USDA Request for Expressions of Interest- 2012 Borlaug Fellowship ProgramBulgaria
USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), in cooperation with the America for Bulgaria
Foundation, is seeking to identify U.S. universities willing to host English-speaking
agricultural scientists from Bulgaria under the Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural
Science and Technology Fellowship Program (Borlaug Fellowship Program). These Fellows
have been competitively selected based on research priorities, academic and work
accomplishments, commitment to Borlaug Fellowship goals and leadership qualities. It is
recommended that the program begin in fall 2012, however, priority should be given to a
time that is appropriate for the Fellow’s proposed topic of research. The program should last
for a period of 12 weeks, unless otherwise indicated in the appendix below.
Each Fellow has specific research topic interests. Please find below in Appendix 1 brief
descriptions of the Fellows’ research/fellowship interest.
Institutions may submit proposals to express interest in hosting more than one Fellow.
Institutions interested in hosting one or more Fellows should submit a proposal following
the guidelines below:

Indicate the name of the institution and mentor applying to host the Fellow(s);

Indicate the country, research interests and reference number of each Fellow;

Provide a tentative action plan based on the Fellow’s research proposal and action
plan, including topics covered, field visits and other activities;

Please include a narrative description of the proposed fellowship, how it will be
administered and the role of the university faculty and support staff.

Provide a summary of relevant institutional capabilities for hosting international
scientists and policymakers in the proposed field;

Briefly describe the research expertise and international experience of the mentor in
the Fellow’s field of interest;

A 1-2 page curriculum vitae should be provided for mentors and other collaborating
researchers involved in the proposed program. This does not included in the page
count maximum noted below;

Identify the expected skills or knowledge to be acquired by the Fellow at the end of
the program;

Complete a budget based on the attached template with a detailed line item budget
narrative (NOTE: A budget narrative must be provided). If attendance at the
World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa in October 15-19, 2012 is feasible, the
budget should include time and funding for the Fellow (s) to attend;
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USDA Request for Expressions of Interest- 2012 Borlaug Fellowship ProgramBulgaria

Complete the following checklist on university administrative policies;

Include all components of the proposal in a single PDF document, and;

