Cooperative Extension awarded $553,486 to develop hardy potato varieties

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Potato Integrated Pest Management program $553,486 to conduct research on potato breeding in Maine. 

The award will be used to develop new varieties of stress-tolerant, disease- and insect-resistant potatoes that display hardy qualities and are visually aesthetic to enhance marketing opportunities, farm sustainability, and profits for large and small farms. 

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced the award in a joint statement Feb. 12.