WHAT: Zebra chip disease causes dark stripes to appear when infected potatoes are sliced and fried to make chips, causing processing plants to reject entire loads of affected potatoes. The U.S. averages 20 million tons of potatoes a year, with a farm value of $3.5 billion. The “SCRI Zebra Chip Annual Reporting Session” is the annual meeting of a U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture-sponsored Specialty Crop Research Initiative being held this year in San Antonio.
WHY: Zebra chip disease has both national and international interest. Zebra chip was recently found in the potato-growing regions of Washington, Oregon and Idaho where more than 50 percent of all U.S. potatoes are grown, primarily for French fries. Zebra chip has been a major problem for Texas in the chipping industry since 2000 and can affect other vegetable crops. About 70 percent of the production from 20,000 acres of potatoes in the Panhandle, South Plains, Winter Garden area and Rio Grande Valley goes to Frito Lay to be made into potato chips.
WHO: This meeting allows potato industry representatives and producers to hear the latest research from a multidisciplinary team of scientists on various aspects of the disease and its overall impact on potato production. More than 100 people are expected to attend.
WHEN: Nov. 6-9. The best time for interviews with potato industry representatives, producers and research scientists will be Nov. 7, beginning about 8 a.m. The opening session from 8:15-10 a.m. will give the best live sound bites and we will help arrange specific interviews if you would like for us to do so.
WHERE: Crowne Plaza Hotel Riverwalk, 111 E. Pecan St., San Antonio.
For more information about zebra chip and the conference, please go to http://zebrachipscri.tamu.edu/.
For more information about interviews or to arrange interviews, please contact Kay Ledbetter at skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu or by cell phone at 806-683-2736, or Paul Schattenberg at paschattenberg@ag.tamu.edu or by cell phone at 210-859-5752.
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