Proposal, excluding the budget, should not exceed 3-4 pages. Proposals to
host fellows from different regions should be submitted separately; an
additional two pages per fellow is permitted.
Please submit the proposal, university administrative checklist and estimated budget via
email with “Bulgaria” in the subject line to: BorlaugFellowships@fas.usda.gov
For any questions please contact: Lisa Wendel at Lisa.Wendel@fas.usda.gov ;
Catherine.Chesnutt at Catherine.chesnutt@fas.usda.gov. FAS would like to receive
all expressions of interest by June 4, 2012.
Funding support will be provided through USDA in cooperation with the America for
Bulgaria Foundation. For more information on the Borlaug Program, please visit our website
at: http://www.fas.usda.gov/icd/borlaug/Borlaug.asp
The Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship
Program aims to promote food security and economic growth by increasing scientific
knowledge and collaborative research to improve agricultural productivity. This program
targets promising young scientists and policymakers from developing or middle income
countries. The Fellows spend 8-12 weeks in the United States and work one-on-one with a
U.S. scientist in their field. The mentor coordinates the Fellow’s training and in order to
continue collaborative efforts, visits the Fellow's host country for 7-10 days within 6-12
months after completion of the training in the U.S.
During the program, the Fellows learn new research techniques, gain exposure to the latest
scientific developments in various fields of agriculture, access fully-equipped laboratories and
libraries, and learn about unique public-private partnerships that help fund agricultural
research and science. Equally important, this program provides international scientists and
policymakers with opportunities to establish long-term contacts with U.S. scientists and
apply newly gained knowledge from U.S. institutions to their country's research and
development programs.
The World Food Prize is awarded annually during the Norman E. Borlaug International
Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa. This year the World Food Prize is scheduled for October
17-19, 2012. The USDA Borlaug Fellowship Program organizes a side-event each year
which includes activities for Borlaug Fellows that provide important networking
opportunities for Fellows and international agricultural researchers, policy makers and the
non-profit sector. The following link provides more information about the World Food
Prize Borlaug Dialogue: http://www.worldfoodprize.org/index.cfm?nodeID=32780.
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USDA Request for Expressions of Interest- 2012 Borlaug Fellowship ProgramBulgaria
Host University Administrative Checklist
Please fill out the following checklist concerning the university’s policies on the
administrative aspects of hosting a fellowship.
Host University Policies
Will all mentors listed in the proposal be present for the majority of the
fellowship? Will mentor (s) be able to spend time meeting with fellow
individually each week?
Will the university be able to provide per diem within the first week of the
Fellow’s arrival?
Will the university be able to provide fully furnished lodging with kitchen
facilities?
Does the university withhold federal tax on the participants’ per diem and
housing (if so, please include in the budget)?
YES
NO
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USDA Request for Expressions of Interest- 2012 Borlaug Fellowship ProgramBulgaria
APPENDIX 1
FELLOW
REFERENCE
NUMBER
COUNTRY
1 Bul ga ri a
GENDER
Ma l e
PROPOSED
GENERAL
FELLOWSHIP
TOPIC AREA
LENGTH
6 weeks
Ani ma l
Hea l th
2 Bul ga ri a
Fema l e
6-8 weeks
Pl a nt
Sci ence
3 Bul ga ri a
Fema l e
7-8 weeks
Pl a nt
Sci ence
RESEARCH
FOCUS
Ani ma l
hea l th/vet
s ci ence
Pes t Ri s k
a na l ys i s ;
IPM
Whea t
Breedi ngDrought
Tol era nce
As s es s ment
Fellow # 1 (Veterinary Science)
The targeted research area would be Animal health-veterinary science. The goals would be to
gain more knowledge and practical experience in equine and farm animal surgery. Another
goal would be to improve operative skills, to identify common surgical diseases and to
understand prevention measures as well as to observe and demonstrate proper surgical
procedures.
Fellow #2 (Pest Risk Analysis/Integrated Pest Management)
Fundamentals of Risk Analysis for Plant Protection; Practical experience in Integrated
pest management and Area-wide integrated pest management; Sterile Insect and Related
techniques; Mass rearing of insects; Irradiation for phytosanitary and food safety
purposes.
Fellow #3 (Wheat Breeding-Drought Tolerance Assessment)
The goal of the proposed program is to acquaint with the methods and approaches for
drought assessment. The changing climate conditions require abilities to work with
modern equipment for estimation of different physiological, morphological, biochemical,
etc. characters and criteria. To create drought resistant wheat varieties is a goal of the
breeding program and a requirement of the farmers.
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USDA Request for Expressions of Interest- 2012 Borlaug Fellowship ProgramBulgaria
APPENDIX 2
Below find more details regarding each Fellow’s expressed interest as indicated in his/her
proposed action plan.
Fellow # 1 (Veterinary Science)
Research Proposal
As an assistant professor of veterinary surgery, one of my main responsibilities is to conduct
duties in the Farm Animal Clinic. The aims and objectives of the clinic are to provide
training to veterinary students and to give owners quality and affordable services. Its mission
is to gradually grow into clinical and research center with a wide range of activities and to
contribute to the relationship between the university and public sector as a whole.
Cattle lameness, as every farmer knows, is a major cost to the dairy herd and this “cost” has
several components: the economic losses resulting from reduced production; the labor costs
associated with the treatment and husbandry of chronically lame animals; the welfare costs
