ARS HomePlains AreaFargo, North DakotaEdward T. Schafer Agricultural Research CenterResearch

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**Collaborations**
The Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center has a long and productive history of collaborative research involving stakeholders.

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Current collaborators and projects:
                            SSBRI Integrating Cover Crops into High Plain and Intermountain West Sugar Beets for Management of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds                        
                            Replacing Fallow & Cover Crops with Field Pea and Chickpea in the Semi-arid Northern High Plains: Impacts on Production and Sustainability-Un of NE                        
                            PCHI - Targeted Messaging Highlighting Human Health and Sustainability Benefits to Promote Pulse Consumption                        
                            Sequencing and Assembly of Cereal Wild Relatives’ Genomes                        
                            Small Grains Pangenome Assembly and Annotation                        
                            Integrating Metabolome and Phytohormone Analyses to Investigate Postharvest Physiology of Potato                        
                            PCHI: Impacts of Pulse Consumption on Human Health, Diet Cost, and Environmental Sustainability                        
                            SSBRI Disrupting Beet Curly Top Virus Transmission by Targeting Critical Genes in Beet Leafhopper Using Nanoparticle-Mediated RNAi Delivery                        
                            PCHI: Comparative Analysis of the Impact of Type of Pulse Consumed in Human Subjects and Pre-Clinical Models                        
                            SSBRI Novel Palmer Amaranth Management Tools Using RNA-targeting with FANA Antisense Oligonucleotides                        
                            Pulse Quality Characteristics for Product Development That Consider Adverse Effects on Human Health                        
                            PCHI - Improving Environmental and Economic Sustainability Outcomes Through Incorporation of Pulses into Irrigated and Dryland Crop Rotations                        
                            PCHI: Supercritical Fluid Extrusion for Improvement of Flavor and Functionality of Pulse Flours and Protein Concentrates                        
                            Thermal and Nonthermal Processing of Pulse Protein Concentrates: Impact on Functionality and Nutritional Value                        
                            SSBRI Non-destructive Sugar Beet Yield Estimation Using Ground Penetrating Radar for Breeding and Harvest Management                         
                            NSI: Exploiting Small Cysteine-rich Antifungal Peptides for Management of White Mold Disease in Soybean                        
                            PCHI: Impact of Structural Modification Techniques on Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Protein’s Ability to Modulate Human Gut Microbiota                        
                            PCHI: Using Pulse Resistant Starch to Ameliorate Aging-Associated Dysbiosis of the Gut-Microbiome-Brain Axis                        
                            Cryopreservation of Anopheles Mosquitoes                        
                            Understanding the Pulse-Gut Relationship and Its Role in Modifying Systemic Inflammation and Insulin Sensitivity in Humans                        
                            National Consumer Survey of Pulse Consumption and Views                        
                            Using Comparative Genomics to Identify Genes Associated with Sucrose Production in Sugarbeet                        
                            PCHI – Improving Functional & Nutritional Properties of Pulse Flours by Heat-moisture Treatment & Developing Pasta with Improved Health Benefits                        
                            Red Sunflower Seed Weevil Responses to Conspecific and Host Volatiles                        
                            Dough Rheology, Baking Performance and Bread Sensory Quality of Pulse-fortified Whole Wheat Flours                        
                            Developing and Utilizing Functionally Enhanced Pulse Proteins as Novel Food Ingredients                        
                            Oat Pangenome Project Data Sharing Agreement                        
                            Coordination of the International Oat Nursery (ION)                        
                            Sunflower Pollinator Foraging on Non-Helianthus Plants                        
                            NSI: Developing Soybean Varieties with Resistance to Sclerotinia Stem Rot                        
                            NSI: Improved White Mold Resistance in Dry and Snap Beans Through Multi-site Screening Throughout Major Production Areas                        
                            PCHI - Leveraging plant-microbe Interactions to Optimize Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation of Dry Bean                        
                            NSI: Evaluation and Optimization of Genomic Selection for Durable White Mold Resistance in Dry Bean                        
                            PCHI:Gut Microbiota Dependent and Independent Impacts of Dietary Pulses on Pre/Postprandial Metabolism and Inflammation in Overweight/Obese Humans                        
                            PCHI: Understanding Environmental Controls on Pea Protein                        
                            Building a Better Lentil from the Ground Up                        
                            PCHI: Assessment of Soil Health and Nitrogen Economy in Lentil and Pea Cropping Systems                        
                            Evaluation of Postharvest Processing Quality among New Public Potato Clones                        
                            Extending the USDA Sunflower Breeding Program to Address Producer Outcomes.                        
