THE SOUTHWESTERN REGIONAL POTATO CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT WAS INITIATED IN 1997 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 WESTERN REGIONAL TRIALS, WHICH INCLUDE SIX WESTERN STATES. SPECIFIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ARE DEVELOPED AND CONTINUOUSLY REEVALUATED BASED ON EXTENSIVE STAKEHOLDER INPUT. SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE SOUTHWESTERN REGIONAL POTATO CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN 1997, 66 NEW CULTIVARS AND CLONAL SELECTIONS HAVE BEEN RELEASED OR CO-RELEASED WITH OTHER INSTITUTIONS. THESE POTATO CULTIVARS REPRESENT A SUBSTANTIAL AND INCREASING PART OF THE NATIONAL POTATO ACREAGE AND HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTED TO REGIONAL AND NATIONAL ECONOMIES. SEVERAL POTATO CULTIVARS RELEASED BY THE SOUTHWEST PROGRAM WERE LISTED IN 2020 AMONG THE TOP 50 GROWN BASED ON SEED ACREAGE IN THE US. THOSE DEVELOPED IN THE SOUTHWESTERN REGION RANKED SECOND AMONG THE FOUR REGIONAL PROJECTS, BEHIND THE NORTHWEST AND SUBSTANTIALLY AHEAD OF THE NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTH EAST PROJECTS, THUS VALIDATING THE PRODUCTIVITY OF THIS PROJECT.