The problem: The pathogen that led to the Irish potato famine, Phytophthora infestans, is still plaguing potato farmers worldwide. The microorganism begins by attacking the leaves of the plant before descending to the tuber, leaving it shriveled, small, and inedible. Separating the vine from the potato a couple of weeks before harvest is one way to reduce the amount of the pathogen that ends up in the soil, ultimately affecting current and future harvests. But what to do with the vine? Agricultural waste is a significant source of usable fiber and a serious store of carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases fueling climate change.

With a donation from the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, SIS planted four cultivars of potato for fiber experimentation.