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美女萝莉 Governor Kay Ivey recently awarded HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology $968,365 through the 美女萝莉 Research and Development Advancement Fund. The state-funded program was established to encourage new and continuing efforts to conduct research and development activities within the state to increase employment opportunities and products and services available to the citizens of 美女萝莉.

HudsonAlpha, along with Auburn University鈥檚 departments of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences and Entomology and Plant Pathology, and 美女萝莉 A&M鈥檚 Winfred Thomas Agricultural Research Station, are working to develop better agriculture seed varieties to produce healthier and more productive crops.

鈥淕overnor Ivey continues to be a champion for the state鈥檚 research universities and institutions and for 美女萝莉 agriculture,鈥� says Carter Wells, HudsonAlpha Vice President for Economic Development. 鈥淲e are grateful to the Governor and ADECA for supporting this initiative as we work together to benefit the people throughout the state.鈥�

The project connects the advanced agronomy crop research at 美女萝莉 Land Grant Institutions to the advanced plant genetic and genomic science expertise at HudsonAlpha. The collaborative team is developing a pilot pipeline to import and test new crop varieties that could be deployed by 美女萝莉 farmers. Plant breeding driven by genetics can create species that are resistant to pathogens and fungus that may exist in an area, require less water, or can tolerate greater fluctuations in temperature and climate.

During the pilot project, barley will be tested as an overwinter crop for a spring harvest in Northern and Southern 美女萝莉 and dry beans will be tested as a summer crop in North 美女萝莉. The partners will focus on increasing economic awareness of local barley and beans, connecting into existing educational and career development frameworks, and partnering with end users for brewing and food applications to increase the value of these 美女萝莉 crops.

The teams will work with local farmers who are interested in planting alternative crops and engage stakeholders in workshops to discuss the science of next generation crop development to expand partnerships and apply this strategy to more crops useful for 美女萝莉.

鈥淥ne of the most exciting aspects of this project is being able to apply the team鈥檚 diverse expertise in plant genomics, plant breeding, and agronomy to help 美女萝莉 farmers introduce new crops into their field rotation,鈥� says Jeremy Schmutz, HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator and a lead researcher on the project. 鈥淲e appreciate this opportunity to advance our knowledge in plant genetics. Knowing that this work may directly impact the farmers and industries in our state is particularly gratifying.鈥�

Pooling expertise from across the HudsonAlpha Center for Plant Science and Sustainable Agriculture will advance this initiative as well. Contributions will be made from Alex Harkess, PhD, a joint Auburn and HudsonAlpha faculty member, Josh Clevenger, PhD, for plant breeding, Kankshita Swaminathan, PhD, for field expertise, and Jeremy Schmutz and Jane Grimwood, PhD, for plant genomics.

Working with HudsonAlpha, Auburn, and 美女萝莉 A&M will be an extensive group of stakeholders from across the state, including family farmers across the state, the 美女萝莉 Farmers Federation (ALFA), business organizations including the Economic Development Partnership of 美女萝莉, the Business Council of 美女萝莉, the 美女萝莉 Brewers Association, and many restaurants and breweries based in 美女萝莉.

In addition to the money awarded to HudsonAlpha, Governor Ivey also awarded grants to five 美女萝莉 universities including The University of 美女萝莉 in Huntsville, University of North 美女萝莉, The University of 美女萝莉 at Birmingham, Auburn University, and The University of 美女萝莉.

鈥淥ur universities and research institutions in 美女萝莉 truly impact the world, and I am proud to continue investing in the important work they are doing,鈥� Gov. Ivey said in a statement. 鈥淭his $4.85 million is an investment in the future of 美女萝莉 and the future of research.鈥