GRIFFIN, Georgia – The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE) program has announced the funded projects for the 2025 Graduate Student Grants program.
The SSARE Administrative Council recently funded 18 projects totaling $386,238. The Graduate Student Grants program is one of the few sustainable agriculture research funding opportunities open to Master’s and PhD students enrolled at accredited institutions throughout the Southern region.
The projects awarded for FY2025 include:
GS25-317 Finding a Needle in a Haystack: Creating a qPCR Test to Locate a Threat to Sustainability Hiding Among Symptomless Strawberry Transplants, $21,997, University of Florida
GS25-318 Frass Forward: Transforming Waste into Sustainable Feed and Fertilizer, $21,968, University of Arkansas
GS25-319 Effect of Chitosan from Black Soldier Fly Larvae Pupae Shells Against Mycotoxin-producing Aspergillus sp., $21,952, Auburn University
GS25-320 The Impacts of Mustard Cover Crops and Seed Meal on Non-target Soil Arthropods, Microbial Community, and Crop Productivity, $22,000, Virginia Tech
GS25-321 Quantifying Sugarcane Yellow Leaf Virus Tissue Tropism Patterns and Yield Impacts to Supp0rt Sustainable Sugarcane Production in Louisiana, $20,224, Louisiana State University
GS25-322 Assessing Farmland Potential for Regenerative Specialty Crop Production: Developing a Digital Decision-Support Tool, $17,677, University of Memphis
GS25-323 Development of Nutrient-Enriched Silage Sorghum Through Strategic Crossbreeding and Marker-Assisted Selection, $22,000, Texas Tech University
GS25-324 Optimizing Genomic Selection for Breeding Heat-Tolerant Cultivars in Tomato, $21,939, University of Florida
GS25-325 Unraveling the Interplay Between Host Genetics, Immunity, and Microbiota in Gastrointestinal Parasite Resistance in Florida Native Sheep, $21,995, University of Florida
GS25-326 Arthropod Communities and Their Role in Litter Decomposition and Soil Fertility in Urban Forest Growing on Artificial Fill Substrates, $21,687, University of Puerto Rico
GS25-327 Improvement of Salinity Stress Tolerance in Onion and Watermelon for Resilient Crop Production in Southern United States, $22,000, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas
GS25-328 Quantifying Cattle Surface Water Use in Response to Fescue Toxicosis, $21,875, Virginia Tech
GS25-329 Identifying Opportunities to Expand Sustainability Potential for Vitis Native and Hybrid Grape Production in U.S. Southern Regions, $22,000, University of Arkansas
GS25-330 Advancing Sustainable Agriculture with Mobile Fruit Processing: A Feasibility Study on Upcycling Underutilized Produce in Georgia, $21,143, University of Georgia
GS25-331 Breeding for Resistance: Genetic Mapping and Identification of Powdery Mildew Resistance in Squash, $21,683, University of Georgia – Griffin
GS25-332 Rapid and Non-destructive Detection of Aflatoxin in Post-Harvest Peanuts Using Advanced Imaging Approaches for Enhanced Food Safety, $22,000, University of Georgia
GS25-333 Alternative Approaches to Diamondback Moth Management: An Analysis of Mating Disruption Techniques in Virginia, $22,000, Virginia Tech
GS25-334 Sustainable Green Corn Ceremony Restoration Program at a Land Grant Institution (SGCRP), $20,098, Virginia Tech
Graduate Student Grants are one of six grant opportunities offered by Southern region SARE to support sustainable agriculture research, outreach and education. The Call for Proposals for Graduate Student Grants opens in February. Grant proposals are due in May and funded projects are announced in August.