Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » Vegetable Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #250060
Title: Taxonomy of cultivated potatoes (solanum section petota: solanaceae)

Author
item OVCHINNIKOVA, ANNA - Vavilov Institute
item KRILOVA, EKATERINA - Vavilov Institute
item GAVRILENKO, TATJANA - Vavilov Institute
item SMEKALOVA, TAMARA - Vavilov Institute
item DOROFEEV, VLADIMIR - Russian Academy Of Sciences
item ZHUK, MIKHAIL - Vavilov Institute
item KNAPP, SANDRA - Natural History Museum - London
item Spooner, David

Submitted to: Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/2/2010
Publication Date: 1/5/2011
Citation: Ovchinnikova, A., Krilova, E., Gavrilenko, T., Smekalova, T., Dorofeev, V., Zhuk, M., Knapp, S., Spooner, D.M. 2011. Taxonomy of cultivated potatoes (solanum section petota: solanaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 165:107-155.

Interpretive Summary: Solanum tuberosum, the cultivated potato of world commerce, is a primary food crop worldwide. Wild and cultivated potatoes form the germplasm base for international breeding efforts to improve potato in the face of variety of disease, environmental, and agronomic constraints. Knowledge of the proper scientific names of potatoes is critical for many tasks, such as planning collecting expeditions, managing genebanks, and use of these species in plant breeding. However, past taxonomic treatments of wild and cultivated potato have differed tremendously among authors regarding both the number of species recognized and hypotheses of their interrelationships. In total, there are 560 names of cultivated species yet only four species are recognized today. This paper compiles, for the first time, names of all cultivated potato species, many of which have appeared only in the Russian literature, places them in synonymy with the four recognized species. We also summarize the history of differing taxonomic concepts in cultivated potato, and keys and descriptions to the four cultivated species.

Technical Abstract: Solanum tuberosum, the cultivated potato of world commerce, is a primary food crop worldwide. Wild and cultivated potatoes form the germplasm base for international breeding efforts to improve potato in the face of variety of disease, environmental, and agronomic constraints. A series of national and international genebanks collect, characterize, and distribute germplasm to stimulate and aid potato improvement. Knowledge of potato taxonomy and evolution guides collecting efforts, genebank operations, and breeding. Past taxonomic treatments of wild and cultivated potato have differed tremendously among authors regarding both the number of species recognized and hypotheses of their interrelationships. In total, there are 494 basionyms of wild and 560 basionyms of cultivated taxa, including names not validly published. Recent classifications, however, recognize only about 100 wild species and four cultivated species. This paper compiles, for the first time, names of all cultivated potato species, many of which have appeared only in the Russian literature, places them in synonymy, and provides lectotype designations for all names validly published where possible. We also summarize the history of differing taxonomic concepts in cultivated potato, and keys and descriptions to the four cultivated species.