POTATO BREEDING AND VARIETY DEVELOPMENT IN THE EASTERN U.S. IS CARRIED OUT THROUGH AN INTEGRATED EFFORT ACROSS SEVEN STATES (FLORIDA, MAINE, NORTH CAROLINA, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, AND VIRGINIA), IN COLLABORATION WITH USDA-ARS POTATO BREEDING. OUR FIVE POTATO BREEDING PROGRAMS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED RESEARCHERS CONDUCT MULTI-SITE AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY SELECTION AND VARIETY DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD. BREEDING PRIORITIES ARE SET BASED ON STAKEHOLDER INPUT. OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO DEVELOP ATTRACTIVE, HIGH-YIELD, BROADLY ADAPTABLE, STRESS-TOLERANT, PEST- AND DISEASE-RESISTANT POTATO VARIETIES THAT SMALL AND LARGE POTATO PRODUCERS CAN GROW TO IMPROVE MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES, FARM SUSTAINABILITY, AND PROFITS. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE:1- DEVELOP HIGH-YIELDING POTATO VARIETIES FOR FRESH AND PROCESSING MARKETS TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC CHALLENGES OF EASTERN U.S. POTATO PRODUCTION.2- ENHANCE BREEDING EFFICIENCY BY INTEGRATING HIGH-THROUGHPUT PHENOTYPING TOOLS, GENOMIC SELECTION METHODS, AND DATA ANALYTICS TO ACCELERATE GENETIC GAINS.3- COLLABORATE WITH INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS TO FACILITATE THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF NEW POTATO VARIETIES, ENSURE ALIGNMENT WITH MARKET DEMANDS, AND INCREASE HIGH-QUALITY SEED STOCKS FOR DISTRIBUTION.OUR PROJECT USES TRADITIONAL AND MARKER-ASSISTED BREEDING METHODS TO DEVELOP HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE NEW POTATO VARIETIES THAT RESIST ABIOTIC STRESSES AS WELL AS PLANT DISEASES SUCH AS LATE BLIGHT, COMMON SCAB, POTATO VIRUS Y (PVY), EARLY BLIGHT, PINK ROT, BACTERIAL SOFT ROT, AND POTATO CYST NEMATODE. OUR SELECTION PROCESSES UTILIZE THE DIVERSE EASTERN GROWING CONDITIONS TO IDENTIFY POTATO GERMPLASM WITH BROAD ADAPTATION, PEST RESISTANCE, AND STRESS TOLERANCE. ADDITIONALLY, OUR PROGRAMS CONTINUE TO ADOPT STANDARDIZED DATA COLLECTION AND SHARING TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND AMONG RESEARCHERS.