Project Record

Objectives:

To improving the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers in developing countries through plant sciences research.

Information on individual projects in the programme can be found by selecting this programme in the advanced search page. Please note that expenditure given in the project records contributes towards the overall expenditure of the programme.

Background:

The PSP broad spectrum of research encompasses the latest biotechnology techniques for screening and breeding for drought/disease tolerance through to the development of key technologies - simple, low-cost interventions, the impacts of which are large enough to induce farmers to make other, perhaps more risky or more costly, changes in agronomic practices in order to make yet further gains.
The Plant Sciences Research Programme funds projects under five research themes which make up the programme outputs:
1) Novel methods of aiding conventional plant breeding to overcome biotic or abiotic constraints developed and tested;
2) Methods to genetically modify crops to overcome biotic or abiotic constraints developed and tested;
3) Methods to improve soil fertility and crop nutrition by biological means developed and tested;
4) Methods to optimise cropping systems by agronomic means developed and tested and
5) Participatory methods for varietal selection and breeding developed and tested.

Part of the Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy (RNRRS).