Plants & Plant Products Overview
Through its Plants and Plant Products programs,
CSREES provides national program leadership and funding opportunities
for research, education, and extension to address various
challenges for crop production and plant protection. These
programs guide development and use of economically sound
and environmentally friendly approaches and products for
national needs such as food, feed, and fiber.
CSREES Plant and
Plant Product programs provide a better understanding of
plants: how they grow, how their growth and productivity
can be improved, and how they can be used in new ways.
The combination of leadership and funding in Plants and
Plant Product programs brings about development of new
strategies and improvement of existing strategies for plant
use and productivity. This increased understanding and
forward thinking strengthens our nation’s ability
to address challenges such as loss of arable land, increased
population, protection of the nation’s food production,
destruction of the environment, global climate change, and
economic stability of rural and agricultural communities.
Plants are diverse organisms, differing in
size and shape and ranging from single cells such as algae
to complex organisms such as trees. An important feature
unique to plants is their ability to use energy from sunlight
to produce their own food such as sugar, starch, and other
carbohydrates; this process is termed photosynthesis. Through
photosynthesis, plants provide food, oxygen, and energy for
the world. Plants also provide fiber, medicines, building
materials, and natural products such as oils and latex. Plants
enliven and sustain our environments, providing flowers for
indoor decoration, parks for recreation, and forests for
wildlife.
CSREES programs
in Plants and Plant Products reflect the diversity of the
types and uses of plants seen in today’s world. As
our knowledge about plants is increasing, we are learning
how to breed plant varieties that are productive under
drought conditions, better withstand attack by pests and
disease, produce pharmaceuticals to treat human disease,
or make new chemicals for energy or industrial use. Additionally,
the study of plants is leading to better management of
parks, forests, and rangelands and to the use of plants
for solving environmental pollution problems. Thus, CSREES
Plants and Plant Products programs play a vital role in
maintaining and improving agricultural sustainability,
environmental protection, and economic security.
Programs in the Plants, Plant Products National
Emphasis Area include:
Plant Breeding,
Genetics & Genomics:
For hundreds of years, traditional plant breeding has generated
more productive and nutritious crop plants. Genetics and
genomics are now improving the effectiveness and efficiency
of plant breeding. The Plant Breeding, Genetics, & Genomics
Program focuses on use of these approaches, tools, and resources
to improve, protect, and sustain plants for agriculture and
the environment.
Biobased
Products & Processing:
The Biobased Products & Processing Program focuses on
increasing development, use, competitiveness, and quality
of biobased products. A biobased product is a commercial
or industrial product (other than food or feed) that is composed
of biological products such as raw agricultural materials,
agricultural wastes, or forestry materials. Biobased products
lead to new areas for agricultural research, business, economic
development, and crop diversification and make use of renewable
resources to produce fuel, energy, chemicals, construction
materials, pharmaceuticals, and other beneficial materials.
Horticulture: The Horticulture
Program addresses issues pertaining to breeding, growth,
production, storage, handling, and marketing of horticultural
crops. Horticultural crops consist of vegetables, fruits,
flowers, nuts, berries, and nursery and greenhouse plants.
These plants provide variety to human diets and enhancement
for our living environment and personal well-being. Rapidly
growing areas of horticulture include floriculture, outdoor
recreation, and home and urban landscape design and management.
Agronomy & Forage
Crops:
The Agronomy and Forage Crops Program focuses on issues in
crop productivity and natural resource protection. Agronomy
uses plant and soil sciences to maintain or improve productivity
of forage and field crops and to ensure wise use of natural
resources such as water and soil. Forage crops are important
agriculturally, economically, and environmentally, providing
food, feed grain, oil, fuel, and fiber for national use and
international trade, reducing soil erosion, and improving
soil quality. |