30 Projects Funded in Alabama

Total Approved Budget: $8,319,000  |  Sum of Board Approved: $8,319,000
5837 – 2026 Panel: Aquaculture  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $570,000
Advanced Disease Control Approaches for Important Warmwater Cultured Fish Species
T. Bruce U Auburn; O. Shapiro ARO, Min. Ag.; T. Garlock U Auburn; M. Liles U Auburn; E. Cytryn ARO, Min. Ag.;
5735 – 2025 Panel: Aquaculture  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $600,000
RAS production of monosex Procambarus clarkii for development of sustainable aquaculture practices
A. Sagi U Ben Gurion ; J. Stoeckel U Auburn; E. Aflalo U Ben Gurion ; R. Erickson Geol. Survey, Israel; A. Cupp Geol. Survey, Israel; I. Butts U Auburn;
5732 – 2025 Panel: Aquaculture  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $600,000
Old and novel strategies for the improvement of induced spawning in catfish
J. Aizen Ruppin Academic Center; R. Dunham U Auburn; B. Levavi-Sivan U Hebrew ;
5680 – 2024 Panel: Crop Health  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $600,000
Identifying effective treatments of Xylella fastidiosa-infected grapevines using a platform that mimics the conditions in the plant    
B. Momeni Boston College; Y. Soen Weizmann Inst.; L. De La Fuente U Auburn;
8332 – 2023 Panel: NIFA  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $260,000
Adjusting growth rates of the prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii for land based aquaculture systems through myostatin gene editing    
A. Sagi U Ben Gurion ; R. Dunham U Auburn;
5606 – 2023 Panel: Crop Production  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $310,000
Identifying Genetic and Molecular Mechanisms for Stem-Rot Control in Peanut
R. Hovav ARO, Min. Ag.; P. Ozias-Akins U Georgia; T. Brenneman U Georgia; Y. Chu U Georgia; J. Clevenger HudsonAlpha Inst. for Biotechnology;
5587 – 2023 Panel: Crop Health  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $310,000
Identifying Xylella fastidiosa-resistant almond genotypes and unraveling its genetic basis
O. Bahar ARO, Min. Ag.; R. Almeida UC, Berkeley; L. De La Fuente U Auburn; D. Holland ARO, Min. Ag.;
4841 – 2015 Panel: Crop Health  |  Duration: 1 yrs  |  Budget: $100,000
Novel strategies and methodologies to control and study Candidatus Liberibacter diseases         
O. Bahar ARO, Min. Ag.; L. De La Fuente U Auburn; B. Falk UC, Davis; N. Sela ARO, Min. Ag.;
4761 – 2014 Panel: Environ/Water/Ren. Res.  |  Duration: 1 yrs  |  Budget: $95,000
Mining multidrug-resistant desert soil bacteria for biocontrol activity and biologically-active compounds
E. Cytryn ARO, Min. Ag.; M. Liles U Auburn; O. Frenkel ARO, Min. Ag.;
4599 – 2013 Panel: Animal Production  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $330,000
The use of aquaculture effluents in spray culture for the production of high protein macroalgae for shrimp aqua-feeds  
B. Mitchell UC, San Diego; A. Neori Isr. Ocean. Res.; C. Yarish U Connecticut; A. Davis U Auburn; T. Samocha TX AgriLife Res; L. Guttman Isr. Ocean. Res.;
4300 – 2010 Panel: Animal Production  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $320,000
The effects of enhanced hypertrophy, reduced oxygen supply and heat load on breast meat yield and quality in broilers 
A. Cahaner U Hebrew ; S. Bilgili U Auburn; O. Halevy U Hebrew ; R. Lien U Auburn; K. Joiner U Auburn;
3947 – 2006 Panel: Food Product  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $324,000
Identification of Genetic Determinants that Facilitate Development of B. cinerea at Low Temperature and its Postharvest Pathogenicity 
A. Lichter ARO, Min. Ag.; L. Boyd U Alabama; G. Podila U Alabama; M. Davis U Alabama;
2954 – 1998 Panel: Aquaculture  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $285,000
Developmental and Evaluation of Advanced Expression Vectors with Both Enhanced Integration and Stable Expression for Transgenic Farmed Fish
Z. Liu U Auburn; R. Dunham U Auburn; B. Moav U Tel Aviv ;
2743 – 1997 Panel: Crop Production  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $300,000
Regulation of Arabidopsis Glutamate Decarboxylase in Response to Heat Stress: Modulation of Enzyme Activity and Gene Expression
R. Locy U Auburn; H. Fromm Weizmann Inst.; J. Cherry U Auburn; N. Singh U Auburn;
2305 – 1994 Panel: Aquaculture  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $350,000
