MN researchers to receive $10 million for development of disease-resistant grapes

A University of Minnesota-led team of researchers received the first round of funding from a $10 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to follow up on their work with VitisGen2, a multi-disciplinary, collaborative project focused on cultivating disease-resistant grapes that can be grown sustainably with reduced pesticide and fossil fuel use. 

The team is made up of researchers from 13 different institutions across the country and is led by Matthew Clark, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Horticultural Science in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and an Extension horticulture specialist. The project was built with strong industry support and guidance, especially from the National Grape Research Alliance, which has been involved in this research from its initiation with the first VitisGen project in 2012. Read the full announcement.