← LeaderboardsInvestigatorsiAttributed = a PI's even-split share of each grant — a $1M grant with 2 PIs counts $500K each.
Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station
$11,549,577
Total funding
26
Grants
Funding over time
peak $2.7M · FY2010–24$5M$3.8M$2.5M$1.3M$0
'10
'11
'12
'13
'14
'15
'16
'17
'18
'19
'20
'21
'22
'23
'24
Funding mix
By agency
USDA$10,963,914 · 25
DOD$585,663 · 1
By mechanism
—$11,549,577 · 26
Investigators at Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station
InvestigatorsiAttributed = a PI's even-split share of each grant — a $1M grant with 2 PIs counts $500K each.
Exposure= the full size of every grant they're on ($1M each).
Rising Stars
First grant in the last 5 yrs
Not enough data
Emerging Leaders
6–10 yrs in
Not enough data
All-Time
Most funded here, all years
Not enough data
Largest grants
NANOPARTICLE CONTAMINATION OF AGRICULTURAL CROP SPECIES$1,198,127
· FY2011 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** FIRE BLIGHT, CAUSED BY THE BACTERIUM ERWINIA AMYLOVORA, IS A DEVASTATING DISEASE OF APPLE AND PEAR. IT NOT ONLY REDUCES YIELD BUT ALSO KILLS TREES THEREFORE IS A MAJOR CONCERN TO APPLE AND PEAR GROWERS. BLOSSOM PROTECT, A BIOLOGICAL CONTROL COMPRISED OF THE YEAST AUREOBASIDIUM PULLULANS, IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE BIOCONTROL MATERIAL OF FIRE BLIGHT. ORGANICALLY APPROVED, INTEGRATED DISEASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM CENTERED AROUND BLOSSOM PROTECT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AND SUCCESSFULLY USED IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. HOWEVER, BLOSSOM PROTECT CAN CAUSE FRUIT RUSSETING, A DISORDER OF THE CUTICLE OF DEVELOPING FRUITLETS THAT COMPROMISES QUALITY, ESPECIALLY IN HUMID CLIMATES. CONSEQUENTLY, IN THE MORE HUMID EASTERN U.S., THE RISK OF FRUIT RUSSETING FROM BLOSSOM PROTECT HAS SLOWED DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE ORGANIC MANAGEMENT OF FIRE BLIGHT.THEREFORE, THIS RISK IS A CRITICAL BARRIER FOR ORGANIC TRANSITION WITHIN THE REGION, AND DEVELOPMENT OF METHODS THAT MAINTAIN FRUIT QUALITY BY MITIGATING RUSSETING RISK FROM BLOSSOM PROTECT IS AN IMPORTANT RESEARCH PRIORITY.IN THIS PROJECT, WE AIM TO TEST THREE RUSSETING MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES: 1. THE PROTECTION AND CLEARING STRATEGY TO REMOVE A. PULLULANS AFTER PROTECTION IS FINISHED, 2. THE REMEDY STRATEGY TO IMPROVE FRUIT FINISH USING PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS / MICRONUTRIENTS, AND 3. THE ADJUST STRATEGY TO FINE TUNE THE TIMING / DOSAGE OF BLOSSOM PROTECT.ULTIMATELY, WE AIM TO DEVELOP AN INTEGRATED PROGRAM THAT MAXIMIZE BOTH THE FIRE BLIGHT SUPPRESSION AND RUSSETING MITIGATION. OUR EXTENSION ACTIVITIES INCLUDE DISSEMINATING KNOWLEDGE ON RUSSETING MITIGATION TO THE ORGANIC TREE FRUIT COMMUNITY AND PROMOTING ORGANIC PRACTICES IN EASTERN U.S.$982,921
· FY2024 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PLANT-COLONIZING BENEFICIAL BACTERIA HAVE LONG BEEN HARNESSED TO BOOST THE PRODUCTIVITY AND RESILIENCE OF CROPS, AND BACTERIAL CROP TREATMENTS REPRESENT A RAPIDLY GROWING INDUSTRY IN THE US. THE BENEFIT OF THESE BACTERIA CAN BE LIMITED BY UNPREDICTABLE SURVIVAL IN THE ENVIRONMENT, WHERE PREDATORS, INCLUDING SINGLE-CELLED MICROBES KNOWN AS PROTISTS, ARE A MAJOR CAUSE OF BACTERIAL DEATH. SOME PLANT BENEFICIAL BACTERIA CAN DEFEND THEMSELVES AGAINST PROTIST ATTACK, AND PROTISTS MAY HELP THESE GROUPS OF BACTERIA THRIVE AND BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE IN PROMOTING