News on Potato Cyst Nematodes from the United States

USDA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) recently announced funding (USD 6.8M) for Potatoes and Pests – Actionable Science Against Nematodes (nicknamed PAPAS).

WSU plant pathologists Kiwamu Tanaka and Cynthia Gleason are exploring novel approaches to protect the potato crops against nematodes and scab - mobilizing nature itself.

In his presentation at the the 2018 Potato Expo, Dr. Chad Hutchinson discusses the benefits of using Chloropicrin in potato production. Chloropicrin increases production efficiency, profit potential for potato growers, and it also improves soil health.

Effective October 10, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) added an 87-acre field to the pale cyst nematode (PCN) infested area in Bingham County, Idaho.

A federal judge ruled that the United States government illegally quarantined some Idaho potato fields infested with potato cyst nematodes (PCN), a pest that could threaten the state’s $1.2 billion potato industry.

A project underway in Aberdeen, Idaho, aims to develop russet potatoes with resistance to pale cyst nematode, while identifying new molecular markers associated with resistance.

In a visit to the Nematode Quarantine laboratory at Cornell University last Friday, US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, announced a commitment of $400,000 from the USDA for the upgrades to the facilities and equipment.

Two recently released new Russet varieties - Castle Russet and Echo Russet - should help the potato industry in the Pacific Northwest cope with more stringent regulations on soil fumigants

The Northwest Potato Research Consortium recently approved a combined $1.5 million in grant funding to 37 research projects.

Progress is being made eradicating the microscopic potato cyst nematodes that have been threatening Idaho’s $900 million potato industry the last decade, according to the latest update by USDA-APHIS.

French Fry manufacturer McCain Foods has started trials examining soil fumigation with several of its potato growers in Maine (United States) and New Brunswick (Canada).

Cornell University receives $1.2 million of new state funding to upgrade the Federal Golden Nematode Lab

Potato breeders at Oregon State University are working to identify the gene that makes certain potatoes resistant to nematodes, which could then be used to create new varieties.

The University of Idaho is leading a $3.2 million project to combat microscopic worms (nematodes) that threaten potato production.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted federal registration of the new, non-fumigant nematicide Velum® Prime offered by Bayer CropScience's for use on potatoes.

Sources say the 2016 Southern Idaho Potato Cooperative contract will include new langcode mandating a minimum of two years of alternate crops between potatoes.

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer has urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prioritize the replacement and modernization of the Federal Nematode Quarantine Facility at Cornell University in the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Capitol Investment Strategy for Fiscal Year 2016.

A group of 18 Idaho Potato farmers that say they have been negatively affected by the Pale Cyst Nematode (PCN) program filed an administrative lawsuit against the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture on Tuesday.