Taxonomy Of Mexican Diploid Wild Potato Solanum Sect Petota Species

Taxonomic monograph; sections on taxonimic history, exploration for potatoes, morphology, breeding systems, hybridization, relationships, distribution, uses, taxonomy (keys, full synonymies and descriptions), bibliography.

This atlas describes the ecogeographic distribution of wild potatoes. They occur solely in the Americas, from the southwestern United States to central Argentina and Chile. To help the nonspecialist to understand the past and future changes in their classification, we first discuss the habitats, morphology, and taxonomy of wild potatoes. This is followed by a discussion of problems of data and information quality associated with the locality databases that were used for the maps in this atlas. Distribution maps are provided for all species and series (a taxonomic level that groups related species). Finally, statistics on ecogeographic distribution of wild potatoes, and analytical maps of species richness and series richness are provided.

In this volume, world leaders in potato research review historical and contemporary discoveries resulting in a range of advances. Topics include nutritional quality, yield, disease and insect resistance, processing, plant growth and development, and other aspects. The book also examines research yielding significant molecular resources that facilit

It is important to include Tuber and Root Crops in the Handbook of Plant Breeding. They include starchy staple crops that are of increasing importance for global food security and relief of poverty, important millennium goals for the United Nations. Indeed, 2008 was the UN International Year of the Potato in recognition of this role of the potato as the world’s third most important food crop after wheat and rice. The other major staples are cassava, sweetpotato and yam. Together they occupy about 50 million hectares, with production at 640 million metric tons, of which 70% is in developing countries. In total there are more than 30 species of Root and Tuber Crops grown in the world today. Given the content of other volumes in the series, it makes sense to include sugar and fodder beets; swedes and turnips; and minor root and tuber crops so that the book series is as complete as possible. Like the other volumes in the series, this one will present information on the latest in applied plant breeding using the current advances in the field, from an efficient use of genetic resources to the impact of biotechnology in plant breeding. Seven crop specific chapters are proposed, together with an introduction to this diverse set of plant species. Outstanding scientists for each crop species are proposed as senior authors, who may invite co-authors to contribute part of a chapter. In order to increase the overall acceptance of the volume, balance will be sought with authors from different research groups/countries who will be asked to contribute and collaborate where appropriate. The book should be of interest to researchers in both academic and industrial settings, and in both developed and developing countries, as well as students and teachers of plant breeding. It is currently extremely important to educate and train a new generation of plant breeders given the challenges faced by humankind in producing more food for an expanding global population during a period of environmental (including climate) change.

This book gathers the latest information on the organization of genomes in wild Solanum species and emphasizes how this information is yielding direct outcomes in the fields of molecular breeding, as well as a better understanding of both the patterns and processes of evolution. Cultivated Solanums, such as potato, tomato, and pepper, possess a high number of wild relatives that are of great importance for practical breeding and evolutionary studies. Their germplasm is often characterized by allelic diversity, as well as genes that are lacking in the cultivated species. Wild Solanums have not been fully exploited by breeders. This is mainly due to the lack of information regarding their genetics and genomics. However, the genome of important cultivated Solanaceae such as potato, tomato, eggplant, and pepper has already been sequenced. On the heels of these recent developments, wild Solanum genomes are now becoming available, opening an exciting new era for both basic research and varietal development in the Solanaceae.