Federal Grant Award Summary

The Regents of the University of California at Riverside received a $298,287 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), awarded February 1, 2026, with a completion date of January 31, 2028. The grant funds research to develop and validate a biological pest management approach using naturally occurring fungi (Hyalorbilia oviparasitica) to suppress cyst nematodes in commercial agricultural field soils. Building on prior successful work demonstrating fungal suppression of sugarbeet cyst nematode in broccoli and sugar beet fields, this project extends the research to determine whether the presence of these fungi can predict which commercial wheat field soils will suppress cereal cyst nematode populations.

The primary deliverable is the generation of scientific evidence establishing predictive relationships between fungal presence and cyst nematode suppression in wheat production systems. If successful, this research will contribute to creating an effective, low-cost, and environmentally sustainable pest management method that avoids the environmental and human health risks associated with chemical nematicides. The project is conducted at UC Riverside in Riverside, California, and aligns with AFRI's Plant Health and Production priority area by advancing agricultural productivity and sustainability through innovative biological approaches to managing yield-reducing crop pests.