Farm bill initiative. National clean plant network. Expandin the production and improving the quality control of virus tested sweet potato plants in the united states

The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center (LSU Agricultural Center) received a $142,265.75 cooperative agreement award from the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care federal grant program (CFDA 10.025).

The award will support the LSU Agricultural Center's efforts from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 to expand production and improve quality control of virus tested sweet potato plants in the United States as part of the Farm Bill Initiative's National Clean Plant Network. Specifically, the LSU Agricultural Center will work to increase the availability of high-quality, disease-free sweet potato planting material for producers through virus indexing and testing of sweet potato plants and development of pathogen-tested nuclear stock for commercial propagation. The funding and activities are intended to help protect U.S. agriculture from economically damaging plant diseases and pests, consistent with the goals of the USDA APHIS grant program.