View source for Potato

{{Short description|Starchy tuber used as a staple food}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Patates.jpg
| image_caption = Potato [[List of potato cultivars|cultivars]] appear in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes.
| genus = Solanum
| species = tuberosum
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| synonyms = ''see'' [[Taxonomic synonyms of Solanum tuberosum|list]]
}}

The '''potato''' ({{IPAc-en|p|ə|ˈ|t|eɪ|t|oʊ}}) is a [[starch#Food|starchy]] [[root vegetable|tuberous vegetable]] native to the Americas that is consumed as a [[staple food]] in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground [[Tuber#Stem tuber|stem tubers]] of the plant '''''Solanum tuberosum''''', a [[perennial plant|perennial]] in the nightshade family [[Solanaceae]].

Wild potato [[species]] can be found from the [[southern United States]] to [[southern Chile]]. Genetic studies show that the cultivated potato has a single origin, in the area of present-day southern [[Peru]] and extreme northwestern [[Bolivia]]. Potatoes were domesticated there about 7,000–10,000 years ago from a species in the ''[[Solanum brevicaule|S. brevicaule]]'' complex. Many [[Variety (botany)|varieties]] of the potato are cultivated in the [[Andes]] region of South America, where the species is [[Indigenous species|indigenous]].

The Spanish [[Columbian exchange|introduced potatoes to Europe]] in the second half of the 16th century from the Americas. They are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's [[food supply]]. Following centuries of [[selective breeding]], there are now over 5,000 [[List of potato cultivars|different varieties of potatoes]]. The potato remains an essential crop in Europe, especially Northern and Eastern Europe, where per capita production is still the highest in the world, while the most rapid expansion in production during the 21st century was in [[South Asia|southern]] and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world production as of 2023.

Like the [[tomato]] and the nightshades, the potato is in the genus ''[[Solanum]]''; the aerial parts of the potato contain the toxin [[solanine]]. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce [[glycoalkaloids]] in negligible amounts, but if sprouts and potato skins are exposed to light, tubers can become [[toxic]].

== Etymology ==

The English word "potato" comes from Spanish {{lang|es|patata}}, in turn from [[Taíno language|Taíno]] ''{{lang|tnq|batata}}'', which means "[[sweet potato]]", not the plant now known as simply "potato".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Herrero |first=María Antonieta Andión |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wwI4nMg5r70C&pg=PA78 |title=Los indigenismos en la Historia de las Indias de Bartolomé de las Casas |date=2004 |publisher=Editorial CSIC - [[CSIC Press]] |isbn=978-84-00-08266-6 |page=78 |language=es |access-date=2 February 2021 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324172324/https://books.google.com/books?id=wwI4nMg5r70C&pg=PA78#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

The name "spud" for a potato is from the 15th century ''spudde'', a short and stout knife or dagger, probably related to Danish ''spyd'', "spear". Through [[semantic change]], the general sense of ''short and thick'' was transferred to the tuber from around 1840.<ref>{{cite web |title=spud (n.) |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/spud |access-date=13 May 2018 |work=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref>

At least seven languages: Afrikaans, Dutch, Low Saxon, French, (West) Frisian, Hebrew, Persian<ref>{{Cite web |title=jordäpple {{!}} SAOB {{!}} svenska.se |url=https://svenska.se/saob/?sok=jord%C3%A4pple#U_J1_193122 |access-date=28 June 2023 |language=sv-SE}}</ref> and some variants of German, use a term for "potato" that means "earth apple" or "ground apple",<ref>{{cite web |last=Hooshmand |first=Dana |title={{-'}}Earth Apple': The 5 Languages that Use This for 'Potato{{'-}} |url=https://discoverdiscomfort.com/earth-apple-potato-languages/ |website=Discover Discomfort |orig-date=Original date 12 October 2020 |date=2023-07-23 |access-date=2025-06-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Laws |first1=Christopher |title=A Cultural History of the Potato as Earth Apple |url=https://culturedarm.com/cultural-history-potato-earth-apple/ |website=Culturedarm |access-date=27 August 2021 |date=9 February 2015}}</ref> from an earlier sense of both [[Pome#Etymology|pome]] and [[Apple#Etymology|apple]], referring in general to a (''apple-shaped'') fruit or vegetable.<ref>{{cite dictionary |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED33955 |title=pome n. |date=11 December 1998 |dictionary=[[Middle English Dictionary|Middle English Compendium]] |access-date=2025-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717072449/https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED33955 |archive-date=2023-07-17 |url-status=live}}</ref><!--is this paragraph relevant to English Wikipedia?-->

== Description ==

[[File:CIP-Afiche-papa-ingles.jpg|thumb|Morphology of the potato plant; [[tuber]]s are forming from [[stolon]]s.]]

Potato plants are [[Herbaceous plant|herbaceous]] [[perennial]]s that grow up to {{Convert|1|m|ft|0|spell=on|abbr=off}} high. The stems are hairy. The leaves have roughly four pairs of [[Leaflet (botany)|leaflets]]. The flowers range from white or pink to blue or purple; they are yellow at the centre, and are insect-pollinated.<ref name="Kew">{{cite web |title=Solanum tuberosum: Potato |url=https://www.kew.org/plants/potato |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens Kew |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref>

The plant develops [[tuber]]s to store nutrients. These are not roots but stems that form from thickened [[rhizomes]] at the tips of long thin [[stolon]]s. On the surface of the tubers there are "eyes," which act as sinks to protect the vegetative buds from which the stems originate. The "eyes" are arranged in helical form. In addition, the tubers have small holes that allow breathing, called [[lenticel]]s. The lenticels are circular and their number varies depending on the size of the tuber and environmental conditions.<ref name="Ewing Struik 1992">{{Cite book |title=Horticultural Reviews |last1=Ewing |first1=E. E. |last2=Struik |first2=P. C. |editor-last=Janick |editor-first=Jules |chapter=Tuber Formation in Potato: Induction, Initiation, and Growth |year=1992 |pages=89–198 |doi=10.1002/9780470650523.ch3 |isbn=978-0-471-57339-5 }}</ref> Tubers form in response to decreasing day length, although this tendency has been minimized in commercial varieties.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Virginia |last1=Amador |first2=Jordi |last2=Bou |first3=Jaime |last3=Martínez-García |first4=Elena |last4=Monte |first5=Mariana |last5=Rodríguez-Falcon |first6=Esther |last6=Russo |first7=Salomé |last7=Prat |title=Regulation of potato tuberization by daylength and gibberellins |url=http://www.ijdb.ehu.es/abstract.01supp/s37.pdf |journal=[[International Journal of Developmental Biology]] |issue=45 |pages=S37–S38 |year=2001 |access-date=8 January 2009 |archive-date=6 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206110630/http://www.ijdb.ehu.es/abstract.01supp/s37.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

After flowering, potato plants produce [[Potato fruit|small green fruits]] that resemble green [[cherry tomato]]es, each containing about 300 very small [[seed]]s.<ref name="Plaisted">{{cite book |last=Plaisted |first=R. |editor=W. Fehr & H. Hadley |title=Hybridization of Crop Plants. |year=1982 |publisher=American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America |location=New York |pages=483–494 |chapter=Potato |isbn=0-89118-034-6}}</ref>

== Phylogeny ==

Like the [[tomato]], potatoes belong to the genus ''[[Solanum]]'', which is a member of the nightshade family, the [[Solanaceae]]. That is a diverse family of flowering plants, often poisonous, that includes the mandrake (''[[Mandragora (genus)|Mandragora]]''), deadly nightshade (''[[Atropa]]''), and tobacco (''[[Nicotiana]]''), as shown in the outline phylogenetic tree (many branches omitted). The most commonly cultivated potato is ''S. tuberosum''; there are several other species.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Olmstead RG, et al|title=Phylogeny and provisional classification of the Solanaceae based on chloroplast DNA|journal=Solanaceae|volume=4|issue=1|year=1999|pages=1–137|url= https://bohs.biology.utah.edu/PDFs/Olmstead_et_al-1999.pdf}}</ref>

{{clade
|label1=[[Solanaceae]]
|1={{clade
   |1= many garden flowers and other species
   |2={{clade
      |1=''[[Nicotiana]]'' (tobacco)
      |2={{clade
         |1=''[[Atropa]]'' (nightshades)
         |2={{clade
            |1=''[[Mandragora (genus)|Mandragora]]'' (mandrake)
            |2={{clade
               |label1=''[[Capsicum]]'' 
               |1=&nbsp;(sweet and bell peppers)
               |label2=''[[Solanum]]''
               |2={{clade
                  |1=''[[Solanum lycopersicum|S. lycopersicum]]'' (tomato)
                  |2='''''S. tuberosum''''' (cultivated potato)
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}

[[File:Solanum tuberosum - michuñe.JPG|thumb|A variety of ''S. tuberosum tuberosum'', the Chilean potato]]

The major species grown worldwide is ''S. tuberosum'' (a [[tetraploid]] with 48 [[chromosome]]s), and modern varieties of this species are the most widely cultivated. There are also four [[diploid]] species (with 24 chromosomes): ''S. stenotomum<!--redirects here-->'', ''S. phureja<!--redirects here-->'', ''S. goniocalyx'', and ''S. ajanhuiri''. There are two [[triploid]] species (with 36 chromosomes): ''[[Solanum chaucha|S. chaucha]]'' and ''S. juzepczukii''. There is one [[pentaploid]] cultivated species (with 60 chromosomes): ''S. curtilobum''.<ref name="Raker Spooner 2002"/>

There are two major subspecies of tetraploid ''S. tuberosum''.<ref name="Raker Spooner 2002">{{cite journal |last1=Raker |first1=Celeste M. |last2=Spooner |first2=David M. |year=2002 |title=Chilean Tetraploid Cultivated Potato, ''Solanum tuberosum'' is Distinct from the Andean Populations: Microsatellite Data |url=http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/reprint/42/5/1451.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=[[Crop Science (journal)|Crop Science]] |volume=42 |doi=10.2135/cropsci2002.1451 |id=[[University of Wisconsin]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326171403/http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/reprint/42/5/1451.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009 |access-date=16 July 2010 |issn=0011-183X }}</ref> The Andean potato, ''S. tuberosum andigena'', is adapted to the short-day conditions prevalent in the mountainous equatorial and tropical regions where it originated. The Chilean potato ''S. tuberosum tuberosum'', native to the [[Chiloé Archipelago]], is in contrast adapted to the long-day conditions prevalent in the higher latitude region of southern Chile.<ref name="Rodríguez" />

A 2025 study by Zhang et al. examining ''Solanum'' genomes groups all species of potato under ''S. tuberosum''.<ref name="Zhang25">{{cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Zhiyang |last2=Zhang |first2=Pingxian |last3=Ding |first3=Yiyuan |last4=Wang |first4=Zefu |last5=Ma |first5=Zhaoxu |date=July 2025 |title=Ancient hybridization underlies tuberization and radiation of the potato lineage |journal=Cell |doi=10.1016/j.cell.2025.06.034 |doi-access=free |last6=Gagnon |first6=Edeline |last7=Jia |first7=Yuxin |last8=Cheng |first8=Lin |last9=Bao |first9=Zhigui |last10=Liu |first10=Zinan |last11=Wu |first11=Yaoyao |last12=Hu |first12=Yong |last13=Lian |first13=Qun |last14=Lin |first14=Weichao |last15=Wang |first15=Nan |last16=Ye |first16=Keyi |last17=Wang |first17=Hongru |last18=Zhang |first18=Jinzhe |last19=Zhou |first19=Yongfeng |last20=Liu |first20=Liang |last21=Li |first21=Suhua |last22=Lucas |first22=William J. |last23=Särkinen |first23=Tiina |last24=Knapp |first24=Sandra |last25=Rieseberg |first25=Loren H. |last26=Liu |first26=Jianquan |last27=Huang |first27=Sanwen |display-authors=5}}</ref> According to the study, the ''Petota'' (potato) lineage contains more than 55 diploid species, with only one being selected by humans for domestication; the study posits that all [[landrace]]s branch out from a single point within ''Solanum candolleanum''.<ref name="Zhang25" />

