Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** our long-term goal is to…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** our long-term goal is to successfully introduce faba bean as a fall/winter crop with multiple nutritional, environmental, and economical benefits that can make the cropping systems in the mid-atlantic more sustainable. This will be achieved through identification and further development of winter hardy faba beans with suitable agronomic and quality characteristics for conventional and organic production. This crop with superior nitrogen fixation is an early foraging source for honey bees. We will apply cutting edge genetics and phenomics tools, i.e. DNA-based SNP markers and UAV-based aerial imaging, starting from a 500+ variety panel. This will be followed with optimization of agronomic practices on selected varieties. Nutritional value and consumer acceptance, i.e. seed chemical composition and sensory qualities, will be evaluated on selected varieties recommended for production and further breeding. Extension evaluations in grower fields and across multiple locations in the region will be organized later in the project. With this project, we will set the basis of a trans-disciplinary effort on breeding, genomics, phenomics, agronomics, economics, and stakeholder participation to carry on the current and future research on faba beans. Concurrently, extension programs and communications with industry and local farmer markets will be put in place from year 1 to disseminate research results in the form of on-farm trials, field days, production guides and publications, and digital media. This proposal is relevant to the scri strategic goals of maximizing the ability of american producers to prosper economically and strengthen the stewardship of private lands through technology and research.