PLANT GROWTH. HOWEVER, NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT WHICH TYPES OF BACTERIA BENEFIT MOST FROM THE PRESENCE OF PROTISTS ON THE PLANT, OR THE STRATEGIES THEY USE TO SURVIVE. IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL USE DNA SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES TO IDENTIFY WHICH BACTERIA FROM PLANTS AND SOILS ARE ENRICHED BY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROTISTS, AND TO UNDERSTAND WHICH BACTERIAL GENES AND FUNCTIONS ARE USED IN COOPERATING WITH OR DEFENDING AGAINST PROTISTS. WE WILL ALSO STUDY WHETHER BACTERIA AND PROTISTS HELP EACH OTHER COLONIZE PLANT ROOTS, AND HOW THEIR INTERACTIONS AFFECT PLANT GROWTH AND HEALTH. BY HELPING RESEARCHERS UNDERSTAND HOW PROTIST INTERACTIONS AFFECT THE SUCCESS OF BENEFICIAL BACTERIA, THIS RESEARCH COULD ONE DAY BE APPLIED TOWARD PROTIST-INFORMED SCREENING OR DESIGN OF IMPROVED MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES.?$819,300
· FY2022 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
MICROBES HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE HUGE BENEFITS FOR CROP GROWTH, NUTRITION, AND DISEASE RESISTANCE. IN RECENT YEARS, SCIENTISTS HAVE ISOLATED SCORES OF BACTERIA AND FUNGI THAT MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR AGRICULTURE, AND THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR PRODUCTS BASED ON THESE ORGANISMS IS OVER $2 BILLION. HOWEVER, ANOTHER GROUP OF ORGANISMS THAT ARE ABUNDANT IN AGRICULTURAL SOILS, MADE UP OF THE SINGLE-CELLED EUKARYOTES KNOWN AS PROTISTS, HAS BEEN LARGELY OVERLOOKED IN THESE EFFORTS. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT TREATING A PLANT WITH CERTAIN PROTISTS CAN QUADRUPLE ITS ACCESS TO NITROGEN, REMODEL ITS ROOT ARCHITECTURE, AND GREATLY ENHANCE ITS GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY. BY FEEDING ON CERTAIN GROUPS OF BACTERIA, PROTISTS CAN ALSO INCREASE THE ACTIVITY AND SURVIVAL OF OTHER BENEFICIAL MICROORGANISMS. HOWEVER, EXTREMELY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT WHICH PROTISTS ARE PRESENT OR ENRICHED IN ROOT SOILS, WHAT THEY ARE DOING, OR HOW MUCH PLANTS AFFECT THEM.IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL SEQUENCE DNA FROM THE SOIL ATTACHED TO CORN ROOTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW MANY TYPES PROTISTS ARE PRESENT, WHICH ONES ARE ABUNDANT, AND WHETHER THE PLANT CHANGES THE COMPOSITION OF THE PROTIST COMMUNITY. WE WILL ALSO ISOLATE A COLLECTION OF PROTISTS FROM THE SAME ROOT SOIL AND STUDY THEIR FEEDING AND SURVIVAL CHARACTERISTICS, AS WELL AS HOW THEY AFFECT THE PLANT'S GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY AND INFLUENCE THE ROOT BACTERIAL COMMUNITY. THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF WHICH GROUPS OF PROTISTS MIGHT BE AFFECTING US CROP PRODUCTION AND BY WHAT MEANS, AND WILL ENABLE RESEARCH FOCUSED ONNEW STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING SOIL NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY, CROP PRODUCTION, AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MICROBIAL PRODUCTS.$749,825
· FY2019 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
