AFE Announces Due Date for ’16-’17 Research Proposals

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) announced that research pre-proposal applications for 2016-2017 funding are due no later than June 1, 2015.

Research priorities are focused on floricultural crops such as fresh cut flowers, fresh cut greens, flowering potted plants, foliage plants and bedding plants.

• Biocontrol
• Breeding (can include breeding to enhance post harvest quality, plant and flower quality or to reduce insect and diseases
• New technology to increase floriculture quality
• Pest and disease (Focus areas: Aphids, Botrytis, Downy/Powdery Mildews, Leaf Miners, Thrips, Whiteflies and others)
• Postharvest (can include shelf life, transportation, home or garden performance)

Research projects can last one to three years and AFE is funding more than $280,000 in research.

Scientific Research Project examples include :

• Management protocols for floriculture crops
• Management systems for diseases of floriculture crops
• Management systems for insects affecting floricultural crops
• Post-harvest managements systems for floriculture and plant breeding
• Genetic engineering of floricultural crops

For more information, visit www.endowment.org.