US scientists are planning to use a $1.7 million (£1.1m) federal grant to make the south-eastern area of the US a leading blueberry producer.
University of Georgia experts said the nation has 75,000 acres of cultivated blueberries, with a third of that grown in the southern states. Harald Scherm, a plant pathologist from the university, said the region is already well on its way to becoming the hub of US blueberry production.
Scherm will lead a team that includes horticulturalists Gerald Krewer, Dan MacLean and Anish Malladi, plant pathologist Phil Brannen, food scientist Rob Shewfelt and engineer Changying Li, to improve the blueberry crop in the region.
They will collaborate with colleagues in Florida, North Carolina, West Virginia and Mississippi.
Scientists said the grant will be used to develop a way to harvest blueberries mechanically without damaging the crop.
The funds will also be used to genetically improve fruit quality and to fight disease. âóè
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