News on Potato Defects and Diseases from the United States

Cornell University receives $1.2 million of new state funding to upgrade the Federal Golden Nematode Lab

Justin Clements, a fifth year doctoral student in the Molecular and Environmental Toxicology Center working in the Department of Entomology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the recipient of the 2016-2017 NPC Academic Scholarship.

Potato psyllids have been reported in specific fields in western and central North Dakota. At this point populations are not widespread.

Participants at the 25th annual Texas Potato Breeding and Variety Development Program field day learned that the harvest is underway, that psyllids are threatening unharvested fields and that new varieties are showing lots of promise.

The heart of "Potato Country" in northeast North Dakota was devastated by baseball size hail that lasted up to 35 minutes last Tuesday night.

Dickeya blackleg, often just called Dickeya, is a new disease in the United States. It was severe in 2015 at least partly reflecting hotter weather than previous 2 years when the pathogen likely was present and is developing again in 2016.

Several newly evolved strains of the disease known as potato virus Y, or PVY, can render potatoes unmarketable and reduce crop yield. What’s worse is the new viruses are particularly difficult to detect with the naked eye.

According to the University of Minnesota Extension 'Spudbug' Newsletter, it is shaping up to be a Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB) year in the Red River Valley.

Potato breeders at Oregon State University are working to identify the gene that makes certain potatoes resistant to nematodes, which could then be used to create new varieties.

Maine potato farmers have wrapped up planting and are hoping for a good year.

Late blight is a potentially destructive disease of potato and tomato crops worldwide that can result in significant losses if detected too late, diagnosed incorrectly, or if not treated properly.

The University of Idaho is leading a $3.2 million project to combat microscopic worms (nematodes) that threaten potato production.

Potato plants boost the chemical defenses in their leaves when Guatemalan tuber moth larvae feed on their tubers, report researchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI).

Entomologist Ada Szczepaniec at Texas A&M AgriLife Research is addressing the concern of growing resistance of potato psyllids to the neonicotinoid classification of insecticides.

Potato growers in Maine are cautiously watching the actions of the EPA as it reviews federal regulations for a popular insecticide (Imidacloprid - an effective insecticide against the Colorado potato beetle) that can be harmful to bees.

The Two Blades Foundation (2Blades) announced a research partnership between 2Blades, The Sainsbury Laboratory, and J. R. Simplot Company to develop potato varieties with increased resistance to oomycete and bacterial diseases.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted federal registration of the new, non-fumigant nematicide Velum® Prime offered by Bayer CropScience's for use on potatoes.

A little-understood bacteria is bringing back the older potato disease Blackleg and is threatening the reputation of Maine seed potatoes