A multi-state research effort led by Texas A&M AgriLife Research to control the potato psyllid and reduce losses from zebra chip disease of potato will be recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
The federal program being honored is sponsored by the USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative and led by Dr. Charlie Rush, Regent’s Fellow and plant pathologist with AgriLife Research in Amarillo. It includes more than 30 multidisciplinary scientists, representing seven universities and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service from seven states.
The NIFA Partnership Award for Mission Integration of Research, Education and Extension was presented at a ceremony Oct. 23 at the Waterfront Centre in Washington.
Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, said in his notification letter, “NIFA recognizes that there are many outstanding contributions that our partners in the land-grant universities and other cooperating institutions and organizations achieve, and NIFA wants to recognize them through this awards program.”
Dr. Charlie Rush, Regent’s Fellow and plant pathologist with Texas A&M AgriLife Research in Amarillo, coordinates the meeting of scientists from more than 30 different programs at seven universities and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service from seven states. (Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Kay Ledbetter)
Zebra chip is a disease of potatoes caused by a bacterium and carried by the potato psyllid. The disease was named for the characteristic striping and discoloration in potato chips produced from infected tubers.
While not harmful to people, zebra chip affects the quality of potatoes and marketability because of dark stripes that appear when infected potatoes are fried to make chips and fries, Rush said.
Dr. Bill McCutchen, executive associate director for AgriLife Research in College Station, said this team lead by Rush has made great strides in slowing the impact of this devastating disease that was first identified in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
“Having dedicated faculty and facilities in the Valley and throughout Texas led to best management practices; otherwise, we might not be growing too many potatoes in Texas,” McCutchen said.
The disease affects all market classes of potato by reducing both yield and quality, and was first identified in the U.S. in Texas in 2000. By 2007, it threatened the very survival of the Texas potato industry.
By 2008, it had been detected in California, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. It had also been identified in several countries in Central America, Mexico and New Zealand. And three years ago, it was found in the Pacific Northwest potato-growing regions where more than 60 percent of all U.S. potatoes are grown.
In 2009, when this disease grew to national and international importance, Rush, Miller, Gudmestad and Trumble formed a team to provide leadership and guidance for a much larger group of scientists. They spearheaded an effort to write the successful USDA Specialty Crops Research Initiative Grant for $6.9 million that allowed a comprehensive research approach to the zebra chip problem.
Lead principal investigators honored for their work include: Dr. Creighton Miller, AgriLife Research potato breeder in College Station; Dr. Joe Munyaneza, research entomologist with USDA-ARS in Wapato, Wash.; Dr. Rich Novy, research geneticist and plant breeder at the USDA-ARS Potato Germplasm Research Unit in Aberdeen, Idaho; Dr. Don Henne, former AgriLife Research assistant professor in Weslaco; Dr. Fekede Workneh, AgriLife Research senior research scientist in Amarillo; Dr. Blake Bextine, professor at the University of Texas-Tyler; and Dr. Arash Rashed, assistant professor at the University of Idaho.
Joining the leadership team were advisory board members: Dr. Gerhard Bester, advisory board chair and Frito-Lay agricultural research and development director in Wisconsin; Dr. Andrew Jensen, regional research director for the Idaho, Oregon and Washington Potato Commissions; Jack Wallace, owner/operator of J.W. Farms Ltd. in Edinburg; Milt Carter, CEO of CSS Farms in Watertown, South Dakota; Bruce Barrett, owner/operator of Barrett Farms near Springlake; Dr. John Wallace, research and development director of CSS Farms in Colorado City, Colorado; and John Nordgaard, executive vice president of Black Gold Farms in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
