Solanum tuberosum

The potato is a herbaceous plant that is native to the Andes of South America. The leaves are pinnately divided, very lightly hairy and are usually dark green. The flowers are various shades of white, pink or purple, have 5 petals and the stamens in a bright yellow cone in the middle of the flower. The fruit is shaped like a tomato, but is smaller, green and very bitter. The tubers we eat are the swollen underground stems of the plant; they too come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes.

Wild Potatoes

Wild potatoes are thought to have originated somewhere around Mexico. They are now found growing from as far south as southern Chile, all up the western edge of South America, throughout Central America, and into southwestern North America. Around 200 wild species of potato have been identified.These different species survive in a wide variety of habitats: 4500 m above sea level on the freezing slopes of the Andean Mountains; in hot, dry, semi-deserts near the Peruvian coast; and in warm and humid subtropical rainforests found to the west of the Andes. One North American species even lives on the mossy branches of oak trees.

Wild potatoes also differ from each other in appearance and taste. They grow in a variety of shapes and colours and the tubers of some species taste extremely bitter. This bitter taste is due to the presence of poisonous alkaloids, chemical compounds that are found in many members of the potato or nightshade family (Solanaceae). The diversity of wild potato plants is a valuable resource for modern potato breeders, who may be able to breed useful traits found in wild potato species, such as the ability to resist disease, into the potato plants we grow as crops.

Domestication of the Potato

Domestication describes the changes that occur to species as a result of their deliberate cultivation by humans. The first humans to use potatoes would have collected them from the wild. The domestication of the potato began when humans stopped foraging for potatoes and started to grow them instead. The potatoes we eat today are descendants of the first potatoes to be grown for human use. Evidence suggests that it was in the Andes, on the borders of lake Titicaca, that humans first started to cultivate potatoes. The great importance of the potato plant to humans in this region is due in part to its ability to grow in the severe weather found at high altitudes. Potato remains have been found preserved underground in Peru that suggest potato cultivation started over 7000 years before present, nearly 2,000 years before the birth of Ancient Egypt. Potato cultivation has formed the basis of many civilisations in this region since then and is still important today.

The Andean peoples have an ancient method of preserving potatoes for up to several years: First they lay the potatoes out on the ground overnight to freeze them. Then, in the morning, they trample the potatoes with their feet and leave them exposed to the intense warmth of the sun. This process (repeated three times) is a primitive method of freeze-drying that drives the moisture out of the potatoes, enabling them to be kept longer before rotting. Potatoes that have been treated in this way are known as chuño. Modern freeze-drying methods are used today to preserve food for camping trips or even for space travel.

Spread of the Potato

From its origin in the highlands of Southern Peru the domesticated potato has been transported all around the world. The first diffusion of the domesticated potato was within the Americas. It started (possibly thousands of years ago) when early farmers from the highlands of southern Peru took their crop plants both farther north into Central America and south to southern Chile. The next major spread of the potato came as a result of the Spanish invasion of South America in the 1500s. An early account of the potato (published in 1551) by the Spanish explorer Cieza de Leon describes it as "… a kind of earth nut, which after it has been boiled, is as tender as a cooked chestnut, but it has no more skin than a truffle, and it grows under the earth in the same way."

Evidence from early herbarium (plant library) specimens indicates that the first potatoes introduced to Europe came from the northern highlands of South America, around Peru and Colombia. These areas were part of the Incan Empire, which was conquered by the Spanish in 1532. It therefore seems likely that it was the Spanish who first exported the potato from South America. However, it appears that rather than being introduced directly to mainland Europe, potatoes were first cultivated in the Canary Islands. From there they were then shipped to European countries including Belgium and France. The first known record of a potato on mainland Europe is found in the accounts of a Spanish hospital in 1573.

The cultivated potato was introduced to Bermuda by the British in 1613, from whence it was introduced into North America in 1621. The British were then responsible for spreading the potato to India and China in the late 1600s. Also in the late 1600s, potatoes appeared in Africa and Japan. They were introduced to New Zealand in 1769, being swiftly adopted by the Maoris who were already cultivating (unrelated) sweet potatoes.

Use of the Potato

The potato has been a vital food crop for Andean civilisations for hundreds (possibly thousands) of years. The arrival of the Spanish in the 1500s heralded the introduction of the potato to Europe. However, although the potato had been introduced to most of Europe by 1600, it didn't become part of the European diet until much later. At first, it was mainly grown by botanists as a curiosity or by physicians who used it in medicines. Ireland was the first place in Europe where the adoption of the potato was widespread. The potato was introduced to Ireland sometime before 1600 and it flourished in the Irish climate. It is possible that the famous explorer Sir Walter Raleigh personally supplied the first potatoes to Ireland. Potatoes were of great benefit to the poor, who had to support themselves on very small plots of land, as yields were high. The ease of growing, harvesting, and preparing potatoes also contributed to their rapid success. By 1650, potatoes had become the main crop in Ireland. Unfortunately this dependence on the potato, and the population explosion that followed its introduction, would lead to widespread famine when the crop failed due to disease.

In the colder areas of Europe, the delay in adoption of the potato could be attributed to climate. The potato plant, which had come to Europe from Peru, was adapted to the short days of summer near the equator and didn't produce potatoes in Northern Europe until the shorter days of autumn. In colder regions this was too late for successful potato growth. As a result, potatoes didn't become successful in the northern and colder areas of Europe until plants had been bred that would produce tubers earlier in the year. Even in the warmer climates farther to the south and west the adoption of the potato was slow. This was probably due to the resistance of rural communities to change. To plant a new crop was to risk food shortages in the event of failure. There were also rumours that the potato caused flatulence and diseases such as leprosy and scrofula (tuberculosis of the neck).

