• Legume pests

• Legumes as feed

• Drought tolerance of legumes

• Legume tissue culture

• Legume molecular biology

• Salt tolerance of host and microsymbiont

• Rhizobial strain improvement

• Rhizobial competitiveness

• Rhizobial molecular biology

• Genetic engineering of rhizobia

• DNA identification of rhizobia

• DNA identification of Frankia spp.

• DNA identification of Azolla spp.

• Associative nitrogen fixation

• Interaction with mycorrhizal fungi

• Microbial antagonisms

The review procedures of the panel consisted of site visits and mail inquiries.

At its first meeting, the panel was presented with reports from each of 68 grantees. On the basis of these reports and their collective knowledge, the panel decided that a team of three scientists, including at least one panel member, should make site visits to designated grantees and their institutions. The sites chosen were in Thailand, the Philippines, Central America, and Africa. Because of lack of funds the site visit to Central America was cancelled. At an international meeting on BNF held in Mexico, some panel members had the opportunity to interview grant holders from that area. A Science and Government Fellow from AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) assigned to AID was co-opted for a site visit in Kenya.

At its first meeting, the panel decided to construct and mail each of the grantees a series of questions concerning their AID-funded research. These same questions were sent to co-investigators. By the time of the second panel meeting, about 50 percent had responded.