Location: Citrus and Other Subtropical Products Research
Project Number: 6034-22000-046-011-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2022
End Date: May 9, 2027
Objective:
The purpose of this agreement is to carry out cooperative research and to set forth understandings between the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Florida-IFAS (UF) for joint projects and co-location of UF and/or ARS personnel at research sites and facilities in Florida.
1. It is understood and agreed that while all parties are interested in basic and applied research:
a. The ARS is concerned with results having regional or national application.
b. The University of Florida and its Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension Service programs conduct research and outreach that addresses economic viability and environmental sustainability impacting agriculture, natural resources, and consumers in Florida while providing information that encourages the application of research-based knowledge for end users in Florida and the region/nation.
c. The University of Florida and its Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) are engaged in research on a wide array of areas such as: plant breeding and genetics, soil sciences, plant sciences, molecular biology, crop health and production, water quality, crop improvement, pest management, biological control of invasive weeds, medical and veterinary entomology, irrigation and water management, bioenergy and environmental management covering both basic and applied problems.
2. Joint research projects, will be in cooperation with ARS and FAES, UF Extension Service, UF College of Agriculture and related departments within IFAS as appropriate to the joint projects.
Approach:
The participating University of Florida (UF) Faculty, in its departments and research and education centers that align with the mission will conduct collaborative research with ARS t at the following FL ARS locations:
Fort Pierce: The U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory conducts research to develop new control methods for insect pests of citrus, vegetables and ornamentals; conduct basic physiological, biochemical and pathological research on postharvest problems of horticultural crops; develop new citrus varieties that have enhanced tolerance to environmental stress, resistance to diseases and pests, improved fruit quality and yield; combat bacterial, fungal, nematode and viral diseases of subtropical crops; develop alternatives for methyl bromide fumigation; understand the impact of horticultural crop production on water quality and water conservation; improve flavor and overall quality of products from citrus and subtropical fruits and to develop new byproducts from citrus processing waste; maintain flavor, nutrition and microbial stability of products from citrus and subtropical fruits while extending their shelf life.
Canal Point: The mission of the USDA, ARS Sugar cane Field Station is to develop high-yielding, disease and stress-tolerant sugarcane cultivars, and also new pathology, soil, crop and water management technologies that result in improved sugar cane production efficiency and soil conservation.
Fort Lauderdale: The mission of the USDA, ARS Invasive Plant Research Lab (IPRL) is to address the complex and multi-faceted problems of exotic plant invasions in natural and agricultural ecosystems. Invasions by exotic plants pose one of the most serious threats to the health and integrity of natural and agricultural ecosystems. In order to restore the function and biological diversity of these systems, managing pest plant populations is of critical necessity. The IPRL conducts research into the impacts of exotic plants as well as the safety and effectiveness of biological control and other methods used to manage invasive plants.
Miami: The mission of the Subtropical Horticulture Research Station is to support the agricultural industries in the southern areas of the United States by providing environmentally sound research on: (1) the breeding and genetics of tropical and subtropical fruit and ornamental crops; (2) the interdiction and control/eradication of exotic insect plant pests; (3) the investigation of best management practices for various ornamental crops with an emphasis on substrate/nutrient interactions.
Gainesville: The Center for Medical, Agricultural & Veterinary Entomology (CMAVE)
conducts research aimed at reducing or eliminating the harm caused by insects to crops, stored products, livestock and humans. Research is directed not only at the insects themselves but at the pathogens they may transmit and at identifying inherent protective mechanisms in plants. Each unit of CMAVE has specific goals, but there are several commonalities with emphasis on both control and prevention. CMAVE work emphasizes biological and integrated pest management techniques, and understanding how things work at the molecular level.
