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MSU Potato Program's Significant Contribution to MSU's Global Biotechnology Symposium; Agricultural Biotech for a Better World 2026.
David Douches and Kelly Zarka Honored
Michigan State University recently hosted the Global Biotechnology Symposium; Agricultural Biotech for a Better World bringing together over 90 agricultural stakeholders, regulators, policymakers, research scientists, and international development professionals from 19 countries to explore global perspectives in agricultural genetic engineering.
Our MSU Potato Program, led by Dr. Douches, has conducted potato research using agricultural biotechnology for over 30 years and is a founding member of the Global Biotech Potato Partnership (GBPP), a collaboration between MSU, the International Potato Centre (CIP), and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) to bring disease resistant potatoes to smallholder farmers across the Global South through the use of genetic engineering. Attending the symposium from the GBPP were Dr. Douches, Kelly Zarka, Dr. Daniel Zarka, and Jan Fierro from MSU; Dr. Eric Magembe from CIP (Rwanda) and Mr. Abed Mathagu from AATF (Kenya). MSU potato research international graduate students, Mr. Joseph Ulasi (Nigeria) and Mr. Shyam Halder (Bangladesh) working on potato research using genetic engineering under Douches were also in attendance. The GBPP, which works across all the symposium topics, was an integral part of the event participating in panels and leading breakout sessions. Symposium participants also visited the current potato breeding field trial onsite at MSU which features GBPP products in addition to other genetic engineered products from Douches’ MSU breeding program.
Dr. Karim Maredia, Associate Dean and Director of the World Agriculture Center within MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), and his team organized the symposium which included a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the annual summer International Agricultural Biotechnology, Biosafety, and Technology Transfer Short Course offered through CANR. Since its inception, the course has hosted attendees from 97 countries. Dr. David Douches and Kelly Zarka were honored as invaluable resources and course contributors throughout the program’s 25 years.
Click link to learn more about GBPP, PSM dept.'s role in the Global Biotechnology Symposium; Agricultural Biotech for a Better World, and the course International Agricultural Biotechnology, Biosafety, and Technology Transfer Short Course - August 2026
MSU Potato Breeding Program Achieves Regulatory Milestone - July 2026
David Douches, Kelly Zarka and the Potato Breeding and Genetics Program have published a comprehensive study documenting the development and regulatory approval of Kal91.3, a cold sweetening-resistant chip-processing potato created by combining advanced conventional breeding with genetic engineering.
This work represents the first USDA/FDA regulatory approval of a genetically modified field crop developed by a publicly funded, non-industry breeding program., which demonstrates how “our breeding program is a leader in public sector efforts to use these innovative technologies, along with conventional breeding, to both develop and release improved crop varieties that benefit growers, processors, and consumers,” Kelly Zarka.
The publication has already drawn praise from peer reviewers; as one reviewer noted, "This example of combining advanced breeding with genetic engineering provides immense applied value to public-sector plant breeding."
Publication: Zarka, Kelly. A., Long, N., Coombs, J., & Douches, D. S. (2026). Development and regulatory approval of Kal91.3: Combining advanced conventional breeding with genetic engineering to create a cold sweetening-resistant chip-processing potato. GM Crops & Food, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/21645698.2026.2707844
Potato Program Attends Conferences Summer 2026
The Potato Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting is the premier gathering for researchers, industry professionals, educators, and students dedicated to advancing potato science. PAA was held in New Orleans in July this year, and offered cutting-edge research, knowledge sharing, and collaboration across genetics, breeding, plant protection, production, storage, utilization, and more. Dr. David Douches and Joseph Coombs attended and presented a MSU Potato Program Biotech Poster. Our graduate students attended and presented talks, including Joseph Ulasi, Tomas Lopes and Shyam Halder. Joseph Ulasi (4th from right) took home 3rd place in the student talk competition!
Early this summer, Potato Program scientists Dr. Daniel Zarka and Kelly Zarka attended the Eightieth Anniversary Society for In Vitro Biology Plant and Animal Biotechnology and Genomics Conference where Kelly Zarka presented a poster "Bioengineered Potatoes for the US Potato Industry". The conference brings together scientists from around the world and showcases the latest breakthroughs in plant and animal biotechnology, genome editing and genomics. The conference took place June 6th-11th 2026, in Reno, Nevada.
David Douches MSU Potato Program awarded the
2026 MSU Innovation Center's Technology Transfer Achievement Award
The annual MSU Innovation Center Celebration highlights the groundbreaking technologies, startups, and research emerging from Michigan State University. David Douches was honored for leading the work in potato variety development designed to improve yield, disease resistance, storage life, and processing reliability for the potato industry. David Douches' MSU Potato Breeding and Genetics Program was awarded the 2026 Technology Transfer Achievement Award, at the MSU Innovation Celebration, held April 7, 2026. In attendance, the director of the Michigan Potato Industry Commission, Kelly Turner.
Publications on Five New Potato Varieties Targeted to Strengthen U.S. Chip Supply
MSU Potato Program publishes on the releases of five new potato varieties designed to help strengthen the U.S. chip supply by improving disease resistance, long-term storage and processing reliability. The varieties — Manistee, Mackinaw, Petoskey, Huron Chipper and Blackberry — are the result of more than two decades of breeding research led by MSU potato breeder. Together, they were created to help growers produce potatoes that can store for months, withstand disease pressure and consistently fry light and crisp — even late in the processing season. Read more: MSU Today. April 2026.
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