Year Awarded 2025
FFAR award amount $1,000,000
Total award amount $2,926,098
Location St. Louis, MO
Program Seeding Solutions
Matching Funders Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Kansas State University, The Land Institute, Perennial Agriculture Project, Saint Louis University
Grantee Institution Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Farming annual crops, like wheat and corn, requires high input costs and can degrade soil over time. Perennial crops, however, have deep roots that can lower farming costs by conserving nutrients and water. Still, few herbaceous perennial species have been domesticated for large-scale agricultural production. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center researchers aim to optimize and expedite the domestication of perennials by developing strategies for screening potential breeding candidates at early life stages.