                            PFAS Fate and Remediation in Agricultural systems: Developing Conservation Assistance for Landowners                        
                            PCHI - Enzymatic Modification of Pulse Proteins to Improve Technical and Health Functionalities for Diversified Food Applications                        
                            PCHI: Pulse-fruit Aggregate Ingredients with Enhanced Taste, Functionality and Health Attributes for Diversified Food Applications                        
                            Characterization and Identification of Broad-spectrum Resistance to Spot Form Net Blotch of Barley                        
                            Characterization and Identification of Barley Resistance Genes to Spot Form Net Blotch                        
                            Localization and Identification of Barley Resistance Genes to Spot Form Net Blotch                        
                            Mitigating Potato Seed Decay and Associated Economic Losses Using Enhanced Suberization Strategy                        
                            Assessing the Importance of Plant Spacing Heterogeneity (Skips, Doubles, Gaps) on Yield, and Heritability of Seedling Emergence in Field Conditions                        
                            Effects of Hemp Seed Meal on Physiologic, Nutritional, and Residue Chemistry Endpoints in Feedlot Cattle                        
                            Integrated Pest Management of Sunflower Insects                        
                            Understanding Postharvest Physiology of Potato by Genomics, Phenomics, Bioinformatics                        
                            New Technologies to Study Virus-host Interactions to Identify Strategies for Sugarbeet Viral Disease Management                        
                            Creating Weed Tolerant Corn                        
                            Mapping Basal Stalk Rot Resistance and Oxalic Acid Tolerance Traits in Two Sunflower Recombinant Inbred Line Populations                        
                            Quantifying Growth, Development, and Freezing Damage in Brassica Oilseed Crops                        
                            Insect Responses to Intraspecific Floral Trait Variation in Asteraceae                        
                            The Regulation of Diapause by Maternal Effects & the Effect of Environmental Stress on Bee Quality                        
                            QTL Mapping of Sclerotinia Head Rot Resistance and Pyramiding of Basal Stock Rot QTL in Sunflower                        
                            Effects of Stress on Insect Pollinators and Pests                        
                            Developing Bioinformatic Pipelines and Models for Genomics-assisted Breeding                        
                            SSBRI Using Nanotechnology to Enhance Fungicide Efficacy and Duration for Sugarbeet Disease Control                        
                            Characterization of necrotrophic effectors in the Parastagonospora nodorum-wheat interaction                        
                            Genetic Analysis and Improvement of Wheat for Resistance to Foliar Disease                        
                            SSBRI Intelligence On-farm Sugarbeet Weed Management Solution Based on Edge AI and Unmanned Automation Systems (UAV and UGV)                        
                            Improvement of Barley Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight, Stripe Rust, and Hessian Fly                        
                            Monitoring Potato Plant, Root and Tuber Growth via Non-Destructive Means to Identify Key Factors Impacting Climate Adaptability of Cultivars                        
                            NSI: Improving Resistance of Spring Canola to Sclerotinia Stem Rot                        
                            Integrating Advanced Monitoring Techniques to Mitigate Environmental Factors in Storage Systems to Reduce Postharvest Losses                        
                            Barley Pest Research Initiative for Spot Blotch, Bacterial Leaf Streak, Net Blotch, Stem Rust, and Other Barley Pathogens                        
                            Bee Stress Response and Overwintering Physiology                        
                            Investigation of the Genetics of Disease Resistance in Spring and Durum Wheat                        
                            PCHI: Optimizing Nodulation in Chickpea for Enhanced Nitrogen Fixation - Phase 2                        
                            Identifying the Molecular Mechanisms Controlling Wound-Healing Processes to Improve Postharvest Quality of Potato                        
                            Understanding of Storage Diseases in Sugarbeet and Assessing the Quality Problems in the Factory Processing                        
                            Application of Sensors and Image Analysis to Improve Phenotyping Throughput of Sunflower Germplasm                        
                            Investigating the Role of FLC Genes in Mediating Differences in Freezing Tolerance between Spring and Winter Biotypes of Camelina                        
                            New Strategies for Management of Cercospora Leaf Spot and Rhizomania Diseases of Sugarbeet                        
                            SSBRI A Comprehensive Model for Cercospora Leaf Spot Risk Management                        
                            Role of WRKY Transcription Factors in Quantitative Resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum                        
                            Developing Systems to Expedite Phenotyping of Freezing Damage in Brassica Oilseed Crops                        
                            Effect of Cercospora Leaf Spot on Sugarbeet Root Storage                        
                            Predictive Crop Performance Research Initiative                        
                            Agronomic and Molecular Responses of Maize and Sunflower to Competition with Cover Crops and Alfalfa                        
                            Identification and Introgression of Resistance to Cercospora Leaf Spot and Root Maggot for Sugarbeet Improvement                        