== History ==

{{Main|History of the potato}}

=== Domestication ===

Wild potato [[species]] occur from the [[southern United States]] to [[southern Chile]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Geographic distribution of wild potato species |last1=Hijmans |first1=R.J. |first2=D.M. |last2=Spooner |journal=[[American Journal of Botany]] |volume=88 |issue=11 |pages=2101–12 |doi=10.2307/3558435 |year=2001 |jstor=3558435 |pmid=21669641}}</ref> The potato was first domesticated in southern Peru and northwestern [[Bolivia]]<ref name="Spooner 2005 14694–99"/> by [[Pre-Columbian era|pre-Columbian]] farmers, around [[Lake Titicaca]].<ref name="LostCrops"/> Potatoes were domesticated there about 7,000–10,000 years ago from a species in the ''[[Solanum brevicaule|S. brevicaule]]'' complex.<ref name="Spooner 2005 14694–99">{{cite journal |last1=Spooner |first1=David M. |last2=McLean |first2=Karen |last3=Ramsay |first3=Gavin |last4=Waugh |first4=Robbie |last5=Bryan |first5=Glenn J. |date=29 September 2005 |title=A single domestication for potato based on multilocus amplified fragment length polymorphism genotyping |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences]] |pmid=16203994 |volume=102 |issue=41 |pmc=1253605 |pages=14694–14699 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0507400102 |bibcode=2005PNAS..10214694S |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="LostCrops">{{cite book |author=Office of International Affairs |title=Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation |date=1989 |url=http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=030904264X&page=92 |isbn=978-0-309-04264-2 |page=92 |doi=10.17226/1398}}</ref><ref name="John Michael Francis 2005">{{cite book |author=John Michael Francis |title=Iberia and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History : a Multidisciplinary Encyclopedia |publisher =ABC-CLIO |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OMNoS-g1h8cC&pg=PA867 |isbn=978-1-85109-421-9 |page=867}}</ref>

The earliest archaeologically verified potato tuber remains have been found at the coastal site of [[Ancon (archaeological site)|Ancon]] (central [[Peru]]), dating to 2500 BC.<ref>Martins-Farias 1976; Moseley 1975</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=David R. |last1=Harris |first2=Gordon C. |last2=Hillman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qxghBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA496 |title=Foraging and Farming: The Evolution of Plant Exploitation |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-317-59829-9 |page=496}}</ref> The most widely cultivated variety, ''Solanum tuberosum tuberosum'', is indigenous to the [[Chiloé Archipelago]], and has been cultivated by the [[Indigenous peoples in Chile|local indigenous people]] since before the [[Conquest of Chile|Spanish conquest]].<ref name="Rodríguez">{{cite journal |last1=Anabalón Rodríguez |first1=Leonardo |last2=Morales Ulloa |first2=Daniza |last3=Solano Solis |first3=Jaime |date=July 2007 |title=Molecular description and similarity relationships among native germplasm potatoes (''Solanum tuberosum'' ssp. ''tuberosum'' L.) using morphological data and AFLP markers |url=https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0717-34582007000300011 |journal=Electronic Journal of Biotechnology |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=436–443 |doi=10.2225/vol10-issue3-fulltext-14 |doi-broken-date=12 July 2025 |access-date=6 December 2009 |hdl-access=free |hdl=10925/320}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Using DNA, scientists hunt for the roots of the modern potato |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/814749 |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=EurekAlert! |language=en}}</ref>

=== Spread ===

Following the [[Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire]], the Spanish introduced the potato to Europe in the second half of the 16th century as part of the [[Columbian exchange]]. The staple was subsequently conveyed by European mariners (possibly including the [[Russian-American Company]]) to territories and ports throughout the world, especially their colonies.<ref name="Sauer-2017">{{cite book |last=Sauer |first=Jonathan |title=Historical Geography of Crop Plants : a Select Roster |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |publication-place=[[Boca Raton, FL]] |year=2017 |isbn=978-0-203-75190-9 |oclc=1014382952 |page=320}} {{isbn |9780849389016}} {{isbn |9781351440622}} {{isbn |9781351440615}} {{isbn |9781351440639}} {{isbn |9780367449872}}</ref> European and colonial farmers were slow to adopt farming potatoes. However, after 1750, they became an important food staple and field crop<ref name="Sauer-2017" /> and played a major role in the European 19th century population boom.<ref name="John Michael Francis 2005"/> According to conservative estimates, the introduction of the potato was responsible for a quarter of the growth in [[Old World]] population and urbanization between 1700 and 1900.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Nunn |first1= Nathan |last2= Qian |first2= Nancy |year= 2011 |title= The Potato's Contribution to Population and Urbanization: Evidence from a Historical Experiment |url= http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/nunn/files/Potato_QJE.pdf |journal= [[Quarterly Journal of Economics]] |volume= 126 |issue= 2 |pages= 593–650 |doi= 10.1093/qje/qjr009 |pmid= 22073408 |s2cid= 17631317 |access-date=7 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705043431/http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/nunn/files/Potato_QJE.pdf |archive-date=5 July 2011 |doi-access= free}}</ref> However, lack of [[genetic diversity]], due to the very limited number of varieties initially introduced, left the crop vulnerable to disease. In 1845, a plant disease known as late blight, caused by the fungus-like [[oomycete]] ''[[Phytophthora infestans]]'', spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland as well as parts of the [[Scottish Highlands]], resulting in the crop failures that led to the [[Great Irish Famine]].<ref name="PlDis2011">{{Cite journal |last1=Nowicki |first1=Marcin |last2=Foolad |first2=Majid R. |last3=Nowakowska |first3=Marzena |last4=Kozik |first4=Elzbieta U. |display-authors=etal |date=17 August 2011 |title=Potato and tomato late blight caused by ''Phytophthora infestans'': An overview of pathology and resistance breeding |journal=[[Plant Disease (journal)|Plant Disease]] |publisher=[[American Phytopathological Society]] |volume=96 |issue=1 |pages=4–17 |doi=10.1094/PDIS-05-11-0458 |pmid=30731850 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Sauer-2017" />

The [[International Potato Center]], based in [[Lima]], Peru, holds 4,870 types of potato [[germplasm]], most of which are traditional [[landrace]] cultivars.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cultivated Potato Genebank |url=https://cipotato.org/genebankcip/potato-cultivated/ |access-date=15 June 2021 |publisher=International Potato Center}}</ref> In 2009, a [[Genome|draft sequence]] of the potato genome was made, containing 12 chromosomes and 860 million base pairs, making it a medium-sized plant genome.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Visser |first1=R.G.F. |last2=Bachem |first2=C.W.B. |last3=Boer |first3=J.M. |last4=Bryan |first4=G.J. |last5=Chakrabati |first5=S.K. |last6=Feingold |first6=S. |last7=Gromadka |first7=R. |last8=Ham |first8=R.C.H.J. |last9=Huang |first9=S. |last10=Jacobs |first10=J.M.E. |last11=Kuznetsov |first11=B. |last12=Melo |first12=P.E. |last13=Milbourne |first13=D. |last14=Orjeda |first14=G. |last15=Sagredo |first15=B. |display-authors=3 |year=2009 |title=Sequencing the Potato Genome: Outline and First Results to Come from the Elucidation of the Sequence of the World's Third Most Important Food Crop |journal=American Journal of Potato Research |volume=86 |issue=6 |pages=417–29 |doi=10.1007/s12230-009-9097-8 |doi-access=free |last16=Tang |first16=X.}}</ref>

It had been thought that most potato [[cultivar]]s derived from a single [[Indigenous (ecology)|origin]] in southern [[Peru]] and extreme Northwestern [[Bolivia]], from a species in the ''[[Solanum brevicaule|S. brevicaule]]'' complex.<ref name="Spooner 2005 14694–99"/><ref name="LostCrops"/><ref name="John Michael Francis 2005"/> DNA analysis however shows that more than 99% of all current varieties of potatoes are direct descendants of a subspecies that once grew in the [[lowland]]s of south-central Chile.<ref name="Ames2008">{{Cite journal |doi=10.3732/ajb.95.2.252 |pmid=21632349 |title=DNA from herbarium specimens settles a controversy about origins of the European potato |journal=[[American Journal of Botany]] |volume=95 |issue=2 |pages=252–257 |date=February 2008 |last1=Ames |first1=M. |last2=Spooner |first2=D.M. |s2cid=41052277 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Most modern potatoes grown in North America arrived through European settlement and not independently from the South American sources. At least one wild potato species, ''[[Symphyotrichum fendleri|S. fendleri]]'', occurs in North America; it is used in breeding for resistance to a [[nematode]] species that attacks cultivated potatoes. A secondary center of genetic variability of the potato is Mexico, where important wild species that have been used extensively in modern breeding are found, such as the hexaploid ''[[Solanum demissum|S. demissum]]'', used as a source of resistance to [[Phytophthora infestans|the devastating late blight disease]] (''Phytophthora infestans'').<ref name="PlDis2011" /> Another relative native to this region, ''[[Solanum bulbocastanum]]'', has been used to genetically engineer the potato to resist potato blight.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Song |first1=J |last2=Bradeen |first2=J.M. |last3=Naess |first3=S.K. |last4=Raasch |first4=J.A. |last5=Wielgus |first5=S.M. |last6=Haberlach |first6=G.T. |last7=Liu |first7=J |last8=Kuang |first8=H |last9=Austin-Phillips |first9=S |last10=Buell |first10=C.R. |last11=Helgeson |first11=J.P. |last12=Jiang |first12=J |year=2003 |title=Gene RB cloned from ''Solanum bulbocastanum'' confers broad spectrum resistance to potato late blight |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences]] |volume=100 |issue=16 |pages=9128–9133 |bibcode=2003PNAS..100.9128S |doi=10.1073/pnas.1533501100 |pmc=170883 |pmid=12872003 |doi-access=free}}</ref> {{Anchor |Navajo potato}} Many such [[crop wild relative|wild relatives]] are useful for breeding [[Plant disease resistance|resistance]] to ''P. infestans''.<ref name="Genes">{{Cite journal |last1=Paluchowska |first1=Paulina |last2=Sliwka |first2=Jadwiga |last3=Yin |first3=Zhimin |year=2022 |title=Late blight resistance genes in potato breeding |journal=[[Planta (journal)|Planta]] |publisher=[[Springer Science and Business Media LLC]] |volume=255 |issue=6 |page=127 |bibcode=2022Plant.255..127P |doi=10.1007/s00425-022-03910-6 |issn=0032-0935 |eissn=1432-2048 |pmc=9110483 |pmid=35576021}}</ref>

Little of the [[genetic diversity|diversity]] found in ''[[Solanum]]'' ancestral and [[crop wild relative|wild relatives]] is found outside the original South American range.<ref name="Resources">{{cite journal |last1=Bradshaw |first1=J. |last2=Bryan |first2=G. |last3=Ramsay |first3=G. |year=2006 |title=Genetic Resources (Including Wild and Cultivated ''Solanum'' Species) and Progress in their Utilisation in Potato Breeding |journal=Potato Research |publisher=[[Springer Science and Business Media LLC]] |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=49–65 |doi=10.1007/s11540-006-9002-5 |issn=0014-3065 |s2cid=30648732}}</ref> This makes these South American species highly valuable in breeding.<ref name="Resources"/> The importance of the potato to humanity is recognised in the [[United Nations]] International Day of Potato, to be celebrated on 30 May each year, starting in 2024.<ref name="UN Potato Day">{{cite web |title=United Nations: International Day of Potato: 30 May |url=https://www.un.org/en/observances/potato-day |publisher=[[United Nations]] |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref>

