News on Potato Defects and Diseases

The PEI potato industry welcomed the final report of the International Advisory Panel (IAP) on Potato Wart that was presented to industry and government on January 16, 2023.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) scientists have discovered that selenium, a micronutrient and anti-oxidant activates genes in potatoes that boosts the plant's immunity and helps in the prevention of late blight.

USDA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) recently announced funding (USD 6.8M) for Potatoes and Pests – Actionable Science Against Nematodes (nicknamed PAPAS).

Potato industry challenges posed by PCN and blackleg were among the topics discussed at the recent Cambridge University Potato Growers’ Association (CUPGRA) annual conference.

University of Idaho researchers are introducing genes from a plant in the nightshade family into potatoes, seeking to develop spuds that resist harmful nematodes.  The plant, called ‘litchi tomato’, has natural resistance to several species of cyst and root-knot nematodes.

La presencia de nemátodo globodera pallida, cuyo incremento se está provocando por la alta presencia de lluvias, ha ocasionado reducción en la producción hasta del 70% y 90%.

Scientists at the University of Maine are evaluating if lobster shells can cultivate beneficial microbial communities that ward off soil borne potato pathogens.

Elder Isaiah Buwah is growing potatoes for forty years in the Plateau State, North Central Nigeria. Having seen the impact from late blight first hand, he truly enjoyed the harvest of the first batch of - resistant - biotech potatoes.

Tras pruebas en la Estación Experimental del IDIAP en Tierras Altas y fincas de productores colaboradores, hay resultados alentadores en el cultivo de papa.

María Gómez, es la joven universitaria intibucana de 20 años de edad; un ejemplo de su generación para los que no estudian y abandonan el campo.

Renaissance BioScience Corp., a leader in bioengineering for the global agriculture and food industries, has retained the services of S. Brad Griffith to assist Renaissance in commercializing its RNA production

The Zimbabwe Potato Micro-propagation Association (ZPMA) has spearheaded the resuscitation of seed potato production since this stalled around 2008. The current mandate is to substitute imported seed potato.

In the Netherlands, 31 parties in the table potato chain sign a covenant in which they commit to switch completely to organic robust potato varieties, including 7 supermarkets.

The minister of agriculture of Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada has tabled legislation that would give the provincial government a lead role in trying to prevent the spread of potato wart in the province.

Productores de papa de Huánuco, Ambo y Pachitea fueron capacitados en el manejo integrado de plagas, enfermedades en el cultivo de papa y manejo de suelos.

The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance has led researchers to search for new compounds everywhere. This week in mBio, a multinational team of researchers in Europe report the discovery of a new antifungal antibiotic named solanimycin.

New potato varieties bred by the Texas A&M Potato Breeding Program could enter the french fry market before long, said Isabel Vales, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife potato breeder in the Department of Horticultural Sciences

As potato growers are working to maximize their yield potential for the 2022 harvest, it's also time to start thinking about maximizing crop potential for the 2023 season.