GRANT TO STRENTHEN THE COMPETENCE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO IN DISEASE AND RELATED INSECTS AND CULTURAL PRACTICES OF SOYBEANS AND OTHER FOOD LEGUMES FOR TOPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL AREAS (/23/78)

PROJ AIDS PUERTO RICO DEVEL,MOBILIZE & MAINTAIN A US INSTITUTNAL RESPONSE CAPABILITY IN TROPICAL CROP PROTECTN & PRODUCTN OF SOYBEANS BY UTILIZING THE UNIV OF PUERTO RICO (UPR) & THE UNIV OF ILLINOIS. PROJ FOCUSES ON THE SOLUTN OF LDC CROPPNG PROBS WITH EMPHASIS ON TECHNOLOGY APPLICABLE TO SMALL FARMERS,IMPROVED NUTRITN OF THE RURAL & URBAN POOR,CROP PROTECTN & SOYBEAN PRODUCTN. EVALUATN BASED ON THE ANNUAL REPOR RO 10/1/76 TO 9/30/77,COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW REPORTS OF 1/77, PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WITH THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR,FISCALREPORTS & A SITE VISIT. SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMT OF A COORDINATED INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROGRAM IN THE AREA OF SOYBEAN & OTHER FOOD LEGUME PROYRVYN. THE DEVELOPMT OF RESEARCH & INFORMATN LINKAGES BETWEEN THE MAYAQUEZ INSTITUTE FOR TROPICAL AGR & 7 US INSTITUTNS AS WELL AS BETWEEN UPR & 12 INTERNATNAL ORGANIZATN IN LATIN AM, INDIA, NIGERIA, TAIWAN & CANADA HAVE ALSO BEEN SUCESSFULLY DEVELOPED. THE URP COLLEGE OF AGR SCIENCE & THE DEPT OF CROP PROTECTN HAS RECEIVED NEW & IMPROVE LABORATORY FACILITIES, AUDIOVISUAL EQUIPMT & INCREASED LIBRARY RESOURCES & STAFF. TROPICAL LDC REQUESTS TO UPR HAVE INCREASED ANNUALLY WITH 21 STUDENTS FROM VARIOUS LATIN AM COUNTRIES RECEIVING MS"S & 20 MORE TO RECEIVE MS"S. RESEARCH HAS RESULTED IN HIGH-YIELDING TROPICALLY ADAPTED CULTIVARS, IDENTIFICATN OF GERMPLASM WIT