of suffering to the individual affected cow. Lameness is undoubtedly major welfare problem
and it is also the condition which accounts for the third largest loss of income in the dairy
herd, dwarfed only by mastitis and infertility. This increases overall culling rates and hence
replacement costs. In those cows which can be treated, there is often a dramatic weight loss,
milk yield falls and, in protracted cases in early lactation, fertility is affected. Other costs of
lameness also include increased calving interval, losses at slaughter and if antibiotics are
administered milk may have to be discarded.
The main reason that routine claw trimming is important is that it relieves pain caused by an
overgrown claw. Improving the wellbeing of the cow has a direct positive effect on milk
production and on reproductive efficiency.
Veterinary practice figures indicate an average annual incidence of 4–6% lameness in dairy
cows. If treatment carried out by the farmer is included, however, the true incidence
increases to 25–30%. The incidence may range from 3–100% on individual farms. Any farm
with an incidence over 15% should be considered to have a lameness problem which
requires systematic investigation. In the intensive agricultural enterprises common in western
Europe and North America 95% of lame cattle are dairy breeds and 80% of cases involve
the digits.
There are approximately five million lame cows in Europe and due to aforementioned costs
and losses European Union have launched a frame program called “Lame Cow”. Its
objectives are to eliminate factors that caused lameness such as stress and poor housing, to
provide appropriate claw trimming and give the farmers better understanding of proper
nutrition and hygiene by recording data about claw condition, lesions, disease and treatments
administered. However, economic losses to the farmers are significant and great efforts to
reduce the incidence of cattle lameness are made.
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USDA Request for Expressions of Interest- 2012 Borlaug Fellowship ProgramBulgaria
One of mobile clinic exercises was successfully developed with my participation where we
teach students how to recognize, treat and prevent most common claw diseases and we
demonstrate them the main principles of hoof trimming. In my opinion still a lot of
improvement needs to be done and up-to-date clinical training will help me to implement
new methods into the practice. I intend to start foot bathing program which is one of the
most effective ways of controlling many hoof diseases and disorders and get my colleagues
involved in this scientific field. This will allow us to visit as many dairy farms as possible and
educate and show the farmers how to manage claw disorders. I truly believe that shearing my
experience will help to increase bovine production and contribute to the cattle health status
in Bulgaria.
Diagnostic imaging, such as radiographs and ultrasound, is an invaluable and underused tool
for the food animal practitioner. Other infrequently used modalities include nuclear
medicine, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Because of
the variety of available imaging modalities, the proper imaging study must be selected to
maximize the chance of detecting lesions while minimizing time and cost to the client.
Minimally invasive techniques continue to evolve and replace previous open techniques as
more surgeons become comfortable with them and as more thought is devoted to their
development. In addition to smaller surgical incisions, minimally invasive surgical techniques
are characterized by vastly improved visualization. My own interest and enthusiasm for this
field is based on improved surgical outcomes and better overall understanding of regional
anatomy.
Therefore, careful assessment of risk factors and better understanding of pathogenesis,
gastrointestinal dysfunction, endotoxemia and shock will help in decision making to perform
surgery or not. Investigation of factors affecting long-term survivals as well as evaluation of
peritoneal fluid and biochemical analyses of venous blood components as predictor markers
of bovine surgical cases are obvious need for accurate prognosis.
Training and research in the areas pointed out in my research action plan as well as ability to
cooperate and integrate knowledge in university center will be useful for farmers to solve the
current problems. Cattle lameness, digestive tract physiology, milk quality and dairy food
safety are all interrelated. Acceptance and application of adequate measures will increase milk
yield, improve the quality of milk and dairy products. In conclusion, rapid diagnosis and
appropriate treatment of affected cattle to prevent incidence of important surgical
conditions, including wound management, abomasal displacement and cattle laminitis will
enhance the profitability of the dairy farms and cattle industry in my country.
Research Action Plan
1st-2nd week
Introduction to the staff members and familiarization with the rules in the clinics.
Become comfortable with working up cases and establish good collaborative relationships.
Become familiar with the operation of the clinic and participate in daily laboratory work.
Attending lectures, seminars and practical exercises on different topics.
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USDA Request for Expressions of Interest- 2012 Borlaug Fellowship ProgramBulgaria
Evaluation, diagnosis, management and prevention of cattle lameness.
3rd-4th week
To understand predisposing factors, aetiology, laboratory, radiological and pathological
findings of laminitis in cattle.
Assessment of indications, contraindications, techniques and post-operative complications in
managing of claw diseases.
To obtain awareness of the impact of the anesthesia and analgesia on the surgical outcome
and to perform Intravenous Regional Analgesia (IVRA), regional antibiotic perfusion and
nerve blocks in large animals.
Training in methods of diagnostic imaging in large animals such as radiography, ultrasound,
scintigraphy, endoscopy, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
