RII Track-2 FEC: BioWRAP (Bioplastics With Regenerative Agricultural Properties): Spray-on bioplastics with growth synchronous decomposition and water, nutrient, and agrochemical m

现代农民面临着越来越多的挑战。其中许多问题，如更恶劣的天气，将要求他们改变他们的耕作方式。 在种植大田作物时，在土壤上建立一个保护层可以帮助农民更好地同时处理许多问题。用塑料薄膜覆盖土壤可以防止杂草生长、侵蚀和水分流失。但是，大量使用塑料会产生浪费，对生态环境不友好，而且对大田作物来说成本太高。 新的本地来源的生物塑料类型可以完全分解成安全的副产品。 这些新材料可以为农民提供一种绿色的方法来控制杂草，施肥作物，保护土壤和水资源，并与自然合作，以更好地管理他们的田地。这个国家科学基金会研究基础设施改进轨道-2重点EPSCoR合作（NSF RII轨道-2 FEC）奖将是堪萨斯州立大学，南达科他州矿业与技术学院和内布拉斯加大学之间的一个新的合作伙伴关系，称为BioWRAP。 该项目将重点推进生物塑料的农业使用。团队将通过连接自然和人造系统，停止有害的杂草作物耕作周期，并帮助建立绿色农村工业来实现这一目标。 该团队将使用实验室和田间试验，新颖的分析和产品，以及人，农场，工业和自然系统之间的联系，以帮助改变我们如何更好地种植大田作物。我们的目标是创建一个一体化系统，可以更好地管理杂草，养分，土壤和水资源。该项目将为五名早期职业教师和三名博士后提供支持。它还将向所有年龄的学生以及农场和农村地区的人提供学习资源。 这项研究基础设施改进轨道-2重点EPSCoR合作（RII轨道-2 FEC）奖将是一个新的合作伙伴关系，专注于堪萨斯州立大学，南达科他州矿业与技术学院和内布拉斯加大学之间的一个名为BioWRAP（具有再生农业特性的生物塑料）的项目。该项目的总体目标是减少传统塑料、除草剂的使用及其对农业生产的相关环境影响。这一目标将通过以下综合重点领域来实现：㈠创造一套可用于农业生产的生物基聚合物; ㈡衡量该技术的农业效益和相关环境影响;以及（iii）估计拟议技术对社区和农业经济的潜在社会和经济影响，沿着建立一个可持续合作的联盟在堪萨斯、南达科他州和内布拉斯加州的大学合作伙伴中，在用于农业生产的喷雾生物聚合物薄膜领域，研究将包括：工程生物聚合物包括功能化的基于PHA的生物聚合物、基于蛋白质的可喷雾生物聚合物和混合聚合物系统;通过评估生物聚合物的杂草抑制和作物生产效率、养分循环、土壤水分保持和生命周期影响，研究这项技术对加强农业生态系统的影响，沿着环境核算;通过对产品采用和农村可持续性的社会经济分析，沿着对BioWRAP提供的生态系统服务的价值评估，评估新的BioWRAP技术的更广泛影响，生态系统服务市场设计和参与及其对参与EPSCoR国家的社会经济影响以及项目的整体可持续数据提供。为该项目设计的研究活动使行业参与和潜在的就业机会，为学生在行业。该计划包括指导五名初级教师和三名高级教师在职业生涯中取得进步并指导不同教育阶段的学生（研究生，本科生，高中和中学），并通过实地考察日，调查，采访，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的学术价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

Modern farmers face an ever-growing list of challenges. Many of these issues, such as more severe weather, will require them to change how they farm. Creating a protective layer over soil when growing field crops could help farmers better manage many issues at once. Covering soil with sheet plastic prevents weed growth, erosion, and moisture loss. But, using large amounts plastic creates waste, is not eco-friendly, and too costly for field crops. New locally sourced types of bioplastics that fully break down into to safe by-products can be made. These new materials could provide farmers with a green way to control weeds, fertilize crops, protect soil and water resources, and work with nature to better manage their fields. This National Science Foundation Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-2 Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (NSF RII Track-2 FEC) award will be a new partnership called BioWRAP between Kansas State University, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and University of Nebraska. This project will be focused on advancing farm use of bioplastics. Teams will do this by linking natural and man-made systems, stopping harmful weed-crop-till cycles, and helping build green rural industries. The team will use lab and field trials, novel analytics and products, and the links between people, farms, industries, and natural systems to help change how we grow field crops for the better. Our goal is to create an all-in-one system that can better manage weeds, nutrients, soils, and water resources. The project will provide support for five early career faculty and three post-docs. It will also provide learning resources to students of all ages and people on farms and in rural areas. This Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-2 Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (RII Track-2 FEC) award will be a new partnership focused on a project called BioWRAP (Bioplastics with Regenerative Agricultural Properties) between Kansas State University, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and University of Nebraska. The overarching goal of this project is to reduce the use of conventional plastics, herbicides, and their associated environmental impacts in agricultural production. This goal will be accomplished through the following integrated thrust areas: (i) create a set of bio-based polymers that can be used in agricultural production; (ii) measure the agricultural effectiveness and associated environmental impacts of the technology; and (iii) estimate the potential social and economic impacts on communities and the agricultural economy of the proposed technology along with establishing a consortium for sustained collaborations among university partners in Kansas, South Dakota, and Nebraska in the field of spray-on biopolymer based films for agricultural production. The research will include: engineering biopolymers included functionalized PHA-based biopolymers, protein based sprayable biopolymers, and hybrid polymer systems; studying the impact of this technology on strengthening of agroecosystems by evaluation of biopolymer with respect to weed suppression and crop production efficiency, nutrient cycling, soil moisture retention and life cycle impacts along with environmental accounting; and assessing the broader impacts of the new BioWRAP technology using socio-economic analysis of product adoption and rural sustainability along with valuing ecosystem services provided by BioWRAP, ecosystem service market design and participation and its impact on socio-economics of participating EPSCoR states as well as overall sustainable data provision of the project. The research activities designed for the project enable industry engagement and potential career opportunities for students in industries. The program includes mentoring of five junior faculty and three post docs by senior faculty in advancing through their careers and guiding students at different stages of education (graduate, undergraduate, and high and middle school) and engaging with rural communities through field days, surveys, interviews, and educational outreach activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.