The USDA's National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA) recently awarded four potato research grants totaling $2.6 million as part of its Special Research Grants program. The Potato Breeding Research awards support potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) research that focuses on the development and testing of superior commercial potato varieties using classical breeding and advanced molecular and biotechnological approaches. This research will help improve potato quality and increase resistance to pests and diseases, leading to commercial variety development and transfer of superior materials to growers.
The programs awarded the NIFA grants are at the University of Maine, Michigan State University, Texas A&M University and Washington State University.