Potato researchers have received a $5.8 million grant to fund a new USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative project. The four-year project aims to develop sustainable system-based management strategies for two vector-borne tuber necrotic viruses in potato.
Alex Karasev with the University of Idaho is taking the lead on the project, which has four objectives. In the short term, the researchers want to train seed potato certification agencies on high throughput detection of potato viruses and to partner with the agencies to develop quality control methods for laboratory assays. Next, the project aims to improve virus-vector management through the development of epidemiological models and through research-based recommendations for potato production.
The long-term objective is to develop molecular marker diagnostics for resistance genes against Potato virus Y (PVY) and potato mop top virus and to clone at least one PVY resistance gene. Lastly, the project should identify economic or incentive barriers to effective management and to use this information to aid in industry adoption of improved management strategies.
