[Sca-cooks] New Clues to Origin of Potatoes

[Terry Decker]

Interesting, but not really a great revelation.

Chilean potatoes are suited for a more temperate climate than Andean 
potatoes and would probably have become the de facto potato for most of the 
world, as they have done so, in any event.  The question, as can be seen 
from the article, is primarily a matter of when.

The discovery of the white potato is usually ascribed to de Quesada's 
Bolivian expedition and the first potatoes imported into Europe were 
probably Andean potatoes.  Comparing the DNA of the Chilean potatoes with 
that of the potatoes grown by Carolus Clusius in Holland would be more 
telling than the test described in the article, as Clusius's specimens were 
probably offspring from the earliest potatoes cultivated in Europe.  I don't 
know if any of these specimens survived the wars and the potato blight, so 
the idea may not be promising.

The Chilean potatoes would probably not have entered the mix until after the 
establishment of Santiago in 1541.  By the 1560s, a coastal trade had 
developed between the Spanish colonies.  In 1567, this coastal trade was 
joined by the Manila galleons which made annual runs between Manila and 
Acapulco until 1815.

Rather than being shipped around the Horn and straight to Europe, Chilean 
potatoes are more likely to have been shipped north to Panama and across the 
Isthumus to Darien for shipment to Europe as provisions for the yearly 
treasure fleets.  It is also possible that cultivation moved northward 
through the Spanish colonies and into Europe that way.

A point of curiosity are the Indian potatoes.  I'd like to know why the 
researchers are assuming a European origin.  With the yearly runs of the 
Manila galleon, these potatoes could have as easily been introduced directly 
from New World into the Philippines (Valparaiso to Acapulco to Manila), then 
spread to other parts of Asia.

Thanks for posting the article.  I'll add it to my collection of potato 
references.

Bear

From: "Sharon Gordon" <gordonse at one.net>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "ARS News Service" <NewsService at ars.usda.gov>
>> Unraveling the Mystery of Modern Potatoes' Origins
>> ___________________________________________
>>
>> ARS News Service
>> Agricultural Research Service, USDA
>> Erin Peabody, (301) 504-1624, ekpeabody at ars.usda.gov
>> March 18, 2005
>> ___________________________________________
>>
>> When it comes to veggies, almost everyone can agree on potatoes. But
> despite its popularity, the common brown potato has a colorful history 
> that
> some researchers are still disputing.
>>
>> While potatoes are believed to have arrived in Europe in the 1500s from
> the South American Andes, Agricultural Research Service botanist David M.
> Spooner has uncovered DNA evidence showing that early potatoes also came
> from South America's southwestern coast, in lowland Chile.
>>
>> From outward appearances, modern potatoes would seem to have Chilean
> ancestors. European potato plants have wide leaflets like Chilean ones, 
> and
> both are "long-day adapted," which means they require the longer days of
> summer to form tubers.
>>
>> But in the 1930s, researchers started challenging the notion of the
> Chilean connection, arguing that the first potatoes to reach Europe came
> only from the Andes. They claimed Chilean potatoes couldn't have survived
> the long journey from their native country, down through the Straits of
> Magellan and across the Atlantic.
>>
>> According to Spooner, who works in the ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit
> at Madison, Wis., potato seeds can last several years and so could have
> easily survived the trip. But even more compelling are data he recently
> assessed with colleagues at the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru,
> and the Central Potato Research Institute in Shimla, India.
>>
>> The researchers surveyed an assortment of potatoes from India considered
> to be remnants of some of the first potatoes to Europe. They found that
> these descendants share specific molecular traits with potatoes from
> Chile--not the Andes.
>>
>> Still, some argue that Chilean potatoes weren't introduced to Europe 
>> until
> after the famous 1840s Irish potato famine, to rescue the crop from the
> rot-causing late blight fungus. But, as Spooner points out, Chilean 
> potatoes
> aren't known for having resistance to late blight.
>>
>> With an increased understanding of modern potatoes' true ancestors,
> scientists can better preserve the world's potato plants to breed future
> varieties and realize the crop's natural disease- and insect-resistance
> potential.
>>
>> ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research
> agency.
>> ___________________________________________
>>
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