First Look: PRAC’s New Research Pillars Align to Industry Needs

The Potato Research Advisory Committee (PRAC) created new pillars at its 2024 meeting in July, marking a new direction in the group’s research focus. PRAC’s research pillars were last updated in 2019.

• Why it matters: PRAC encourages national collaboration among the potato industry, identifies common research objectives, and solicits and evaluates research projects, focusing on a limited number of nationally supported proposals that meet PRAC’s standards.

The new pillars include:

1. New Protective Solutions
   • Subtopics: fumigation practices and replacements, variety development and resistant genes, neonic alternatives, chlorpropham (CIPC) alternatives, and innovative agronomics or biologics
2. Sustainability
   • Subtopics: precision agriculture, post-harvest storage management, energy efficiency, nutritional sustainability and environmental conservation best practices
3. Disease, Virus and Pest Mitigation
   • Subtopics: disease management, integrated pest management, plant defense mechanisms, agronomic mechanisms and vector management
4. Groundscape
   • Subtopics: soil health, impact of environmental factors and field variability

PRAC will also meet mid-October to determine the next round of support provided to potato projects submitted to the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), the largest funding pool for specialty crops.