Collaborative Research: FEC: Boosting Tolerance to Water Stress in Rice and Wheat Using Mycorrhizal Inoculants

The nation's agricultural heartland experiences frequent and unpredictable reductions in rainfall that negatively affect crop yields. Reduced crop yields place the livelihoods of farmers at risk and increase the price of domestically produced food for citizens. The overarching goal of this project is to develop a novel, fungal-based technology aimed at improving drought-tolerance in rice and wheat. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are required by crop plants for improved yields. However, many of the most beneficial fungal species are lost from soil due to modern agricultural practices. This collaborative project brings together a multidisciplinary team of scientists from three EPSCoR jurisdictions of major agricultural-based economies. The research team will develop crop-specific consortia of AM fungal species designed to maximize food production when faced with drought. This project is led by Arkansas State University (a primarily undergraduate institution, PUI) in collaboration with University of Kansas, University of Nebraska, and Kansas State University. This use-inspired award uses a multi-dimensional approach that combines plant-fungal experimentation, plant physiology, and genomics to discover the optimal AM fungal – plant genotype combinations for improved drought tolerance. The effectiveness of assembled fungal combinations on rice and wheat yields will be tested in field experiments that manipulate water availability. The team will also evaluate farmers' willingness to adopt AM fungal inoculants and evaluate the socioeconomic factors influencing adoption, perceived benefits, and barriers to implementation. This award will also bolster the STEM infrastructure in Arkansas, Kansas, and Nebraska by improving workforce development in novel, agro-based solutions to improve the lives of farmers and consumers. The research funded by this award will provide STEM training and workforce development for young scientists and socio-economists, as well as educational outreach to local high schools, local citizens, and industry partners. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.