[Pollinator] Call for Research Proposals Related to Reducing Honey Bee Exposure to Dust Emitted During Planting of Treated Corn Seeds

[Jennifer Tsang]

http://pollinator.org/CDRC.htm 

Corn Dust Research Consortium Formed to Address 
Honey Bee Questions 

Unique Stakeholder Consortium Sponsors 
Research to Reduce Honey Bee Exposure to Corn Planting Dust

San Francisco, California - The non-profit Pollinator Partnership (P2) today
announced the formation of the Corn Dust Research Consortium (CDRC), a
multi-stakeholder initiative they are coordinating to invest research
dollars in reducing honey bee exposure to dust emitted during planting of
treated corn seeds.  Pollinator Partnership is coordinating the Corn Dust
Research Consortium and has invited stakeholders from crop protection, seed
production, farm equipment, corn growing, beekeeping, academic,
governmental, and conservation organizations to fund and oversee two
proposed research projects to better understand ideas for mitigating risks
to honey bees from exposure to planter-emitted dust during corn planting.


"It is truly rare to see this kind of large-scale collaboration between
disparate stakeholders - each of whom shares equally in the supervision of
the project," said Executive Director Laurie Davies Adams, emphasizing her
organization's enthusiasm for the consortium approach to problem solving.
"Public-private partnerships that seek practical solutions for cooperative
conservation and commerce represent an improved model.  Industry
participants are to be commended for providing major funding while sharing
responsibility and authority with all CDRC partners."

Seed lubricant powders such as talc and graphite that are commonly added to
facilitate an even flow of seeds through the planter can increase the total
amount of dust inside the planter.  Modern pneumatic planters, which use air
pressure to deliver seeds precisely to the seed furrow, may exhaust this
dust into the air, and the emitted particles may in turn be carried some
distance downwind.  Honey bees may potentially contact seed dust particles
when the planter-emitted dust is airborne (i.e., if bees fly through the
exhaust plume of a planter), or after deposition on vegetation or other
surfaces.
Download <http://pollinator.org/PDFs/CornDust_2013_PressRelease.pdf>  the
Press Release / Download the
<http://pollinator.org/PDFs/RequestforProposals020413.pdf>  RfP

Submission 

Email your proposal packet as a single PDF file to Jennifer Tsang
(jt at pollinator.org) by 3PM PDT on Friday, March 1, 2013. 

Please identify the email subject line and the PDF attachment using "Project
(1 and/or 2), PI Last Name, First Name." 

Funding Decisions 

The proposals will be evaluated by members of the Corn Dust Research
Consortium Advisory panel, and funding decisions will be made by Friday,
March 15, 2013. 

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