Mission:
The Ithaca, NY location consists of two Research Management Units, the Plant Protection Research Unit (PPRU) and the Plant, soil and Nutrition Laboratory (PSNL). The research mission of the PPRU is to develop new innovative methods to protect crops from pests and diseases and develop crop production systems that improve crop yield and soil productivity. Keycomponents of the research include host/plant resistance, fungal pathogens/antagonists of pests, organismal interference/manipulation, bioprocess development for natural pesticides, and cropping systems. The research mission of the PSNL is to improve our understanding of the movement of nutrients and/or toxic substances through the soil-plant- animal/human food chain and to utilize this knowledge to improve the nutritional quality of plant foods. Key components of the research includemovement of essential and/or toxic mineral elements through the soil to plant roots, interactions at the root/soil interface, uptake by plant roots, translocation to the edible plant parts and utilization by animals or humans.