Developing new foods from beans that can be “popped” like popcorn, expanding organic buckwheat production and monitoring vineyards for fungicide resistance were among projects that recently received federal grant funding.

On Sept. 10, the USDA announced $121 million for research to solve key challenges facing specialty crop and organic agriculture producers.

Washington State University was the lead funding organization for five projects totaling $19.3 million.

Popped beans

WSU professor David Gang has been trying to land a grant to research popped beans for more than seven years.

Now he’s leading a $5 million, four-year project that includes Oregon State University, the University of Hawaii and other institutions.

“We have a bunch of partner growers who are going to be working with us, too,” Gang said.

The original popped beans are nuna beans from Peru, but those have been difficult to grow in North America. Researchers have been crossing nuna beans with commercial varieties such as pinto beans, Gang said.

Healthy snacks packed with protein from popped beans can help combat national health problems, particularly childhood obesity and diabetes.

“They taste great. They have a malted milk ball texture when you just pop them,” Gang said.

Popped beans also can be ground into a flour that can create a nutritious and crunchy Cheeto type snack, he added.

The project aims to improve breeding lines, gauge consumer acceptance and measure economics for the new beans and food products developed.

Monitoring vineyards

Successful disease management is key for vineyards, but fungicide resistance has been a growing problem for the wine industry.

Crop losses have occurred due to diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew and Botrytis bunch rot.

More USDA grants coverage

Researchers test cold-hardiness of pear varieties

Oregon, California firms get $4 million USDA fertilizer grants

Idaho gets more than $2.2 million in USDA specialty crop grants

USDA provides $6 million in labor grants to Northwest ag organizations

West Coast commodity groups get USDA grants to boost trade

USDA gives 34 Northwest firms energy grants for Earth Day

USDA gives organic product grants to nine Northwest firms

WSU received $4.1 million for a four-year study to prevent crop loss and to provide growers tools for understanding and forecasting disease pressure, identifying potential fungicide resistance and taking action.

“The development of fungicide resistance in commonly used products is an industry wake-up call,” said Michelle Moyer, a WSU professor leading the project.

The loss of fungicide effectiveness could mean a scaleback of the wine industry in specific regions or the increased cost of the final project as alternative management strategies are adopted.

Buckwheat study

“More Bang for Your Buckwheat,” a WSU project with a cheeky name but serious intent, received $3.3 million over four years.

Buckwheat is underutilized and many organic growers use it as a cover crop for soil building and weed suppression.

The grain has also emerged as a gluten-free alternative to cereals. It also offers an opportunity to revive culturally significant cuisines and heritage crops.

“The demand is out there from different food companies, from different chefs and restaurants,” said Kevin Murphy, a WSU professor leading the project.

But few commercial varieties of buckwheat exist and information about the food-value of the seed source is scarce.

Colorado State University, Cornell University, University of New Hampshire and nonprofits are partners in the project.

Apple, pear resilience

Apple and pear crops are increasingly susceptible to devastating losses due to extreme temperatures driven by climate change.

WSU will receive $6.75 million for a four-year project to develop mitigation strategies for current cultivars. Researchers also will study how to quickly assess new cultivars’ suitability for future climate conditions.

WSU also was awarded $50,000 for a one-year study on understanding and enhancing climate resilience in cherries, peaches and prunes.

Organic Seed Alliance

The Organic Seed Alliance of Port Townsend, Wash., received $3.5 million for a four-year project to increase the resilience and success of organic seed production systems.

The long-term success of organic agriculture depends on organic seed production and plant breeding. But the lack of seed yield data and production protocols is a barrier.

The alliance also received $75,000 for a one-year grant to fund the Organic Seed Growers Conference, a biennial gathering.