The book reviews the knowledge about the nutritional value of the potato and its role in the nutrition of both children and adults.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book provides a fresh, updated and science-based perspective on the current status and prospects of the diverse array of topics related to the potato, and was written by distinguished scientists with hands-on global experience in research aspects related to potato. The potato is the third most important global food crop in terms of consumption. Being the only vegetatively propagated species among the world’s main five staple crops creates both issues and opportunities for the potato: on the one hand, this constrains the speed of its geographic expansion and its options for international commercialization and distribution when compared with commodity crops such as maize, wheat or rice. On the other, it provides an effective insulation against speculation and unforeseen spikes in commodity prices, since the potato does not represent a good traded on global markets. These two factors highlight the underappreciated and underrated role of the potato as a dependable nutrition security crop, one that can mitigate turmoil in world food supply and demand and political instability in some developing countries. Increasingly, the global role of the potato has expanded from a profitable crop in developing countries to a crop providing income and nutrition security in developing ones. This book will appeal to academics and students of crop sciences, but also policy makers and other stakeholders involved in the potato and its contribution to humankind’s food security.

Disease in the absence of infectious pathogens. Genetic abnormalities. Adverse environment. Nutrient imbalance. Disease in the presence of infectious pathogens. Fungi. Viruses. Mycoplasmas. Insect toxins. Nematodes. Aphids. Seed potato certification.

Potatoes are a staple crop around the world. Covering all aspects of botany, production and uses, this book presents a comprehensive discussion of the most important topics for potato researchers and professionals. It assesses the latest research on plant growth such as tuber development, water use and seed production, covers all aspects of pest management and reviews postharvest issues such as storage, global markets, and of course, nutritional value and flavour.

This book contains the proceedings of the Potato 2005 conference, held in Emmeloord, The Netherlands. This conference offered a platform to a diverse group of stakeholders in the potato industry to learn what science has to offer. At the same time it created an environment for scientists to learn what drives the industry in the rapidly changing world of the potato. The contributions in this book reflect the rapid developments both in the industry and in science. The nutritional aspects of the potato tuber are discussed as well as the volatile consumer moods in saturated or new markets. Latest developments in potato breeding and seed potato production are highlighted and these contributions underline how these potato sectors have been revolutionized. The present and future role of decision support systems in managing inputs of nitrogen and water and in managing pests (and thus in making potato production more sustainable) is described. Several innovations in technology development in potato production and storage are illustrated. Experts provide the latest news on crop protection, with a focus on developments in the control of the potato brown rot bacterium and late blight. Finally the trends in potato trade are described. This book shows that the potato crop is progressing globally - with increasing impact on food supply and added value - providing many opportunities for science to meet practice.