Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. received a $591,500 Project Grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), CFDA 10.310, awarded July 15, 2026 with completion targeted for July 14, 2029. The project will develop low-cost, wearable sensors capable of direct attachment to maize leaves to continuously monitor plant health metrics without causing plant damage. These sensors will provide real-time data on critical indicators of plant function and stress, including water use efficiency, viral infection status, photosynthesis rates, and plant defense-related chemical signals. The resulting wearable sensing system represents a significant advancement over traditional labor-intensive and destructive plant assessment methods that provide only intermittent health snapshots.

The technology will be validated through controlled growth chamber and greenhouse experiments using maize plants exposed to drought, viral infection, and combined stress scenarios. Upon completion, the research will deliver a powerful analytical tool for studying crop responses to multiple environmental stresses in real time, with direct applications to accelerate plant phenotyping efforts, improve identification of drought-tolerant and disease-resistant crop varieties, and support development of more resilient crops. These advances are intended to enhance agricultural productivity and food security under increasingly variable environmental conditions.