TEXAS A&AMP;M UNIVERSITY, COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HAVE BEEN COLLABORATING(SW POTATO RESEARCH PROGRAM) SINCE 1997 TO DEVELOP POTATO CULTIVARS THAT PERFORM WELL IN THE SOUTHWEST REGION OF THE USA. THE SW PROGRAM RELEASED FIFTY POTATO CULTIVARS (EIGHT OF WHICH RANKED IN THE TOP 50 IN 2024, ACCOUNTING FOR 14% OF THE SEED ACRES) AND CO-DEVELOPED WITH OTHER REGIONAL PROGRAMS. CURRENTLY, VIRAL DISEASES, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND AGRONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS, SUCH AS HEAT STRESS, WATER, AND FERTILIZATIONDURING THE GROWING SEASON, AS WELL AS POSTHARVEST TRAITS, SUCH AS TUBER DORMANCY, PROCESSING QUALITY AFTERCOLD STORAGE, AND THE NEED TO ENHANCE NUTRITIONAL AND HEALTH ATTRIBUTES,POSE CHALLENGES TO POTATO PRODUCTION IN THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES. THE SW PROGRAM WILL ADDRESS THOSE NEEDS BY I) DEVELOPING DISEASE-RESISTANTPOTATO CULTIVARS; II) CONDUCTING MULTI-STATE TRIALS FOR AGONOMIC AND QUALITY PARAMETERS; III) EVALUATING HEAT TOLERANCE, AND EFFICIENT USE OF WATER AND FERTILIZERS; IV) SCREENING A HIGH NUMBER OF NEW POTATO SELECTIONS AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL AND ALSO FOR VISUAL TRAITS; V) PROMOTINGAND MARKETING NEW CULTIVARS. WE WILL COMBINEMODERN MOLECULAR BREEDING METHODOLOGIES WITH AGRONOMIC AND QUALITY EVALUATIONS OF MATERIALS ACROSS SEVERALUS STATES TO DEVELOP NEW CULTIVARS THAT WILL BENEFIT SW (ALSO NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL) GROWERS, INDUSTRY, RETAILERS, AND CONSUMERS AND TARGET THE PRIORITIES SET BY THE USDA-NIFA PROGRAM (SUSTAINABILITY, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, AND FOOD SECURITY)