State, federal scientists collaborate on studies in $20.5 million facility

Dedication of a $20.5 million vegetable research center on Savannah Highway this morning will unveil a 54,000-square-foot complex where federal and state scientists can collaborate to develop better foods grown in healthier ways.

That could be great news for most everybody except hungry insects, diseases and chemical manufacturers.

The new federal building houses about 85 employees who had been toiling in scattered 1930s-era buildings and trailers across the road from the Savannah Highway site, south of Charleston. Now U.S. Department of Agriculture and Clemson University scientists work side by side, sharing information and the latest equipment.

“There are a lot of exciting things going on,” said Dr. Merle Shepard, resident director of the Clemson Coastal Research & Education Center, established here in 1934. “Collaboration is the word of the day.”

Much of the work under way in the new center is unique, said Dr. Claude Thomas, research leader with the USDA vegetable laboratory established next door two years later.

The federal lab and Clemson center are recognized internationally for their distinguished research programs on important vegetable crops, according to Joseph Jen, USDA undersecretary for research, education and economics.

Jen described today’s dedication as significant and highly anticipated. “The new facility will further expand scientists’ capabilities to perform excellent studies that will have a significant impact on agriculture worldwide.”

Between them, the two centers have developed and released more than 200 improved vegetable varieties and breeding lines, such as Charleston Gray watermelon, Planter’s Jumbo cantaloupe, Goldcoast snap bean, Homestead tomato, Wando pea, Charleston Hot pepper, Polaris cucumber and Charles-ton Bell pepper.Much of the federal work at the new lab represents a national effort to develop crops that are genetically resistant to disease, insects and nematodes in order to reduce the use of pesticides, Thomas said. The lab also develops environmentally friendly bio-controls, such as parasitic insects that attack and destroy a specific pest rather than killing friends and foes alike.

The lab is working on broccoli lines that have high levels of anti-cancer compounds, nematode resistant bell peppers that don’t require fumigation with ozone-depleting methyl bromide, and sweet potato varieties that are resistant to nematodes and soil insects so they don’t require pesticides.

“We complement the federal work,” said Shepard, adding that the Clemson center develops efficient, economical systems for vegetable production in this state.

Clemson scientists research plant-derived and other alternative pest controls, such as plastic mulch and microbial pathogens that target only one precise pest.

Newer projects include “niche crops” such as asparagus, cilantro and leeks that might interest tobacco growers, as well as medicinal plants like echinacea, feverfew and St. John’s wort for the diet supplement industry.

Scientists — 13 federal and seven from Clemson — moved into their labs in April and began employing new equipment, a specialized tissue culture area and a radioisotope lab where DNA markers identify resistance in plants and speed research.

Some colleagues will work in outdated buildings across the road until the next two phases of the complex are completed. A 14,000-square-foot head-house, where seeds can be planted and plants grown in controlled environments, could be started within two months and finished in about a year.

In addition, Congress recently set aside money to design a 43,100-square-foot head-house and greenhouse area; construction could begin in a year if the money is available, Thomas said.

Dignitaries expected to speak at today’s dedication include U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings; Rodney Brown, deputy under secretary of agriculture; Edward Knipling, acting administrator of the Agricultural Research Service; John Kelly, Clemson University vice president; and Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr.