[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 165 (Friday, August 23, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 43522]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-21555]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Foreign Agricultural Service


Solicitation of Proposals

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service, Department of Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds for research grants.

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SUMMARY: FAS announces the availability of funds in Fiscal Year 1997 to 
conduct collaborative research of mutual interest to the United States 
and Egypt. The Research and Scientific Exchanges Division of FAS is 
administering a Food Crops Collaborative Research Grants Program, which 
is managed by the Egyptian Agricultural Technology Utilization and 
Transfer Project. The program is aimed at resolving the major 
constraints to increasing the productivity of four major food crops: 
wheat, maize, rice and faba beans. The following are the most important 
constraints confronting each crop: 1. Wheat--Development of early, high 
yielding varieties. Problems include yellow stripe rust, heat stress, 
salinity and drought stress as well as aphids. 2. Maize--Development of 
earlier, higher yielding hybrids. Problems include stalk borers, late 
wilt, downy mildew, salinity and drought stress, maize borers and 
aphids. 3. Rice--Development of early, high yielding varieties. 
Problems include salinity and drought stress, blast, stem borer, brown 
spot disease and weeds. 4. Faba beans--Development of early maturing, 
high yielding varieties. Problems include the parasitic weed Orbanche, 
necrotic virus, chocolate spot, salinity and drought stress.

    Note: Proposals related to On-Farm Water Management in areas 
such as water requirements, water management and irrigation systems 
for the four crops listed above will also be accepted now.

    Collaborative research projects must involve active collaboration 
between participating Egyptian and American scientists. Proposals are 
accepted from U.S. university and USDA scientists as well as from non-
profit organizations. Trilateral collaboration including the 
participation of International Agricultural Research Centers (IARCs) is 
encouraged as well. The budget limit for each project is $300,000 
regardless of the number of participating institutions, and the 
research duration cannot exceed four years. USDA expects to fund 15-20 
proposals under this project.

DATES: Proposals must be received at the below-noted address no later 
than November 15, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For a complete package of information concerning these research grants, 
please contact Ms. Nancy J. Croft, Contracting Officer, USDA/FSA/MSD, 
Stop 0568, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250, (202) 
690-1722, FAX: (202) 690-1626.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Food Crops Collaborative Research Grants 
Program is authorized by Section 1458 of the National Agricultural 
Research, Extension and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended (7 
U.S.C. 3291).

    Dated: August 9, 1996.
Timothy J. Galvin,
Acting Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service.
[FR Doc. 96-21555 Filed 8-22-96; 8:45 am]
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