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The FY 2002 Budget Request for the Plant Genome
Research (PGR) Subactivity is $65.0 million, an increase of $140,000,
or 0.2 percent, over the FY 2001 Current Plan of $64.86 million.
(Millions of Dollars)
|
FY
2000
Actual |
FY
2001
Current Plan |
FY
2002
Request |
Change |
Amount |
Percent |
Plant Genome Research
Projects |
63.03
|
64.86
|
65.00
|
0.14
|
0.2% |
Total, Plant Genome
Research |
$63.03
|
$64.86
|
$65.00
|
$0.14
|
0.2% |
NSF's Plant Genome Research Subactivity (PGR) was
established in FY 1998 as part of the National Plant Genome Initiative
(NPGI), building upon an existing base of genome research supported
throughout the BIO Activity. PGR supports research that advances
our understanding of the structure, organization, and function of
plant genomes, and that accelerates utilization of new knowledge
and innovative technologies toward a more complete understanding
of basic biological processes in plants, especially in economically
important plants such as corn and soybean. This increased emphasis
on plant genomics has revolutionized fundamental plant science research
and its application to agriculture, forestry, energy, and the environment,
as well as the production of plant-based industrial materials and
chemicals.
Since the program's inception in FY 1998, support
has been provided for research on structural and functional genomics,
and for strengthening the research infrastructure necessary for
robust plant genomics research. FY 1998 funds provided for accelerated
sequencing of the genome of the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana,
led to completion of this international effort in December 2000,
four years ahead of the original schedule. Projects funded in FY
1998 and FY 1999 have resulted in a large number of Expressed Sequence
Tags (ESTs). ESTs represent unique identifiers for genes expressed
in a plant and provide extremely useful markers for scientists to
identify, isolate, and investigate specific genes of interest. As
of March 2001, close to 850,000 entries are in the public EST database
for corn, tomato, soybean, potato, cotton, and other plants, where
less than 75,000 existed in 1998. These EST data and EST clones
have been rapidly released to the public and are being widely used
by the research community. In addition to research activities, all
the awardees in this program are required to engage in education
and outreach activities. A number of awardees have established partnerships
with undergraduate or minority institutions that allow participation
of scientists and students at these institutions in cutting edge
plant genome research on an ongoing basis.
Important scientific discoveries are beginning to
emerge from early awards. One example is a report about the identification
of a gene in maize that has a strong association with flowering
time. Flowering time determines where maize can be grown. For example,
maize plants native to a tropical climate cannot be grown in the
U.S. Midwest because they would not flower under its growing conditions,
yet there exists valuable tropical maize germplasm with useful traits
such as resistance to diseases. This gene could be used to help
adapt tropical maize germplasm to the U.S. Midwest.
The FY 2002 Budget Request will continue support
for the following areas:
Functional Genomics: During the last three
years, plant genome research projects have created massive plant
genomics datasets and resources, such as DNA sequence data for
both model organisms and crop plants; large collections of maize
mutants; DNA libraries consisting of whole genomes of major crop
plants; and gene chips. Now plant genome researchers will utilize
these datasets and resources to identify, isolate, and investigate
genes associated with plant processes of economic importance,
including nutritional quality, production of industrial chemicals,
disease resistance, and tolerance to environmental stresses.
Training in Plant Genomics: Graduate and
undergraduate training is interwoven into all plant genome awards.
As a result, a new generation of scientists is being trained to
use the power of genomics to advance plant science in both fundamental
and applied fields. There is a great need to train people versed
in informatics. Broadening participation to include underrepresented
groups and non-research-intensive institutions will continue to
be emphasized, as will international research experiences for
young U.S. scientists
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