FLOWERS ARE IMPORTANT REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS OF PLANTS AND EXCELLENT HABITATS FOR MICROORGANISMS. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE MICROBIAL DENSITY ON FLOWERS IS AT LEAST 100 TIMES HIGHER THAN THAT ON LEAVES. YET DUE TO THE SHORT LIFE SPAN, THE MICROBIOME ON FLOWERS AS WELL AS THE FUNCTIONS IT CONFERS ARE RELATIVELY UNDERSTUDIED COMPARED TO OTHER PARTS OF THE PLANTS, SUCH AS ROOTS AND LEAVES. COMPARED TO THE MICROBIOME ON VEGETATIVE ORGANS, THE MICOBIOME ON FLOWERS IS ASSEMBLED IN A MUCH MORE STOCHASTIC MANNER DUE TO THE SUDDEN EXPOSURE OF THE NUTRIENT RICH FLOWER PARTS TO THE ENVIRONMENT DURING BLOOM. IN OUR INITIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF MICROBIOME ASSEMBLY ON APPLE FLOWERS, WE OBSERVED THAT DESPITE THE VARIATION IN EARLY STAGES, THE MICROBIOME ON FLOWERS EVENTUALY FALLS INTO ONE OF THE THREE SIGNATURE STATES AT LATER STAGES (~FOUR DAYS AFTER FLOWER OPENING): 1. PSEUDOMONADACEAE-DOMINATED, 2. ENTEROBACTERIACEAE-DOMINATED, AND 3. PSEUDOMONADACEA-ENTEROBACTERIACEAE MIXED. DESPITE THESE DIFFERENCES IN COMPOSITION, THE BIOLOGICAL CONCEQUENCES OF HAIVNG THE MICROBIOME IN ALTERNATIVE STATES ARE UNKONWN. AS INDIVIDUAL FLOWERS OF THE SAME GENETIC BACKGROUND DISPLAY PHENOTYPIC DIFFERENCES IN DISEASE SUCCEPTIBILITY, POLLINATOR ATTRACTIVENESS, AND FRUIT DEVELOPMENT, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT SOME OF THE THESE HOST DIFFERENCES MAY BE LINKED TO THE STRUCTURE OF THE MICROBIOME. IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL USE A COMBINED APPROACH OF METATRANSCRIPTOMICS, 16S RRNA GENE SEQUENCING, MICROBIOME MANIPULATION, AND PHENOTYPIC ASSAYS TO INVESTIGATE THE FUNCTIONS OF THE FLOWER MICROBIOME IN FRUIT DEVELOPMENT AND RESISTANCE TO PLANT DISEASE. FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY WILL PROVIDE KNOWLEDGE BASIS FOR HARNESING BENEFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE MICROBIOME TOWARDS IMPROVING PLANT PRODUCTIVITY, SUSTAINING PLANT HEALTH, WHILE REDUCING IMPACTS TO THE ENVIRONMENT$747,602
· FY2020 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
PROJECTSUMMARY:PLANT VIRUSESCAUSE US$30B LOSSES ANNUALLY WORLDWIDE.VIRICIDE FOR CONTROL OF VIRUSES IN CROPS IS NONEXISTENT AND THEREFORE, WE RELY HEAVILY ON THE USE OF VIRAL-RESISTANT PLANT VARIETIES AND PROPHYLACTIC METHODS.HOWEVER, THE LACK OF NATURAL VIRAL-RESISTANT GENES IN PLANTS COUPLED WITH A CONSTANT EMERGENCE OF NEW VIRUS STRAINS, AND THE INEFFICIENCY OF INSECTICIDES TO CONTROL VECTOR-INSECTS OF VIRUSES, MAKE PLANT VIRUS DISEASE MANAGEMENT A CHALLENGING TASK.THUS, THERE IS AN INCREASING DEMAND FOR INNOVATIVE AND SUSTAINABLE WAYS OF CONTROLLING VIRUS EPIDEMICS IN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS.VIRUS RESISTANCE HAS BEEN INDUCED IN PLANTS BY THE APPLICATION OF EXOGENOUS DOUBLE-STRANDED RNA (DSRNA), BUT ITS EFFECTIVENESS IS SHORT-LIVED (~ FIVE DAYS).DSRNA IS QUICKLY ASSIMILATED BY PLANT DEFENSE MECHANISMS AND IS ALSO DEGRADED BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. AS SAFE APPLICATIONS OF NANOMATERIALS DEVELOP, NANOTECHNOLOGY IS BECOMING A PROMISING RESOURCE TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE.WE PROPOSETO DEVELOP A NOVEL AND SUSTAINABLE NANOPARTICLE PLATFORM TO DELIVER AN EFFECTIVE AND PROLONGED SUPPLY OF DSRNAS IN PLANTS, WITH THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO CONTROL PLANT VIRUSES.WE PROPOSE TO USE A STAPLE CROP AND ITS MOST DESTRUCTIVE VIRUS PATHOGEN (POTATO AND POTATO VIRUS Y) AS OUR RESEARCH SYSTEM.OUR TWO SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES AND DELIVERABLES ARE:SHORT-TERM:SYNTHESIZE THREE DIFFERENT NANOPARTICLE PLATFORMS (CHITOSAN, SILICA, AND CARBON DOTS) AND TEST THEIR CAPACITY TO PROVIDE STABLE AND SUSTAINED DELIVERY OF DSRNA MOLECULES INTO POTATO PLANT TISSUE.LONG-TERM:DEVELOP ATUNABLE PLATFORM FOR DSRNA DELIVERY(NANOPARTICLE-DSRNA COMPLEX) THAT CANBE TRANSLATED TO A RANGE OF VIRAL-CROP SYSTEMS.$636,646
