Award Data

Situation or Problem: Use of high quality transplants (seedlings or rooted cuttings) is critical for success in horticultural crop production. The transplant quality can be evaluated using various aspects including visual quality, vigor and status of pests/diseases. As high quality transplant production is a specialized technology, more growers purchase their transplants from specialized propagato ...

This proposal seeks to develop a simple, and sensitive molecular diagnostic assay for the detection of Streptococcus equi; the causative agent of strangles. Outbreaks of this disease at racetracks and training establishments caused major disruptions, and economic losses to owners, and trainers in the United States in recent years. The control of the spread of strangles relies on a combination of d ...

Almost all citrus is harvested by hand. The resulting high cost in the U.S. is burden to growers and positions them at a disadvantage to overseas competitors with low labor costs. Automated methods are needed to ensure the long-term viability and prosperity of the U.S. citrus industry. Past attempts at automated harvesting have largely focused on either bulk removal without extensive sensing and c ...

SITUATION: Pesticides are among the most widely used toxic chemicals in the world, and also among the most dangerous to human health. There is convincing evidence that pesticides play a role in human cancers. Contamination of natural waters with pesticides from agriculture is a problem of primary concern. Accurate detection and measurement of pesticides in aqueous solution has historically require ...

The United States produces over 58 million tons of animal manure every year. These wastes pose a significant risk of environmental damage and human disease if not treated. However, most treatment methods are themselves either energy intensive or environmentally harmful. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project proposes to optimize and 
commercialize a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) cap ...

The Phase II effort is to be conducted to complete the development of a new ethylene monitor with a detection limit at or below critical levels for storage of perishable commodities. The research effort will help with the development of a new ethylene monitor for use with control systems to regulate ventilating and/or scrubbing of the atmosphere within storage and transport contains to minimize da ...

Production of ethanol derived from starch crops and biomass is forecast to grow considerably in the next decade. There exist opportunities for significant reductions in ethanol production costs and associated energy usage via employment of innovative process operations. Many of these processes involve membranes, which provide cost savings due primarily to reduced energy consumption. Recently, new ...

"Honey bee pollination is estimated to contribute over $14 billion annually to agricultural production. Honey bee pollination services in the larger ecosystem are also of vital importance. However, apiculture in the United States is threatened, especially by infestations of exotic parasitic mites. Varroa destructor, in particular, is lethal to many colonies, decimating both feral and managed honey ...

"Milk supply by the small dairy farms to the local markets not only reduces transportation costs but also provides cultural and economic benefits to the communities. However, the majority of the milk processing operations are carried out in large plants at the wholesale level. Such capacities and the large capital requirement act as a barrier to entry for small farmers and prohibit them to get a b ...

Butanol is a liquid fuel superior to ethanol that can be produced from renewable biomass by the acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation process. However, the ABE fermentation process economics is hampered by low conversion rate due to severe product inhibition and by energy intensive product recovery (traditionally by distillation). The overall objective of this combined Phase I and Phase II pr ...