Sweetpotato growers face rising challenges from labor costs and virus pressure, which threaten profitability. Yield trials across five states show that older seeds reduce the harvest of marketable sweetpotatoes, leading to economic losses of $1,000–$2,500 per acre. Clean seed from National Clean Plant Centers offers a solution that can maintain or boost yields without expanding planted area, highlighting the role of plant pathology research in the economic success of agriculture in an increasingly complex environment.…