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Field trial of rice gene-edited rice for drought tolerance 

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $25,000

Total award amount   $50,000

Location   Berkeley, CA

Matching Funders   Good Ventures Foundation

Grantee Institution   University of California Berkely

Rice is one of the world’s most important staple crops and some varieties are extremely water intensive. More frequent occurrences of severe drought threaten rice production as well as global nutritional security. University of California, Berkeley, researchers are conducting field trials of gene-edited rice lines—groups of similar plants—that in laboratory settings conserve more water more efficiently than non-edited, or wild-type, rice.

Increasing Drought Tolerance in Rice 

FFAR Grant Protects Wheat Yields from Wheat Stem Sawfly 

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $150,000

Total award amount   $300,000

Location   Ft. Collins, CO

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   Colorado State University, Colorado Wheat Administrative Committee, University of Nebraska

Grantee Institution   Colarado State University

Wheat stem sawflies are non-stinging wasp-like insects that cause wheat yield losses across the U.S. Sawflies previously targeted spring wheat crops; however, these pests have recently emerged in Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska, suggesting that it is evolving to feed on winter wheat crops as well. Led by Dr. Punya Nachappa, Colorado State University researchers are identifying resistance genes in wheat and developing predictive models that determine the likelihood of wheat stem sawfly infestation.

FFAR Grant Protects Wheat Yields from Wheat Stem Sawfly 

GroundBreaker Prize to Fund Critical Water Research 

2023 AAAS Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Lecture: “Reimagining the Arc to Impact” 

Panel Discussion Washington, D.C. and Virtual

Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Lecture promotion

Charting the Course of Soil Carbon Modeling: Gathering Thought Leaders to Discuss Soil Carbon Sequestration 

Convening Event St. Louis, MO

Decode 6, decoding carbon and ecosystem services

Elucidating the Genetic Basis for Sub-Tropical Flowering in Hemp 

Year Awarded  2023

Total award amount   $840,000

Location   Ithaca, NY

Grantee Institution   Cornell University

Hemp growers have been largely limited to varieties of hemp cultivated in Canada or Europe, but these crops do not thrive in all growing regions of the U.S. Cornell University researchers aim to understand the genetic basis of photoperiod threshold, which is the amount of light a plant needs to achieve flowering and other types of development. Researchers will also use whole genome sequencing to understand the genetic basis for flowering time variation and develop molecular markers to speed breeding for southern-adapted cultivars. These selections will be further bred to produce cultivars with a photoperiod matched to North Carolina, Florida and similar locations.

Breeding & Characterizing New Cultivars of Grain & Fiber Hemp 

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $750,000

Total award amount   $1,500,000

Location   Ithaca, NY

Matching Funders   International Hemp

Grantee Institution   Cornell University

Hemp growers have been largely limited to varieties of hemp cultivated in Canada or Europe, but these crops do not thrive in all growing regions of the U.S. Cornell University researchers are also developing varieties of hemp that will deliver higher yields, especially at lower latitudes in the U.S. The research team is developing new hemp cultivars using marker-assisted selection that show promise in southern latitudes and have specific desirable traits. Cornell breeders are selecting for late-flowering individuals grown in trials in New York, North Carolina and Florida that also produce high yields of CBD, which has never been achieved before.

Improving Yields & Traits in U.S. Hemp Crops 

ID: 22-000292, 22-000414