UMaine awarded $388,000 for potato breeding program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently awarded the University of Maine $388,000 to lead a potato breeding project for the eastern United States.
The grant is one of several announced in support of research to increase the productivity, profitability and natural resources stewardship of canola, potato, and alfalfa production systems.
The grants are funded through three NIFA programs: Alfalfa and Forage Research, Supplemental and Alternative Crops, and Potato Breeding Research.
Under the Potato Breeding Research Program, UMaine will lead a project focused on developing attractive, productive, and disease- and insect-resistant potato varieties that can be grown by small and large potato producers, according to an NIFA news release.
Greg Porter, a professor of agronomy at UMaine, is principal investigator on the project titled “Potato breeding and variety development for improved quality and pest resistance in the eastern United States.” Project details are on the NIFA website.
The full USDA/NIFA release is online.