Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this trans-disciplinary cap project…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this trans-disciplinary cap project addresses three legislatively mandated areas; research in plant breeding and genetics of disease resistance; efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases; and efforts to improve production efficiency and profitability. IT brings together researchers, extension professionals and seed certification programs from across the country to address the most important disease problem currently faced by the potato industry - vector borne tuber necrotic viruses. Potato mop top virus (pmtv) and some strains of potato virus y (PVY) elicit necrosis in tubers, rendering the crop unmarketable. For the past decade we have been working under the guidance of a national advisory board, comprised of leading seed growers, affected ware potato growers, and representatives of large potato processing companies to prioritize our research activities. In this project we will: help growers reduce PVY and pmtv incidence in seed potatoes by developing high-throughput assays to detect these viruses in tubers; develop epidemiological models that include vector and virus population levels as inputs to model when/where disease will be most serious, and where control efforts are most warranted; screen the US potato genebank for new sources of resistance as well as develop markers for recently-mapped PVY and pmtv-resistance genes to facilitate breeding of resistant cultivars; and conduct economic and social analyses to assist industry and regulatory agencies in implementing changes to farm practices, certification programs, and national and state regulations. These activities will collectively reduce the impacts of tuber necrotic viruses to manageable levels for the entire potato supply chain.