WERA_OLD89: Potato Virus Disease Control
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Inactive/Terminating
WERA_OLD89: Potato Virus Disease Control
Duration: 10/01/2006 to 09/30/2011
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Statement of Issues and Justification
Virus diseases in potatoes create a costly situation requiring limited generation seed programs and incorporating the use of multiple pesticides to minimize the loss of yield and quality in commercial crops. Some of the more prevalent viruses of potatoes include alfalfa mosaic virus, Potato leaf roll virus, Potato virus M, Potato virus S, Potato Virus X and Potato virus Y (PVY). Many of these viruses have been causing crop yield losses for decades and in the west, the dominant cultivar, Russet Burbank, is very susceptible to a wide range of virus diseases. Release of new varieties highly susceptible to PVY has dramatically increased issues with this virus throughout the western potato growing regions. Substantial yield losses and rejections for certification of seed lots have resulted in tremendous dollar losses to growers. PVY is of particular concern because insecticides have shown little effectiveness for control and other management options such as rouging do not work for managing this virus. Additionally, multiple strains of the virus now occur through out the western growing region creating difficulties in identification and further exasperating the efforts to reduce the impact of PVY.
There are also the public and environmental concerns surrounding the use of pesticides on potatoes. Potato growers are facing the potential loss of key pesticides because of cancellation of registration while facing the difficulties of developing new information for re-registration or development of new pesticides which is becoming more difficult each year. Additionally, pest resistance to current pesticides is always of concern. Certainly, the loss of pesticides or loss of effectiveness will increase yield and quality losses if alternative solutions are not developed.
Objectives
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Provide a regional forum for the exchange of ideas and the means and opportunity for cooperation and collaboration among those involved in potato virus disease research for the long term goal of improving plant health and crop sustainability.
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To assist participants in the identification, transfer and utilization of knowledge, methods and resources, and disseminate information to concerned parties for implementation of potato virus disease control strategies.
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To act in an advisory capacity with regional and national organizations for the purpose of evaluating concerns, recommending policies and reviewing quarantine and seed certification issues and other pertinent matters as they relate to potato viruses and their control.
Procedures and Activities
WERA-089 will hold annual meetings to update participants on current research, identify new, spreading or ongoing concerns with potato virus disease problems, identify potential sources of support for research needs, prioritize research needs, establish cooperative approaches to research needs, and assign committees to address specific virus related issues as needed.
Formal and informal participation is encouraged from all participants as a means of updating information and providing new information on potato virus problems. Recent and upcoming publications are also identified.
Expected Outcomes and Impacts
- Identification of priority research issues and development of cooperative strategies to obtain funding, conduct the research and publish results.
- Identification of new viruses or new strains of viruses affecting potatoes and dissemination of information concerning such viruses to members of WERA-089, cooperators in USDA-ARS and APHIS, and the potato industry.
- Maintaining strong relationships with state certification programs and encouraging the standardization of testing methods for potato viruses and mycoplasma-like organisms (MLO's).
- Cooperation with WERA-027 to identify reactions of new clonal selections to specific virus diseases affecting the potato crop in the west.
- Exchanging ideas and information through the use of annual meetings and brief publications specifically directed at interested clientele.
- Acting as a resource group which would provide advice and recommendations to impact policy relating to: a) germplasm movement, b) development of new transgenic potato varieties, c) deployment of transgenic resistance, d) seed certification issues dealing with potato virus diseases and e) other pertinent potato virus "MLO" related issues.
Projected Participation
View Appendix E: ParticipationEducational Plan
An annual report, including identified research priorities for region as well as for other potato growing areas of the country, plus individual summaries from each participant at the annual meeting will be generated. Minutes of the meeting plus the annual report/summaries will be sent to each committee member. In addition, the annual report will be sent to appropriate Deans and Agricultural Experiment Station Directors, key legislators, and identified clientele, such as potato grower groups within the region. A one page review of committee activities and its role will be submitted to major western potato industry magazines such as Potato Grower and Potato Progress for grower information. Information about the annual meeting of the group will be published in the newsletters of professional societies such as the American Phytopathological Society (for example, http://apsnet.org/members/phyto/2005/07/050701.pdf; page 105 of the newsletter). Finally, e-mail addresses will be obtained from all committee participants to facilitate regional information transfer.
An important component of the ongoing educational activity of the group is the training of graduate students. Some of the WERA members supervised and presently supervise graduate student research on various aspects of potato virus disease control.
