b"located at universities. Theres also the CFIA Charlottetown Laboratory which provides testing for the Potato Post-Entry Quarantine and oversight of the Seed Potato Certification programs, quarantine pest testing for potato cyst nematode and potato wart and oversees approval for private potato diagnostic labs. Running a Lab for the Potato IndustryThe labs provide a wealth of diagnostic services to the potato industry, especially for seed growers. While the labs have set regular tests they perform, such as for potato virus y (PVY), bacterial ring rot (BRR), potato mop top virus (PMTV), amongst many others, they also provide services based on demand.Depending on what (the) industry requires, we provide all the testing, Mathuresh Singh, ACS director, says in a phone interview. We provide two types of service; one is regulatory testing which is required by federal regulations. And there are some tests (that are) provincially required, like a post-harvest virus testing and the nuclear audit we call tissue culture testing.As ACS is a CFIA approved lab, they follow CFIA testing protocols. Most testing is done using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests, Singh says. They also use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Turnaround time for receiving results varies. Depending on Mathuresh Singh, director of Agricultural Certification Services Inc. inthe time year, such as following harvest when post-harvest testing Fredericton, N.B. standing the in the diagnostic labs greenhouse.is being done, it can take longer to receive test results. For those PHOTO: ACS LAB sending samples from further away, shipping time needs to be factored in. The type of test also determines the results timeif a grow out is required, then it will take longer as the test requires more time to complete. It depends on what the grower needs. And most times I can shuffle things that if somebody needs something in a hurry, I can usually turn it around in a shorter period of time, Pat Quilty, operations manager for PEIPQI, says in a phone interview.The labs across the country vary with most potato regions having a lab located in their provincethe exception is Western Canada with the lone lab being Phyto Diagnostics in B.C. Most labs provide testing mainly for the growers in their province, but will also receive samples from provinces such as Manitoba that dont have their own dedicated lab.Finding Diagnostic ServicesAt Gaia Consulting Ltd. in Manitoba, access to diagnostic testing is critical for the independent research company that provides regional tests for companies looking to have new products approved. Tests Why are NB seed potatoes the best? such as soil tests to confirm pathogens in the soil, seed testing for BRR and other viruses, amongst others, are required for work to be done. With no dedicated potato testing lab in Manitoba, the Gaia team finds themselves sending samples all over the country (and continent even).We will send some stuff to the Crop Diagnostic Centre in Manitoba, and that's a service for agriculture for diagnosing different problemsbut they don't have a great deal of capacity, and so often we're using a fee for service, explains Darin Gibson, president of Gaia Consulting, in a Zoom interview. Theyll send www.nbseedpotatoes.com samples to A&L Labs in Ontario, ACS in New Brunswick, Phyto Diagnostics in B.C. and even to the North Dakota State University (NDSU) lab.10SPUDSMART.COMSummer 2023"