== Breeding ==

Potatoes, both ''S. tuberosum'' and most of its wild relatives, are [[self-incompatible]]: they bear no useful fruit when self-pollinated. This trait is problematic for crop breeding, as all sexually produced plants must be [[hybrid (biology)|hybrid]]s. The gene responsible for self-incompatibility, as well as mutations to disable it, are now known. Self-compatibility has successfully been introduced both to diploid potatoes (including a special line of ''S. tuberosum'') by [[CRISPR-Cas9]].<ref name="Neofunctionalisation"/> Plants having a 'Sli' gene produce pollen which is compatible to its own parent and plants with similar S genes.<ref name="Hosaka Hanneman, Jr. 1998 pp. 191–197" >{{cite journal |last1=Hosaka |first1=Kazuyoshi |last2=Hanneman |first2=Robert E. Jr. |title=Genetics of self-compatibility in a self-incompatible wild diploid potato species ''Solanum chacoense''. 1. Detection of an S locus inhibitor (Sli) gene |journal=Euphytica |volume=99 |issue=3 |year=1998 |issn=0014-2336 |doi=10.1023/a:1018353613431 |pages=191–197 |s2cid=40678039 |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1018353613431 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> This gene was cloned by [[Wageningen University & Research|Wageningen University]] and [[Solynta]] in 2021, which would allow for faster and more focused breeding.<ref name="Neofunctionalisation">{{cite journal |display-authors=3 |last1=Eggers |first1=Ernst-Jan |last2=Burgt |first2=van der |last3=Heusden |first3=van |last4=W. |first4=Sjaak A. |last5=Vries |first5=de |last6=E. |first6=Michiel |last7=Visser |first7=Richard G. F. |last8=Bachem |first8=Christian W. B. |last9=Lindhout |first9=Pim |title=Neofunctionalisation of the Sli gene leads to self-compatibility and facilitates precision breeding in potato |journal=Nature Communications |volume=12 |issue=1 |date=6 July 2021 |page=4141 |issn=2041-1723 |doi=10.1038/s41467-021-24267-6 |pmid=34230471 |pmc=8260583 |bibcode=2021NatCo..12.4141E}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ma |first1=Ling |last2=Zhang |first2=Chunzhi |last3=Zhang |first3=Bo |last4=Tang |first4=Fei |last5=Li |first5=Futing |last6=Liao |first6=Qinggang |last7=Tang |first7=Die |last8=Peng |first8=Zhen |last9=Jia |first9=Yuxin |last10=Gao |first10=Meng |last11=Guo |first11=Han |last12=Zhang |first12=Jinzhe |last13=Luo |first13=Xuming |last14=Yang |first14=Huiqin |last15=Gao |first15=Dongli |last16=Lucas |first16=William J. |last17=Li |first17=Canhui |last18=Huang |first18=Sanwen |last19=Shang |first19=Yi |display-authors=3 |title=A nonS-locus F-box gene breaks self-incompatibility in diploid potatoes |journal=Nature Communications |volume=12 |issue=1 |date=6 July 2021 |page=4142 |issn=2041-1723 |doi=10.1038/s41467-021-24266-7 |pmid=34230469 |pmc=8260799 |bibcode=2021NatCo..12.4142M}}
</ref>

[[Diploid]] hybrid potato breeding is a recent area of potato genetics supported by the finding that simultaneous [[homozygous|homozygosity]] and [[fixation (population genetics)|fixation]] of donor alleles is possible.<ref name="Lindhout Meijer Schotte Hutten 2011 pp. 301–312">{{cite journal |last1=Lindhout |first1=Pim |last2=Meijer |first2=Dennis |last3=Schotte |first3=Theo |last4=Hutten |first4=Ronald C. B. |last5=Visser |first5=Richard G. F. |last6=van Eck |first6=Herman J. |title=Towards F1 Hybrid Seed Potato Breeding |journal=Potato Research |publisher=Springer |volume=54 |issue=4 |year=2011 |issn=0014-3065 |doi=10.1007/s11540-011-9196-z |pages=301–312 |s2cid=39719359 |doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Crop wild relative|Wild potato species useful for breeding]] blight resistance include ''Solanum desmissum'' and ''S. stoloniferum'', among others.<ref name="Strategies">{{cite journal |year=2023 |publisher=Springer |first3=Anu |first2=Sat Pal |first1=Dechen |last3=Kalia |last2=Sharma |last1=Angmo |journal=Molecular Biology Reports |issn=0301-4851 |s2cid=260349512 |pmid=37526862 |doi=10.1007/s11033-023-08577-0 |title=Breeding strategies for late blight resistance in potato crop: recent developments |volume=50 |issue=9 |pages=7879–7891 }}</ref>

=== Varieties ===

{{further|List of potato cultivars}}
[[File:Potatoes for sale in a market in France.jpg|thumb|Multiple potato varieties for sale in a market in France]]

[[File:Papas de colores de Chiloe.jpg|thumb|Potato varieties are diverse in shape, color, and other attributes.]]

There are some 5,000 potato varieties worldwide, 3,000 of them in the [[Andes]] alone — mainly in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Colombia. Over 100 cultivars might be found in a single valley, and a dozen or more might be maintained by a single agricultural household.<ref>{{cite web |last=Theisen |first=K. |date=1 January 2007 |title=History and overview |url=http://research.cip.cgiar.org/confluence/display/wpa/Peru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080114015939/http://research.cip.cgiar.org/confluence/display/wpa/Peru |archive-date=14 January 2008 |access-date=10 September 2008 |work=World Potato Atlas: Peru |publisher=[[International Potato Center]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:821337-1#synonyms |title=''Solanum tuberosum'' L. |date=2017 |website=[[Plants of the World Online]] |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=7 September 2020}}</ref>
The [[European Cultivated Potato Database]] is an online collaborative database of potato variety descriptions updated and maintained by the [[Scottish Agricultural Science Agency]] within the framework of the European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks—which is run by the [[International Plant Genetic Resources Institute]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Europotato.org |url=http://www.europotato.org/menu.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091128021457/http://www.europotato.org/menu.php |archive-date=28 November 2009 |access-date=16 July 2010 |publisher=Europotato.org}}</ref>
Around 80 varieties are commercially available in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |author=Potato Council |title=Potato Varieties |url=http://www.britishpotatoes.co.uk/potato-varieties/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090908212045/http://www.britishpotatoes.co.uk/potato-varieties |archive-date=8 September 2009 |access-date=13 September 2009 |publisher=Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board}}</ref>

For culinary purposes, varieties are often differentiated by their waxiness: floury or mealy ''baking'' potatoes have more [[starch]] (20–22%) than waxy ''boiling'' potatoes (16–18%). The distinction may also arise from variation in the comparative ratio of two different potato starch compounds: [[amylose]] and [[amylopectin]]. Amylose, a long-chain molecule, diffuses from the starch granule when cooked in water, and lends itself to dishes where the potato is mashed. Varieties that contain a slightly higher amylopectin content, which is a highly branched molecule, help the potato retain its shape after being boiled in water.<ref>{{cite web |title=Potato Primer |url=http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/howto/JF07_PotatoPrimer.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217030233/http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/howto/JF07_PotatoPrimer.pdf |archive-date=17 December 2008 |access-date=8 December 2008 |publisher=[[Cook's Illustrated]]}}</ref> Potatoes that are good for making [[potato chip]]s or potato crisps are sometimes called "chipping potatoes", which means they meet the basic requirements of similar varietal characteristics, being firm, fairly clean, and fairly well-shaped.<ref>{{cite web |author=[[Agricultural Marketing Service]] |title=Potatoes for Chipping Grades and Standards |url=https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/potatoes-chipping-grades-and-standards |access-date=27 August 2018 }}</ref>

Immature potatoes may be sold fresh from the field as "{{Vanchor |creamer potatoes |text=creamer}}" or "{{Vanchor |new potatoes |text=new}}" potatoes and are particularly valued for their taste. They are typically small in size and tender, with a loose skin, and flesh containing a lower level of [[starch]] than other potatoes. In the United States they are generally either a [[Yukon Gold potato]] or a red potato, called gold creamers or red creamers respectively.<ref name="recipe tips">{{cite web |title=Creamer Potato |url=http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--35863/creamer-potato.asp |access-date=18 July 2008 |publisher=recipetips.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=12 August 2013 |title=What is a new potato? New guidelines issued |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-23667664 |access-date=13 June 2021}}</ref> In the UK, the [[Jersey Royal]] is a famous type of new potato.<ref>{{cite news |date=25 January 2010 |title=A look back at a Royal history |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/jersey/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8478000/8478833.stm |access-date=13 June 2021}}</ref>

Dozens of potato [[cultivar]]s have been [[plant breeding|selectively bred]] specifically for their skin or flesh [[biological pigment|color]], including gold, red, and blue varieties.<ref>{{cite web |date=2017 |title=So many varieties, so many choices |url=http://wisconsinpotatoes.com/growing/varieties/ |publisher=Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association}}</ref> These contain varying amounts of [[phytochemical]]s, including [[carotenoids]] for gold/yellow or [[polyphenol]]s for red or blue cultivars.<ref name="Hirsch">{{cite journal |last1=Hirsch |first1=C.N. |last2=Hirsch |first2=C.D. |last3=Felcher |first3=K |last4=Coombs |first4=J |last5=Zarka |first5=D |last6=Van Deynze |first6=A |last7=De Jong |first7=W |last8=Veilleux |first8=R.E. |last9=Jansky |first9=S |last10=Bethke |first10=P |last11=Douches |first11=D.S. |last12=Buell |first12=C.R. |year=2013 |title=Retrospective View of North American Potato (''Solanum tuberosum'' L.) Breeding in the 20th and 21st Centuries |journal=[[G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics]] |volume=3 |issue=6 |pages=1003–13 |doi=10.1534/g3.113.005595 |pmc=3689798 |pmid=23589519}}</ref> Carotenoid compounds include [[provitamin A]] [[alpha-carotene]] and [[beta-carotene]], which are converted to the [[essential nutrient]], [[vitamin A]], during digestion. [[Anthocyanin]]s mainly responsible for red or blue pigmentation in potato cultivars do not have nutritional significance, but are used for visual variety and consumer appeal.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jemison |first1=John M., Jr. |last2=Sexton |first2=Peter |last3=Camire |first3=Mary Ellen |year=2008 |title=Factors Influencing Consumer Preference of Fresh Potato Varieties in Maine |journal=American Journal of Potato Research |volume=85 |issue=2 |page=140 |doi=10.1007/s12230-008-9017-3 |s2cid=34297429}}</ref> In 2010, potatoes were [[genetic engineering|bioengineered]] specifically for these pigmentation traits.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mattoo |first1=A.K. |title=Bio-Farms for Nutraceuticals |last2=Shukla |first2=V. |last3=Fatima |first3=T |last4=Handa |first4=A.K. |last5=Yachha |first5=S.K. |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4419-7346-7 |series=Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology |volume=698 |pages=122–43 |chapter=Genetic Engineering to Enhance Crop-Based Phytonutrients (Nutraceuticals) to Alleviate Diet-Related Diseases |doi=10.1007/978-1-4419-7347-4_10 |pmid=21520708}}</ref>

=== Genetic engineering ===

{{main|Genetically engineered potato}}

[[File:Auspflanzung Schweden 2.jpg|thumb|Amflora potatoes, modified to produce pure [[amylopectin]] starch]]

