This Project Grant award from the United States Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) under the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (CFDA 10.309) provides $1,123,867 to Soil Culture Solutions, LLC (doing business as Soilcea) to develop new HLB (Huanglongbing) and canker-resistant citrus varieties using CRISPR gene editing technology.
The key activities include: 1) Multiplexed CRISPR editing of three HLB resistance genes and one canker resistance gene to generate non-transgenic, disease-resistant citrus trees, and 2) Field trials to screen the new CRISPR-edited varieties for improved disease resistance and horticultural traits. The goal is to develop and commercialize HLB and canker-resistant citrus trees that can be sold to growers. Soilcea has previously received multiple other federal grants and sub-awards totaling over $3M from USDA and NSF to support their work on developing disease-resistant produce using advanced genomic editing techniques.
Generated 3/4/25, 5:39 AM