OUR HISTORY

Lettuce

Lettuce Compendium Introduction

Excerpted from the

Compendium of Lettuce  Diseases and Pests, Second Edition

Edited by Krishna V. Subbarao, R. Michael Davis, Robert L. Gilbertson, and Richard N. Raid

Reproduced, by permission, from Hayes, R. J. 2017. Lettuce production. Pages 1-6 in: Compendium of Lettuce Diseases and Pests, 2nd ed. K. V. Subbarao et al., eds. American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN.

OUR HISTORY

History of
Research Funding

The California Leafy Greens Research Board has funded numerous research projects since its inception as the Iceberg Lettuce Advisory Board in 1973. Funding was provided primarily to the University of California, as well as to USDA-ARS-Salinas, independent researchers, and other universities. The four major areas of project funding were as follows:

• Plant Breeding and Genetics
• Insect and Disease Management
• Cultural Practices and Weed Management
• Postharvest and Food Safety

Over the 35-year time span of the California Lettuce Research Board, more than $15 million was spent on research. Over the last ten years, research funding has averaged $600,000 annually. The newly formed California Leafy Greens Research Program will continue to operate in a similar manner, supporting both long-range projects, such as plant breeding and genetic studies, along with those that are of a more short-term nature.

Our annual Call for Proposals is issued in late October by our UC Liaison, Alex Putman, Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology. All proposals are reviewed by a Research Advisory Committee which makes comments and recommendations to the board. Funding decisions are voted on by the board at the annual meeting in March and research contracts begin on April 1st of each year.