The overall goal of National Program 303 – Plant Diseases – is to develop and improve ways to reduce crop losses caused by plant diseases. These diseases reduce yields, lower product quality or shelflife, decrease aesthetic or nutritional value, and, sometimes, contaminate food and feed with toxic compounds. Control of plant diseases is essential for providing an adequate supply of food, feed, fiber, and aesthetics. Reducing these losses has long been a high priority for agriculture and for the Agricultural Research Service ARS. Besides the obvious monetary benefits to producers and processors, successful plant health protection is important for maintaining and increasing food supplies with minimal increases in land under cultivation. Additionally, the knowledge and management of plant diseases of quarantine significance are vital, not only for protecting our domestic crops from foreign disease, but also for maintaining and expanding export markets for plants and plant products.

Address: 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705
Website: http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/programs/programs.htm?np_code=303&docid=15229