ARF - Current Projects

Current Projects

Each year, the foundation's General Fund awards seed money to Oregon State University's College of Agricultural Sciences through its Competitive Grant program. The Board of Directors solicits proposals from faculty members at Oregon State University interested in researching new ideas that may result in a positive economic impact to Oregon's agricultural industries. The Foundation's active interest in supporting research programs affirms our commitment to this long established partnership.

For the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the General Fund awarded $372,235 to initiate 33 new projects. These projects are listed below.

PI	Department	Project Title
Armstrong, Donald	Botany and Plant Pathology	Naturally-Occurring Herbicides for the Control of Grassy Weeds
Butler, Marvin	Central Oregon Ag and Research Center	Strategy for Restoring Central Oregon Rangeland from Medusahead and Cheatgrass to a Sustainable Bunchgrass Environment
Castagnoli, Steve	Mid-Columbia Research and Extension Center	Pear Pollination: Identifying Genetically Compatible Cultivars Using Molecular and Field Methods
Chang, Jeff	Botany and Plant Pathology	Sequencing the Genomes of 16 Plant-Beneficial Bacteria
Charlton, Brian	Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center	Suppressing Soil-Borne Nematode Pathogens Using Green Manure Crops in the Klamath Basin
Chastain, Tom	Crop and Soil Science	Seed Increase and Evaluation of Camelina Accessions
Cherian, Gita	Animal Sciences	Developing Value-Added Chicken Eggs Using Full Fat Oil Seeds
Duggan, Brian	Central Oregon Ag and Research Center	Identification of Flowering Dates of Brassica Species and Use of Growth Inhibitors for Canola Production
Flatt, Patricia	College of Pharmacy	Genetic Engineering of Pseudomonas fluorescens as Biocontrol Agents
Fuchigami, Leslie	Horticulture	Developing the Plant Database and Calibration of the OSU PDA-Based Nitrogen, Chlorophyll and Water Meter
Fuchigami, Leslie	Horticulture	Susceptibility of Deciduous Bareroot Nursery Trees to Phytophthora syringae: Assessment of how Fertilizer and Defoliation Practices and Disease Control Methods Influence the Susceptibility of Deciduous Plants to Phytophthora syringae and Control of this Disease
Hulting, Andrew	Crop and Soil Science	Volunteer Canola Management in Grass Seed Production
Hulting, Andrew	Crop and Soil Science	California Brome (Bromus carinatus) Biology and Management in Grass Seed Production
Kaiser, Clive	Umatilla County - Milton-Freewater Extension Service	Development of Flexible Hydrophobic Biofilms for the Prevention of Sunburn in Apples
Lambrinos, John	Horticulture	Testing Potential to Improve Puncturevine Biocontrol in Oregon
Machado, Steve	Columbia Basin Ag and Research Center	Evaluating the Potential of Barley Straw for Ethanol Production in Eastern Oregon
Mallory-Smith, Carol	Crop and Soil Science	Mode of Action Determination for Western Juniper Bioherbicide (Juniperoside): Implications as a Natural Weed Control Agent for Oregon Nurseries, Vineyards, and Christmas Tree Farms
McPhail, Kerry	College of Pharmacy	A New Approach to the Chemical Investigation of Microbial Producers of Natural Herbicides
Mockler, Todd	Botany and Plant Pathology	Development of a Fast and Cost-Effective Method for Gene Discovery in Plants
Mueller, Chad	Animal Sciences	Potential Use of Hooded Barley as a Forage Source for Ruminants in Oregon
Murthy, Ganti	Biological and Ecological Engineering	Design and Evaluation of Efficient Photobioreactors for Algae Production
Owen, James	North Willamette Research and Extension Center	Quantifying Winter Discharge of Controlled Release Fertilizers to Determine Environmental Impact and Plant Uptake
Pastey, Manoj	College of Veterinary Medicine	Development of Rapid and Sensitive Real-Time PCR for the Diagnosis of Border Disease Virus of Sheep in Clinical Samples
Pirelli, Gene	Animal Sciences	A Comparison of Selenite and Selenate as Selenium Sources for Sheep in Mineral Supplementation
Riera-Lizarazu, Oscar	Crop and Soil Science	Characterization of Non-Allergenic Wheat Lines
Rondon, Silvia	Hermiston Ag Research and Extension Center	Thrips Control on Dry Bulb Onions in the Columbia Basin of Oregon and Washington
Sarker, Mahfuzur	College of Veterinary Medicine	Inactivation of Clostridium perfringens Spores by High Hydrostatic Pressure
Shock, Clint	Malheur Experiment Station	Innovative Reduction of Phosphorus Losses from Irrigated Cropland
Smiley, Richard	Columbia Basin Ag and Research Center	Developing a Molecular Diagnostic Method to Identify Root-lesion Nematodes in Soil
Smiley, Richard	Columbia Basin Ag and Research Center	Development of Molecular Markers for Breeding Wheat Varieties with Resistance to Root-lesion Nematodes
Sugar, David	Southern Oregon Experiment Station	Organic Pear Scab Control Through Fruit Surface pH Modification
Vales, Isabel	Crop and Soil Science	Genetic Analysis of Durable Late Blight Resistance in Potatoes: Towards Marker-Assisted Breeding
White, Linda	Coos County Extension Service	The Effects of Calcium Applications to Cranberry Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Funds provided by the Agricultural Research Foundation also help pay for color reproduction in Oregon’s Agricultural Progress magazine, published twice a year, by the Oregon State University Experiment Station headquartered in the College of Agricultural Sciences.