Genetic research has produced several [[genetically modified]] varieties. 'New Leaf', owned by [[Monsanto Company]], incorporates genes from ''[[Bacillus thuringiensis]]'' (source of most [[Bt toxin|''Bt'' toxins]] in [[Bt crops|transcrop use]]), which confers resistance to the [[Colorado potato beetle]]; 'New Leaf Plus' and 'New Leaf Y', approved by US regulatory agencies during the 1990s, also include resistance to [[potato virus|viruses]]. [[McDonald's]], [[Burger King]], [[Frito-Lay]], and [[Procter & Gamble]] announced they would not use [[genetically modified potato]]es, and Monsanto published its intent to discontinue the line in March 2001.<ref>{{cite web |title=Genetically Engineered Organisms Public Issues Education Project/Am I eating GE potatoes? |url=https://www.geo-pie.cornell.edu/crops/potato.html |access-date=16 December 2008 |publisher=[[Cornell University]] |archive-date=3 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103033654/http://www.geo-pie.cornell.edu/crops/potato.html}}</ref>

Potato starch contains two types of [[glucan]], [[amylose]] and [[amylopectin]], the latter of which is most industrially useful. Waxy potato varieties produce [[waxy potato starch]], which is almost entirely amylopectin, with little or no amylose. [[BASF]] developed the '[[Amflora]]' potato, which was modified to express [[antisense RNA]] to inactivate the gene for [[NDP-glucose—starch glucosyltransferase|granule bound starch synthase]], an enzyme which catalyzes the formation of amylose.<ref>{{cite web |title=GMO compass database |url=http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/gmo/popups/55.potato_eh92_527_1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009210148/http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/gmo/popups/55.potato_eh92_527_1.html |archive-date=9 October 2014 |access-date=6 October 2014}}</ref> 'Amflora' potatoes therefore produce starch consisting almost entirely of [[amylopectin]], and are thus more useful for the starch industry. In 2010, the European Commission cleared the way for 'Amflora' to be grown in the European Union for industrial purposes only—not for food. Nevertheless, under EU rules, individual countries have the right to decide whether they will allow this potato to be grown on their territory. Commercial planting of 'Amflora' was expected in the Czech Republic and Germany in the spring of 2010, and Sweden and the Netherlands in subsequent years.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-05-31 |title=GM potatoes: BASF at work |url=http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/news/492.docu.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531073525/http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/news/492.docu.html |archive-date=31 May 2010 }}</ref>

The 'Fortuna'<!-- see de:Fortuna (Kartoffel) fr:Fortuna (pomme de terre) --> GM potato variety developed by BASF was made resistant to [[Phytophthora infestans|late blight]] by [[introgression|introgressing]] two resistance genes, {{Visible anchor |blb1}} and {{Visible anchor |blb2}}, from ''[[Solanum bulbocastanum|S. bulbocastanum]]'', a wild potato native to Mexico.<ref name="Receptor-Mediated"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-06-02 |title=Research in Germany: Business BASF applies for approval for another biotech potato |url=http://www.research-in-germany.de/84190/2011-11-17-business-basf-applies-for-approval-for-another-biotech-potato.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602111343/http://www.research-in-germany.de/84190/2011-11-17-business-basf-applies-for-approval-for-another-biotech-potato.html |archive-date=2 June 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Burger |first=Ludwig |date=2015-11-10 |title=BASF applies for EU approval for Fortuna GM potato |website=[[Reuters]] |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/31/us-basf-idUSTRE79U41Q20111031 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151110105537/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/31/us-basf-idUSTRE79U41Q20111031 |archive-date=10 November 2015 }}</ref> {{Vanchor|Rpi-blb1}} is a [[nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat]] (NB-LRR/NLR), an R-gene-produced immunoreceptor.<ref name="Receptor-Mediated">{{Cite journal |last1=Oh |first1=Soohyun |last2=Choi |first2=Doil |year=2022 |title=Receptor-mediated nonhost resistance in plants |department=Review |journal=Essays in Biochemistry |publisher=[[Portland Press Limited]] ([[Biochemical Society]]) |volume=66 |issue=5 |pages=435–445 |doi=10.1042/EBC20210080 |pmc=9528085 |pmid=35388900 |s2cid=247999992}}</ref>

In October 2011, BASF requested cultivation and marketing approval as a feed and food from the EFSA. In 2012, GMO development in Europe was stopped by BASF.<ref>[http://www.dw.de/basf-stops-gm-crop-development-in-europe/a-15671900 BASF stops GM crop development in Europe], ''Deutsche Welle'', 17 January 2012</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kanter |first=James |title=BASF to Stop Selling Genetically Modified Products in Europe |work=The New York Times |date=16 January 2012 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/business/global/17iht-gmo17.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240123213954/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/business/global/17iht-gmo17.html |archive-date=23 January 2024 |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref> In November 2014, the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] (USDA) approved a genetically modified potato developed by [[Simplot]], which contains genetic modifications that prevent bruising and produce less [[acrylamide]] when fried than conventional potatoes; the modifications do not cause new proteins to be made, but rather prevent proteins from being made via [[RNA interference]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pollack |first=Andrew |date=November 7, 2014 |title=U.S.D.A. Approves Modified Potato. Next Up: French Fry Fans |website=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/business/genetically-modified-potato-from-simplot-approved-by-usda.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141112021024/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/business/genetically-modified-potato-from-simplot-approved-by-usda.html?_r=0 |archive-date=12 November 2014}}</ref>

Genetically modified varieties have met public resistance in the U.S. and in the European Union.<ref>{{cite news |year=2002 |title=Consumer acceptance of genetically modified potatoes |journal=American Journal of Potato Research |url=http://www.agbioforum.org/v7n12/v7n12a13-mccluskey.pdf |url-status=dead |access-date=19 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101142414/http://www.agbioforum.org/v7n12/v7n12a13-mccluskey.pdf |archive-date=1 November 2012 |id=cited through Bnet}}</ref><ref name="nytimes1">{{cite news |last=Rosenthal |first=Elisabeth |date=24 July 2007 |title=A genetically modified potato, not for eating, is stirring some opposition in Europe |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/business/worldbusiness/24spuds.html |access-date=15 November 2008}}</ref>

{{anchor|Growth}}

== Cultivation ==

{{anchor|Seed potato}}

=== Seed potatoes ===

Potatoes are generally grown from "seed potatoes", tubers specifically grown to be free from disease{{clarify|date=June 2024}} and to provide consistent and healthy plants. To be disease free, the areas where seed potatoes are grown are selected with care. In the US, this restricts production of seed potatoes to only 15 states out of all 50 states where potatoes are grown. These locations are selected for their cold, hard winters that kill pests and summers with long sunshine hours for optimum growth.<ref name="US Potato Board - Seed Potatoes">{{cite web |author=United States Potato Board |title=Seed Potatoes |url=http://www.potatoesusa.com/potato-products/seed-potatoes |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825053643/http://www.potatoesusa.com/potato-products/seed-potatoes |archive-date=25 August 2015 |access-date=6 October 2014}}</ref> In the UK, most seed potatoes originate in [[Scotland]], in areas where westerly winds reduce [[aphid]] attacks and the spread of [[Potato virus Y|potato virus]] pathogens.<ref>{{cite web |title=Seed & Ware Potatoes – Nuclear Stock |url=https://www.sasa.gov.uk/seed-ware-potatoes/nuclear-stock |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910164423/http://www.sasa.gov.uk/seed-ware-potatoes/nuclear-stock |archive-date=10 September 2015 |access-date=12 June 2024 |website=[[SASA (Scottish Government)|SASA]]}}</ref>

=== Phases of growth ===

Potato growth can be divided into five phases. During the first phase, sprouts emerge from the seed potatoes and root growth begins. During the second, [[photosynthesis]] begins as the plant develops leaves and branches above-ground and [[stolon]]s develop from lower leaf [[axil]]s on the below-ground stem. In the third phase the tips of the stolons swell, forming new [[tuber]]s, and the shoots continue to grow, with flowers typically developing soon after. Tuber bulking occurs during the fourth phase, when the plant begins investing the majority of its resources in its newly formed tubers. At this phase, several factors are critical to a good yield: optimal [[soil moisture]] and temperature, soil nutrient availability and balance, and resistance to [[Pest (organism)|pest attacks]]. The fifth phase is the maturation of the tubers: the leaves and stems senesce and the tuber skins harden.<ref>{{cite web |title=Potatoes Home Garden |url=https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn-and-garden/potatoes-home-garden/ |access-date=14 August 2019 |website=sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu |publisher=UF/IFAS Extension}}</ref><ref name="JefferiesLawson1991">{{cite journal |last1=Jefferies |first1=R. A. |last2=Lawson |first2=H. M. |year=1991 |title=A key for the stages of development of potato (''Solanum tuberosum'')<!--- Mis-scanned in electronic versions as "Solatium". Print copies show the correct "Solanum". ---> |journal=[[Annals of Applied Biology]] |volume=119 |issue=2 |pages=387–399 |doi=10.1111/j.1744-7348.1991.tb04879.x |issn=0003-4746}}</ref>

New tubers may start growing at the surface of the soil. Since exposure to light leads to an undesirable greening of the skins and the development of [[solanine]] as a protection from the sun's rays, growers cover surface tubers. Commercial growers cover them by piling additional soil around the base of the plant as it grows (called "hilling" up, or in British English "earthing up"). An alternative method, used by home gardeners and smaller-scale growers, involves covering the growing area with [[mulch]]es such as straw or plastic sheets.<ref name="cornell1">{{cite web |title=Growing Potatoes in the Home Garden |url=https://suffolk-lamp.cit.cornell.edu/assets/Horticulture-Leaflets/Growing-Potatoes-in-the-Home-Garden.pdf |access-date=27 June 2010 |publisher=[[Cornell University]]{{NBSP}}[[Cooperative extension service|Extension Service]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516020007/http://suffolk-lamp.cit.cornell.edu/assets/Horticulture-Leaflets/Growing-Potatoes-in-the-Home-Garden.pdf |archive-date=16 May 2011}}</ref>

At farm scale, potatoes require a well-drained neutral or mildly acidic soil ([[pH]] 6 or 7) such as a sandy [[loam]]. The soil is prepared using deep tillage, for example with a [[chisel plow]] or ripper. In areas where irrigation is needed, the field is leveled using a landplane so that water can be supplied evenly. Manure can be added after initial irrigation; the soil is then broken up with a [[disc harrow]]. The potatoes are planted using a [[potato planter]] machine in rows {{convert|80|cm|in}} apart.<ref>{{cite web |title=Potato Production |url=https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pnadz110.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227212730/http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pnadz110.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 February 2017 |publisher=USAID |pages=2–21 |access-date=4 June 2024}}</ref> At garden scale, potatoes are planted in trenches or individual holes some {{convert|15|cm|in}} deep in soil, preferably with additional organic matter such as garden compost or manure. Alternatively, they can be planted in containers or bags filled with a free-draining compost.<ref name="RHS planting">{{cite web |title=How to grow potatoes: Planting |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/potatoes/grow-your-own |publisher=[[Royal Horticultural Society]] |access-date=4 June 2024}}</ref>
Potatoes are sensitive to heavy [[frost]]s, which damage them in the ground or when stored.<ref>{{cite web |title=Potatoes |url=https://www.nsalg.org.uk/crop/potatoes/ |publisher=The National Allotment Society |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=180 heights=180>
File:Planting Potatoes.jpg|Planting
File:Tractors in Potato Field.jpg|Field in [[Fort Fairfield, Maine]]
File:Potato plants.jpg|Immature potato plants
File:Potato bag cultivation.JPG|Potatoes grown in a tall bag are common in gardens as they minimize digging.
</gallery>

=== Pests and diseases ===

{{main|List of potato diseases}}

[[File:Phytophtora infestans-effects.jpg|thumb|[[Late blight]] ]]

