Dear Colleagues,
The California Pepper Commission is soliciting research proposals from pepper researchers for funding during our 2018-19 funding year. As background, the Pepper Commission is a research-only commission, charged with funding research to solve problems of the California pepper industry. Research funding is based on assessments growers and handlers pay to the commission.
Research priorities change from year to year. Generally we fund projects in the range of $5k to 20k which deal with applied research, which will help our growers to continue to grow peppers profitably in California. Research dealing with control of insects, weeds, and diseases has been the major focus of our funding, and we expect that to continue. Labor availability continues to be an issue, and research aimed at resolving this issue, such as mechanical harvesting research, will be given special consideration. Other problems of continuing interest to the Commission are weed control, psyllids, Phytophthora root rot and Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus. In addition, research proposals involving the economics of plastic mulch, and efficiency of water and fertilizer use, will be considered.
The proposals will be evaluated by the members of the California Pepper Improvement Foundation, which serves in an advisory role to the Pepper Commission, and recommendations for funding will be presented to the Commission.
Please send or email (nathan@tabcomp.com) your proposals to the CPC office by Friday, January 19th.
If you have any questions, or would like more details about projects of interest to the CPC, please contact me at heisey1@att.net, or at 831-636-4882.
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)