SOUTHERN ESCAPE VANILLERY, LLC — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: 8.199999999999999

Description

Vanilla is potentially the highest grossing agricultural commodity for subtropical/tropical areasof the US which is the largest importer and consumer of vanilla beans and extract. Domesticproduction could generate a significant portion of market demand while supporting ruralcommunities. Novel approaches to vanilla cultivation plant propagation and breeding couldensure a sustainable safe and high-quality domestic supply compared to today's volatile supplychain. This proposal seeks to evaluate novel vanilla production strategies to support domesticvanilla cultivation.Project objectives include:1) Test the feasibility of growing vanilla in a pilot-scale agrivoltaics system2) Optimize in vitro vanilla propagation to increase rare vanilla material3) Apply rapid-cycle breeding to vanillaThis research effort seeks to evaluate the cultivation of shade-loving vanilla under photovoltaicpanels creating synergy between sustainable energy generation and crop cultivation. Optimizingin vitro vanilla propagation will focus on media components to maximize micropropagation ratesfor rare high-quality disease-free and genetically uniform stock plants so growers canovercome current supply deficits. We also propose to develop rapid-cycle in vitro breedingmethods leveraging research from ornamental orchids.We anticipate that our preliminary agrivoltaics data will validate the use of vanilla in this system.The optimization of specialty vanilla propagation will generate clean planting material to supplythe emerging domestic industry. Rapid breeding methods for vanilla should shorten seed-to-seedgeneration times for future marker-assisted breeding. These objectives together represent aholistic approach to positively impact domestic vanilla cultivation with improved yield qualityand sustainability.