Enhancing Seed Production of Regionally Adapted Crops in the Southeastern Farmer Seed System
(PC: M.T. Davidson)
Research Objectives
- Assess relationships between fruit/seed phenology and physiological aspects of seed development to identify harvest timing thresholds for maintenance of seed quality
- Compare desiccant-based drying technologies that maintain quality of crop seeds produced in warm, humid environments
- Develop a socio-ecological model of farmer decision-making that accounts for the roles of economic factors, farmer expertise, known and unknown risks, and potential benefits
- Perform quantitative economic and risk analyses that examine the economic feasibility of new production methods for selected crop seeds
This work is supported by Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) project no. LS19-315 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.