Protecting Our State’s New Rural Cash Crop
The true profit potential of sweetpotatoes has been held back by an aggressive and invasive pest. NC State’s Craig Yencho will lead a $5 million grant-funded project to fight it.
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We’re really happy to share our work with you. Our programs’ goals are to: 1) develop sweetpotato and potato varieties adapted to the growing conditions of North Carolina and the southeastern US; 2) broaden the germplasm base of sweetpotatoes and potatoes through the incorporation of land races and related species; and 3) provide advanced training in plant breeding and genetics for national and international students and scientists interested in sweetpotato and potato improvement. We use a combination of conventional, biochemical, and genomic-assisted breeding as necessary and feasible to facilitate our breeding efforts. Please don’t hesitate to “dig deeper” into our website to learn more; like our two favorite crops, you are sure to find some great nuggets of information. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me. I hope you enjoy your visit!
Best regards,
Craig Yencho,
Program Lead
PSI Profile: Chris Reberg-Horton, Platform Director for Resilient Agricultural Systems
The North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative’s platform director for resilient agricultural systems shares thoughts on the position, the initiative, agriculture and NC State.
PSI Profile: Ross Sozzani, Platform Director for Plant Improvement
The plant improvement platform director for the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative shares her vision: collaboration, innovative crop technologies and students ready for the workforce.
Contact Us
Are you interested in partnering with us for sweetpotato and potato breeding and genetics research? We look forward to hearing from you!