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The Research Committee of the Magnolia Society announces that grants
for research on Magnolias are available. Proposals from interested persons
submitted to the Research Grant Program must be received by November 1
of the current year to be considered for a grant for the following year.
The Grant Program exists to encourage and support research related to
Magnolias and the Magnoliaceae. Proposals may be awarded up to a sum of
$2,000. Funds may be expended over a period of one to three years, at
the discretion of the recipient, except for institutional overhead. Grants
are provided to deserving recipients with the understanding that research
results will be published in Magnolia, the Journal of the Magnolia
Society, a non-refereed publication. For a sample copy of the Journal,
request a complimentary copy of the current issue from the Society
Secretary. Those who are unfamiliar with research in the Journal will
benefit by reviewing the back issues of the Journal, which are available
in many horticulture libraries.
Proposal Guidelines: All proposals must be received by November 1 for
consideration in the following year. The format for the proposals can
be accessed below. Proposals will be evaluated by the Magnolia Society
Research Committee. Awards will be based on the perceived value of the
research to the Society's members and the probability of successful accomplishment.
A listing of the areas of research of interest to the Magnolia Society
is outlined below.
Areas of research on Magnolias and the Magnoliaceae that would be of
interest to the Magnolia Society:
- Public Information
- Development of an outline of pest control methods and fertilizer
applications for the average gardener
- Development of an easy to read, “what to do” booklet
on plant problems
- Publish a list of places where Magnolias can be viewed by the
public, e.g. in public collections/gardens
- Prepare an illustrated manuscript on various aspects of Magnolia
garden culture for a particular area or growing zone
- Development a protocol for simple, effective propagation methods
for the average gardener
- Development slide presentations and/or video tapes of general
interest to the society membership
- Translations of important papers for the Magnolia Society journal
into English
- Magnolia Breeding and Genetic Studies (some of these studies would
not be able to be completed during the granting period (1-3 years) and
are included for completeness of the interests of the Magnolia Society)
- Methods for breeding and screening for cold, heat and drought
tolerance
- Breeding for late spring blooming in spring and proper “hardening
off” for the winter
- Understanding the inheritance of flowering period, flower color,
fragrance, leaf color, indumentum and deciduousness
- Development of charts for interspecific hybridization capabilities
- Production of haploids, diploids and polyploids
- Development of techniques for in vitro selection of tissue cultures
for disease resistance, pests and extreme environmental conditions
- Development of techniques for overcoming breeding incompatibilities
- Understanding the genetics for all of the above
- Evaluation of breeding results and development of a database for
the maintenance of Magnolia breeding results that would be made
available through the Magnolia Society available through the internet
- Studies of Magnolia liliiflora, M. sprengeri and other species
complexes
- Chromosome counts
- Botanical Research
- Study the biosystematics of Magnolia and the Magnoliaceae
- Phylogeny of the family and species
- The selection of superior clones from natural populations and
making these, especially as scions, rooted cuttings, seeds and pollen
available to the Magnolia Society
- Pest Management
- Development tests to screen seedlings for disease/pest resistance
- Development methods of biological control for the amateur gardener
- Control of Magnolia scale
- Control of powdery mildew
- Damage protection from herbivores (deer, rabbits, etc.)
- Propagation Research
- Home propagation of hard-to-root cultivars and species
- Methods for propagation by cuttings and the effects of temperature,
rooting medium, growth regulators and time of year
- Grafting techniques for Magnolia
- Development of slide/video demonstrations on how to propagate
Magnolias
- Seed germination
- Tissue Culture
- Development of new methods for Magnolia tissue culture
- Landscape Maintenance of Magnolias (including small personal collections
and large public collections at Botanical Gardens)
- Instructions on pruning, fertilizing and other cultural practices
- Where to plant Magnolias in the landscape?
- Suitable groundcovers with Magnolia
- Weed control around Magnolia plantings
- Methods to speed up flowering in young plants, promote fast growth
(fertilizing techniques) and rejuvenate older plantings
- How to protect Magnolias from physical damage brought by excessive
cold, heat and/or drought
- Ecological Research
- Pollinators, seed disperses and herbivores
- Germination requirements in nature
- Mycorrhizal associates
- Pathogenic fungi
- Evolution of the different fruit dehiscence/types
- Paleobotany and Evolution
- Understanding the present distribution of Magnolia and the Magnoliaceae
- Discovery of new species in the fossil record
- Exploration into the fossil-rich areas of the world in search
of Magnolia
- Ethnobotany
- Which species are used by people and why
- If used for medicine, what is the chemistry of the species in
question
- Timber use
- Conservation of Magnolia
- Which species are in peril and why?
- Role of the Society in preventing extinction of wild populations
- Why is it important to preserve the genetic diversity of Magnolia?
- What is the future for Magnolia in the wild?
- Mapping of existing populations
Grant Application
and Proposal Form (PDF format, Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
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