Location: Sunflower Improvement Research
Project Number: 3060-21000-047-007-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Apr 1, 2021
End Date: Dec 31, 2025
Objective:
The objective is to assist the Cooperator with conducting research on the agronomy and breeding aspects of perennial species Linum lewisii and Silphium spp. as newly domesticated oilseed crops to increase the duration of green cover, reduce inputs, and limit the effects of increasing soil salinity in the Northern Plains.
Approach:
The cooperator's graduate students and scientists will conduct agronomic and plant genetic studies according to protocols developed by the Cooperator with input from USDA scientists with expertise in oilseeds. Studies will be conducted over a 5 year period and will include the following: evaluation of wild and semi-domesticated germplasm, studies on planting methods, studies on weed control, studies on ecosystem services including the microbiome, and other agronomic or germplasm enhancement related activities. UAV or remote sensing technologies, either in the possession of USDA-ARS or the Cooperator, will be used to gather data. The data that is collected will be compared to relevant sunflower data to determine under what circumstances it would be favorable to incorporate these perennial species into existing crop rotation systems as oilseeds.
