THE SOUTHWESTERN REGIONAL POTATO CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT WAS INITIATED BY COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY, TEXAS A&AMP;M UNIVERSITY, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS TO MEET THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF THE SOUTHWEST POTATO INDUSTRY. CROSSES AND ORIGINAL SELECTIONS ARE MADE IN COLORADO AND TEXAS FOLLOWED BY FORMAL REGIONAL EVALUATION TRIALS IN ALL THREE STATES. BREEDING STOCKS AND ADVANCED SELECTIONS ARE OPENLY SHARED WITH MORE THAN A DOZEN OTHER STATES. PROMISING SELECTIONS FROM THE PROJECT ARE FURTHER EVALUATED IN THE WESTERN REGIONAL TRIALS WHICH INCLUDE SIX WESTERN STATES. SPECIFIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ARE DEVELOPED AND CONSTANTLY REEVALUATED BASED ON EXTENSIVE STAKEHOLDER INPUT. SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE SOUTHWESTERN REGIONAL POTATO CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN 1997, 43 NEW CULTIVARS AND CLONAL SELECTIONS HAVE BEEN RELEASED OR CO-RELEASED WITH OTHER INSTITUTIONS WHICH MAKE UP SUBSTANTIAL AND INCREASING PORTIONS OF THE REGIONAL POTATO ACREAGE AND HAVE BECOME IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS TO THE ECONOMIES OF THE STATES. IN 2017, FOR POTATO CULTIVARS RELEASED SINCE 1997 AND THAT WERE IN THE TOP 50 BASED ON CERTIFIED SEED ACREAGE IN THE US, THOSE DEVELOPED BY THE SOUTHWESTERN PROJECT RANKED SECOND AMONG THE FOUR REGIONAL PROJECTS.