Graduate student places in research presentation competition

North Dakota State University student Tannis Anderson competed in the graduate student research presentation competition at the 106th annual meeting of the Potato Association of America (PAA) and was awarded fifth place out of 26 students. The meeting was held July 17-21, 2022 in Missoula, Montana, and was the association’s first in-person meeting since 2019.

Anderson is a master’s degree student from Christine, North Dakota, and is advised by Asunta Thompson, Department of Plant Sciences associate professor and potato breeding project leader. 

Anderson presented “Establishing an Efficient and Economic Diploid Potato Production Scheme”. Her research objective is to find the most efficient and economic method for utilizing diploid induction in the NDSU potato breeding program. She will compare the use of inducer lines and anther culture to produce diploids (cells containing two homologous sets of chromosomes) from existing tetraploid (cells containing four homologous sets of chromosomes) NDSU potato cultivars. Diploid breeding has the potential to decrease the length of time it takes to develop a new potato variety.

In addition to presenting at the PAA meeting, Anderson spent time learning from others and building a network of colleagues. “It was fun to meet other graduate students from several universities and hear about their projects,” she says.

The PAA is a professional society for those involved in potato research, extension, production, and utilization. 

Author: Kamie Beeson
Editor: Karen Hertsgaard