Texas a & M university, colorado state university, and the university of california have been collaborating(SW potato research program) since 1997 to develop potato cultivars that perform well in…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Texas A&M Agrilife Research $1,438,317 on September 30, 2025, under the Grants for Agricultural Research, Special Research Grants program (CFDA 10.200) to develop disease-resistant potato cultivars and conduct agronomic evaluations tailored to southwestern U.S. production conditions.

The Southwest Potato Research Program, active since 1997, addresses viral diseases, heat stress, water and fertilizer efficiency, and postharvest quality challenges in southwestern potato production. The award funds five core activities: developing disease-resistant cultivars through modern molecular breeding; conducting multi-state agronomic and quality trials; evaluating heat tolerance and efficient water and fertilizer use; screening new potato selections at the molecular level and for visual traits; and promoting and marketing new cultivars. The program has released fifty potato cultivars, eight of which ranked in the top fifty in 2024 and accounted for 14 percent of seed acres. Work targets USDA-NIFA priorities in sustainability, climate resilience, and food security, with benefits intended for southwestern, national, and international growers, industry, retailers, and consumers.

The period of performance runs from September 30, 2025, through September 29, 2027, with place of performance at College Station, Texas. Colorado State University (Sponsored Programs division) and the University of California Office of the President (Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources) serve as sub-recipients on the award, each focused on potato breeding and cultivar development in the Southwest. Colorado State's sub-award was dated January 23, 2026, and UC's sub-award was dated January 14, 2026.

Texas a & M university, colorado state university, and the university of california have been collaborating(SW potato research program) since 1997 to develop potato cultivars that perform well in the southwest region of the USA. The SW program released fifty potato cultivars (eight of which ranked in the top 50 in 2024, accounting for 14% of the seed acres) and CO-developed with other regional programs. Currently, viral diseases, environmental, and agronomic considerations, such as heat stress, water, and fertilizationduring the growing season, as well as postharvest traits, such as tuber dormancy, processing quality aftercold storage, and the need to enhance nutritional and health attributes, pose challenges to potato production in the southwestern united states. The SW program will address those needs by I) developing disease-resistantpotato cultivars; II) conducting multi-state trials for agonomic and quality parameters; III) evaluating heat tolerance, and efficient use of water and fertilizers; IV) screening a high number of new potato selections at the molecular level and also for visual traits; V) promotingand marketing new cultivars. We will combinemodern molecular breeding methodologies with agronomic and quality evaluations of materials across severalus states to develop new cultivars that will benefit SW (also national and international) growers, industry, retailers, and consumers and target the priorities set by the USDA-nifa program (sustainability, climate resilience, and food security)