Organization/Governance
Participation in WERA-089 will be encouraged from all segments of the potato industry including growers, fieldmen, processors, extension personnel, research scientist, regulatory personnel, or anyone with an interest in potato virus disease problems.
The committee will utilize a three-officer system consisting of a Chair, Vice-chair, and Secretary. Each year, a new Secretary shall be elected at the annual meeting. At the end of the annual meeting, the previous year's Secretary will move to the Vice-chair position and the Vice-chair will assume the Chair position. Officers will be selected from the general membership and an effort will be made to spread the duties amongst the participating region so that no one state or area will have all of the officer functions at any given time. In addition, a subcommittee will be established each year for the purpose of handling the annual meeting details. Annual meeting locations will be rotated around the western region. Officers for the 2005/06 governance year are, Chair: Dr. Hanu Pappu, Washington State University, Pullman, WA; Vice-Chair: Dr. Juan Manuel Alvarez, University of Idaho, Aberdeen, ID; and Secretary: Dr. James Crosslin, USDA-ARS, Prosser, WA. The Administrative Advisor for the group is Dr. Greg Bohach, Director, Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station, Moscow, ID.
Literature Cited
Selected publications by WERA members (all are refereed journal articles):
1. Boydston, R.A., H. Mojtahedi, J.M. Crosslin, P.E. Thomas, T. Anderson, E. Riga. 2004. Evidence for the influence of weeds on corky ringspot persistence in alfalfa and Scotch spearmint rotations. Am. J. Pot. Res. 81:215-225.
2. Crosslin, J.M., P.B. Hamm, K.C. Eastwell, R.E. Thornton, C.R. Brown, D. Corsini, P.J. Shiel, and P.H. Berger. 2002. First report of the necrotic strain of Potato virus Y (PVYN) potyvirus on potatoes in the northwestern United States. Plant Disease 86:1177.
3. Crosslin, J.M., P.E. Thomas, and R.W. Hammond. 2003. Genetic variability of genomic RNA 2 of four tobacco rattle tobravirus isolates from potato fields in the northwestern United States. Virus Research 96:99-105.
4. Hane, D.C., and P.B. Hamm. 1999. Effects of Seedborne Potato Virus Y Infection in Two Potato Cultivars Expressing Mild Disease Symptoms. Plant Disease 83:43-45.
5. Hamm, P.B., and D.C. Hane. 1999. Effects of Seedborne Potato Leafroll Virus on Russet Norkotah Potato. Plant Disease 83:1112-1124.
6. Mojtahedi, H., R.A. Boydston, P.E. Thomas, J.M. Crosslin, G.S. Santo, E. Riga, and T.L. Anderson. 2003. Weed hosts of Paratrichodorus allius and Tobacco rattle virus in the Pacific northwest. Am. J. Pot. Res. 80:379-385.
7. Mojtahedi, H., J.M. Crosslin, P.E. Thomas, G.S. Santo, C.R. Brown, and J.H. Wilson. 2002. Impact of wheat and corn as rotational crops on corky ringspot disease of Russet Norkotah potato. Am. J. Pot. Res. 79:339-344.
8. Mojtahedi, H, G.S. Santo, P.E. Thomas, J.M. Crosslin, and R.A Boydston. 2002. Eliminating tobacco rattle virus from viruliferous Paratrichodorus allius and establishing a new virus-vector combination. J. Nematology 34:66-69.
9. Nolte, P., J.L. Whitworth, M.K. Thornton and C.S. McItosh. 2004. Effect of Seedborne Potato virus Y on Performance of Russet Burbank, Russet Norkotah and Shepody Potato. Plant Disease 88:248-252.
10. Piche, L.M., R.P. Singh, X. Nie, and N.C. Gudmestad. 2004. Diversity among Potato virus Y isolates obtained from potatoes grown in the United States. Phytopathology 94:1368-1375.
11. Rykbost, K.A., D.C. Hane, P.B. Hamm, R. Voss, and D. Kirby. 1999. Effects of Seedborne Potato Virus Y on Russet Norkotah Performance. Amer J of Potato Res 75:91-96.
12. Whitworth, J.L., P. Nolte, C. McIntosh, and R. Davidson. 2006. Effect of Potato virus Y on yield of three potato cultivars grown under different nitrogen levels. Plant Disease 90:73-76.