· FY2022 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, AND MANAGEMENT OF HYDRILLA VERTICILLATA SUBSP. LITHUANICA$585,663
· FY2024 · Department of the Army
ALTHOUGH THERE IS A GROWING LITERATURE ON THE USE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN FOOD PRODUCTION, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THIS WORK HAS FOCUSED ON METAL-BASED NANOPARTICLES. ALTHOUGH SOME BENEFIT HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED, METAL-BASED NANOPARTICLES CAN ACCUMULATE IN SOIL AND CONTAMINATE THE ENVIRONMENT. THEREFORE, THERE IS A CRITICAL NEED FOR SAFER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE NANOMATERIALS FOR AGRICULTURAL USE. WE HAVE PRELIMINARY DATA DEMONSTRATING THE POTENTIAL OF NANOSCALE SULFUR AS A MULTI-FUNCTIONAL SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL AMENDMENT TO PROMOTE FOOD PRODUCTION AND SAFETY. SINCE SULFUR IS A CRITICAL ELEMENT FOR PLANT GROWTH, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT NANOSCALE SULFUR APPLICATION WILL IMPROVE PLANT GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY, CONTROL DISEASE, AND PREVENT HEAVY METAL ACCUMULATION BY FOOD CROPS. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A SAFER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE SULFUR-BASED PLATFORM FOR PREVENTING TOXIC METALS ACCUMULATION IN FOOD CROPS AND AS NOVEL NANOSCALE PESTICIDE FOR FOOD PRODUCTION, BOTH IN FIELD AND URBAN AGRICULTURE SCENARIOS. THIS WORK WILL SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCE THE FIELD OF NANO-ENABLED AGRICULTURE AND SERVE AS AN IMPORTANT PLATFORM TO COMBAT GLOBAL FOOD INSECURITY.$549,323
· FY2020 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
HATCH-FY 2011 FORMULA GRANT-REGULAR$504,303
· FY2011 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WASTEWATER REUSE FOR IRRIGATION REDUCES DEMAND FROM SURFACE AND GROUND WATER SOURCES. HOWEVER, THIS INNOVATIVE STRATEGY INVOLVES RISKS FROM THE HIGHER LEVELS OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IN RECYCLED WASTEWATER (RWW) COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL WATER SOURCES. DURING STORM EVENTS, CONTAMINANT CONCENTRATIONS IN RWW FLUCTUATE BECAUSE SEWERS RECEIVE VARIABLE LOADS OF MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER AND STORMWATER. THIS PROJECT WILL CHARACTERIZE STORMWATER INFLUENCES ON CONTAMINANT LOADS IN RWW AND THE ASSOCIATED EFFECTS ON RWW IRRIGATED CROPS. IN OBJECTIVE 1, WE WILL ASSESS HOW RAIN EVENTS AFFECT THE ORGANIC CONTAMINANT, HEAVY METAL, AND NUTRIENT PROFILES OF RWW FROM TWO SITES WITH SIGNIFICANT INTENTIONAL AND UNINTENTIONAL WASTEWATER INFILTRATION. IN OBJECTIVE 2, WE WILL DETERMINE HOW RWW IRRIGATION WITH VARIABLE STORMWATER INFLUENCE AFFECTS ACCUMULATION OF CONTAMINANTS IN ZUCCHINI PLANTS AND PLANT HEALTH AND NUTRITIONAL VALUE. OBJECTIVES 1 AND 2 WILL FEATURE BOTH TARGETED AND NOVEL NON-TARGETED ANALYSIS METHODS TO PROVIDE EXTREMELY BROAD COVERAGE OF ORGANIC CONTAMINANT DETECTION. IN OBJECTIVE 3, WE WILL DEVELOP NOVEL PREDICTIVE TOOLS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF USING RWW WITH VARYING LEVELS OF STORMWATER INFLUENCE FOR CROP IRRIGATION. OUR STRATEGIES INCLUDE CHEMICAL FINGERPRINTING AND CONTAMINANT PARTITIONING MODELS. THIS PROJECT WILL ENABLE DEVELOPMENT OF RELIABLE RWW QUALITY BENCHMARKS FOR ASSESSING NON-TRADITIONAL WATER USE FOR IRRIGATION. FURTHERMORE, RESULTS WILL BE USED TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO FARMERS AND WASTEWATER UTILITIES ON BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR IRRIGATION WITH WASTEWATER RECLAIMED DURING STORM EVENTS.$500,000