                            PCHI: Improving Extraction Yield, Purity, and Functionality of Proteins from Pulse Grains using Enzyme-Assisted Green Extraction                        
                            SSBRI Genetic Dissection of Sugarbeet Respiration Rate and Root Firmness to Identify Genes for Reducing Post-harvest                        
                            PCHI: Understanding Environmental Controls on Pea Protein                        
                            Overwintering Physiology of Insect Pollinators and Pests                        
                            Characterization of Host-range Defining Factors in Xanthomonas translucens                        
                            Fusion of Machine Learning and Electromagnetic Sensors for Real-Time Local Decisions in Agriculture                        
                            Perennial Crops for Sustainable Agriculture in the Northern Plains                        
                            Impact of Agronomic and Post-harvest Management Practices on Potato Quality                        
                            Genomic Analysis of Septoria Nodorum Blotch Susceptibility Genes in Wheat                        
                            Optimizing Nondulation in Chickpea for Enhanced Nitrogen Fixation                        
                            Genomic Analysis of Yield and End-use Quality Traits in Hexaploid Oats                        
                            Sugarbeet Harvester                        
                            Management and Distribution of Seed of Released ARS Sunflower Germplasm                        
                            NSI: Introgression and Pyramiding of Sclerotinia Stem Rot Disease Resistant Gene(s) into Canola Cultivars                        
                            PCHI: Assessment of Soil Health and Nitrogen Economy in Lentil and Pea Cropping Systems                        
                            Refining Molecular Mechanisms that Control Potato Meristem Dormancy and Tuber Sprouting via Omics                        
                            Stress Physiology and Oxidative Stress of Insect Pollinators                        
                            NSI: Development of RNA Fungicides for Management of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on Canola                        
                            Improvement of Durum and Bread Wheat for Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight, Stem Rust, and Hessian Fly                        
                            Developing the Next Generation of Flavonoid Enhanced Dry Beans                        
                            Evaluating Rotational Cropping Systems and their Impact on Soil Microbiota, Crop Yield and Ecosystem Benefits in Northern Agro-Ecosystems                        
                            Establishing Alfalfa in Intercropping with Sunflower and Sorghum to Improve Alfalfa Yield and Profitability                        
                            Understanding Freezing Tolerance and Other Agronomically Important Traits in Canola                        
                            Investigating Differences Between Spring and Winter Biotypes of Camelina                        
                            Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms of Stress Tolerance in Cereals                        
                            NSI: White Mold Resistance-QTL: Identification, Interactions and Fine Mapping in Common Bean - ND State University                        
                            Characterization of Necrotrophic Effectors in the Parastagonospora Nodorum-Wheat Interaction                        
                            Functional Characterization of Pathogen Produced Effectors and Their Host Targets                        
                            Improving Freezing Tolerance and Weed Suppression in Canola                        
                            Evaluating Bruising in Storage among Fresh-market and Processing Varieties                        
                            The Soil Health Nexus: Biochar Use for Improving Soil Health and Limiting PFAS Movement in Soils                        
                            NSI: Less is More: Removing R-gene Mediated Susceptibility to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Soybean                        
                            PCHI: Rapid and in situ Screening for Key Quality Traits in Pulse Crops                        
                            Pulse Consumption Improves Gut Health, Metabolic Outcomes, and Bone Biomarkers of Post Menopausal Women                        
                            NSI: White Mold Resistance-QTL: Identification, Interactions and Fine Mapping in Common Bean                        
                            PCHI: Pulse Resistant Starch: Interplay Between Processing the Microbiome and Health                        
                            PCHI: Controlling Pulse Fermentation to Improve Gut Microbiome Health                        
                            PCHI: Re-structuring Pulse Proteins into Valuable Fibrils via Biocatalysis                        
                            Integration of Advanced Technologies for Documenting the Impact of Climate-Induced Stress on Whole Potato Plant Growth and Development                        
                            Understanding How Sunflower Soil Microbiome Impacts Resistance to Sclerotinia Stalk Rot                        
                            Next Generation Sequencing of the USDA Sunflower Breeding Program and Identification of Red Sunflower Seed Weevil Resistance Genes                        
                            Developing Knowledge and Tools to Optimize Sunflower Breeding for Sclerotinia Resistance and Improved Microbiome-Related Traits                        
                            Genetic Marker Development for Hull Hardness and Oil Content in Sunflower                        
                            Utilizing Essential Oils to Control Tuber Sprout Growth – Evaluating Methods to Scale-up for Industrial Applications                        
                            Understanding Pressure Bruise Susceptibility of Russet Potato Cultivars Using X-ray Ct and Cell Wall Analyses                        
                            PCHI - Enhancing Winter Pea Production in the Annually Cropped, Rainfed Region of the Inland Pacific Northwest                        
