| Developing New Potatoes with Improved Quality, Disease Resistance, and Nutritional Content |
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Developing New Potatoes with Improved Quality, Disease Resistance, and Nutritional Content
Project Summary:
A primary need for agricultural research in the coming years is to help ensure food security despite challenges such as an increasing population, climate uncertainty, rising input costs, and loss of arable land. For the potato, another need is research that helps the industry adapt to evolving consumer preferences in which consumers increasingly prioritize sustainability and nutritional value when making their food purchasing decisions. Our research addresses these needs using both pre-breeding and breeding approaches to identify or develop potato germplasm with better disease and pest resistance, nutritional value, sustainability, and product quality. In addition to protecting food security, new breeding lines and cultivars will protect jobs and grower profitability by increasing yields and reducing losses due to poor quality or disease. This will benefit the public by helping to ensure available and affordable potatoes. Likewise, potatoes with increased sustainability and nutritional value will appeal to changing consumer expectations.
Research Scientists working on Potato Germplasm Improvement:
- Max Feldman
- Max Feldman is a Research Geneticist working on development of more profitable and sustainable potato varieties, with research focused on introgression of disease resistance and other beneficial alleles from wild or primitive germplasm and development of specialty potato clones.
- Roy Navarre
- Roy Navarre is a Research Geneticist and Lead Scientist of the project. The goal of his research is to enhance the nutritional value of potato in response to industry needs derived from criticism of potato by some prominent health-professionals
- Kylie Swisher Grimm
- Kylie Swisher Grimm is a Research Plant Pathologist working on identification, characterization, and diagnostics of potato pathogens including Liberibacter solanacearum, Phytoplasma trifolii, and tobacco rattle virus.