The historically significant ''[[Phytophthora infestans]]'', the cause of [[late blight]], remains an ongoing problem in Europe<ref name="PlDis2011"/> and the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Organic Management of Late Blight of Potato and Tomato (''Phytophthora infestans'') |url=http://www.extension.org/pages/18361/organic-management-of-late-blight-of-potato-and-tomato-phytophthora-infestans |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702002959/http://www.extension.org/pages/18361/organic-management-of-late-blight-of-potato-and-tomato-phytophthora-infestans |archive-date=2 July 2015 |access-date=6 January 2012 |publisher=[[Michigan State University]]}}</ref> Other potato diseases include ''[[Rhizoctonia]]'', ''[[Sclerotinia]]'', ''[[Pectobacterium carotovorum]]'' (black leg), [[potato powdery mildew|powdery mildew]], [[powdery scab]] and [[Potato leafroll virus|leafroll virus]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Potato, Identifying Diseases |date=15 November 2016 |url=https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable/fact-sheets/potato-identifying-diseases |publisher=University of Massachusetts Amherst |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Potato Disease Identification |url=https://potatoes.ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/potato-disease-identification |publisher=Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref>

Insects that commonly transmit potato diseases or damage the plants include the [[Colorado potato beetle]], the [[potato tuber moth]], the green peach aphid (''[[Myzus persicae]]''), the [[potato aphid]], ''[[Tuta absoluta]]'', [[beet leafhopper]]s, [[thrips]], and [[mite]]s. The Colorado potato beetle is considered the most important insect defoliator of potatoes, devastating entire crops.<ref name='Alyokhin'>{{cite book |chapter-url=http://www.potatobeetle.org/Alyokhin_CPB_Review_reprint.pdf |author1=Alyokhin, A. |date=2009 |chapter=Colorado potato beetle management on potatoes: current challenges and future prospects |editor1=Tennant, P. |editor2=Benkeblia, N. |title=Potato II. Fruit, Vegetable and Cereal Science and Biotechnology 3 (Special Issue 1) |pages=10–19}}</ref> The [[potato cyst nematode]] is a microscopic worm that feeds on the roots, thus causing the potato plants to wilt. Since its eggs can survive in the soil for several years, [[crop rotation]] is recommended.<ref>{{cite web |title=Potato Cyst Nematode |url=http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/pest-insects-and-mites/potato-cyst-nematode |website=Agriculture Victoria |access-date=11 December 2019 |archive-date=2 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202063605/http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/pest-insects-and-mites/potato-cyst-nematode |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Harvest ===

[[File:AVR Puma 4.0 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|A modern [[potato harvester]] ]]

On a small scale, potatoes can be harvested using a hoe or spade, or simply by hand. Commercial harvesting is done with large [[potato harvester]]s, which scoop up the plant and surrounding earth. This is transported up an apron chain consisting of steel links several feet wide, which separates some of the earth. The chain deposits into an area where further separation occurs. The most complex designs use vine choppers and shakers, along with a blower system to separate the potatoes from the plant. The result is then usually run past workers who continue to sort out plant material, stones, and rotten potatoes before the potatoes are continuously delivered to a wagon or truck. Further inspection and separation occurs when the potatoes are unloaded from the field vehicles and put into storage.<ref name="Johnson Auat Cheein 2023">{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=Ciaran Miceal |last2=Auat Cheein |first2=Fernando |title=Machinery for potato harvesting: a state-of-the-art review |journal=Frontiers in Plant Science |volume=14 |date=2023 |issn=1664-462X |pmid=37284722 |pmc=10239890 |doi=10.3389/fpls.2023.1156734 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2023FrPS...1456734J }}</ref>

Potatoes are usually cured after harvest to improve skin-set. Skin-set is the process by which the skin of the potato becomes resistant to skinning damage. Potato tubers may be susceptible to skinning at harvest and suffer skinning damage during harvest and handling operations. Curing allows the skin to fully set and any wounds to heal. Wound-healing prevents infection and water-loss from the tubers during storage. Curing is normally done at relatively warm temperatures ({{convert|50|to|60|°F|°C|order=flip|disp=or}}) with high humidity and good gas-exchange if at all possible.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kleinkopf |first1=G.E. |last2=Olsen |first2=N. |year=2003 |chapter=Storage Management |title=Potato Production Systems |editor1=J.C. Stark |editor2=S.L. Love |publisher=University of Idaho Agricultural Communications |pages=363–381}}</ref>{{Clear}}

=== Storage ===

[[File:Potato transportation to cold storage in India (1).jpg|thumb|Transporting to cold storage in India]]

Storage facilities need to be carefully designed to keep the potatoes alive and slow the natural process of sprouting which involves the breakdown of starch. It is crucial that the storage area be dark, ventilated well, and, for long-term storage, maintained at temperatures near {{convert|4|C|F}}. For short-term storage, temperatures of about {{convert|7|to|10|°C|°F}} are preferred.<ref name="crosstree">Potato storage, value Preservation: {{cite web |last=Kohli |first=Pawanexh |year=2009 |title=Potato storage and value Preservation: The Basics |url=http://crosstree.info/Documents/POTATO_STORAGE.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806192307/http://www.crosstree.info/Documents/POTATO_STORAGE.pdf |archive-date=6 August 2020 |access-date=12 July 2009 |publisher=CrossTree techno-visors}}</ref>

Temperatures below {{convert|4|°C|°F}} convert the starch in potatoes into sugar, which alters their taste and cooking qualities and leads to higher [[acrylamide]] levels in the cooked product, especially in deep-fried dishes. The discovery of acrylamides in starchy foods in 2002 has caused concern, but it is not likely that the acrylamides in food, even if it is somewhat burnt, causes cancer in humans.<ref name="cruk">{{cite web |date=15 October 2021 |title=Can eating burnt foods cause cancer? |url=https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-myths/can-eating-burnt-foods-cause-cancer |publisher=Cancer Research UK}}</ref>

Chemicals are used to suppress sprouting of tubers during storage. [[Chlorpropham]] is the main chemical used, but it has been banned in the EU over toxicity concerns.<ref name="epp">{{cite news |last=Epp |first=Melanie |date=12 April 2021 |title=The Worry with CIPC |work=EuropeanSeed |url=https://european-seed.com/2021/04/the-worry-with-cipc/ |access-date=12 June 2021}}</ref> Alternatives include [[ethylene]], spearmint and orange oils, and [[1,4-dimethylnaphthalene]].<ref name="epp"/>

Under optimum conditions in commercial warehouses, potatoes can be stored for up to 10–12 months.<ref name="crosstree" /> The commercial storage and retrieval of potatoes involves several phases: first ''drying'' surface moisture; ''wound healing'' at 85% to 95% [[relative humidity]] and temperatures below {{convert |25 |°C |°F}}; a staged ''cooling phase''; a ''holding'' phase; and a ''reconditioning'' phase, during which the tubers are slowly warmed. [[Ventilation (architecture)|Mechanical ventilation]] is used at various points during the process to prevent condensation and the accumulation of carbon dioxide.<ref name="crosstree" />

== Production ==
{{main|Potato processing industry|List of countries by potato production}}

{{owidslider
|start        = 2023
|list         = Template:OWID/potato production#gallery
|location      = commons
|caption      =
|title        =
|language     =
|file         = [[File:potato production, World, 2023 (cropped).svg|link=|thumb|upright=1.6|Potato production]]
|startingView = World
}}

{{Table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable floatright col2right" 
|+Potato production <br>{{small|2023, millions of tonnes}}
|-
|{{CHN}} ||93.4
|-
|{{IND}} ||60.1
|-
|{{UKR}} ||21.4
|-
|{{USA}} ||20.0
|-
|{{RUS}} ||19.4
|-
|'''World''' ||'''383'''
|-
|colspan=2|{{small|Source: [[FAOSTAT]]<br> of the [[United Nations]]}}<ref name="faostat">{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC|title=Potato production in 2023, Crops/Regions/World list/Production Quantity/Year (pick lists)|date=2025|publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT)|access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref>
|}

In 2023, world production of potatoes was 383 million [[tonne]]s, led by China with 25% of the total and India as a major secondary producer (table).

The world dedicated {{convert |18.6 |e6ha |e6acre |abbr=off}} to potato cultivation in 2010; the world average yield was {{convert |17.4 |t/ha |ST/acre |abbr=off}}. The United States was the most productive country, with a nationwide average yield of {{convert |44.3 |t/ha |ST/acre |abbr=off}}.<ref name="yield2010">{{cite web |year=2011 |title=FAOSTAT: Production-Crops, 2010 data |url=http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=567#ancor |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114151638/http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=567 |archive-date=14 January 2013 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}</ref>

New Zealand farmers have demonstrated some of the best commercial yields in the world, ranging between 60 and 80 tonnes per hectare, some reporting yields of 88 tonnes of potatoes per hectare.<ref>{{cite web |author=Sarah Sinton |year=2011 |title=There's yet more gold in them thar "hills"! |url=http://maxa.maf.govt.nz/sff/about-projects/search/05-157/grower-article.htm |publisher=Grower Magazine, The Government of New Zealand}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |year=2009 |title=Phosphate and potatoes |url=http://www.ballance.co.nz/technical+expertise/horticulture/phosphate+and+potatoes |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301060943/http://www.ballance.co.nz/technical+expertise/horticulture/phosphate+and+potatoes |archive-date=1 March 2012 |access-date=19 February 2012 |publisher=Ballance}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |year=2008 |title=International Year of the Potato: 2008, Asia and Oceania |url=http://www.potato2008.org/en/world/asia.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622203024/http://www.potato2008.org/en/world/asia.html |archive-date=22 June 2012 |access-date=19 February 2012 |publisher=Potato World}}</ref>

There is a big gap among various countries between high and low yields, even with the same variety of potato. Average potato yields in developed economies ranges between {{Convert |38 and 44 |MT/ha}}. China and India accounted for over a third of world's production in 2010, and had yields of {{convert |14.7 and 19.9 |MT/ha}} respectively.<ref name="yield2010" /> The yield gap between farms in developing economies and developed economies represents an opportunity loss of over {{Convert |400 |e6MT |e6ST e6LT |abbr=off}} of potato, or an amount greater than 2010 world potato production. Potato crop yields are determined by factors such as the crop breed, seed age and quality, crop management practices and the plant environment. Improvements in one or more of these yield determinants, and a closure of the yield gap, could be a major boost to food supply and farmer incomes in the developing world.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/i0200e/I0200E10.htm |title=Workshop to Commemorate the International Year of the Potato |publisher=The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Foley, Ramankutty |display-authors=etal |date=12 October 2011 |title=Solutions for a cultivated planet |url=http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/6xw5g085 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=478 |issue=7369 |pages=337–42 |bibcode=2011Natur.478..337F |doi=10.1038/nature10452 |pmid=21993620 |s2cid=4346486}}</ref> The [[food energy]] yield of potatoes—about {{convert |9.2 |e6kcal/acre |GJ/ha |abbr=off |order=flip}}—is higher than that of maize ({{convert |7.5 |e6kcal/acre |GJ/ha |abbr=unit |disp=or |order=flip}}), rice ({{convert |7.4 |e6kcal/acre |GJ/ha |abbr=unit |disp=or |order=flip}}), wheat ({{convert |3 |e6kcal/acre |GJ/ha |abbr=unit |disp=or |order=flip}}), or [[soybean]]s ({{convert |2.8 |e6kcal/acre |GJ/ha |abbr=unit |disp=or |order=flip}}).<ref name="Ensminger">{{cite book |last1=Ensminger |first1=Audrey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XMA9gYIj-C4C&pg=PA1104 |title=Foods & Nutrition Encyclopedia |last2=Ensminger |first2=M.E. |last3=Konlande |first3=James E. |publisher=CTC Press |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-8493-8981-8 |page=1104}}</ref>

