Friday, October 26, 2007

RW News: FAMU Unviels New Developments In Agricultural Sciences

Florida A&M University’s , College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture (CESTA) hosted the 2007 CESTA Research Forum and officially announced the new developments initiated in the College’s Division of Research.

Unveiled for the first time was the first muscadine grape variety released from FAMU, an innovation tool used for weevil identification and a pesticide bacteria strain.

“I encourage CESTA to continue and increase their research efforts,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons. “I applaud the college and their new developments. I know with their hard work and dedication there will be many more to come and they will continue to uncover new developments to benefit society.”

The Honorable Dr. Gale Buchanan, Undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics for the United States Department of Agriculture, was the keynote speaker at the forum’s opening session. He spoke of the importance about Land-Grant Institutions in society today.

“I have a deep appreciation and understanding for Land-Grant institutions and their contribution to society,” Buchanan said. “For over 30 years, FAMU has been successful in their different programs of study and they continue to be a critical asset in addressing many of the public’s issues today.”

The newly released muscadine grape, named Majesty, is disease resistant and adaptable to climate in North Florida. The weevil identification software also identifies other harmful species of insect that are foreign to the U.S. The new strain of bacteria is a biological method used to control mosquitoes and is considered safer than pesticides.

“One of the main reason we do research is to increase the economic opportunities for society as a whole,” said Samuel L. Donald, CESTA’s interim dean and director of Land-Grant programs.
In addition to unveiling new developments, students and faculty presented their research on a variety of agricultural topics.

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