News on Research from the Americas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the appointment of 32 members to Potatoes USA’s Board of Directors.

Givaudan, the global leader in Taste & Wellbeing, MISTA, the world’s leading food innovation platform, and Bühler, a global technology partner for the food, feed, and mobility industries, announce the opening of a state-of-the-art extrusion hub at the MISTA Innovation Center in San Francisco. 

On World Soil Day, December 5, the Soil Health Institute (SHI) released a free phone application, Slakes, to empower and engage citizens around the world to measure aggregate stability.

FPSA - formerly known as Food Processing Suppliers Association - has rebranded as the Food Production Solutions Association, emphasizing innovation and collaboration to enhance food production efficiency and safety.

World Potato Congress Inc. presents their next Webinar: The National Potato Program and its Contribution to Potato Industry Advancement in China, by Jin Liping, on Wednesday April 3, 2024 at 8:00 am Eastern Standard Time (USA/Canada).

Now, the specter of a warmer-than-average spring in 2024 is anticipated, as predicted by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) report 'Drought in the Mediterranean Region - January 2024'.

The National Potato Council (NPC) installed its 2024 roster of Executive Committee members this week at the organization’s annual Washington Summit.

Michigan State University professors Jiming Jiang and David Douches has discovered a key mechanism behind the darkening and potential health concerns associated with cold-stored potatoes. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) recently announced funding for a four-year, Potatoes USA-supported research project to develop and evaluate potential alternatives to neonicotinoids for pest management of potato crops.

The Potato Sustainability Alliance’s (PSA) Board of Directors selected new executive committee members at its winter board meeting held last month month during the 2024 Potato Expo in Austin, Texas.

A Northwestern University-led team of researchers has developed a new fuel cell that harvests energy from microbes living in dirt.

Researchers of the Pennsylvania State University identified potential threats to the local potato crop by collecting potato stems or tubers that exhibited symptoms of black leg or soft rot from 26 potato fields. They were able to isolate, culture and identify 456 samples of bacteria infecting potatoes.

Advances, including Texas french fry variety and nutrition qualities, to be discussed at National Potato Expo in Austin.

In the 1990s, a previously uncharacterized disease of viral aetiology was observed in cultivated potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) in Southern Peru.

As part of the 2024 Michigan Winter Potato Conference in East Lansing, attendees get a tour of nearby facilities. There are four options from which to choose.

Wireworms are a common potato plant predator, living in soil and feeding on roots. They are notoriously difficult to control, and populations are increasing in farm fields across Canada

Researchers at UPEI are experimenting on food scraps, wood and UV light to produce hydrogen gas.

PhD student Rob Sears engineered the potato plant, also known as a phytosensor, to indicate high radiation levels through changing leaf fluorescence.