Enabling Marker-assisted Breeding in Rosaceae
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, N.J., $1,503,166
Locally Grown Ethnic Greens & Herbs: Demand Assessment and Production Opportunities
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Ithaca, N.Y., $2,381,759
Development of Comprehensive Strategies to Manage Potato Virus Y in Potato and Eradicate the Tuber Necrotic Variants Recently Introduced into the United States
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Wooster, Ohio, $1,826,298
Intelligent Spray Systems for Floral and Ornamental Nursery Crops
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla., $422,964
Development of a Grape Community of Practice for the eXtension System
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore., $1,392,933
Expansion of Hazelnut Production, Feedstock and Biofuel Potential through Breeding for Disease Resistance and Climatic Adaption
Texas AgriLife, College Station, Texas, $3,900,889
Management of Zebra Chip to Enhance Profitability and Sustainability of U.S. Potato Production
Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $3,891,952
A Total Systems Approach to Developing a Sustainable Stem-free Sweet Cherry Production, Processing and Marketing System
Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $1,821,721
Agronomic and Biochemical Impacts of Biotic and Abiotic Stress on Pacific Northwest Flavor Crops
Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $1,999,002
Biodegradable Mulches for Specialty Crops Produced Under Protective Covers
Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $474,115
Tree Fruit GDR: Translating Genomics into Advances in Horticulture
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Kearneysville, W.V., $637,330
FasTrack a Revolutionary Approach to Long Generation Cycle Specialty Crop Breeding
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Kearneysville, W.V., $559,531
Manipulating Host- and Mate-finding Behavior of Plum Curculio: Development of a Multi-life Stage Management Strategy for a Key Fruit Pest
The 2009 awards included a group of planning grants that will enable awardees to develop quality proposals for future SCRI funding opportunities. The FY 2009 planning grants were awarded to:
Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colo., $49,949
Planning Grant to Document the Health-promoting Properties of Dry Beans and to Increase Consumption in the United States
University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $23,126
Improving Profitability of Blueberry Production with a Comprehensive Precision Agriculture Program
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $22,903
Limiting Bird Damage to Fruit Crops: A Planning Program to Identify Research Directions for the Future
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $50,000
Establishing a Broccoli Industry in the Eastern United States
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $50,000
Planning to Expand the New Knowledge Fusion Model: Spurring Innovations for Specialty Crops
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $49,979
Addressing Research and Extension Needs of the Emerging Cold-climate Wine Industry in the Northeast and Upper Midwest
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $47,297
Developing a Team to Address Major Viticultural, Enological and Market Driven Challenges to a Strong and Sustainable Eastern Wine Industry
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, $49,966
Identifying Stakeholder Needs for Establishing Urban Specialty Crops Enterprise
Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., $48,947
Bridging Specialty Crop Producers and Institutional Food Purchasers: Distilling a Research and Extension Agenda in Support of Local Food Systems
Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $49,479
Placing Fruit Canopy Management Automation Technology in the Field
Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $46,146
Development of a Smart Targeted Spray Application Technology Roadmap for Specialty Crops
Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future. For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov.
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