== Effects of climate change on production ==
<!-- BEWARE! This section is transcluded into [[Effects of climate change on agriculture]] -->
{{further|Effects of climate change on agriculture}}

[[Climate change]] is predicted to have significant effects on global potato production.<ref name="supply">{{cite journal |last1=Haverkort |first1=A.J. |last2=Verhagen |first2=A. |date=October 2008 |title=Climate Change and Its Repercussions for the Potato Supply Chain |journal=Potato Research |volume=51 |issue=3–4 |pages=223–237 |doi=10.1007/s11540-008-9107-0 |s2cid=22794078}}</ref> Like many crops, potatoes are likely to be affected by changes in atmospheric [[carbon dioxide]], temperature and precipitation, as well as interactions between these factors.<ref name="supply" /> As well as affecting potatoes directly, climate change will also affect the distributions and populations of many potato diseases and pests. While the potato is less important than [[maize]], [[rice]], [[wheat]] and [[soybean]]s, which are collectively responsible for around two-thirds of all calories consumed by humans (both directly and indirectly as animal feed),<ref name="Zhao2017">{{cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=Chuang |last2=Liu |first2=Bing |last3=Piao |first3=Shilong |last4=Wang |first4=Xuhui |last5=Lobell |first5=David B. |last6=Huang |first6=Yao |last7=Huang |first7=Mengtian |last8=Yao |first8=Yitong |last9=Bassu |first9=Simona |last10=Ciais |first10=Philippe |last11=Durand |first11=Jean-Louis |last12=Elliott |first12=Joshua |last13=Ewert |first13=Frank |last14=Janssens |first14=Ivan A. |last15=Li |first15=Tao |display-authors=6 |date=15 August 2017 |title=Temperature increase reduces global yields of major crops in four independent estimates |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=114 |issue=35 |pages=9326–9331 |bibcode=2017PNAS..114.9326Z |doi=10.1073/pnas.1701762114 |pmc=5584412 |pmid=28811375 |doi-access=free}}</ref> it still is one of the world's most important food crops.<ref>{{cite web |title=Potato |url=http://cipotato.org/potato |access-date=7 November 2012 |publisher=CIP}}</ref> Altogether, one 2003 estimate suggests that future (2040&ndash;2069) worldwide potato yield would be 18–32% lower than it was at the time, driven by declines in hotter areas like Sub-Saharan Africa,<ref name="supply" /> unless farmers and potato cultivars can adapt to the new environment.<ref name="Luck-et-al-2011">{{cite journal |last1=Luck |first1=J. |last2=Spackman |first2=M. |last3=Freeman |first3=A. |last4=Tre˛bicki |first4=P. |last5=Griffiths |first5=W. |last6=Finlay |first6=K. |last7=Chakraborty |first7=S. |title=Climate change and diseases of food crops |journal=Plant Pathology |volume=60 |issue=1 |date=2011 |issn=0032-0862 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-3059.2010.02414.x |pages=113–121|bibcode=2011PPath..60..113L }}</ref>

Potato plants and crop yields are predicted to benefit from the [[CO2 fertilization effect]],<ref name="UK">{{cite web |title=Climate change and potatoes: The risks, impacts and opportunities for UK potato production |url=http://www.potato.org.uk/sites/default/files/%5Bcurrent-page%3Aarg%3A%3F%5D/CC%20impacts%20potatoes_Final_20Sept2011.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910123323/http://www.potato.org.uk/sites/default/files/%5Bcurrent-page%3Aarg%3A%3F%5D/CC%20impacts%20potatoes_Final_20Sept2011.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2012 |access-date=7 November 2012 |publisher=Cranfield Water Science Institute}}</ref> which would increase [[photosynthesis|photosynthetic rates]] and therefore growth, reduce water consumption through lower [[transpiration]] from [[stomata]] and increase starch content in the edible tubers.<ref name="supply" /> However, potatoes are more sensitive to soil water deficits than some other staple crops like wheat.<ref>{{cite web |title=Crop Water Information: Potato |url=http://www.fao.org/nr/water/cropinfo_potato.html |access-date=7 November 2012 |publisher=FAO Water Development and Management Unit}}</ref> In the UK, the amount of [[arable land]] suitable for [[rainfed]] potato production is predicted to decrease by at least 75%.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Daccache |first1=A. |last2=Keay |first2=C. |last3=Jones |first3=R. J. A. |last4=Weatherhead |first4=E. K. |last5=Stalham |first5=M. A. |last6=Knox |first6=J. W. |title=Climate change and land suitability for potato production in England and Wales: impacts and adaptation |journal=The Journal of Agricultural Science |volume=150 |issue=2 |date=2012 |issn=0021-8596 |doi=10.1017/S0021859611000839 |pages=161–177|hdl=1826/8188 }}</ref> These changes are likely to lead to increased demand for [[irrigation]] water, particularly during the potato growing season.<ref name="supply" />

Potatoes grow best under temperate conditions.<ref name="global">{{cite journal |last=Hijmans |first=Robert J. |year=2003 |title=The Effect of Climate Change on Global Potato Production |journal=American Journal of Potato Research |volume=80 |issue=4 |pages=271–280 |doi=10.1007/bf02855363 |s2cid=3355406}}</ref> Temperatures above {{convert|30|C}} have negative effects on potato crops, from physiological damage such as brown spots on tubers, to slower growth, premature sprouting, and lower starch content.<ref name="Levy">{{cite journal |last1=Levy |first1=D. |last2=Veilleux |first2=R.E. |year=2007 |title=Adaptation of Potato to High Temperatures and Salinity A Review |journal=American Journal of Potato Research |volume=84 |issue=6 |pages=487–506 |doi=10.1007/bf02987885 |s2cid=602971}}</ref> These effects reduce crop yield, affecting both the number and the weight of tubers. As a result, areas where current temperatures are near the limits of potatoes' temperature range (e.g. much of [[sub-Saharan Africa]])<ref name="supply"/> will likely suffer large reductions in potato crop yields in the future.<ref name="global"/> On the other hand, low temperatures reduce potato growth and present risk of frost damage.<ref name="supply"/>

=== Changes in pests and diseases ===

[[File:Kartoffelkäferlarven.jpg|thumb|upright|Plant destroyed by [[Colorado potato beetle]] (''Leptinotarsa decemlineata'') larvae]]

Climate change is predicted to affect many potato pests and diseases. These include:

* Insect pests such as the [[potato tuber moth]] and [[Colorado potato beetle]], which are predicted to spread into areas currently too cold for them.<ref name="supply"/>
* [[Aphid]]s which act as vectors for many potato viruses and will spread under increased temperatures.<ref>{{cite web |title=Potato Research Priorities in Asia and the Pacific Region |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/i0200e/I0200E08.htm |access-date=7 November 2012 |publisher=FAO |last=Pandey |first=S.K.}}</ref>
* Pathogens causing potato blackleg disease (e.g. [[Dickeya]]) grow and reproduce faster at higher temperatures.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why is Dickeya spp. (syn. Erwinia chrysanthemi) taking over? The ecology of a blackleg pathogen |url=http://www.knpv.org/db/upload/documents/Pests%20and%20climate%20change/van_der_Wolf_KNPV3_dec_2008.pdf |access-date=7 November 2012 |last=Czajkowski |first=R.}}</ref>
* Bacterial infections such as [[Ralstonia solanacearum]] will benefit from higher temperatures and spread more easily through flash flooding.<ref name="supply"/>
* [[Late blight]] benefits from higher temperatures and wetter conditions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Implications for a warmer, wetter world on the late blight pathogen: How CIP efforts can reduce risk for low-input potato farmers |url=http://www.icrisat.org/journal/SpecialProject/sp4.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105075912/http://www.icrisat.org/journal/SpecialProject/sp4.pdf |archive-date=5 January 2011 |access-date=7 November 2012 |publisher=CIP |last=Forbes |first=G.A.}}</ref> Late blight is predicted to become a greater threat in some areas (e.g. in Finland)<ref name="supply"/> and become a lesser threat in others (e.g. in the United Kingdom).<ref name="UK"/>

=== Adaptation strategies ===

Potato production is expected to decline in many areas due to hotter temperatures and decreased water availability. Conversely, production is predicted to become possible in high altitude and latitude areas where it has been limited by frost damage, such as in [[Canada]] and [[Russia]].<ref name="global"/> This will shift potato production to cooler areas, mitigating much of the projected decline in yield. However, this may trigger competition for land between potato crops and other land uses, mostly due to changes in water and temperature regimes.<ref name="global"/>

The other approach is through the development of varieties or cultivars which would be more adapted to altered conditions. This can be done through 'traditional' [[horticulture|plant breeding techniques]] and [[genetic modification]]. These techniques allow for the selection of specific traits as a new cultivar is developed. Certain traits, such as [[heat stress]] tolerance, drought tolerance, fast growth/early maturation and disease resistance, may play an important role in creating new cultivars able to maintain yields under stressors induced by climate change.<ref name="Levy"/>

For instance, developing cultivars with greater heat stress tolerance would be critical for maintaining yields in countries with potato production areas near current cultivars' maximum temperature limits (e.g. [[Sub-Saharan Africa]], India).<ref>{{cite web |title=Information highlights from World Potato Congress, Kunming, China, April 2004 |url=http://www.peracto.com.au/publications/world-potato-congress.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410010504/http://peracto.com.au/publications/world-potato-congress.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2013 |access-date=7 November 2012 |publisher=World Potato Congress}}</ref> Superior drought resistance can be achieved through improved water use efficiency (amount of food produced per amount of water used) or the ability to recover from short drought periods and still produce acceptable yields. Further, selecting for deeper root systems may reduce the need for irrigation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Potato and water resources |url=http://www.potato2008.org/en/potato/water.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620192756/http://www.potato2008.org/en/potato/water.html |archive-date=20 June 2012 |access-date=7 November 2012 |publisher=FAO}}</ref>

== Nutrition ==
{{nutritional value
|name=Potatoes, boiled, cooked in skin, flesh, without salt
|water=77 g
|kJ=364
|protein=1.9 g
|fat=0.1 g
|carbs=20.1 g
|fiber=1.8 g
|sugars=0.9 g
|calcium_mg=5
|iron_mg=0.31
|magnesium_mg=22
|phosphorus_mg=44
|potassium_mg=379
|sodium_mg=4
|zinc_mg=0.3
|manganese_mg=0.14
|vitC_mg=13
|thiamin_mg=0.11
|riboflavin_mg=0.02
|niacin_mg=1.44
|pantothenic_mg=0.52
|vitB6_mg=0.3
|folate_ug=10
|note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170438/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}

{{further |Staple food#Comparison of 10 staple foods}}

In a reference amount of {{convert|100|g}}, a boiled potato with skin supplies 87 [[calorie]]s and is 77% water, 20% [[carbohydrate]]s (including 2% [[dietary fiber]] in the skin and flesh), 2% [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], and contains negligible fat (table). The protein content is comparable to other starchy vegetable staples, as well as grains.<ref name="Beals">{{cite journal |last=Beals |first=Katherine A. |title=Potatoes, Nutrition and Health |journal=American Journal of Potato Research |date=2019 |volume=96 |issue=2 |pages=102–110 |doi=10.1007/s12230-018-09705-4 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Boiled potatoes are a moderate source (10–19% of the [[Daily Value]], DV) of [[vitamin C]] (14% DV) and the [[B vitamins]], [[vitamin B6]] and [[pantothenic acid]] (table). Other than a moderate source of [[potassium in biology|potassium]] (13% DV), boiled potatoes do not supply significant amounts of [[mineral (nutrient)|dietary minerals]] (table).

