Derrick Grunwald, research associate in the Department of Horticulture, received $210,048 for his project “Detection of hemp viral pathogens and their mitigation through novel virome-based strategies” through NIFA’s Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems program within the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. It was among 68 projects sharing $26.7 million in funding.

Project summary (from CRIS website): Viral pathogens of hemp impact plant health and industry productivity in the United States (AFRI Priority area #1). This research aims to understand the contributions of viral communities to disease symptom development and produce a diagnostic method for viruses of agronomic importance to Wisconsin hemp production systems.Objective I will first elucidate the viral communities present in the Wisconsin-hemp production agroecosystem across multiple fields and growing regions. Through network analysis approaches, connections between viruses of symptomatic and asymptomatic communities will be explored. Through enrichment studies, the roles of coinfecting viruses in mediating symptom development will also be determined. Potential reservoirs of viruses of agronomic importance in feral hemp will be elucidated.Objective II will produce a novel diagnostic method for HpLVd detection, which is of broad interest to the hemp community. This method will utilize the sensitivity and specificity of an enzyme-based diagnostic method to develop a test that is implementable without specialized equipment or training. This method will additionally be applied to another viral disease of economic importance, PVY.The research presented in this proposal has garnered support from industry and grower groups in Wisconsin, who will play an active role through advisement and evaluation. The presented research will produce a novel diagnostic method in the short-term, and new management practices in the long-term for an emerging agricultural industry.