News on Potato Defects and Diseases from the United States

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists are working on a new research project to fight plant diseases transmitted by psyllid insects — particularly the zebra chip disease, which has impacted potato production for decades.

A new Washington State University-led project will help potato growers safeguard domestic and international markets and maintain high-quality potatoes for consumers around the world.

In an examination of the genetic material found in historic potato leaves, North Carolina State University researchers reveal more about the tit-for-tat evolutionary changes occurring in both potato plants and the pathogen that caused the 1840s Irish potato famine.

Scientists have discovered that calcium plays a significant role in enhancing the resistance of potato plants to bacterial wilt. This disease causes worldwide losses of potatoes costing USD 19 billion per year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) recently announced funding for a four-year, Potatoes USA-supported research project to develop and evaluate potential alternatives to neonicotinoids for pest management of potato crops.

Researchers of the Pennsylvania State University identified potential threats to the local potato crop by collecting potato stems or tubers that exhibited symptoms of black leg or soft rot from 26 potato fields. They were able to isolate, culture and identify 456 samples of bacteria infecting potatoes.

PhD student Rob Sears engineered the potato plant, also known as a phytosensor, to indicate high radiation levels through changing leaf fluorescence.

A research team has received a USD 6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to study insect pest management strategies for United States potato production systems.

The infamous spike protein doesn’t just help spread viruses – it can also be weaponized to stop them.

Two years ago, the Potato Research Advisory Committee (PRAC) identified and wrote letters of support for a project known as 'The Potato Virus Initiative: Developing Solutions'.

The device has the potential to transform the way that farmers detect and manage plant diseases, leading to more efficient and sustainable agriculture practices.

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

University of Idaho researchers are introducing genes from a plant in the nightshade family into potatoes, seeking to develop spuds that resist harmful nematodes.  The plant, called ‘litchi tomato’, has natural resistance to several species of cyst and root-knot nematodes.

Scientists at the University of Maine are evaluating if lobster shells can cultivate beneficial microbial communities that ward off soil borne potato pathogens.

The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance has led researchers to search for new compounds everywhere. This week in mBio, a multinational team of researchers in Europe report the discovery of a new antifungal antibiotic named solanimycin.

New potato varieties bred by the Texas A&M Potato Breeding Program could enter the french fry market before long, said Isabel Vales, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife potato breeder in the Department of Horticultural Sciences

As potato growers are working to maximize their yield potential for the 2022 harvest, it's also time to start thinking about maximizing crop potential for the 2023 season.

The Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF) awards its 2022-23 Academic Scholarship to Paige Hickman, a Ph.D. student at University of Idaho, studying plant-parasitic nematodes, insect pests, and diseases of potato.