The overriding objective of each national clean plant network sweet potato center is production of healthy, commercially important a ccessions and newly developed breeding materials for the benefit of…

Mississippi State University received a $164,998 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025), effective September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026. The MSU-Pontotoc Branch Center will serve as part of the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) Sweet Potato Center, delivering healthy, disease-free sweet potato plant materials to commercial and certified growers. Primary deliverables include maintaining existing clean plant nuclear stocks with periodic retesting, performing pathogen-elimination therapy and testing on advanced breeding lines and cultivars, developing protocols for virus elimination and propagation to maintain genetic integrity, and implementing methods for rapid elimination of targeted pathogens.

The center will produce and distribute approximately 50,000 slips to commercial and certified growers for propagation in privately owned greenhouses, with additional capacity to provide vine cuttings based on industry demand. These products directly support the NCPN's overriding objective of producing healthy, commercially important sweet potato accessions and breeding materials for industry benefit. The initiative ultimately aims to enhance sustainable sweet potato production practices, resulting in increased yields, reduced inputs, improved efficiency, greater economic returns, and resource conservation for the sweet potato industry.

The overriding objective of each national clean plant network sweet potato center is production of healthy, commercially important a ccessions and newly developed breeding materials for the benefit of industry members. Specifically, the MSU-pontotoc branch center goals and objectives are directed at the following priorities: 1- maintain existing clean plant material at involved ncpn centers (i.e., nuclear stocks) including periodic retesting, 2- perform pathogen-elimination therapy and testing on all new advanced breeding l ines and cultivars and existing selections as demand dictates, 3- conduct and develop protocols for virus elimination, propagation and maintenance of nuclear stocks that maintains trueness to type, 4- conduct and develop most appropriate methods for effective and rapid elimination of ncpn-targeted pathogens. The mississippi center will sell an estimated 50,000 slips to commercial and certified growers to be grown and propagated in privately owned greenhouses for slip production. In addition, MS will have the capacity to provide additional vine cuttings based on industry demand. The ultimate goal is greater capacity of sustainable practices of sweet potato production resulting in increased yield, reduced inputs, increased efficiency, increased economic return, and/or conservation of resources for the sweet potato industry.