Globodera pallida , a quarantine potato cyst nematode (PCN), has had a significant economic impact on the Idaho potato industry. Developing resistant commercial varieties has been challenging because the predominant russet potato market class lacks resistance to G. pallida , and no single major resistance gene has been identified. This study characterized the phenotypic resistance to the Idaho G. pallida pathotype Pa2/3 popula...

Global apex scavenger declines strongly alter food web dynamics, but studies rarely test whether trophic downgrading impacts ecosystem functions. Here, we leverage a unique, disease‐induced gradient in Tasmanian devil ( Sarcophilus harrisii ) population densities to assess feedbacks between carcass persistence, subordinate scavenger guilds, and biogeochemical cycling. We further explored interkingdom and seasonal interactions...

Management of the Colorado potato beetle ( Leptinotarsa decemlineata ) is reliant on conventional insecticides that can negatively affect non-target arthropods. Calantha™ (active ingredient: ledprona) is a sprayable double-stranded RNA biopesticide specific for L decemlineata proteasome subunit beta 5 gene that triggers the RNA-interference pathway and is designed to have limited non-target effects. To test this hypothesis, we...

Potato tuber length-to-width ratio (L/W) is an important trait for consumer visual acceptance, pack-out efficiency, French fry production, and waste recovery. In the U.S. Northwest Potato Variety Development Program (NWPVDP), L/W accounts for 13% of the overall postharvest score. Selections with L/W ≥ 1.8 are preferred for maximum raw-product recovery (≥ 7.6-cm-long fries). However, tuber shape often depends on production loca...

Invasive Hieracium plant species are invading the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The potential distribution of orange hawkweed ( Hieracium aurantiacum) and meadow hawkweed ( Hieracium caespitosum) were estimated using habitat susceptibility models to assist land managers’ management of these invasive plants. The objectives of this study were to: (1) develop models describing susceptibility of ecosystems to hawkweed invasion, (...