This $649,929 federal Project Grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program will fund research at the University of Maryland, College Park to investigate the molecular and genetic basis of seasonal nitrogen cycling in poplar trees. The research aims to advance understanding of how perennial plants like trees efficiently acquire and utilize nitrogen, which is a critical nutrient for plant growth and productivity....
The University of Montana was awarded a $649,548 Project Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grants program. The grant will fund the development of a comprehensive methodology to prioritize tree planting efforts on National Forest lands in the semiarid western United States. The methodology is based on an ensemble of existing models that will determine the probability of...
This $649,817 project grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture will fund research at the University of Minnesota to analyze rooting responses in woody plants. Through May 2023 to April 2027, the grantee will use chemical biology and targeted metabolomic analysis approaches to better understand differences in rooting compounds' fates and responses between hybrid hazelnuts that are easily rooted and less responsive lines. The goal is to...
This three-year, $647,155 project grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) supports research under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) competitive grants program. The grant funds research at the US Forest Service to quantify the sensitivity of longleaf and loblolly pine forest water use and carbon sequestration to climate drivers using eddy covariance towers. The grantee will combine data from six existing tower...
This four-year, $649,912 project grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310) will fund research into the interactions between soil chemical properties, biological processes, and fertilization practices that influence nutrient availability and growth responses in loblolly pine plantations. North Carolina State University will investigate the abiotic and biotic...
The Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Oregon State University $649,333 under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grants program (CFDA 10.310) from June 2023 through May 2026. The Project Grant funding will support research to develop robust and computationally efficient methods for calibrating process-based, individual tree growth models using high resolution remote sensing data. Specifically, the university will establish...
This $749,999 Project Grant award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) will fund a collaborative effort to convert low-yielding cropland in the U.S. Midwest to native perennial vegetation. The project, led by Michigan State University (MSU) in partnership with a state agency and sharecroppers, aims to assess the impacts of this conservation approach on biodiversity and ecosystem services while maintaining...
This $300,000 award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) will fund the development and field testing of elite poplar tree varieties with reduced lignin content for more sustainable and efficient wood fiber production. The project aims to establish a short-rotation agroforestry system utilizing these genetically engineered poplar trees with enhanced traits for increased pulp yield and reduced carbon...
This $295,000 federal Project Grant award, funded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083), supports a collaborative research effort to develop bio-inspired, biodegradable, self-burying seed carriers for aerial forest regeneration. The key objectives are to: Address low germination and seedling establishment rates in aerial seeding by developing self-burying seed carriers. Explore the rational design of seed carriers to accommodate the unique...
This $154,453 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) aims to develop novel bio-inspired, biodegradable, self-burying seed carriers for aerial forest regeneration. The key products and services to be delivered through this 5-year award, which began on October 1, 2024, include: Addressing the challenge of low germination and seedling establishment rates in aerial seeding by developing self-burying seed carriers that provide...