NDA awarded more than $850,000 for specialty crops

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture received more than $850,000 from the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program enhances the competitiveness of specialty crops — defined as fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops.

Projects listed include Adding A “Preemptive Strike” to the Battle Against Japanese Beetles; Integrated Management of Herbicide-Resistant Palmer Amaranth and Volunteer Corn in Popcorn: Research & Extension; Reliable or Risky? Screening Biostimulants for Specialty Crop Transplant Production; Framework for Farm Sustainability; Optimizing NPK to Improve Photosynthesis, Yield, and Profitability of Dry Pea; Kochia Burndown in Confection Sunflower; High-Yielding Food-Grade Winter Pea Varieties for Dryland Production System in Nebraska; Cowpea Varieties for Dryland Production System in Western Nebraska; Evaluation of Sulfur Supplementation on Terminal Drought Tolerance in Dry Pea; Evaluation of Biopesticides for Seed-Feeding Pests Management in Confection Sunflower; Developing Rust Resistant Sweet Corn Lines; and Trade Show for Nebraska Specialty Crop Associations.

PHOTO: Person holding wooden crate box of vegetables and fruit from organic garden. (Adobe Stock │ 422800358 – Дмитрий Сидор)