Grant: Applied Research Tools and Instruments Grants

As the global population grows, there is an increasing demand for food. Environmental stressors, exacerbated by climate change, are a significant factor affecting food production and quality. These stressors, including drought, frost, disease, pests, and heat stress, can lead to reduced yields, lower farmer income, and higher consumer prices, with the latter particularly affecting food security. Agricultural biotechnology, such as soil amendments, biofertilizers, and biostimulants, provide innovative solutions for mitigating environmental stress on crop and preventing nutrient loss from soil, leading to enhanced food quality, increased crop yields, and better sustainable practices. To support the growth of these agriculture biotechnology industries, research and development are crucial to providing scientific evidence supporting the use of these products. As a result, NSCC is seeking equipment that can be used to evaluate agricultural biotechnologies (soil amendments, biofertilizers, and biostimulants) ability to reduce nutrients (fertilizer) losses (Rhizon MOMs), enhance plant performance (LI-600 and LI-600N) and gene expression (polymerase chain reaction system with thermocycler) during stress (drought and cold) events, as well as increase cold tolerance ability (refrigerated circulator) to mitigate frost damage to crops. Additionally, NSCC is requesting a fumehood to enhance safety measures required for the new equipment. Overall, the acquisition of this equipment will provide a valuable resource for local agricultural biotechnology businesses and will engage NSCC researchers and students in industry-driven applied research projects.