The Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded a $850,000 project grant to The Pennsylvania State University under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grants program (AFRI, CFDA No. 10.310). The four-year project seeks to develop a whole microbial community-based approach to manage common foliar bacterial diseases affecting tomato crops. Specifically, the research will test whether suppressive microbial communities can be cultivated for two distinct tomato pathogens, examine how ecological conditions impact community emergence and strength, determine the specificity of suppression for each community, and identify key microbial taxa contributing to disease suppression. By translating understanding of naturally occurring soil-borne pathogen suppression into the plant leaf environment, the research has potential to improve control of important foliar diseases through more environmentally sustainable methods. The project commenced May 1, 2023 and is scheduled for completion by April 30, 2027.
Mod # | Description | Reason For Modification | Federal Obligation (Click to sort descending) | Date (Click to sort ascending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $850.0k | 3/17/23 |