News on Research from the United States

PepsiCo is strengthening its commitment to agricultural innovation and sustainability by announcing two pivotal job openings at its Plano headquarters. The company is seeking a Potato Storage Research & Best Practices Manager and a Senior Manager – Best Practices & Sustainability to drive forward its initiatives in crop quality and environmental stewardship.

A new Washington State University-led project will help potato growers safeguard domestic and international markets and maintain high-quality potatoes for consumers around the world.

Farm life always agreed with Brian Mahany from his early days working the fields on Sundays with his family. While he may have thought about other career choices in agriculture, he said he always came back to the farm.

In an examination of the genetic material found in historic potato leaves, North Carolina State University researchers reveal more about the tit-for-tat evolutionary changes occurring in both potato plants and the pathogen that caused the 1840s Irish potato famine.

Potatoes USA, the national marketing, research, and promotion board for the potato industry, elected Shelley R. Olsen as Chair of the Board at its annual meeting. Potatoes USA also announced its Executive Committee members to lead the organization through 2024-2025.

Farmers in the southeastern United States struggle with the invasive guava root-knot nematode, a microscopic roundworm, which infects and damages a variety of crops, particularly sweet potatoes.

Scientists have discovered that calcium plays a significant role in enhancing the resistance of potato plants to bacterial wilt. This disease causes worldwide losses of potatoes costing USD 19 billion per year.

The Food Production Solutions Association announced that it has hired Matthew R. Ott as its new President and CEO.

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.

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.