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Lack of support for U.S. plant breeding programs could impact food security

A new study published in Crop Science by Washington State University (WSU) discovered that declines in crop breeding programs due to COVID-19 have put a damper on funding and personnel.

This decline has Kate Evans, a WSU horticulture professor who leads WSU’s pome fruit (apples and pears) breeding program, worried. In their report, Evans and her colleagues conducted a survey of 278 plant breeding programs around the United States and found that there’s a decline in full-time and technical staff, decline in locally-focused programs, and a significant number of programs lead by leaders that are near retirement age. | READ MORE