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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » Vegetable Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #306574
Title: Systematics, diversity, genetics, and evolution of wild and cultivated potatoes

Author
item Spooner, David
item GHISLAIN, MARC - International Potato Center
item SIMON, REINHARD - International Potato Center
item Jansky, Shelley
item GAVRILENKO, T - Vavilov Institute

Submitted to: Botanical Review
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/15/2014
Publication Date: 12/19/2014
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/60147
Citation: Spooner, D.M., Ghislain, M., Simon, R., Jansky, S.H., Gavrilenko, T. 2014. Systematics, diversity, genetics, and evolution of wild and cultivated potatoes. Botanical Review. 80(4):283-383.

Interpretive Summary: Cultivated potatoes are the third most important food crop and are consumed worldwide. Indigenous primitive cultivated (landrace) potatoes, and wild potatoes, are widely used by potato breeders in their breeding programs because they have so many useful disease resistance and other useful traits such as the ability to make better fried products or grow in more stressful environments. Wild potatoes are widely distributed in the Americas from the southwestern United States to the Southern Cone of South America. The latest comprehensive taxonomic monograph of potatoes was published in 1990 where he recognized seven cultivated species and 225 wild species, divided into 21 groups. Since 1990, intensive field collections from throughout the range of the group, morphological studies, and molecular studies have halved the number of species (106 wild and four cultivated) and have shown more refined ideas about their relationships. DNA sequencing studies of cultivated potato has greatly accelerated investigation of all aspects of potato biology and allows us to address new questions not possible before. The purpose of our review is to provide a historical overview and update since 1990 of the taxonomy, diversity, genetics, domestication, and evolution, and breeding of wild and cultivated potatoes that serves to document and explain these many changes and serve as a reference to aid this new studies of potato.

Technical Abstract: Cultivated potato, Solanum tuberosum L., is the third most important food crop and is grown and consumed worldwide. Indigenous primitive cultivated (landrace) potatoes, and wild potatoes, all classified as Solanum section Petota, are widely used for potato improvement. Members of section Petota are widely distributed in the Americas from the southwestern United States to the Southern Cone of South America. The latest comprehensive taxonomic treatment of section Petota was published by John (Jack) Hawkes in 1990 when he recognized seven cultivated species and 225 wild species, divided into 21 taxonomic series. Since 1990, intensive field collections from throughout the range of the group, morphological studies, and molecular studies have halved the number of species (106 wild and four cultivated) and elucidated new ingroup and outgroup relationships. The recent sequencing of the potato genome has greatly accelerated investigation of all aspects of potato biology and allows us to address new questions not possible before. The purpose of our review is to provide a historical overview an update since 1990 of the systematics, diversity, genetics, domestication, and evolution, and breeding of section Petota that serves to document and explain these many changes and serve as a reference to aid this next generation of studies in the group.