25 November 2021
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Four receive potato research grants
US government body, The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), has awarded four potato research grants as part of its Special Research Grants program.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) invests in potato breeding research that focuses on the development and testing of superior commercial potato varieties, using classical breeding and advanced molecular and biotechnological approaches.
The four breeding programs are: University of Maine’s Potato Breeding to Improve Marketability and Resilience to Environmental Stress, Pests, and Diseases (awarded $510,104); Michigan State University’s Development of Multipurpose Potato Cultivars with Enhanced Quality, Disease and Pest Resistance – North Central Region 2021-23 (awarded $796,725); Texas A&M University’s Potato Breeding and Cultivar Development in the Southwest (awarded $415,359); and Washington State University’s Potato Variety Development in the Northwest (awarded $943,332).
USDA-NIFA said the research will help improve potato quality and increase resistance to pests and diseases, leading to commercial variety development and transfer of superior materials to growers.
Source: Potato World (Netherlands)
