Abstract
Potato virus Y (PVY) is one of the most devastating potato disease worldwide costing farmers millions of dollars in losses. PVY is composed of various strains some with a recombinant genome such as PVYNTN, PVYNE-11 and some with no recombinant genome such as PVYEu-N and PVYO. Pathotype severity is directly correlated to the type of strain that infects the potato and the type of resistance genes, known as hypersensitive genes (HR), that the specific cultivar possesses to counteract the virus infection. This dissertation will focus on three different projects that took place in different regions of North America and will explore and expand on the previously mentioned concepts. 1) Biological and molecular characterization of hypersensitive reaction genes in two popular Mexican potato cultivars Alfa and Mondial using various strains of potato virus Y. 2) Genetic diversity of the NE-11 strain potato virus Y. 3) Full genome sequencing of three potato virus Y isolates found in the commercial field and a wild solanum in the state of Jalisco Mexico