and minimally invasive techniques in farm animals such as laparoscopy and arthroscopy.
5th-6th week
Participation in common bovine surgical conditions of integumentary (wound management,
skin grafts) and digestive systems (surgery of the ruminant forestomach compartments and
abomasum).
Observing and assisting most widely used surgical techniques for treatment of bovine hoof
disorders such as digital amputation, arthrodesis and tendon resection.
Investigation of the possible role of Allisonella histaminiformans gen. nov., sp. nov,
histamine, lactic acid, TXA2, PGI2 and PGE2, arachidonic acid metabolites in portal,
hepatic and arterial blood of cattle with acute ruminal acidosis and bovine laminitis.
Training in collection of rumen fluid samples and appropriate use of claw trimming, foot
baths, restraint, bandaging, lifts, and shoes.
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USDA Request for Expressions of Interest- 2012 Borlaug Fellowship ProgramBulgaria
Fellow #2 (Pest Risk Analysis/Integrated Pest Management)
Research Proposal
My interests are in pest risk analysis, integrated pest management, sterile insect and related
techniques and irradiation for phytosanitary and food safety purposes.
My whole work experience is directly linked to these areas. I have some experience, but I
feel that I need more practice. I have scientific background in radiobiology of insect pests
and affiliation to more environmental friendly methods for pest control. USA are really
advanced in Sterile insect and related techniques, and especially in Area-wide integrated pest
management. The programs already established are successful and very well organized. I
would like to have a closer look to these activities and get practical experience in their
application. This way I could plan and propose similar programs for Bulgarian agriculture.
The EU plant health legislation and the project of the new Bu lgarian plant health law make
provision of the Good Agricultural Practices and Integrated Pest Management as the only
legal methods for pest control in very near future. For this purpose more specialists,
experienced in IPM will be needed. The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency is responsible for the
development of pest control programs. Moreover the Risk Assessment Centre is responsible
for programs harmonization before approval and our experience in this field will be of key
importance. A possible visit to a mass-rearing facility rearing fruit flies would be of great
interest.
My work at the Risk Assessment Centre is mainly connected to pest risk assessment and pest
risk analysis (PRA). The implementation of the World Trade Organization Agreement on
the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures in 1995 established the central role
of pest risk analysis as the primary basis for phytosanitary decision - making. The US and all
WTO member countries invest considerable resources and effort in establishing appropriate
PRA systems, including the training of scientific staff and the development of
methodologies.
The Bulgarian experience in PRAs dates back to 2006 and we need more specialists in this
area. My previous employment in the Plant Protection Institute, Kostinbrod was really good
for making me more familiar to this field, but my experience in this area is not much and I
need more knowledge and practice. For that purpose I have chosen a workshop on the
Fundamentals of Risk Analysis for Plant Protection and the Risk Analysis Mentoring
Program. This program is a more in-depth one-on-one mentoring type of activity in the
preparation of PRAs.
I could work on a PRA that is of interest to Bulgaria, making use of all resources - scientific
information as well as the help of experienced analysts. During these workshop and program
I could understand the role and rationale for conducting Pest Risk Analysis; understand the
role of science in forming policy and aiding in regulatory decision - making; understand the
legal and regulatory framework that supports and guides the application of PRA, both at the
national and international levels; possess the necessary training to be able to
accurately prepare, direct and evaluate a pest, commodity or pathway risk analysis and also
be in a "network" to get to know other specialists and instructors, working in this field.
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USDA Request for Expressions of Interest- 2012 Borlaug Fellowship ProgramBulgaria
Research Action Plan
Fellowship Program should focus on the fundamentals of pest risk analysis including a
specific case study of relevance to Bulgaria. Possible integration into on-going pest risk
assessment would be highly desirable: duration 4-5 weeks
Training and practical experience in Integrated pest management and area-wide integrated
pest management; Sterile Insect and Related techniques; Mass rearing of insects; Irradiation
for phytosanitary and food safety purposes: duration 2-3 weeks.
Whole program duration: 6-8 weeks or as recommended.
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USDA Request for Expressions of Interest- 2012 Borlaug Fellowship ProgramBulgaria
Fellow #3 (Wheat Breeding- Drought Tolerance Assessment)
Research Proposal
Dobrudzha Agricultural Institute (DAI), General Toshevo is situated in a region that is
historical connected with the production of wheat varieties with high yield and high quality.
This region is in the North-Eastern part of the country, called Dobrudzha, and is known as
"the granary" of Bulgaria. The conditions there are suitable for the wheat varieties to
perform their yield potential at a maximum level. For the last 50 years (1961-201 O) there is
a tendency for changing climatic conditions in the country and in the North-Eastern
Bulgaria in particular.
According to a study of the Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Bulgarian Science
Academy, there is a tendency in increasing the average temperatures with about 0.3'( for
every 10 years. This means that till the middle of the century the rise of the average
temperature in North-Eastern Bulgaria will be with 1.5-2.5ºC. The extreme temperature
