University of Georgia experts say the nation has 75,000 acres of cultivated blueberries, with a third of that grown in southern states. Harald Scherm, a University of Georgia plant pathologist, said the region is already well on its way to become the hub of U.S. blueberry production.

Scherm will lead a team that includes horticulturalists Gerald Krewer, Dan MacLean and Anish Malladi, plant pathologist Phil Brannen, food scientist Rob Shewfelt and engineer Changying Li in exploring ways to improve the region's blueberry crop. The team will collaborate with colleagues in Florida, North Carolina, West Virginia and Mississippi.

The scientists said the grant will be used to develop a way to harvest blueberries mechanically, while not damaging or dropping a majority of the fruit. The research team will also use the grant funds to genetically improve fruit quality and to fight diseases that are just starting to plague blueberry bushes.

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