DOVER — A Delaware State University postdoctoral student has received a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture in support of research relating to genetics and blueberries.

The project investigates the genetics underlying how blueberry plants respond to high temperatures and how that information can help researchers and farmers maximize yields in warmer climates.

Dr. Krishnanand P. Kulkarni, a research scientist in the university’s Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources, is the principal investigator for this research. His supervisor, Dr. Kalpalatha Melmaiee, a small-fruit breeder and associate professor, serves as co-principal investigator.

Blueberries have stringent growth conditions and are highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Since the global mean temperature continues to increase at a rapid rate, heat stress is expected to become an even more critical threat to blueberry cultivation than it is today. Hence, developing heat stress-tolerant varieties is crucial to sustaining their cultivation.

Southern blueberry species adapt better to warmer climates, and university researchers are interested in utilizing these species to identify genes or genomic regions controlling the high-temperature stress tolerance in the fruit.

“This USDA grant will help us gain an in-depth knowledge of genetic control of high-temperature stress tolerance in blueberries,” Dr. Kulkarni said. “The success of the project will have broad positive effects, as it will help farmers to harvest high-quality and higher-yield crops. Besides, this project will help provide training to the graduate/undergraduate students in the application of cutting-edge technology in molecular breeding.”

Dr. Kulkarni intends to share his findings in national/international journals, as well as in scientific and agriculture-related meetings.