A tuber domesticated in the Andes that became Europe's hedge against famine after the Columbian Exchange, then the cause of its worst one: Ireland's dependence on a few potato varieties left it defenseless when late blight arrived in 1845. Per hectare, the potato yields more food energy than any major grain. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Scientific Name Domestication RegionAndes of southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia 1 Domesticated When (Circa) Era
Era (category) Connections
Associated With
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board funded UK potato sector research and market development through its AHDB Potatoes division until 2021.
The Colorado potato beetle is the most significant defoliating insect pest of cultivated potato.
Source Columbian Exchange (Wikipedia)
This milestone records the domestication event of the potato crop it is directly named for.
The green peach aphid is the principal vector of Potato Virus Y and other potato viruses.
The Highland Potato Famine was caused by potato blight destroying the potato crop the Scottish Highlands and Islands depended on.
The International Potato Center is the CGIAR center whose founding and continuing mandate is potato research.
Source Great Famine, Ireland (Wikipedia)
The James Hutton Institute is a leading center for potato research, including breeding for resistance to potato cyst nematode, reflecting Scotland's position as a major seed potato producing region.
The lesion nematode (Pratylenchus penetrans) is a major root pathogen contributing to potato early dying complex.
Blackleg (Pectobacterium/Dickeya spp.) is a major bacterial stem and tuber rot disease of potato.
Potato cyst nematodes (Globodera spp.), which coevolved with wild potato in the Andes, are a major quarantine pest of cultivated potato.
the potato harvester lifts and separates potato tubers from soil at harvest
Potato Virus Y is one of the most widespread and yield-limiting viral pathogens of cultivated potato.
Germany's Turnip Winter of 1916 to 1917 followed the failure of the potato crop to blight and wet weather, forcing wartime reliance on turnips as a substitute staple.
Verticillium wilt is a principal cause of potato early dying, a major soil-borne disease complex of potato.
In the Other Atlases
Causes
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Source Irish Potatoes and British Politics (McLean and Bustani, Political Studies, 1999)Iain McLean and Camilla Bustanitier 1
Era Of Origin
Also in History Atlas: the era this subject comes from.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Potato (Wikipedia)
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Potato (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Potato (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundationlead description or Wikipedia lead (primary-uses)
The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world.
History section
Potatoes were domesticated there about 7,000-10,000 years ago from a species in the S. brevicaule complex.
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