Cornell Nematode Quarantine Laboratory gets $400,000 from USDA

Golden and pale cyst nematodes threaten New York’s $65 million potato industry. To help protect the vegetable, as well as soybeans and other crops that could be harmed by invasive nematode species, the USDA is committing $400,000 in federal funding to the Nematode Quarantine Laboratory at Cornell University. The USDA has made a verbal commitment to provide the funding for a new growth chamber, which includes plans for new equipment and blueprints at the new facility. In October 2016, the facility received $1.2 million for upgrades from the state. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer sent a letter to USDA Administrator Chavonda Jacobs-Young in June requesting new funding. The discovery of nematodes led to countries, including Mexico, Canada, Japan and South Korea, installing bans on the import of potatoes from Idaho. Cornell University scientists conduct research to prevent a similar epidemic from happening in New York and elsewhere. More