UNC faculty researchers awarded $645K in Department of Agriculture food institute grants

By: InnovatioNews Monday March 17, 2014 0 comments Tags: Greeley, Patrick Burns, Susana Gomez, UNC

GREELEY - University of Northern Colorado faculty researchers recently were awarded multi-year grants totaling more than $645,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, UNC announced.

UNC biologists Patrick Burns and Susana "Karen" Gomez are the lead project directors on their grants and will conduct separate research projects focused on improving agriculture.

Burns was awarded a $495,975 grant through August 2017 to address early pregnancy loss in beef and dairy cattle.

Burns' initial findings that fish oil reduces the hormone prostaglandin - which must be blocked during pregnancy - shows promise for widening the window for pregnancies to occur, UNC said.

Gomez, who received a $149,930 grant, is studying three-way interactions involving potatoes, soil fungi and insects.

Gomez' project could potentially lead to the discovery of genes that are useful in developing insect-resistant crops, UNC said.