Theses and Dissertations Collection

“The Optimal Tolerance for PVY in Certified Seed Potatoes” proposes a new standard for seed potato certification based on the results of post-harvest laboratory tests rather than field inspections. We model the commercial and seed potato markets and evaluate the legitimacy of our model using historical potato production data. We then use our model to find the optimal standard for seed potato certification in terms of post-harvest test results.

“Estimating the Economic Impact of In-Season PVY Spread” models the spread of PVY from infected seed stock to uninfected plants during the growing season. Using these models, we developed a tool that allows commercial potato growers to estimate the in-season spread of PVY based on seed-bourn infection level. The tool also estimates the profit/loss due to seed potato quality vs. a baseline of 2% seed-borne PVY.