Location: Crop Improvement and Protection Research
Project Number: 2038-21530-003-029-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Apr 1, 2026
End Date: Feb 28, 2031
Objective:
Current USDA-ARS research efforts are focused on identifying the plant-related traits that govern the survival and persistence of human enteric pathogens (HEP) on lettuce and produce. The establishment of a formal collaboration with a specialized research program of UCANR which will be co-located at USDA-ARS in Salinas, CA will leverage USDA ARS research and facilitate faster discovery of solutions. The UCANR laboratory will focus on foodborne pathogen risk reduction. This partnership is imperative to ensure rapid advancement of food safety research supporting the California produce industry. The data generated will provide the lettuce and produce production and processing industries as well as the USDA-ARS (Salinas, CA) breeding programs with the critical insights necessary to develop germplasm with enhanced microbial safety. This will improve food safety and reduce disease outbreaks.
Approach:
The research approach focuses on mechanisms of introduction, amplification, survival and persistence of foodborne pathogens under various conditions, and mechanisms of foodborne pathogen movement and transport across the landscape by air, water, animals, and machinery. Through a formal collaboration, the university partner will provide specialized laboratory equipment and trained personnel to conduct rigorous testing of both epiphytic (external) and endophytic (internal) pathogen persistence. This work may involve controlled plant inoculations and systematic evaluations to identify specific cultivars that inhibit pathogen survival. By quantifying these interactions, the project will identify key plant-related traits that can be directly integrated into USDA-ARS breeding programs to develop germplasm with enhanced microbial safety.