M A R C H 2 0 1 9 24 POTATO GROWER Dr. Guiping Yan, NDSU, discussed the hosting suitability of potato and north- ern-grown crops in rotation with potato for the root-lesion nematode, Pratylenchus penetrans which is a com- mon nematode pest. The endoparasitic nematode P. penetrans strongly interact with Verticillium dahliae in a synergistic interaction. In Minnesota soil sampling from 2015 – 2018 showed nematode densities of 75 - 1,575/kg soil. And root samples showed up to 1,100/g of fresh roots. Greenhouse trials showed that popula- tion development of P. penetrans varies among varieties of potato and rotation- al crops. Potato varieties: Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet, and Russet Norkotah are good hosts, while Yukon Gold and Milva are minor hosts. Barley (Quest, Morex) and wheat (Barlow) were minor hosts, while soybean (SB88007N, 50948N), corn (DK 43-46, GX89VT2P) and wheat (Elgin) are good hosts. P. pen- etrans is highly virulent and more crops (e.g. cover crop species and varieties) need to be evaluated. Dr. Darrin Haagenson, USDA/ARS, gave an update of their storage research. The USDA/ARS mission is to evaluate stor- age and postharvest processing quality of promising new potato clones. To enable research on pressure bruise: storage towers were constructed to sim- ulate pile pressure with a bottle jack. Other topics were the SNAC Chip Storage and Breeding Clone Evaluation, and the Potatoes USA, Variety Data Management (VDM) that can be found at (https://potatoesusa.mediusag.com). Carl Rosen, UMN, dealt with the proj- ect, called Soil Health Initiative, a research proposal for four years in 10 states. He explained that soil health is the condition of a soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans. The bene- fits include improved soil structure and nutrient cycling. Dr. Rosen quoted some key principles such as keeping the soil covered, mini- mizing soil disturbance and increasing crop diversity. That can be helped by keeping living roots in the soil and inte- grate livestock. A major focus of soil health is on maintaining and enhanc- ing soil organic matter and a beneficial soil microbial community (bacteria and fungi). Soilborne diseases are a major concern to the potato industry often requiring fumigation for their control. Dr. Rosen mentioned the challenge: What can we do to improve soil health in potato cropping systems? The project started in September 2018. Their focus is on soil microbes, because they respond quickly to changes and adapt rapidly to environmental conditions and stress. They affect the physical properties of soil. It is determined that changes in their population sizes or activity can precede detectable changes in soil physical and chemical properties. The project’s website is up: potatosoil- health.cfans.umn.edu. Dr. Laura Shannon, UMN, is in charge of the University of Minnesota Breeding The NPPGA’S Research Reporting Conference held at the Alerus Center on Tuesday, February 19th was once again well attended by growers and industry representatives.