Project Number: 5366-21000-026-04
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 13, 2007
End Date: Mar 31, 2009

Objective:
1. Assess priority needs for registration of pesticide products for potatoes. 2. Assure that needed registrations are included in the USDA/IR-4 program. 3. Survey and provide potato industry with patterns of pesticide use. 4. Develop with other commodities, researchers, and registrants, reasonable outcomes regarding the use of potato pesticides that come from promulgation of the Clean Water, Endangered Species, and Food Quality Protection Acts. 5. Provide biology and pest management options for new and emerging pests.

Approach:
Cooperator (Schreiber) will conduct surveys to gather information on; pest management issues, pesticide usage and benefits, and emerging pest issues. Survey information will be used to identify and prioritize critical pesticide issues and new or emerging pest problems. Information will be shared with industry and regulatory agencies that deal with pesticide registration. Where regional problems are identified, they will be combined into a national ranking system to address priorities to the potato industry. A ¿disease priority¿ pesticide list will be provided to the National Potato Council and other industry groups. Information that identifies regional pest problems can be used to apply for section 18 special use permits. Principal investigator (Whitworth) will conduct research on different fungal species of Fusarium. Fusarium graminearum causes head blight in wheat and barley, but has been shown to cause dry rot in potato. Since wheat and barley are rotation crops, the potential for increased dry rot exists. Research will screen existing potato cultivars for resistance to different Fusarium species. Potato host resistance will serve as a method to reduce pesticide use. Formerly 5366-21000-023-07S 3/2008