Project Number: 5366-21000-026-14
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 10, 2012
End Date: Aug 31, 2014

Objective:
Screen potato germplasm for Potato Mop-Top Virus (PMTV) resistance in a North Dakota field with a natural infestation of PMTV within the powdery scab fungus (vector of PMTV). Breeding clones identified as resistant will be used for developing genetic resistance to PMTV in potato cultivars.

Approach:
Five families representing 610 unique breeding clones from the Aberdeen potato breeding program will be screened for resistance to PMTV in a North Dakota field identified as having the necessary infestation for successful evaluation of clonal response to PMTV infection. The five families are derived from European potato cultivars identified as having resistance to PMTV. Clones that demonstrate an adequate level of resistance or tolerance to PMTV will be further investigated in larger, replicated field trials. Susceptibility to tuber necrosis caused by PMTV will be determined by the frequency of tubers expressing symptoms as confirmed by RT-PCR and the severity of internal tuber necrosis observed using a commonly used 0-4 scale.