The potato is rarely eaten raw because raw potato starch is poorly digested by humans.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Beazell |first1=JM |last2=Schmidt |first2=CR |last3=Ivy |first3=AC |date=January 1939 |title=On the Digestibility of Raw Potato Starch in Man |journal=The Journal of Nutrition |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages= 77–83 |doi=10.1093/jn/17.1.77}}</ref> Depending on the cultivar and preparation method, potatoes can have a high [[glycemic index]] (GI) and so are often excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a [[low-glycemic index diet|low-GI diet]].<ref name="gi">{{cite journal | last1=Fernandes | first1=Glen | last2=Velangi | first2=Amogh | last3=Wolever | first3=Thomas M.S. | title=Glycemic index of potatoes commonly consumed in North America | journal=Journal of the American Dietetic Association | volume=105 | issue=4 | date=2005 | doi=10.1016/j.jada.2005.01.003 | pages=557–562| pmid=15800557 }}</ref><ref name="Beals"/> There is a lack of evidence on the effect of potato consumption on obesity and diabetes.<ref name="Beals"/>

In the UK, potatoes are not considered by the [[National Health Service]] as counting or contributing towards the recommended daily [[5 A Day|five portions of fruit and vegetables]], the 5-A-Day program.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-23 |title=5 A Day: what counts? |url=https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/5-a-day/5-a-day-what-counts/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=nhs.uk}}</ref>

== Toxicity ==
{{Multiple image
| total_width   = 400
| align         = center
| direction     = horizontal
| footer        = Some toxic [[solanine]]-rich parts of ''S. tuberosum'' 
| caption1      = The inedible [[potato fruit]]
| caption2      = Tubers exposed to light
| image1        = Solanum tuberosum 004.JPG
| image2        = Aardappel groene knollen (Solanum tuberosum).jpg
}}

Raw potatoes contain [[Toxicity|toxic]] [[glycoalkaloid]]s, of which the most prevalent are solanine and [[chaconine]]. Solanine is found in other plants in the same family, [[Solanaceae]], which includes such plants as deadly nightshade (''[[Atropa belladonna]]''), henbane (''[[Hyoscyamus niger]]'') and tobacco (''[[Nicotiana]]'' spp.), as well as food plants like tomato. These compounds, which protect the potato plant from its predators, are especially concentrated in the aerial parts of the plant. The tubers are low in these toxins, unless they are exposed to light, which makes them go green.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tomato-like Fruit on Potato Plants |url=http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2004/7-2-2004/tomatopotato.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040716065133/http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2004/7-2-2004/tomatopotato.html |archive-date=16 July 2004 |access-date=8 January 2009 |publisher=[[Iowa State University]]}}</ref><ref name="fried">{{cite journal | last1=Friedman | first1=Mendel | last2=McDonald | first2=Gary M. | last3=Filadelfi-Keszi | first3=MaryAnn | title=Potato Glycoalkaloids: Chemistry, Analysis, Safety, and Plant Physiology | journal=Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences | volume=16 | issue=1 | date=1997 | issn=0735-2689 | doi=10.1080/07352689709701946 | pages=55–132| bibcode=1997CRvPS..16...55F }}</ref>

Exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within the tuber.<ref name="Greening of potatoes">{{cite web |year=2005 |title=Greening of potatoes |url=http://www.csiro.au/resources/green-potatoes |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125205141/http://www.csiro.au/resources/green-potatoes |archive-date=25 November 2011 |access-date=15 November 2008 |publisher=[[Food Science Australia]]}}</ref> Different potato varieties contain different levels of glycoalkaloids. The '[[Lenape (potato)|Lenape]]' variety, released in 1967, was withdrawn in 1970 as it contained high levels of glycoalkaloids.<ref name="boing">{{cite web |last=Koerth-Baker |first=Marggie |date=25 March 2013 |title=The case of the poison potato |url=https://boingboing.net/2013/03/25/the-case-of-the-poison-potato.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108070908/http://boingboing.net/2013/03/25/the-case-of-the-poison-potato.html |archive-date=8 November 2015 |access-date=8 November 2015 |publisher=boingboing.net}}</ref> Since then, breeders of new varieties test for this, sometimes discarding an otherwise promising [[cultivar]]. Breeders try to keep glycoalkaloid levels below {{cvt|200|mg/kg}}. However, when these commercial varieties turn green, their [[solanine]] concentrations can go well above this limit,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Friedman |first1=Mendel |last2=Roitman |first2=James N. |last3=Kozukue |first3=Nobuyuki |date=2003-05-07 |title=Glycoalkaloid and calystegine contents of eight potato cultivars |journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry |volume=51 |issue=10 |pages=2964–2973 |doi=10.1021/jf021146f |issn=0021-8561 |pmid=12720378|bibcode=2003JAFC...51.2964F }}</ref> with higher levels in the potato's skin.<ref>{{cite book |author=Shaw, Ian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XlfVw2QmdvIC&pg=PA129 |title=Is it Safe to Eat?: Enjoy Eating and Minimize Food Risks |publisher=[[Springer Science & Business Media]] |year=2005 |isbn=978-3-540-21286-7 |location=[[Berlin]] |page=129}}</ref>

== Uses ==

=== Culinary ===

{{See also|List of potato dishes|Potato cooking}}

[[List of potato dishes|Potato dishes]] vary around the world. [[Peruvian cuisine]] naturally contains the potato as a primary ingredient in many dishes, as around 3,000 varieties of the tuber are grown there.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/24/AR2007062400727.html |title=''Peru Celebrates Potato Diversity'' |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date= 24 June 2007 |access-date=16 July 2010 |first=Monte |last=Hayes}}</ref> [[Chuño]] is a [[freeze-drying|freeze-dried]] potato product traditionally made by [[Quechuas|Quechua]] and [[Aymara people|Aymara]] communities of [[Peru]] and [[Bolivia]].<ref>Timothy Johns: With bitter Herbs They Shall Eat it : Chemical ecology and the origins of human diet and medicine, The University of Arizona Press, Tucson 1990, {{ISBN |0-8165-1023-7}}, pp. 82–84</ref> In the UK, potatoes form part of the traditional dish [[fish and chips]]. Roast potatoes are commonly served as part of a [[Sunday roast |Sunday roast dinner]] and mashed potatoes form a major component of several other traditional dishes, such as [[shepherd's pie]], [[bubble and squeak]], and [[bangers and mash]]. New potatoes may be cooked with [[mentha|mint]] and are often served with butter. In Germany, [[Northern Europe]] (Finland, Latvia and especially [[Scandinavia |Scandinavian countries]]), Eastern Europe (Russia, [[Belarus]] and [[Ukraine]]) and Poland, newly harvested, early ripening varieties are considered a special delicacy. Boiled whole and served un-peeled with [[dill]], these "new potatoes" are traditionally consumed with [[pickled herring|Baltic herring]]. Puddings made from grated potatoes ([[kugel]], [[kugelis]], and [[potato babka]]) are popular items of [[Ashkenazi cuisine|Ashkenazi]], [[Lithuanian cuisine|Lithuanian]], and [[Belarusian cuisine|Belarusian]] cuisine.<ref name="Bremzen90">{{cite book |author1=von Bremzen, Anya |author2=Welchman, John |title=Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook |publisher=Workman Publishing |location=New York |year=1990 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/pleasetotablethe00vonb/page/319 319–20] |isbn=978-0-89480-845-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/pleasetotablethe00vonb/page/319}}</ref> [[Cepelinai]], the national dish of [[Lithuania]], are [[dumpling]]s made from boiled grated potatoes, usually stuffed with [[Ground meat|minced meat]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.delac.eu/stories/40?back= |title=D.E.L.A.C. |work=delac.eu |access-date=25 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305044428/http://www.delac.eu/stories/40?back= |archive-date=5 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In Italy, in the [[Friuli]] region, potatoes serve to make a type of pasta called [[gnocchi]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Roden |first=Claudia |title=The Food of Italy |publisher=Arrow Books |location=London |year=1990 |page=72 |isbn=978-0-09-976220-1}}</ref> Potato is used in northern China where rice is not easily grown, a popular dish being {{lang |zh-Hans |青椒土豆丝}} (''qīng jiāo tǔ dòu sī''), made with green pepper, vinegar and thin slices of potato. In the winter, roadside sellers in northern China sell roasted potatoes.<ref name=Solomon>{{cite book |last=Solomon |first=Charmaine |title=Charmaine Solomon's Encyclopedia of Asian Food |year=1996 |publisher=William Heinemann Australia |location=Melbourne |isbn=978-0-85561-688-5 |page=293}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=180 heights=180>
File:Flickr - cyclonebill - Pommes frites med salatmayonnaise.jpg |''Pommes frites'', also called chips and [[French fries]]
File:Peru PapasRellenas2.jpg |[[Papa rellena]] 
File:Baked Potato (3662019664).jpg |Baked potato with sour cream and chives
File:Bauernfrühstück-01.jpg |German {{lang|de|[[Bauernfrühstück]]}} ("farmer's breakfast")
File:Cepelinai 2, Vilnius, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg |[[Cepelinai]]
</gallery>

=== Other uses ===

Potatoes are sometimes used to brew alcoholic spirits such as [[vodka]], [[poitín]], [[akvavit]], and [[brännvin]].<ref name=ermochkine>Ermochkine, Nicholas and Iglikowski, Peter (2003). ''40 degrees east : an anatomy of vodka'', Nova Publishers, p. 65, {{ISBN |1-59033-594-5}}.</ref><ref>[https://runeberg.org/nfbd/0233.html Brännvinsbränning] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621032823/http://runeberg.org/nfbd/0233.html |date=21 June 2013 }} in ''[[Nordisk familjebok]]'', volume 4 (1905)</ref>

Potatoes are used as [[fodder]] for livestock. They may be made into [[silage]] which can be stored for some months before use.<ref name="Halliday_2015">{{cite web |last=Halliday |first=Les |display-authors=etal |title=Ensiling Potatoes |work=Prince Edward Island Agriculture and Fisheries |date=2015 |url=http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/af_fact_ensipot.pdf |access-date=27 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schroeder |first=Ken |date=October 2012 |title=Feeding Cull Potatoes to Dairy and Beef Cattle |url=https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/wbic/files/2012/10/Feeding-Cull-Potatoes-to-Dairy-and-Beef-Cattle-10-24-12.pdf |access-date=June 4, 2024 |website=University of Wisconsin Extension}}</ref>

[[Potato starch]] is used in the food industry as a thickener and binder for soups and sauces, in the [[textile industry]] as an adhesive, and in the paper industry for the manufacturing of papers and boards.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Grant M. Campbell |author2=Colin Webb |author3=Stephen L. McKee |title=Cereals: Novel Uses and Processes |year=1997 |publisher=Springer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W4o7lUKSxyQC&pg=PA22 |isbn=978-0-306-45583-4 |page=22}}</ref><ref name="jai">{{cite book |title=Handbook of Potato Production, Improvement, and Postharvest |author1=Jai Gopal |author2=S.M. Paul Khurana |year=2006 |publisher=[[Haworth Press]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hxy8pkP26NEC&pg=PA544 |isbn=978-1-56022-272-9 |page=544}}</ref>

Potatoes are commonly used in plant research. The consistent [[parenchyma]] tissue, the clonal nature of the plant and the low metabolic activity make it an ideal [[model organism|model tissue]] for experiments on wound-response studies and electron transport.<ref name="Espinoza Estrada Silva-Rodriguez Tovar 1986">{{cite journal | last1=Espinoza | first1=N. O. | last2=Estrada | first2=R. | last3=Silva-Rodriguez | first3=D. | last4=Tovar | first4=P. | last5=Lizarraga | first5=R. | last6=Dodds | first6=J. H. | title=The Potato: A Model Crop Plant for Tissue Culture | journal=Outlook on Agriculture | volume=15 | issue=1 | date=1986 | issn=0030-7270 | doi=10.1177/003072708601500104 | pages=21–26| bibcode=1986OutAg..15...21E }}</ref>

