NSF Awards 32 New Plant Genome Projects
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has just awarded just over $100 million to 32 plant genome research projects. These projects are designed to to help in the understanding of the plant genome in hopes that they will be able to understand more fully how they react to the environment. The projects are there to find ways to more productive ways to generate economically important crop plants such as corn, cotton, rice, soybean, tomato and wheat.
“Clearly, we are now beginning to see the breadth of the effects of NSF investments in plant genomics. The knowledge gained in these projects will serve as the basic foundation that will ultimately enable plant biologists and breeders to develop crop plants that are higher yielding and better able to adapt to a changing environment,” said James P. Collins, former NSF assistant director for biological sciences.
The new awards–made to 53 institutions in 30 states–include international groups of scientists from Africa, Asia, Europe and Central and South America.
For a more extensive list of the plant genome projects being funded look here.
Of the many projects they have funded, some will focus on such things as how to better understand plant responses to the changing environmental climates. This will allow more food to be produced in areas that aren’t necessarily prime environments for growth. While in America we probably worry more about weight loss than trying to figure out how to produce better food, these projects should be beneficial in many ways including such things as helping promote the production of alternative fuel sources such as corn, soy, and other plant derivatives.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…” With an annual budget of about $6.06 billion, we are the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing. MORE
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Filed under: Biology, Energy Tech, Environment, Health and Medicine, Science by JMH
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