Accomplishments of the Past Five Years (since last approval)

1. Project leaders have contributed, prepared and nationally distributed research results from cooperative interstate Potato Variety Trials: NCR-84 and NE-184.
2. Ten M.S. and 11 Ph.D. degrees have been awarded to graduate students of projects leaders. Over 10 graduate students have won paper presentation awards at national meetings.
3. Five visiting scientists and 6 postdoctoral scientists have trained under the projects leaders.
4. Twenty-two joint inter- and intrastate grants were funded.
5. Project leaders, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students have published 119 printed abstracts and 105 research papers in refereed journals.
6. Eleven new cultivars have been named and released: AC Glacier Chip, AC Maple Gold, AC Peregrine Red, AC Stampede Russet, Dakota Pearl, Dakota Rose, Jacqueline Lee, Liberator, Mazama, Michigan Purple, NorValley, Red Companion and Red Pearl.
7. Other coordinated research efforts:
   1. Germplasm in the form of breeding clones, true potato seed, seedling tubers and advanced selections have been exchanged with potato breeders and agronomists (private and public) in California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin and industry groups.
   2. Regional USDA/ARS researchers (joint National Cooperative Enhancement Project) have yearly offered 80,000 seedlings to all breeding and enhancement programs in the U.S. drawing upon parental germplasm from NRSP-6.
   3. Regional USDA/ARS researchers at NRSP-6 have conducted 4 expeditions to collect wild Solanum species in North, Central and South America.
   4. Regional USDA/ARS researchers at NRSP-6 have distributed 30,000 units of germplasm to U.S. and other countries.
   5. Regional USDA/ARS researchers at NRSP-6 have produced catalogues and databases of U.S. genebank stocks and evaluation data. They have also co-produced a global germplasm index on the Internet.
   6. Regional USDA/ARS researchers have coordinated the testing of breeding selections for resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans) in Toluca, Mexico.
   7. Initiated disease, insect and post harvest tuber quality studies to evaluate advanced breeding lines in cooperation with the NCR-84 Regional Variety Trials.