CHAKRADHAR MATTUPALLI RECIPIENT OF USDA NIFA AFRI BIOSECURITY GRANT

Chakradhar Mattupalli, an Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology at the Washington State University (WSU) Mount Vernon Northwester Washington Research and Extension Center, has been awarded approximately one million dollars in biosecurity grant funds from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agricultures (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) develop WSU program to expand early pathogen detection in potato crops. The project will support the expansion of disease testing damaging to potato crops and help guard the U.S. food supply from biological threats. Due to a recently developed test by the USDA Agricultural Research Services (ARS), growers can now send crop samples to DNA and RNA lab for pathogen testing with results within two weeks.

The three primary objectives of the project are:

1. To develop a testing lab capable of checking large volumes of potato samples for viruses,
2. Explore if the potato virus testing protocol could be amplified for fungal and or bacterial pathogen detection, and
3. Develop protocol and training for students, growers, and field personnel on sample collection and shipping procedures for lab testing.

Mattupalli will be joined in the project by USDA ARS colleagues in Ithaca, New York and Colorado State University. They will also be researching to see if this type of testing can be extended to other field and small fruit crops.