M A R C H 2 0 1 8 6 POTATO GROWER Ryan Krabill, Director of Research, Potatoes USA It’s no secret that Dickeya is an insidi- ous disease. It can lie in dormancy until, under just the right conditions, it expresses itself through symptoms similar to Pectobacterium with poten- tially devastating consequences and grower losses in the millions of dol- lars. This happened in 2015, when the pathogen was found in 10 states. It happened again but more severely in 2016, when it had spread to 23 states. So then why was research funding not secured to help counter this agri-mer- gency until 2017? Was it a lack of awareness? A lack of urgency? Was the U.S. potato research community not up to the task? The topic of Dickeya and the signifi- cant losses that came with the disease was a regular feature of industry meet- ings since it first reared its ugly head. When a potato grower suffers com- plete losses in back-to-back years, it gets the attention of the industry. There was no absence of urgency, and certainly not an absence of awareness. The threat of Dickeya was real, and alarming. So, if it wasn’t a lack of awareness or urgency, then the industry just didn’t have the right researchers and aca- demic minds available or interested, right? I think we all know that the answer to that question is an under- stated, “Not exactly.” After all, the industry was learning the details of Dickeya from researchers who knew more about it than anyone else. I had a roommate in college who fre- quently quoted Louis Pasteur, the French scientist and inventor of the ubiquitous process of pasteurization. My roommate’s favorite quote of his was “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Although it was in reference to scientific observation, I believe there are useful present-day applications to the potato industry. Recall the industry’s initial response to Dickeya: this was a serious issue requir- ing serious solutions. Research propos- als were put together almost immedi- ately. One research proposal in partic- ular, led by Dr. Amy Charkowski who at the time was on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin but is now the head of Plant Pathology at Colorado State University, was put for- ward in 2015 in response to calls for applications through the USDA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI). However, the proposal went unfunded. But why? It was certainly relevant and urgent, but the industry’s support for it was Potatoes USA Mes sage Successful Research Funding Isn’t Luck