Plant Biotic Interactions

The Plant Biotic Interactions (PBI) program supports research on the processes that mediate beneficial and antagonistic interactions between plants and their viral, bacterial, oomycete, fungal, plant, and invertebrate symbionts, pathogens, and pests. This joint NSF/NIFA program supports projects focused on current and emerging model and non-model systems, and agriculturally relevant plants. The program's scope extends from fundamental mechanisms to translational efforts, with the latter seeking to put into agricultural practice insights gained from basic research on the mechanisms that govern plant biotic interactions. Some key aspects of this opportunity include: * Research on plant biotic interactions, including symbiosis, mutualism, parasitism, and host-pathogen interactions * Focus on fundamental biological processes and/or relevance to agriculture * Support for projects that include aspects of both fundamental and applied research * Encouragement of quantitative modeling in concert with experimental work * Eligibility for non-profit, non-academic organizations, institutions of higher education, and USDA/NIFA eligible applicants