NC State to lead research
at new ‘biopolis’

NC State and Dole Foods will form a research institute to lead the state’s efforts in enhancing the nutritional content of fruits and vegetables to improve human health; increasing agricultural production to create a sustainable food supply; and providing scientific ideas and technologies that will contribute to North Carolina’s economic growth. The Dole-NC State Institute for Advanced Fruit and Vegetable Science is part of a “biopolis” being constructed at the site of the former Pillowtex facility in Kannapolis.

About 1,200 Kannapolis-area residents were on hand for the Sept. 12 announcement by businessman David Murdock and several N.C. legislators.

The Institute for Advanced Fruit and Vegetable Science is a research and education institute. NC State researchers and extension personnel will work with farmers to bring new crops to North Carolina in order to meet the demands of a Dole processing plant nearby.

“NC State has built a tradition of listening to the needs of the people and businesses of North Carolina and responding with real-world solutions,” said Chancellor James L. Oblinger. “Our strengths in agriculture, research and technology make NC State uniquely qualified to operate the Institute for Advanced Fruit and Vegetable Science. The world-class basic and applied research conducted at the institute will yield innovative results and our extension service – with offices in all 100 NC counties and the Cherokee reservation – will share the new developments across the state.

“This project could mean a significant boost in economic development for North Carolina. Working with the state’s producers and processors, we have an opportunity to not only make a strong contribution to the Kannapolis area, but to the entire state.”

The work of NC State researchers at the institute will be devoted to:

• improving quality traits of crops, including nutritional value, flavor, size and color
• discovering better and faster ways to grow fruits and vegetables to size while enhancing flavor
• extending the harvest to near year-round capabilities
• improving resistance to disease
• managing irrigation to provide maximum productivity and quality of fruits
• extending preservation and shelf life

“As a first-class research facility, the institute will quickly establish an international reputation for excellence and leadership in translating research into practical benefits,” said Dr. Steve Leath, associate dean and director of the North Carolina Agriculture Research Service. Leath said a team approach to research will fuel this rise to international prominence. NC State will employ teams that combine researchers from genetics, genomics, horticultural science and plant breeding for research on a single crop.

Posted Sept. 16, 2005

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