Expression and Inheritance of Growth Hormone Gene Constructs and Selective Breeding of Transgenic Farmed Fish
R. Dunham U Auburn; B. Moav U Tel Aviv ; T. Chen U Connecticut; B. Cavari Isr. Ocean. Res.;
2128 – 1993 Panel: Food Product  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $275,000
Induction of Resistance to Postharvest Diseases and Extension of Shelf-Life of Fruits and Vegetables by Ultra-Violet Light
E. Chalutz ARO, Min. Ag.; C. Wilson USDA, ARS; S. Droby ARO, Min. Ag.; V. Gaba ARO, Min. Ag.; C. Stevens U Tuskegee; R. Fluhr Weizmann Inst.; J. Lu U Tuskegee;
2026 – 1992 Panel: Crop Health  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $230,000
Endophytic Bacteria of Cotton and Sweet Corn for Providing Growth Promotion and Biological Disease Control
J. Kloepper U Auburn; I. Chet U Hebrew ; Y. Hadar U Hebrew ;
1908 – 1991 Panel: Food Product  |  Duration: 1 yrs  |  Budget: $50,000
Induction of Resistance to Postharvest Diseases and Extension of Shelf-Life of Fruits and Vegetables by Low-Dose Ultra-Violet Light
E. Chalutz ARO, Min. Ag.; C. Wilson USDA, ARS; S. Droby ARO, Min. Ag.; C. Stevens U Tuskegee; J. Lu U Tuskegee;
1895 – 1991 Panel: Crop Health  |  Duration: 1 yrs  |  Budget: $50,000
Endophytic Bacteria of Cotton and Vegetable Crops for Providing Growth Promotion and Biological Disease Control
J. Kloepper U Auburn; I. Chet U Hebrew ;
1634 – 1990 Panel: Aquaculture  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $250,000
Use of Macroalgae to Solve Water Quality Problems in Intensively Cultured Marine Fishponds
A. Neori Isr. Ocean. Res.; S. Ellner U NC State; M. Krom Isr. Ocean. Res.; C. Boyd U Auburn; D. Angel Isr. Ocean. Res.;
1533 – 1989 Panel: Food Product  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $200,000
Regulation of Tomato Ripening and Postharvest Storage
J. Cherry U Auburn; Y. Mizrahi U Ben Gurion ; A. Handa U Purdue; V. Kagan-Zur U Ben Gurion ;
1517 – 1989 Panel: Aquaculture  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $250,000
Gene Transfer and Expression in Farmed Fish
R. Dunham U Auburn; B. Cavari Isr. Ocean. Res.; T. Chen U Maryland; B. Moav U Tel Aviv ; D. Powers U Maryland; G. Hulata ARO, Min. Ag.; B. Funkenstein Isr. Ocean. Res.;
1204 – 1987 Panel: Aquaculture  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $170,000
Aeration and Stirring of Intensive Aquaculture Systems
C. Boyd U Auburn; Y. Avnimelech Technion;
1160 – 1987 Panel: Animal Production  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $220,000
Bovine Relaxin: A Placental Source and Effects on Prostaglandin and Steroid Metabolism
M. Fields U Florida; M. Shemesh Isr. Vet. Inst.; . Fields U of So. Alabama;
1062 – 1987 Panel: Aquaculture  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $200,000
Breeding Fast Growing Red Tilapias with Improved Cold Tolerance by Introgression and Selection
L. Behrends Tenn Val Auth; G. Hulata ARO, Min. Ag.; . Cline U Alabama; G. Wohlfarth ARO, Min. Ag.;
715 – 1984 Panel: Aquaculture  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $200,000
Transfer of Maternal Immunity and Development of Immune Response in Some Pond-Reared Fishes (Tilapia, Carp and Catfish)
R. Avtalion U Bar Ilan ; K. Nusbaum U Auburn; J. Grizzle U Auburn; . Smitherman U Auburn;
666 – 1984 Panel: Environ/Water/Ren. Res.  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $250,000
Controlled Traffic for Cropping Systems to Reduce Cost, Energy and Improve Soil and Water Conservation
L. Carter USDA, ARS; D. Wolf Technion; J. Taylor USDA, ARS; A. Hadas ARO, Min. Ag.; E. Kletter Min. Agr.;
497 – 1983 Panel: Aquaculture  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $190,000
The Use of Feed Additives to Modulate Hormonal Balance in Fish in Order to Improve the Utilization of Dietary Protein for Growth
. Hepher ARO, Min. Ag.; R. Lovell U Auburn; A. Gertler U Hebrew ; Z. Madar U Hebrew ;
327 – 1981 Panel: Animal Health  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $160,000
Development of a Live Attenuated Vaccine against Rift Valley Fever
. Bishop U Alabama; B. Peleg Isr. Vet. Inst.; . Peters Army Med Res. I;
164 – 1980 Panel: Aquaculture  |  Duration: 3 yrs  |  Budget: $270,000
Selective Breeding of Farmed Fish
. Smitherman U Auburn; G. Wohlfarth ARO, Min. Ag.; W. Shelton U Oklahoma, HSC; G. Hulata ARO, Min. Ag.; S. Rothbard ARO, Min. Ag.;