· FY2021 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
NATURAL ORGANIC MATTER (OM) IS THE DECAYED AND DECAYING REMAINS OF PLANT AND MICROBIAL BIOMASS. IT IS EVER-PRESENT IN SOIL AND WATER. DISSOLVED AND SOLID FORMS OF OM PLAY CRUCIAL ROLES IN THE BIOGEOCHEMISTRY OF THE EARTH AND THE FATE OF CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS AND AGRICHEMICALS IN SOIL. A KEY TO CHARACTERIZING THESE ROLES IS A MOLECULAR-LEVEL UNDERSTANDING OF THE FORCES GOVERNING THE BINDING OF OM MOLECULES WITH EACH OTHER, TO NATURAL PARTICLES INCLUDING SOIL PARTICLES, AND TO NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS. WE POSTULATE THAT STRONG AND SPECIAL MOLECULAR BONDS EXIST BETWEEN WEAKLY ACIDIC GROUPS ON OM MOLECULES AND WEAKLY ACIDIC GROUPS ON OTHER MOLECULES AND SURFACES.THESE BONDS AREKNOWN AS CHARGE-ASSISTED HYDROGEN BONDS, OR CAHB. SUCH BONDS HAVE BEEN KNOWN IN CHEMISTRY FOR SOME TIME BUT HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOIL CHEMISTRY TO THIS POINT. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT ARE TO TEST CERTAIN HYPOTHESES THAT CAHB CONTRIBUTES TO OM COHESIVE FORCES, ADHESIVE FORCES WITH PARTICLE SURFACES, AND BINDING OF CERTAIN TYPES OF CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS. THE TEST MATERIALS INCLUDE OM REFERENCE MATERIALS, OM-RICH SOILS, AND LAB-PREPARED WOODY CHARS, AND THE PROJECT WILL TARGET WEAK ACIDS PHOSPHATE, PYROPHOSPHATE, PHENOLIC ACID ROOT EXUDATES, THE ANTIBIOTIC SULFAMETHOXAZOLE, THE FUNGICIDE P-AMINOBENZONIC ACID, AND THE ANALGESIC PARACETAMOL. OBJECTIVE 1 WILL INVESTIGATE BINDING FORCES BETWEEN MOLECULES DISSOLVED IN WATER. OBJECTIVE 2 WILL INVESTIGATE BINDING OF DISSOLVED OM WITH CARBONACEOUS SURFACES OF PARTICLES. OBJECTIVE 3 WILL EXAMINE THE BINDING BETWEEN OM AND CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS BOTH DISSOLVED IN WATER. THIS HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN PROJECT ADDRESSES GOALS OF THE SOIL HEALTH PRIORITY OF THE AFRI PROGRAM OF NIFA. THE POSTULATED CAHB POTENTIALLY IMPACTS OM AGGREGATION IN WATER, SOIL OM SOLUBILITY IN WATER, TRANSPORT OF OM THROUGH THE SOIL, THE STABILITY OF SOIL CARBON, PH BUFFERING IN SOIL, THE INTERACTION BETWEEN SOIL PARTICLES AND ROOT EXUDATE COMPOUNDS, ADSORPTION OF DISSOLVED OM ON PARTICLES, AND THE BINDING OF CONTAMINANTS AND NUTRIENTS TO SOLID AND DISSOLVED FORMS OF OM. THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED MAY LEAD TO STRATEGIES THAT REDUCE CROP UPTAKE OF CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS, THEREBY PROTECTING FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY.$499,998
· FY2020 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
NANOSCALE ELEMENTS SUPPRESS PLANT DISEASE, ENHANCE MACRONUTRIENT USE EFFICIENCY, AND INCREASE CROP YIELD$480,000
· FY2016 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
BY 2050, THE GLOBAL POPULATION WILL EXCEED 9 BILLION, MAKING MAINTAINING GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES WE FACE AS A SPECIES. FOOD PRODUCTION WILL NEED TO INCREASE BY 70% BUT IMPORTANTLY, YEAR-OVER-YEAR-YIELD INCREASES FOR MANY CROPS HAVE BEEN DECLINING. ADDITIONALLY, THE LACK OF SUSTAINABILITY OF CURRENT AGRICULTURE WILL CONFOUND MAINTAINING GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY. FOR EXAMPLE, THE LOW EFFICIENCY OF NUTRIENT DELIVERY (10-20%) IS A SIGNIFICANT CONSTRAINT, WASTING ENERGY AND WATER