Potato breeding and variety development in the eastern U.S. Is carried out through an integrated effort across seven states (florida, maine, north carolina, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, and…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Maine System $1.563 million on September 30, 2025, under the Grants for Agricultural Research, Special Research Grants program (CFDA 10.200) to conduct potato breeding and variety development research across seven Eastern U.S. states through September 29, 2027.

The award funds development of high-yielding, stress-tolerant, and disease-resistant potato varieties suited to fresh and processing markets across Florida, Maine, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The project integrates traditional and marker-assisted breeding methods to produce cultivars resistant to late blight, common scab, potato virus Y, early blight, pink rot, bacterial soft rot, and potato cyst nematode. The research employs high-throughput phenotyping tools, genomic selection methods, and data analytics to accelerate genetic gains. Work includes multi-site field evaluations, tuber quality assessments, collaboration with industry stakeholders on commercialization pathways, and development of high-quality seed stocks for distribution.

Place of performance is Orono, Maine. Five sub-recipient institutions conduct collaborative research: North Carolina State University (principal breeding work; award date January 29, 2026), The Ohio State University (agronomic performance documentation and tuber characteristic evaluation; award date February 11, 2026), Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (replicated field trials and quality measurements; award date March 20, 2026), University of Florida (Florida winter/spring production system breeding; award date March 31, 2026), and The Pennsylvania State University (Pennsylvania-based variety development and evaluation; award date April 10, 2026). All sub-awards support the same multi-state breeding objectives and contribute to the regional breeding community.

Potato breeding and variety development in the eastern U.S. Is carried out through an integrated effort across seven states (florida, maine, north carolina, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, and virginia), in collaboration with USDA-ARS potato breeding. Our five potato breeding programs and their associated researchers conduct multi-site and multidisciplinary selection and variety development research along the eastern seaboard. Breeding priorities are set based on stakeholder input. Our main goal is to develop attractive, high-yield, broadly adaptable, stress-tolerant, pest- and disease-resistant potato varieties that small and large potato producers can grow to improve marketing opportunities, farm sustainability, and profits. The specific objectives are:1- develop high-yielding potato varieties for fresh and processing markets to address specific challenges of eastern U.S. Potato production.2- enhance breeding efficiency by integrating high-throughput phenotyping tools, genomic selection methods, and data analytics to accelerate genetic gains.3- collaborate with industry stakeholders to facilitate the commercialization of new potato varieties, ensure alignment with market demands, and increase high-quality seed stocks for distribution. Our project uses traditional and marker-assisted breeding methods to develop highly productive new potato varieties that resist abiotic stresses as well as plant diseases such as late blight, common scab, potato virus Y (PVY), early blight, pink ROT, bacterial soft ROT, and potato cyst nematode. Our selection processes utilize the diverse eastern growing conditions to identify potato germplasm with broad adaptation, pest resistance, and stress tolerance. Additionally, our programs continue to adopt standardized data collection and sharing techniques to improve communication with stakeholders and among researchers.