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Arkansas Blackberry Breeder Will Develop New Tools to Unlock Consumer Preference
Researchers who breed new cultivars of fruits and vegetables are always working to develop ones that match consumers’ tastes and preferences. That can be a challenging prospect, but a researcher with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station is bringing new tools to the job with funding support from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Despite leaps in Arkansas blackberry breeding over the past few decades, there is still room for advancement with the help of genome-wide association mapping, consumer panels and a machine with a mouthful of a name — a gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometer.
Consumer sensory panels are considered the “gold standard for evaluating flavor in fruit crops,” but they cost money and time. Learn more how NIFA funding will support work to gather more data from consumer panels as well as studies that identify genomic variants statistically associated with a particular fruit trait.
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News from NIFA
Full Circle: NIFA Director Visits University of Missouri
NIFA Director Dr. Manjit Misra delivered the keynote address at the University of Missouri’s recent College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research Symposium. Misra earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Missouri. Read more about Dr. Misra and his visit.
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Award Announcements
NIFA Invests Over $25 Million in Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension
NIFA has invested more than $25 million in 11 projects as part of the Emergency Citrus Disease Research & Extension program. This program brings the nation's top scientists together with citrus industry representatives to find scientifically sound solutions that combat and prevent citrus greening at the farm level.
NIFA Invests $1.8 Million in Pest Management Alternatives
NIFA has invested $1.8 million in four projects as part of the Methyl Bromide Transition Program. Methyl bromide (MB) is an odorless, colorless gas previously used in many agricultural and related systems as a soil and structural fumigant to control a wide variety of pests. MB depletes the stratospheric ozone layer.
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Impact of NIFA-Funded Research and Outreach
UCR Releases a New Avocado Tree to the World Marketplace
A new avocado variety that’s more than a half-century in the making will soon be available to growers in the world marketplace.
Developed by the University of California, Riverside, Luna UCR™ offers consumers great flavor, a rind that turns a tell-tale black when ripe and high postharvest quality. Growers, meanwhile, will benefit from a smaller tree size, allowing denser plantings for more efficient and safer harvesting, and minimal pruning. Learn more about this new variety developed with NIFA support.
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News from USDA
USDA Announces $27.6 Million to Support Underserved and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced $27.6 million in grants to provide training, outreach and technical assistance to underserved and veteran farmers, ranchers and foresters to help them own and operate successful farms, ranches and forest lands. Read more about the programs this funding supports.
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The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is committed to ensuring that its programs and services are accessible to all individuals, including individuals with disabilities and individuals with limited English proficiency. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in any NIFA event, please contact the appropriate Program staff no later than 10 days prior to the event. To find Program staff by event, please visit the NIFA Calendar of Events. NIFA Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to limited English proficient individuals upon request. If you need interpretation or translation services please visit NIFA language services or contact Lois Tuttle, Equal Opportunity Specialist, at Lois.Tuttle@usda.gov or (443) 386-9488 no later than 10 days prior to the event.
NIFA’s mission is to invest in and advance agricultural research, education, and Extension that solves societal challenges. NIFA’s investments in transformative science directly support the long-term prosperity and global preeminence of U.S. agriculture. Keep informed about NIFA, USDA, our Land-grant and non-Land-grant university partners, and stakeholders with the NIFA Update. Read past issues online, sign up for email updates or follow us on Twitter @USDA_NIFA, #NIFAImpacts or LinkedIn @usda-nifa.
If you wish to submit a news item or information, send an email to NIFAUpdate.
USDA is an equal opportunity lender, provider, and employer.
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