Federal Grant Award Summary

Oklahoma State University received a $616,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2029. The project addresses winterkill losses in warm-season turfgrasses, particularly turf-type bermudagrass, which annually costs the $60 billion U.S. turfgrass industry substantial economic losses. The research team will develop and deliver innovative breeding selection tools and genomic technologies to accelerate the development of cold-hardy bermudagrass cultivars. Specific deliverables include: (1) developing and evaluating interspecific hybrid bermudagrass populations for winter hardiness; (2) identifying quantitative trait loci (QTL) responsible for cold tolerance; (3) developing and validating molecular markers and marker-assisted selection (MAS) approaches for winter hardiness; (4) implementing genomic prediction methodologies for improved germplasm selection; and (5) disseminating research findings through extension events to industry stakeholders.

Kansas State University serves as a sub-awardee under this grant, with Dr. Ross Braun serving as Co-Principal Investigator. Kansas State University will contribute to Objective 1 by hiring a 0.5 FTE graduate research assistant to conduct field research at the Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center in Manhattan, Kansas. This collaborative effort will integrate quantitative genetics and genomic selection approaches to develop efficient breeding tools that reduce the multi-decade development timeline for new cold-hardy cultivars, thereby mitigating winterkill-related economic losses to the turfgrass industry.