Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Potato, Pulse and Small Grains Quality Research » Research » Research Project #448942

Research Project: Using Image Analysis to Quantify Potato Storage Defects

Location: Potato, Pulse and Small Grains Quality Research

Project Number: 3060-21430-009-033-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 5, 2025
End Date: Aug 31, 2026

Objective:
The objective of this work is to reduce subjective variability in potato storage disease measurements by utilizing a photographic and machine learning algorithms. These algorithms will be applied to quantifying storage defects and will provide breeders, growers, and industry with easily comparable precise quantitative measures of differences in potato clone storage quality.

Approach:
Following mechanical bruising, potato tubers will be inoculated with Globisporangium ultimum, the causal organism of Pythium leak. Potato tubers will be photographed at varying stages of symptom development. These photographs will be used for building a machine learning protocol by which Pythium leak can be objectively quantified.