Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Onions and garlic are a dietary staple for most U.S. households. Fusarium basal rot (FBR) is a widespread disease driving up to 40% loss in onion and garlic across the U.S., representing up to a $10m loss for affected producers, with downstream impacts on increased costs to consumers. Impacts are pervasive across seed, fresh market, and processing production systems. In clonally produced garlic seed, cryptic infections often go undetected, enabling widespread pathogen spread. Existing decision support and management resources are inadequate. Lack of accurate diagnostic tools for FBR results in rampant misdiagnoses and subsequent use of inappropriate management tools leads to costly losses. The goals of this planning grant are to: (1) identify needs of stakeholders via listening sessions; (2) bring together researchers, breeders, and extension personnel actively working on FBR, to provide a platform for information exchange around this issues; (3) leverage efforts to develop a review article on Fusarium basal rot of onion and garlic; (4) collate information generated from these joint efforts to develop a cohesive set of research and extension goals that will be addressed with a full SCRI-SREP proposal.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The goals of this planning grant are two-fold: (1) to work with stakeholders to identify needs and develop a strategic research and extension plan for a future SCRI SREP grant application, with support from a professional facilitator (strategic planning); and (2) to build a project team and develop a high quality SREP SCRI proposal for submission in 2025, with support from a professional project coordinator (proposal development). These efforts will also be leveraged to develop a review article on FBR to communicate outcomes from this planning grant, raising awareness of FBR research activities and needs.
Project Methods
1. Conduct listening sessions with growers, industry members and other stakeholders nation-wide through 3-4 online focus group meetings (Fall 2023), to assess Fusarium basal rot (FBR) impacts and barriers to reducing economic losses across seed, fresh market, and processing production systems for onions and garlic, in field and post-harvest contexts. As part of this effort, identify stakeholder members for an advisory committee.2. Jointly curate a Fusarium basal rot bibliography of key works in diagnosis and management, for review by all participants prior to the working group meeting (Fall 2023).3. Hold a day-long, in-person research forum and grant development working group meeting (Dec 2023) to discuss recent and ongoing work and identify future research, diagnostic and extension priorities for effective FBR management. As part of this, identify other national and international researchers and stakeholders to include in proposal efforts.4. Leveraging above efforts, develop a review article on FBR impacts, management and needs in garlic and onions, for publication in a peer reviewed journal (Winter-Spring 2024).5. Hold three online grant proposal development meetings (Winter-Summer 2024), aimed at (meeting 1) identifying research priorities, advisory committee members, and roles of the participating members, (meeting 2) workshopping project objectives, and (meeting 3) refining project plans, identifying project personnel, and PI/Co-PI budget allotments.6. Develop a comprehensive interdisciplinary, multi-state, inter-institutional Standard Research and Extension Project (SREP) proposal (starting summer 2024) to submit in 2025.Locations for above activies:2023 National Allium Research Conference, Nov. 29- Dec. 2,2023, San Antonio, TX. Listening session.Garlic and Onion Research Board Meeting, Feb. 2024, Tulare, CA. Listening session.Videoconference-based listening session for onion and garlic production regions determined to have poor representation at above venues.Fusarium basal rot working group meeting, Mar. 2024, Davis, CA (zoom accessible).SREP FBR grant development workshop, Mar. 2024, Davis, CA (zoom accessible).SREP proposal planning zoom meeting #1. Priorities and project team members.SREP proposal planning zoom meeting #2. Objectives, outcomes, and roles.SREP proposal planning zoom meeting #3. Timeline, budget, and proposal development plan (roles and dates).