deviations will reach 3-5º( from the current. It is expected the absolute maximum
temperature in the summer to reach 47-48ºC and the extreme minimum in the winter to
achieve -31, -33°C.
Other established tendency is reducing the amount of rainfall with about 20 mm average for
the country and in some regions with 40-60 mm. For the period March-June the amount of
rainfall is sharply decreased and the whole country can be classified as a region with
shortened vegetative period because of insufficient humidity. It seems necessary to take into
account these trends and the breeding programs should comply with them. To create a
variety is an ongoing process and the sooner we change strategies and modify the methods
and approaches for drought assessment of breeding materials, the more competitive will be
the varieties and they will satisfy farmer's requirements. In addition the technologies for
wheat growing in drought conditions and higher temperature during the formation and grain
filling period must be changed.
Drought tolerance is defined as the ability of a plant to live, grow, and reproduce
satisfactorily with limited water supply or under periodic conditions of water deficit. Crop
plants should not only have the ability to survive under drought but also the ability to
produce a harvestable yield. Drought tolerance is a quantitative trait, with complex
phenotype and genetic control. Breeding for drought tolerance is further complicated by the
fact that several types of abiotic stress can challenge crop plants simultaneously. High
temperatures. High irradiance, scarcity of water, and nutrient deficiencies are commonly
encountered under normal growing conditions but may not be amenable to management
through traditional farm practices.
Plant responses to drought are complex and different mechanisms are adopted by plants
when they encounter drought. These mechanisms can be drought escape by rapid
development which allows plants to finish their cycle before severe water stress; drought
avoidance by, for instance, increasing water uptake and reducing transpiration rate by the
reduction of stomatal conductance and leaf area; drought tolerance by maintaining tissue
turgor during water stress via osmotic adjustment which allows plants to maintain growth
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USDA Request for Expressions of Interest- 2012 Borlaug Fellowship ProgramBulgaria
under water stress, and resisting severe stress through survival mechanisms. The
maintenance of high plant water status and plant functions at low plant water potential, and
the recovery of plant function after water stress are the major physiological processes that
contribute to the maintenance of high yield under cyclic drought periods.
Some physiological criteria are used for describing wheat drought performance such as
stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, membrane thermal stability, canopy temperature
depression, and chlorophyll content. However, yield and yield components are still been
used as most effective screening criteria in wheat under heat stressed conditions.
Physiological researches showed that photosynthetic rate of flag leaf, stomatal conductance,
and ash content were the complementary selection criteria for heat stress tolerance. Canopy
temperature depression (CTD) has been used as a selection criterion in wheat breeding in
terms of heat and drought stress tolerance. Cooler canopy and high stomatal conductance at
grain filling period would be assumed as the basic morpho-physiological criteria for higher
grain yield under heat stressed conditions. Wheat cultivars with high CTD showed a trend of
higher yield under heat and drought stress.
Conducting drought experiments under controlled conditions (pot experiments) enables
precise control of many of the environmental variables. Therefore, pot experiments are more
reproducible, various treatments are easier to apply, and the results are easier to interpret.
Unfortunately, pot experiments can have several serious disadvantages that make the results
difficult to extrapolate to the field. In the field, there are additional factors such as high wind,
low humidity, high irradiance, soil-related constraints, and biotic stresses which can
confound field experiments. That's why it will be valuable for my work to see and to learn
more about field assessment of drought resistance at different stages in the breeding process
- from early generations to lines and varieties. I would like to study different methods and
approaches which I can use in my work. It will be interesting to me to see drought tolerant
varieties in the farmer fields and how farmers managed with the problem.
Research Action Plan
l-week - Arrival. Introduction to colleagues. Specifying and finalizing the program plan with
the Mentor.
2-week- Acquaintance with the research programs and breeding material. See the
laboratories; learn about the technologies for drought assessment. Literature review of the
publications of the research team, connected with the problems of drought resistance.
3-week- Introduction with the gene pool used for drought resistance breeding. Investigation
of hybrid populations, obtained by crossing parental forms possessing different level of
drought resistance. Studying different phonological and morphological characters connected
with wheat drought resistance improvement.
4-week- Study the methods and learn to work with the equipment for field drought
resistance assessment.
Measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, canopy
temperature. etc.
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USDA Request for Expressions of Interest- 2012 Borlaug Fellowship ProgramBulgaria
5-week- Acquaintance with the technologies for wheat growing used in the region. Visiting
farm fields and introduction with the advantages of these technologies in drought presence.
6-week- Assessment and selection of plants, populations, lines with good drought resistance.
7-week- Preparation of the presentation of the main topics of the program, specific activities
that have been taken, results of the fellowship.
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