(Press-News.org) Potato dry rot leads to significant losses during storage and postharvest handling, making management of this disease critically important for potato farmers. Colorado State University researchers in the San Luis Valley – one of the top regions for potato production in the U.S. – have identified multiple fungal species causing dry rot in Colorado.
By analyzing structural and molecular features, plant pathologists at CSU’s San Luis Valley Research Center identified four Fusarium species associated with potato dry rot in the valley – including one that hadn’t previously been found in the U.S. Their findings, published in January in Plant Disease, will help: improve disease diagnosis and monitoring in potato storage systems; support development of targeted management strategies; guide cultivar selection and breeding for disease resistance; and provide important information for growers, storage managers and researchers working on potato disease management.
“Identifying the specific species present is essential because different Fusarium species vary in aggressiveness, epidemiology and response to management practices,” said lead author Hafiz M. Usman Aslam, who completed the research as a postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Associate Professor Mohamad Chikh-Ali. "This study contributes to a better understanding of the pathogens responsible for potato dry rot in the San Luis Valley, helping protect the sustainability and economic viability of potato production in Colorado.”
END
Study identifies causes of potato dry rot in Colorado
2026-03-16
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Universal, ready-to-use immunotherapy detects and destroys endometrial cancer
2026-03-16
Key Takeaways
UCLA researchers have developed a CAR-NKT cell therapy that has shown to be more effective at fighting endometrial cancer than current immunotherapies in experimental models.
While personalized treatments can cost six figures and require weeks to manufacture, this therapy can be mass-produced and stored ready-to-use at about $5,000 per dose.
With all preclinical studies now complete, the team is preparing to submit applications to the Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials.
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States and is one of the few cancers in which survival rates have steadily declined over the last few decades. ...
New $1.9 million grant lets Montana State team deepen understanding of avian flu
2026-03-16
BOZEMAN – With the support of a recent federal grant, a team of Montana State University microbiologists will spend the next three years expanding and deepening research into one of the world’s most damaging agricultural viruses, capitalizing on cutting-edge facilities and technologies housed at the university.
Assistant professor Emma Loveday of the College of Agriculture’s Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology is the lead investigator on a $1.9 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study HPAI, or highly pathogenic avian influenza, more commonly known as “bird flu.” ...
Storytelling may hold key to building memory
2026-03-16
New research from the University of Mississippi suggests that telling stories – from ancient campfire tales to modern-day digital communication – may be tied to how human memory evolved.
It also could be a key to improving everyday retention.
Matthew Reysen, associate professor of psychology, and Ole Miss doctoral student Zoe Fischer recently put storytelling to the test. Their study, published in Evolutionary Psychology, found that storytelling performs just as well, and sometimes better, than the current gold standard ...
Pharmacy team develops 3D-printed bandage to help heal chronic wounds
2026-03-16
A team of University of Mississippi researchers is developing a way to use 3D printed medicated patches to help close persistent sores and ulcers.
The researchers in the School of Pharmacy have created a customizable wound scaffold that delivers natural, biodegradable antibacterials over time to encourage healing. Researchers Michael Repka, distinguished professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery; Sateesh Vemula, postdoctoral researcher; and doctoral candidate Nouf Alshammari published their results in the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics.
"People ...
Cannibalism takes major bite out of young blue crabs, but the shallows offer a refuge
2026-03-16
The Chesapeake Bay’s most popular crustacean has a dark streak. Cannibalism is the No. 1 killer of juvenile blue crabs in mid-salinity waters where they are known to congregate, according to a new study from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. But shallow waters can offer a vital refuge.
Blue crabs lead a life on the run. After spending roughly two months as larvae in the ocean, they are swept back into the lower bay to morph into juvenile crabs. There, the juveniles rely on seagrass to provide partial refuge from predatory fish like striped bass. ...
Groundbreaking PKU innovation can detect disease from a drop of blood
2026-03-16
Peking University, Mar 16, 2026: An innovative platform developed by PKU researchers called "cf-EpiTracing" has proved capable of detecting and tracing diseases from as little as 50 μl of human plasma, or roughly a drop of blood. The research, published in Nature on March 4, 2026, was led by Professor He Aibin from the College of Future Technology and Professor Jing Hongmei from the Department of Hematology, PKU Third Hospital.
Why it matters
Current liquid biopsies (a type of blood test) struggle to pinpoint where disease signals originate, limiting their use. ...
Differences in brain activity between ADHD and neurotypical adults
2026-03-16
New from JNeurosci, Elaine Pinggal, from Monash University, and colleagues assessed how sleep-like brain activity in awake adults influences sustained attention during a task.
The researchers compared sleep-like brain activity from 32 medication-withdrawn adults with ADHD to 31 neurotypical adults as participants performed a task requiring sustained attention. The ADHD group had more sleep-like brain activity, which was associated with more lapses in attention. Further analyses revealed that this activity may drive the relationship between ADHD and attention ...
How do people quickly respond to scary sounds?
2026-03-16
Preclinical studies on animals have identified brain pathways that drive quick, protective fear responses to “scary” sounds. New from JNeurosci, Emmanouela Kosteletou-Kassotaki and colleagues, from the University of Barcelona, expand on this work by exploring whether humans also have a brain pathway enabling quick fear responses to certain sounds.
Using publicly accessible data from the Human Connectome Project, the researchers examined ...
Coastal ocean chemistry now substantially shaped by humans
2026-03-16
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- A global analysis of more than 2,300 seawater samples from more than 20 field studies around the globe indicates that human-made chemicals make up a significant portion of organic matter in coastal oceans.
The international study, led by biochemists Jarmo Kalinski and Daniel Petras at the University of California, Riverside, analyzed seawater samples collected over a decade from coastal regions from the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. Reported in Nature Geoscience, the findings show that ...
Brain computer interface enables rapid communication for two people with paralysis
2026-03-16
Loss of communication can be among the most devastating symptoms for patients with paralysis. A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute and Brown University describes an investigational implantable brain computer interface (iBCI) typing neuroprosthesis that can restore communication with speed and accuracy. The tool, which utilizes the QWERTY keyboard and attempted finger movements, performed well in two BrainGate clinical trial participants—one with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the other with a cervical spinal cord injury. Their results are published ...