RESOURCES, AND CAUSING ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE AS GROWERS "OVER-APPLY" TO ADEQUATELY FEED CROPS. CONSEQUENTLY, THERE HAS BEEN GREAT INTEREST IN NANO-ENABLED APPROACHES TO INCREASE BOTH THE EFFICIENCY AND TARGETING OF NUTRIENT DELIVERY IN AGRICULTURE. ONE MAJOR NUTRIENT OF CONCERN IS PHOSPHORUS. PHOSPHORUS USE WILL EXCEED 26,000 GG/YEAR BY 2050, ALTHOUGH DELIVERY EFFICIENCY IS TYPICALLY ONLY 10-15%. IN ADDITION TO BEING UNSUSTAINABLE, THE EXCESSIVE USE OF P IS A THREAT TO AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS AND HUMAN HEALTH. WE HAVE PRELIMINARY DATA DEMONSTRATING THAT A BIODEGRADABLE POLYMER-NANOPARTICLE COMPOSITE CONTAINING PHOSPHATE NANOPARTICLES PROMOTES PLANT GROWTH AS EFFECTIVELY AS TRADITIONAL FERTILIZERS WHILE REDUCING P RUN OFF BY 10-FOLD. BUILDING ON THIS, WE WILL DEVELOP A SUITE OF P-CONTAINING BIODEGRADABLE POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITES ABLE TO DELIVER NUTRITIONALLY REQUIRED AMOUNTS OF P TO DIFFERENT CROPS IN A SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY PRECISE FASHION. MOREOVER, THIS P DELIVERY WILL BE ACHIEVED WITH SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED INPUT AMOUNTS AND WITH DRAMATIC REDUCTIONS IN ENVIRONMENTALLY DAMAGING P RUN-OFF/LEACHATE. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE BIOPOLYMER-BASED NANOFERTILIZER PLATFORM FOR MACRONUTRIENT DELIVERY IN BOTH FIELD AND URBAN AGRICULTURE SCENARIOS.$480,000
· FY2021 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
NANOSCALE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ENGINEERED NANOMATERIALS AND BLACK CARBON (BIOCHAR) IN SOIL$473,805
· FY2012 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF FIRE BLIGHT FOR THE EASTERN UNITED STATES$459,978
· FY2017 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
NANOPARTICLE CONTAMINATION OF AGRICULTURAL CROP SPECIES$299,953
· FY2011 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** NANOPARTICLES (NPS) OF NUTRIENTS HAVE DEMONSTRATED STRONG PROMISE IN PLANT GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY PROMOTION. HOWEVER, INEFFICIENT USE DUE TO RUN-OFF AND THE RISK OF THE NP RESIDUALS IN PLANT EDIBLE TISSUES RESTRICT THE BROADER APPLICATION OF NANO-ENABLED AGRICULTURE, BUT BOTH CAN BE MODULATED BY RATIONAL NP MODIFICATIONS THAT ALTER THEIR RETENTION ON THE LEAF SURFACE AND INTERIOR PENETRATION INTO THE PLANTS. THE PROPOSED WORK COMBINES NANOTECHNOLOGY, PLANT SCIENCES, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY TO UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF NP-LEAF SURFACE INTERACTIONS (SURFACE RETENTION AND PENETRATION) AS A FUNCTION OF NP SURFACE MODIFICATION AND MORPHOLOGY. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT APPROPRIATE MODIFICATIONS ON NP SURFACES AND EXPLOITING NP MORPHOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES WILL ENABLE ACHIEVING STABLE LEAF RETENTION AND CONTROLLED PENETRATION BROADLY APPLICABLE TO A SUITE OF NPS. THIS WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE DESIGN, SYNTHESIS, AND MODIFICATION OF VARIOUS AGRICULTURALLY RELEVANT NPS FOR SPECIFIC NUTRIENT DELIVERY GOALS.$299,541
· FY2024 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
HATCH-FY 20011 FORMULA GRANT-REGULAR$284,225
· FY2011 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
HATCH MULTISTATE GRANT FUNDS - FY2012$176,554
· FY2012 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
SPOTTED WING DROSOPHILA MANAGEMENT$161,985
· FY2012 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture