Potato Virus Initiative

PVY Field Demonstration Plots

Field Days

Industry field days were a great success in 2022. They occurred in Washington, Maine and Wisconsin and involved many researchers across the U.S. The field days included plots of 20 varieties, mostly region specific, with healthy, PVY^O, PVY^N-W and PVY^NTN infected plants. This demonstration plot design provides a real learning moment to compare how PVY strains visually affect individual varieties. The demonstration was especially helpful for certification inspectors and seed growers to visually see the response to aid in rogueing seed fields. For more information about the field days and the PVY demonstration plots, feel free to contact the below researchers in your area.

Field days will be held again in 2024.

A research plot of 20 varieties was planted at Aroostook Farm, University of Maine. Each variety was planted with three strains of Potato Virus Y (PVY), as well as healthy plants for comparison. The intent of the field trial was to demonstrate the variation of symptom expression between different varieties and strains for farmers and crop consultants.

At the industry field days, region specific varieties were planted with seed infected with PVY^O, PVY^N-W and PVY^NTN and a healthy comparison. This demonstration plot design provided a visual comparison on how a potato variety responds to a particular strain of PVY. Not all varieties respond the same way to a PVY strain infection.