== Cultural significance ==

=== In mythology ===

[[File:Axomama.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|[[Axomamma]], Incan goddess of potatoes]]

In [[Inca mythology]], a daughter of the earth mother [[Pachamama]], [[Axomamma]], is the goddess of potatoes. She ensured the fertility of the soil and the growth of the tubers.<ref name="Thurner 2021">{{cite book |last1=Thurner |first1=Mark |last2=Pimentel |first2=Juan |title=New World Objects of Knowledge |publisher=Institute of Latin American Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London |publication-place=London |date=2021 |isbn=978-1-908857-82-8 |oclc=on1242739583 |page=248 |url=https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/55756/1/9781908857828.pdf#page=267}}</ref> According to [[Iroquois mythology]], the first potatoes [[Origin myth|grew]] out of Earth Woman's feet after she [[Maternal death|died giving birth]] to her [[Twin |twin sons]], [[Hahgwehdiyu|Sapling and Flint]].<ref name="Converse 1908">{{cite journal |last1=Converse |first1=Harriet Maxwell (Ya-ie-wa-no) |author1-link=Harriet Maxwell Converse |last2=Parker |first2=Arthur Caswell (Ga-wa-so-wa-neh) |date=15 December 1908 |title=Myths and Legends of the New York State Iroquois |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924055492973 <!--myth is told at [[Hahgwehdiyu |Sapling and Flint]]--> |journal=Education Department Bulletin |publisher=[[University of the State of New York]] |pages=31–41 <!--page 34-->"Creation: Ata-en-sic, the Sky Woman" and "The Sun, Moon and Stars" |access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref>

=== In art ===

The potato has been an essential crop in the Andes since the [[pre-Columbian era]]. The [[Moche (culture)|Moche]] culture from Northern [[Peru]] made ceramics from the earth, water, and fire. This pottery was a sacred substance, formed in significant shapes and used to represent important themes. Potatoes are represented anthropomorphically as well as naturally.<ref>Berrin, Katherine & [[Larco Museum]]. The Spirit of Ancient Peru: Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. New York:Thames and Hudson, 1997.</ref>
During the late 19th century, numerous images of potato harvesting appeared in European art, including the works of [[Willem Witsen]] and [[Anton Mauve]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Steven Adams |author2=Anna Gruetzner Robins |title=Gendering Landscape Art |year=2000 |publisher=[[University of Manchester]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dY7xwrA-ibQC&pg=PA67 |isbn=978-0-7190-5628-4 |page=67}}</ref>
[[Van Gogh]]'s 1885 painting ''[[The Potato Eaters]]'' portrays a family eating potatoes. Van Gogh said he wanted to depict peasants as they really were. He deliberately chose coarse and ugly models, thinking that they would be natural and unspoiled in his finished work.<ref name="vgg">{{cite web |url=http://www.vggallery.com/visitors/004.htm |title=The Potato Eaters by Vincent van Gogh |last=van Tilborgh |first=Louis |year=2009 |work=The Vincent van Gogh Gallery |access-date=11 September 2009}}</ref>
[[Jean-François Millet]]'s ''The Potato Harvest'' depicts peasants working in the plains between Barbizon and Chailly. It presents a theme representative of the peasants' struggle for survival. Millet's technique for this work incorporated paste-like pigments thickly applied over a coarsely textured canvas.<ref name="William Johnston">Johnston, W.R., Nineteenth Century Art: From Romanticism to Art Nouveau, The Walters Art Gallery, p.56, {{ISBN|1857592433}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths="160px" heights="160px">
File:Papamuseolarco.jpg|Potato ceramic from the [[Moche (culture)|Moche]] culture
File:Jean-François Millet - The Potato Harvest - Walters 37115.jpg |''[[The Potato Harvest]]'' by [[Jean-François Millet]], 1855 ([[Walters Art Museum]])
File:Bastien Lepage Saison d-Octobre Recolte des pommes de terre.jpg |''The potato harvest'' by [[Jules Bastien-Lepage]], 1877, [[National Gallery of Victoria]]
File:Van-willem-vincent-gogh-die-kartoffelesser-03850.jpg |''[[The Potato Eaters]]'' by [[Van Gogh]], 1885 ([[Van Gogh Museum]])
File:Anker Die kleine Kartoffelschälerin 1886.jpg |''Girl peeling potatoes'' by [[Albert Anker]], 1886, oil on canvas
</gallery>

=== In popular culture ===

Invented in 1949, and marketed and sold commercially by [[Hasbro]] in 1952, [[Mr. Potato Head]] is an American toy that consists of a plastic potato and attachable plastic parts, such as ears and eyes, to make a face. It was the first toy ever advertised on television.<ref name="VAC">{{cite web |url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1120879/mr-potato-head-construction-toy-lerner-george/ |title=Mr Potato Head |website=Museum of Childhood |publisher=V&A Museum of Childhood |access-date=4 June 2024}}</ref><ref name="historyofhasbro">{{cite web |url=http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=ci_history_mph |title=About Mr. Potato Head |access-date=August 28, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925085901/http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=ci_history_mph |archive-date=September 25, 2008}}</ref><ref name=WTToys>{{cite book |last=Walsh |first=Tim |title=Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Made Them |publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=0-7407-5571-4}}</ref>

In the 2015 science fiction film [[The Martian (film)#Scientific accuracy|''The Martian'']], the protagonist, a stranded astronaut and botanist named Mark Watney, cultivates potatoes on Mars using [[Martian regolith|Martian soil]] fertilized with frozen feces.<ref>{{cite web |title=Could we grow potatoes on Mars? |publisher=Knowledge Centre, University of Warwick |url=https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/knowledgecentre/science/physics-astrophysics/growing_potatoes_on_mars/|access-date=4 June 2024 |date=18 August 2020}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Great Famine (Ireland)]]
* [[Irish potato candy]]
* [[List of potato dishes]]
* [[List of potato museums]]
* [[Loy (spade)]], a form of early spade used in Ireland for the cultivation of potatoes
* [[New World crops]]
* [[Potato battery]]
* [[International Year of the Potato]]

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==

{{refbegin |30em}}
<!--                 ALPHABETICAL ORDER             
-->
* [https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/105275/Atlas_of_wild_potatoes_826.pdf ''Atlas of Wild Potatoes''] (2002), Systematic and Ecogeographic Studies on Crop Genepools 10, International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), {{ISBN |9789290435181}}
* ''Economist''. "Llamas and mash", [http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10766599 ''The Economist'' 28 February 2008]
* {{cite book |editor=Bohl, William H. |editor2=Johnson, Steven B. |title=Commercial Potato Production in North America: The Potato Association of America Handbook |publisher=The Potato Association of America |series=Second Revision of American Potato Journal Supplement Volume 57 and [[USDA]] Handbook 267 |year=2010 |url=http://potatoassociation.org/documents/A_ProductionHandbook_Final_000.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120816144218/http://potatoassociation.org/documents/A_ProductionHandbook_Final_000.pdf |archive-date=16 August 2012 |df=dmy-all |ref=none}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Boomgaard |first1=Peter |year=2003 |title=In the Shadow of Rice: Roots and Tubers in Indonesian History, 1500–1950 |journal=[[Agricultural History]] |volume=77 |issue=4 |pages=582–610 |jstor=3744936 |doi=10.1525/ah.2003.77.4.582 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |title=The Potato Crop: Its Agricultural, Nutritional and Social Contribution to Humankind |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-28683-5 |year=2020 |isbn=978-3-030-28683-5 |publisher=[[Springer Nature]] |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-28683-5 |editor-last1=Campos |editor-first1=Hugo |editor-last2=Ortiz |editor-first2=Oscar |ref=none}}
* Gauldie, Enid (1981). The Scottish Miller 1700–1900. Pub. John Donald. {{ISBN |0-85976-067-7}}.
* Hawkes, J.G. (1990). ''The Potato: Evolution, Biodiversity & Genetic Resources'', Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC
* {{cite book |last1=Lang |first1=James |year=1975 |title=Notes of a Potato Watcher |series=Texas A&M University Agriculture series |isbn=978-1-58544-138-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/notesofpotatowat0000lang |ref=none}}
* {{cite journal |last=Langer |first=William L |title=American Foods and Europe's Population Growth 1750–1850 |journal=[[Journal of Social History]] |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=51–66 |jstor=3786266 |doi=10.1353/jsh/8.2.51 |year=1975 |ref=none}}
* McNeill, William H. "How the Potato Changed the World's History." ''Social Research'' (1999) 66#1 pp. 67–83. {{ISSN |0037-783X}} Fulltext: [[EBSCO Information Services|Ebsco]], by a leading historian
* {{cite journal |author=McNeill William H |year=1948 |title=The Introduction of the Potato into Ireland |journal=[[Journal of Modern History]] |volume=21 |issue=3 |pages=218–21 |jstor=1876068 |doi=10.1086/237272 |s2cid=145099646 |ref=none}}
* Ó Gráda, Cormac. ''Black '47 and Beyond: The Great Irish Famine in History, Economy, and Memory.'' (1999). 272 pp.
* Ó Gráda, Cormac, Richard Paping, and Eric Vanhaute, eds. ''When the Potato Failed: Causes and Effects of the Last European Subsistence Crisis, 1845–1850.'' (2007). {{ISBN |978-2-503-51985-2}}. 15 essays by scholars looking at Ireland and all of Europe
* Reader, John. ''Propitious Esculent: The Potato in World History'' (2008), 315 pp a standard scholarly history
* Salaman, Redcliffe N. (1989) [1949. ''The History and Social Influence of the Potato'', Cambridge University Press.
* {{Cite journal |last1=Spooner |first1=David M. |first2=Karen |last2=McLean |first3=Gavin |last3=Ramsay |first4=Robbie |last4=Waugh |first5=Glenn J. |last5=Bryan |date=October 2005 |title=A single domestication for potato based on multilocus amplified fragment length polymorphism genotyping |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |publisher=[[National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America]] |volume=102 |issue=41 |pages=14694–14699 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0507400102 |pmid=16203994 |pmc=1253605 |bibcode=2005PNAS..10214694S |doi-access=free |ref=none}}
* Stevenson, W.R., Loria, R., Franc, G.D., and Weingartner, D.P. (2001) ''Compendium of Potato Diseases'', 2nd ed, Amer. Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN.
* [https://www.worldpotatoatlas.com/ The World Potato Atlas], released by the International Potato Center in 2006 and regularly updated. 
* World Geography of the Potato at [https://web.archive.org/web/20060604061759/http://www.lanra.uga.edu/potato/ UGA.edu], released in 1993.
* Zuckerman, Larry. ''The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World.'' (1998). 304 pp. Douglas & McIntyre. {{ISBN |0-86547-578-4}}.
{{Refend}}

{{Potato cultivars}}
{{Bioenergy}}
{{Taxonbar |from=Q10998}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Sister bar |d=Q10998 |b=Cookbook:Potato |wikt=potato |c=Solanum tuberosum |species=Solanum tuberosum |auto=1}}

[[Category:Potatoes|Potatoes]]
[[Category:Crops originating from Bolivia]]
[[Category:Crops originating from indigenous Americans]]
[[Category:Crops originating from Peru]]
[[Category:Crops originating from South America]]
[[Category:Northern Irish cuisine]]
[[Category:Edible Solanaceae]]
[[Category:Flora of the Andes]]
[[Category:Irish cuisine]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Root vegetables]]
[[Category:Solanum]]
[[Category:Staple foods]]
[[Category:Stoloniferous plants]]
[[Category:Tubers]]