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The potato (Solanum
tuberosum) is a perennial plant of the
Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, commonly
grown for its starchy tuber. Potatoes are
the world's most widely grown tuber crop,
and the fourth largest crop in terms of
fresh produce — after rice, wheat, and maize
('corn'). The potato originated in southern
Peru [1] and is important to the culture of
the Andes, where farmers grow many different
varieties that have a remarkable diversity
of colors and shapes. Potatoes spread from
the Americas to the rest of the world after
European colonization in the late 1400s and
early 1500s and have since become an
important field crop. The potato is also
often strongly associated with Idaho, Prince
Edward Island, Ireland and Russia, after
having been adopted by these regions after
the Columbian Exchange. However, it is
native to Peru and was first cultivated by
the Incas. |
