Launching new research in support of Washington potato growers, Washington State University is partnering with industry leaders to study healthier, more sustainable, and productive soils.

A WSU study has estimated the 2020 economic losses from potato production and processing in Washington. The demand shocks of COVID-19 resulted in a hit of roughly $1 billion dollars in gross state product.

Its harvest time for many in the potato industry, and those not quite to that point, harvest will be here before you know it. Washington State University’s Tim Waters said growers need to continue to watch for pests.

WSU plant pathologists Kiwamu Tanaka and Cynthia Gleason are exploring novel approaches to protect the potato crops against nematodes and scab - mobilizing nature itself.

Mark Pavek, professor and potato specialist at Washington State University, at one of the research potato fields in Othello.

Nearly one-third of the world’s farms have adopted more environmentally friendly practices, while continuing to be productive (sustainable intensification), according to a global assessment by 17 scientists in five countries.

A project underway in Aberdeen, Idaho, aims to develop russet potatoes with resistance to pale cyst nematode, while identifying new molecular markers associated with resistance.

The Northwest Potato Research Consortium recently approved a combined $1.5 million in grant funding to 37 research projects.

The Plant Management Network (PMN) has released a new presentation entitled 'Epidemiology and Management of Potato White Mold' to help growers, consultants and extension agents understand how white mold persists and spreads