The Potato

Summary

American tubers introduced into Europe in the late 15^th - early 17^th centurieswere known, in England, by the general term potatoes, but when one of them, Solanum tuberosum L., became established as a staple crop the name waseventually applied specifically to it. As a staple crop the potato is inefficient asa supplier of energy to the consumer (approx 350 kJ/lOOg); is better as asupplier, in relation to requirement, of dietary nitrogen, which is of high quality;and is pre-eminent as a supplier of vitamin C. The yields of dry _matter and ofnitrogen per hectare are in general better than those of cereals in temperateclimates. Useful yields can be obtained in the tropics but require the inputs ofa developed agriculture, which may be beyond the means of peasant growers.Europe is the main region of potato production but European production andconsumption have declined markedly in the last few decades. Statistics aregiven for area, production, yield and consumption in the major potato-producingcountries, and the origin and domestication of the potato are briefly described.