Solanum tuberosum
L.
Potato
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Summary
Source: WikipediaA frost-tender perennial with hermaphroditic, insect-pollinated flowers. Grows in light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with well-drained conditions across mildly acid to basic pH. Requires full sun and prefers moist soil.
Description
A branched annual plant up to 50 cm high. The stems are soft and 4 angled with compound leaves. The leaves are irregular shape and have 6-8 pairs of leaflets as well as small irregular leaflets between the others. It has swollen stem tubers under the ground. The tubers can vary in colour from white to red and purple. The tuber shape can also vary greatly. The flowers are white pink or purple. The fruit is a berry. It is smooth, round and green but often striped.
Edible Uses
The tuber is cooked. This species has the largest tubers of all Andean cultivated species, with a good protein content (12% dry weight, compared to 8–10% for the cultivated potato), and is rich in starch and vitamin C. Nutritional composition per 100g fresh weight: 80 calories; water 79%; protein 2.4g; fat 0.1g; carbohydrate 18g; fibre 0.5g; ash 1.3g; calcium 10mg; phosphorus 51mg; iron 0.8mg; sodium 5mg; potassium 401mg; vitamin A 20mg; thiamine (B1) 0.9mg; riboflavin (B2) 0.03mg; niacin 1.5mg; vitamin C 20mg. These figures represent the mean obtained from a range of readings.
Traditional Uses
The tubers are cooked and eaten. They are also fried, canned and made into starch. The tubers are boiled, baked, roasted, mashed and used in soups, stews, dumplings, pancakes and potato salads. Potatoes are also use for alcoholic drinks. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer. The tender leaves are also occasionally eaten. They are used in soup. The leaves are used for sarma in Turkey. They are rolled around a filling of rice or minced meat. CAUTION The green tubers and leaves are poisonous. They contain a poisonous alkaloid solanine. Tubers need to be cooked.
Medicinal Uses
No known medicinal uses.
Known Hazards
Raw potatoes contain toxic glycoalkaloids, 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. Exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within the tuber. Different potato varieties contain different levels of glycoalkaloids. The 'Lenape' variety, released in 1967, was withdrawn in 1970 as it contained high levels of glycoalkaloids. Since then, breeders of new varieties test for this, sometimes discarding an otherwise promising cultivar. Breeders try to keep glycoalkaloid levels below 200 mg/kg (0.0032 oz/lb). However, when these commercial varieties turn green, their solanine concentrations can go well above this limit, with higher levels in the potato's skin.
Distribution
It is a temperate plant. In the tropics they mostly grow at high altitude above 1500 m, but plants are grown between 900 and 2800 m. Tubers form best when soil temperatures are 15.5°C. Tuber formation stops with a soil temperature of 30°C and decreases with temperatures above 20°C. Potatoes should have a mean temperature below 18°C. They are damaged by frost but slightly more frost tolerant than sweet potato. Short daylength helps tuber production. They can grow with a pH of 5.2-6.6. In the Himalayas it grows up to 4,400 m altitude as a summer crop. In the Andes it grows between 1,000-3,900 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 7-11.
Where It Grows
Africa, Albania, Algeria, Andes, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Balkans, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bougainville, Brazil, Britain, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Caucasus, Central Africa, Central America, Central Asia, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Europe, Falklands, Fiji, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Guam, Guatemala, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Iceland, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Inner Mongolia, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mediterranean, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Peru, Philippines, Sao Tome and Principe, Scandinavia, SE Asia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Sikkim, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Cultivation
Plants are grown from tubers. Due to virus diseases it is necessary to get fresh seed tubers each few years. Large tubers can be cut to include a bud or "eye". A seed piece of 40-50 g is suitable. It is best to inter-crop as this stops bacterial wilt spreading. The plant is surrounded by dirt when 20-25 cm tall. Later the tubers need to be kept covered with dirt. Providing extra light (4-5 hours) allows plants to form flowers and true seed to be collected.
Propagation
Sow seed in early spring in a warm greenhouse. Prick out seedlings into a fairly rich compost as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on quickly. Plant out after the last expected frosts. Alternatively, propagate by division. Harvest tubers in autumn after frost has cut back the top-growth, store in a cool frost-free place over winter, and replant in April.
Other Uses
No known other uses.
Production
The time to maturity is between 17 and 24 weeks. Yields of 5 to 12 tons/ha can be expected. Higher yields can be obtained with good care.
Other Information
It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. In Papua New Guinea it is gaining acceptance as a subsistence food crop above about 1900 m altitude. More than 330 million tons are grown worldwide. It has been grown outside the Andes since 1532 AD.
Notes
There are about 1400 Solanum species. A C3 crop so will produce better with higher CO2 with climate change.
Nutrition
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuber baked | 71.2 | 456 | 109 | 2.3 | 0 | 12.9 | 1.4 | 0.3 |
| Tuber | 77 | 344 | 82 | 2 | 25 | 21 | 0.8 | 0.27 |
| Leaves | 86.1 | — | — | 3.4 | — | — | — | — |
Synonyms
Also Known As
Aalu, Aalu ko saag, Aartappel, Ah-lu, Ahr-lu, Alu-gidde, Alu, Ar-loo, Aspos, Aspus, Aswis, Atepote, Bangaladumpa, Batata, Batate, Buteta, Gamja, Huwi kumeli, Jagaimo, Kagow, Kartofel, Kentang, Krompir, Mudabula, Ovy, Owi kentang, Papa, Papas, Ubi kantang, Ubi kentang, Ubi kumandur, Uralagadda, Uralakilangu, Urulan kizhangu, Vateta, Wallaraikilangu, Yang yu