                            Field Experiments to Incorporate Pulse Crops in Cropping Systems and Assess Soil Health and Plant Water Use Efficiency                        
                            PCHI: Field Experiments to Incorporate Pulse Crops in Cropping Systems and Assess Soil Health and Plant Water Use Efficiency - Phase 2                        
                            PCHI - Minimizing Water and Nutrient Footprint for Sustainable Pulses-wheat Cropping Systems and Enhanced Soil Health                        
                            Centralized Genomic Selection Resources in Spring Wheat                        
                            PCHI: Enhancing Pea Protein Functionality through Glycation Following a Novel and Efficient Upcycling Approach                        
                            NSI: Characterizing and Bioengineering Soybean Phenylpropanoid Pathway Genes for Resistance Against Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum                        
                            Impact of Crop Growth Environment and Postharvest Storage Conditions on Physiological Age of Seed Tubers and Their Yield Performance                        
                            NSI: Identifying Genetic Determinants of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Aggressiveness Across Crop Species                        
                            SSBRI Molecular Evolution of Beet Necrotic Yellow Vein Virus and Rhizomania Disease Epidemiology Compromising the Host Resistance in Sugar Beet                        
                            Protective Effects of Dietary Pulse Flours on the Transgenerational Influence of Maternal Obesity                        
                            PCHI: Protective Mechanisms of Pulse Consumption in the Development of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Mothers and Offspring Across Life Stages                        
                            PCHI: Effects of Pulse Consumption on Maternal and Child Health                        
                            Winter Nursery and Seed Production for Rapid Germplasm Enhancement                        
                            Investigating Inter- and Intra-specific Interference in Sunflower                        
                            Impact of Storage on Functionality and Nutritional and Phytochemical Compositions of Pea, Lentil, and Chickpea                        
                            Using Native Rhizobia to Improve Salt-Tolerance in Field Pea                        
                            PCHI - Effect of a Pulse-based USDA-diet on Gut Microbial Metabolites and Biomarkers of Healthspan: A Crossover Feeding Study in Older Adults                        
                            Improving Pulse Protein Properties for Expanded Functionality Using Naturally Derived Polymeric Polyphenols                        
                            PCHI: Maternal Supplementation of Pea Fiber to Protect Against Obesity and Hypertension in Offspring                        
                            First Steps to Creating Weed Tolerant Corn                        
                            PCHI - Pea Protein Consumption to Promote Gut Health in Humans                        
                            PCHI – Isolating and Characterizing Protein Fractions from Black Beans and Lentils for use as Novel Oil Structuring Agents                        
                            Leveraging high-throughput genotyping and phenotyping technologies to accelerate wheat improvement                        
                            PCHI: Quantifying, Predicting, and Parallelizing the Examination of Post-digestive Properties of Common Beans                        
                            PCHI: Developing Chickpea Cultivars with Radically Improved Nitrogen Fixation Rates                        
                            PCHI: Chickpea Genetic Improvement for Drought and Heat Stress Resilient Grain Yield                        
                            PCHI: Effects of Extraction Methods on Lentil and Dry Beans Extract Composition and Structural Modification                        
                            NSI: Genetic Variability Associated with the Traits of Fungicide Resistance and Pathogenicity in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum                        
                            NSI: Manipulating Endogenous Host Pathways to Enhance White Mold resistance in Brassicaceae                        
                            PCHI: Processing Effects on the Composition of Pulses (Beans/Peas/Chickpea/Lentils) and Resulting Benefits in the Prevention of Type-2 Diabetes                        
                            PCHI: Human Pulse Consumption, the Microbiome, and Meal Satiety                        
                            NSI: Enhanced Sclerotinia Stem Rot Resistance in Soybean through the Manipulation of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Virulence Determinants                        
                            PCHI: Develop Efficient, Genotype-independent, Gene-editing Systems for Common Bean and Chickpea                        
                            PCHI: Screening of Field Pea Accessions for Combined and Superior Drought-tolerance and Enhanced Nitrogen Fixation in Semi Arid Climates                        
                            Replacing Fallow & Cover Crops with Field Pea and Chickpea in the Semi-arid Northern High Plains: Impacts on Production and Sustainability-Un of WY                        
                            SSBRI Improving sugar beet production through greater understanding of light-mediated crop-weed interactions                        
                            2023-2024 USDA Survey of Dioxin and Dioxin-like Compounds in Beef, Pork, and Siluriformes                        
                            Effects of Roasting Parameters on the Functional and Organoleptic Properties of Lentil Flours                        
                            NSI: Systems View of Pathogenesis and Host Defense Response at Specific Infection Stages of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum                        
                            Understanding Cold-induced Developmental Changes in Agricultural and Horticultural Crops