There are many factors that are capable of reducing the yield and/or quality of potato crops. Some of the most important of these are insect and nematode pests, and various diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, phytoplasmas, and viruses. Viruses in particular can be difficult to control in a potato crop since most of these pathogens are perpetuated though the seed tubers used for propagation. Therefore, understanding the nature of these pathogens and excluding them from the agronomic system, controlling vectors (most are transmitted by insects or nematodes), and a thorough understanding of their epidemiology is of paramount importance for reducing economic losses due to virus infections. One of the most important of the potato-infecting viruses is Potato virus Y (PVY). This virus occurs worldwide and causes considerable economic damage to the crop wherever it is grown. Worldwide, millions of hectares of potatoes are grown annually. Since PVY is transmitted efficiently in the field by several species of aphids, and the virus is usually present at some level in the seed tubers, the virus can quickly spread within a field and cause considerable damage. The situation is made even more complex by the presence of numerous biological strains of PVY that differ in symptoms in foliage and tubers, serological (antibody) reactivity, and sequence of the genomic RNA of this virus. In the last five decades or more, considerable effort has been directed towards understanding and control of Potato virus Y. Presentations by renowned researchers in this symposium will focus upon:

  • General characteristics of PVY

  • A detailed examination of the molecular makeup of PVY

  • Research efforts on PVY in Canada

  • Research into development of resistant potato germplasm in Poland

  • Certification efforts aimed at reducing the level of PVY in seed tubers