UF Receives Funding from the Specialty Crop Research Initiative

Randall Weiseman Florida, Georgia, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

WASHINGTON – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA has awarded more than $46 million through the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) to solve critical specialty crop agriculture issues, address priorities and solve problems through multifunctional research and extension.


“Specialty crops are an important part of American agriculture, valued at nearly $50 billion every year,” Vilsack said. “This significant investment into research, education and extension will enable specialty crop producers to improve their products and increase their profitability.”

The Specialty Crop Research Initiative was established by the 2008 Farm Bill to support the specialty crop industry by developing and disseminating science-based tools to address the needs of specific crops in five focus
areas: 1) improve crop characteristics through plant breeding, genetics and genomics; 2) address threats from pests and diseases; 3) improve production efficiency, productivity and profitability; 4) develop new innovations and technologies and 5) develop methods to improve food safety. Each of the focus areas received at least 10 percent of the available funds. The majority of the funded projects address two or more focus areas.

The projects funded in 2009 address research and extension needs for crops that span the entire spectrum of specialty crops production, from studying invasive mealy bug pests in west coast vineyards to developing biodegradable mulches for specialty crops produced under protective covers. Major projects were also funded to protect important specialty crops from invasive pests and to develop improved varieties.

Although 20 institutions will manage the research/extension grant funds from this program, each award includes an average of 8 principal investigators from three other states who will work together in a multi-disciplinary approach to solve problems. All of the awards required 100 percent matching funds from non-federal sources which will double the impact of the award dollars.

Fiscal Year 2009 SCRI research and extension grants were awarded to:

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark., $1,463,234

Management of Virus Complexes in Rubus

University of California, Davis, Calif., $3,965,999

Increasing Consumption of Specialty Crops by Enhancing their Quality and Safety

University of California, Berkeley, Calif., $1,957,835

An Invasive Mealybug Pest and an Emerging Viral Disease: a Dangerous Mix for West Coast Vineyards

University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $1,894,904

A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Sustainability and Profitability of U.S.
Blueberry Production Using the Tree-like Species Vaccinium arboreum

University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $1,967,863

Laurel Wilt of Avocado: Mitigation and Management of an Exotic, Insect-vectored Disease

University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., $774,581

Advancing Onion Postharvest Handling Efficiency and Sustainability by Multimodal Quality Sensing, Disease Control and Waste Stream Management

University of Illinois, Urbana, Ill., $1,951,981

Integrated Genomics and Management Systems for Control of Fire Blight

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La., $2,841,987

Participatory Modeling and Decision Support for Improving Sweet Potato Production Efficiency, Quality and Food Safety

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La., $518,749

Development of an eXtension Community of Practice – All About Blueberries

University of Maryland, College Park, Md., $5,161,495

Precision Irrigation and Nutrient Management for Nursery, Greenhouse and Green Roof Systems:

Wireless Sensor Networks for Feedback and Feedforward Control

University of Maine, Bangor, Maine, $1,023,805

Systems Approach to Improving the Sustainability of Wild Blueberry Production

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $1,831,469

RosBREED-Enabling Marker-assisted Breeding in Rosaceae

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, N.J., $1,503,166

Locally Grown Ethnic Greens & Herbs: Demand Assessment and Production Opportunities

USDA Agricultural Research Service, Ithaca, N.Y., $2,381,759

Development of Comprehensive Strategies to Manage Potato Virus Y in Potato and Eradicate the Tuber Necrotic Variants Recently Introduced into the United States

USDA Agricultural Research Service, Wooster, Ohio, $1,826,298

Intelligent Spray Systems for Floral and Ornamental Nursery Crops

Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla., $422,964

Development of a Grape Community of Practice for the eXtension System

Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore., $1,392,933

Expansion of Hazelnut Production, Feedstock and Biofuel Potential through Breeding for Disease Resistance and Climatic Adaption

Texas AgriLife, College Station, Texas, $3,900,889

Management of Zebra Chip to Enhance Profitability and Sustainability of U.S.
Potato Production

Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $3,891,952

A Total Systems Approach to Developing a Sustainable Stem-free Sweet Cherry Production, Processing and Marketing System

Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $1,821,721

Agronomic and Biochemical Impacts of Biotic and Abiotic Stress on Pacific Northwest Flavor Crops

Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $1,999,002

Biodegradable Mulches for Specialty Crops Produced Under Protective Covers

Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $474,115

Tree Fruit GDR: Translating Genomics into Advances in Horticulture

USDA Agricultural Research Service, Kearneysville, W.V., $637,330

FasTrack a Revolutionary Approach to Long Generation Cycle Specialty Crop Breeding

USDA Agricultural Research Service, Kearneysville, W.V., $559,531

Manipulating Host- and Mate-finding Behavior of Plum Curculio: Development of a Multi-life Stage Management Strategy for a Key Fruit Pest

The 2009 awards included a group of planning grants that will enable awardees to develop quality proposals for future SCRI funding opportunities.
The FY 2009 planning grants were awarded to:

Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colo., $49,949

Planning Grant to Document the Health-promoting Properties of Dry Beans and to Increase Consumption in the United States

University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $23,126

Improving Profitability of Blueberry Production with a Comprehensive Precision Agriculture Program

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $22,903

Limiting Bird Damage to Fruit Crops: A Planning Program to Identify Research Directions for the Future Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $50,000

Establishing a Broccoli Industry in the Eastern United States

Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $50,000

Planning to Expand the New Knowledge Fusion Model: Spurring Innovations for Specialty Crops

Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $49,979

Addressing Research and Extension Needs of the Emerging Cold-climate Wine Industry in the Northeast and Upper Midwest

Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $47,297

Developing a Team to Address Major Viticultural, Enological and Market Driven Challenges to a Strong and Sustainable Eastern Wine Industry

The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, $49,966

Identifying Stakeholder Needs for Establishing Urban Specialty Crops Enterprise

Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., $48,947

Bridging Specialty Crop Producers and Institutional Food Purchasers:
Distilling a Research and Extension Agenda in Support of Local Food Systems

Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $49,479

Placing Fruit Canopy Management Automation Technology in the Field

Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $46,146

Development of a Smart Targeted Spray Application Technology Roadmap for Specialty Crops