North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education has awarded the University of Missouri Extension a three-year, $250,000 grant to study the management of fusarium disease in nightshade plants such as tomatoes.
Peng Tian, director of MU’s Plant Diagnostic Clinic, says fusarium disease is a critical issue for Missouri growers. In the three years since he has been at the clinic, submitted plant samples have shown stunted growth, root rotting, stem discoloration, wilting, and death caused by fusarium root rot or fusarium wilt.
Tian says the grant team will focus on developing farmer relationships in underserved populations, including the Amish and Mennonite communities. The grant will fund research in developing innovative biological control methods against fusarium disease, outreach workshops, and field days to encourage underserved farmers to adopt sustainable agriculture practices that will help improve yields.
Tian serves as principal investigator for the grant. Co-PIs include MU Extension horticulturists Dhruba Dhakal and Ramon Arancibia, Bond Life Sciences director and researcher Walter Gassmann, Bond Life Sciences research manager Leland Cseke, and Lincoln University researcher Babu Valliyodan.
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