Project Grant SIS70021GR3001

This $295,750 Project Grant award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) Competitive Grants Program, with a period of performance from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2027, aims to develop effective integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for cucurbit production in the Delmarva region. The key objectives are to: 1) determine host plant preferences of cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and vine borers; 2) identify volatile...

This $836,100 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) aims to enhance understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying the bacterial wilt disease that affects cucurbit crops like cucumbers and melons. The key objectives are to screen and characterize disease resistance traits in diverse cucumber and melon populations, and leverage this knowledge to develop sustainable management strategies for this critical agricultural...

This $5,953,802 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) program funds a multi-institutional effort led by New Mexico State University to develop an integrated, system-based approach to significantly reduce the risk of Phytophthora blight in vegetable crops like peppers and cucurbits. The project aims to: 1) evaluate genetic diversity of the causal agent Phytophthora capsici, 2) identify resistant crop genotypes tolerant to...

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) under the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (CFDA 10.170) provides $734,256 to Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) to develop targeted management recommendations for the control of Phytophthora capsici, a soil-borne pathogen that causes crown and fruit rot in cucurbit crops. The project, conducted in collaboration with Michigan State University and the...

This $450,312 federal project grant awarded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program will support Cornell University's efforts to develop new, highly downy mildew resistant cucumber cultivars. The project aims to quantify the yield and disease resistance performance of these new cucumber varieties through field trials under conventional and organic conditions, and to facilitate the adoption of these...

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Industrial Innovation, totaling $250,000, supports research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to develop effective and safe pesticide formulations for protecting crops from fungal diseases. Under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), the awardee will identify naturally produced molecules with enhanced fungicidal activity against Botrytis cinerea and Phakopsora pachyrhizi, major pathogens causing billions in annual crop...

This cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service will fund the development and validation of fungicide resistance monitoring tools for Botrytis species in specialty crops. Michigan State University will receive $133,735 to enhance fungicide resistance management through improved detection and monitoring of resistance development. Specifically, the university will develop molecular markers for fungicide resistance to FRAC groups 2, 7, 9, 11, and 12,...

The University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. was awarded a $4,790,065 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (CFDA 10.309) to address the threat of anthracnose disease in watermelon and cucumber crops. The project aims to improve understanding of anthracnose pathogens, screen crops for resistance, and develop sustainable management strategies. Key sub-awardees include the USDA...

The National Science Foundation awarded a $300,000 EAGER grant titled "ENHANCING PLANT IMMUNITY AND GROWTH WITH CELL-PENETRATING PEPTIDES FOR ORGANIC AGRICULTURE" to The Ohio State University under the agency's Biological Sciences (CFDA 47.074) program. This two-year project aims to improve the efficiency of plant biologics, such as defense activators and biostimulants, by leveraging membrane translocation domain (MTD) technology to enhance their cellular delivery and efficacy. Key...

This $325,000 Project Grant awarded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) Competitive Grants Program (CFDA 10.329) seeks to characterize fungicide resistance of the Botrytis pathogen affecting a wide range of specialty crops including fruit, ornamentals, vegetable transplants, and row crops in California and Michigan. The key objectives are to: 1) determine the fungicide resistance profile of Botrytis populations...