The adoption of the potato as a food crop throughout Europe really occurred during the 1700s. Europe was racked by conflict during this period and many politicians encouraged their citizens to grow potatoes as a way of preventing famine. Not only did potatoes often produce better yields than other crops but, because it was growing underground, the crop was less vulnerable to damage by hostile troops. Today, the potato is used in hundreds of ways all over the world, but perhaps the most famous is the humble chip (or, to Americans, French Fry). The invention of the potato chip is claimed by both the Belgians and the French.

How the Potato has Changed

Ever since humans first began to grow potatoes, we have been picking the 'best' potato plants (with the biggest or tastiest potatoes, for example) to grow for our use. Just by doing this we began to change potato plants to suit our needs. The potato has changed a lot since it was first domesticated, but these changes have not always been in the same direction. Over time, different features have been considered important to potato growers. The earliest potato cultivation seems to have occurred in the upland valleys and plains of Bolivia. At these altitudes, the ability of the potatoes to survive frosts would have been of major importance to farmers. As a result, after the initial domestication of the potato one of the first varieties to develop had a high frost resistance. Subsequently, as potato cultivation began to spread into other areas, different qualities became important. In lowland areas there was less need to select hardy potato plants and farmers could concentrate on yield and eating quality. As the potato spread southward from Peru, it began to change in other ways. The days in northern South America are always around 12 hours in length as these areas are close to the equator. Summer days in southern Chile are much longer and potato plants from farther north will not start to produce potatoes until autumn, when day length drops to around 12 hours. Over time, potato plants in Chile were bred so that they would produce potatoes much earlier in the year. Potatoes brought to Europe from northern South America went through the same change because Europe also has summer day lengths longer than 12 hours. By breeding and selection from just two varieties of potato, which were introduced to Europe in the 1500s, a wide variety of different potato plants were developed in the following centuries. Potatoes were bred for improved yield, quality, texture, and resistance to disease.

In the 1840s, the Irish potato crop was devastatingly infected with potato blight. A potato affected by blight has the outside shrunken and the inside corky and rotten. The resulting crop failures from potato blight caused widespread famine, mass emigration to the USA, and around 1 million deaths. The scale of this disaster drove plant breeders in the late 1800s to search for resistance to the disease in wild relatives of the potato. A wild species that was resistant to blight was eventually found in the early 1900s and after many attempts its natural resistance was bred into cultivated potato plants.

The use of the diversity of wild potato plants and ancient potato cultivars to breed desirable characteristics into modern potato crops has become commonplace, but the variety of wild potato plants is still underexploited. This is because of the long time needed to breed a trait from a purely wild plant into a plant suitable for agriculture. The fight against diseases is still an extremely important job for potato breeders, but potatoes are also being bred to cope with new demands. They have become more resistant to bruising so that they can be dug by machines and have a more regular size and shape. These demands are changing as new challenges emerge. Attributes attractive to plant breeders in the future may include the ability to resist drought or to grow in salty environments.

tuberosum: having tubers

Solanum chaucha var. pigmentatum Lechn.:
Bolivia (South America)
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum andigenum fo. cevallosii Bukasov:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum var. taraco Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum fo. surico Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum var. sipancachi Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum var. sicha Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum var. runa Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum fo. overita Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum var. murukewillu Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum fo. milagro Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum var. malcachu Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum var. lelekkoya Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum fo. kunurana Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum fo. huichinkka Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum stenotomum var. zapallo Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum stenotomum fo. quime Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum stenotomum fo. pacajes Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum stenotomum var. luru Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum stenotomum fo. laram Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum stenotomum var. kkamara Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum stenotomum var. chojllu Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum phureja fo. viuda Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum phureja fo. timusi Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum phureja fo. sayhuanimayo Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum phureja var. sanguineum Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum phureja var. rubroroseum Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum phureja fo. orbiculatum Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum phureja var. flavum Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum phureja var. caeruleum Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum × chaucha var. surimana Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum × chaucha var. khoyllu Ochoa:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum andigenum subsp. bolivianum Lechn.:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum stenotomum var. pitiquilla Hawkes:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum stenotomum var. megalocalyx Hawkes:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum stenotomum var. cyaneum Hawkes:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum andigenum var. stenophyllum Bukasov:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum andigenum var. longibaccatum Bukasov:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum andigenum var. imilla Bukasov & Lechn.:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum andigenum var. bolivianum Bukasov:
Bolivia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum yabari var. cuzcoense Hawkes:
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum yabari var. pepino Hawkes:
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum yabari Hawkes:
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tenuifilamentum Juz. & Bukasov:
Bolivia (South America)
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum parvicorollatum Lekhnovich:
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum mamilliferum Juz. & Bukasov:
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum hygrothermicum Ochoa:
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum goniocalyx Juz. & Bukasov:
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum churuspi Hawkes:
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum chaucha Juz. & Bukasov:
Bolivia (South America)
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum andigenum Juz. & Bukasov:
Bolivia (South America)
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum var. guaytecarum Hawkes:
Chile (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum var. tuberosum :
Chile (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum oceanicum Brücher:
Chile (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Solanum tuberosum L.:
Belize (Mesoamerica)
Bolivia (South America)
Colombia (South America)
Ecuador (South America)
Honduras (Mesoamerica)
Mexico (Mesoamerica)
Madagascar (Africa & Madagascar)
Panama (Mesoamerica)
Peru (South America)
United States (North America)
South Africa (Africa & Madagascar)
China (Asia)
Venezuela (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Canada

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

Distribution: Native to the mountainous areas of Mexico, Chile and Peru (S. America). Cultivated throughout the world.

S. America, widely cultivated for its edible tubers (potatoes) elsewhere.

Widely cultivated throughout China, also in other temperate regions of the world [Native to South America]

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / spot causer
Alternaria dematiaceous anamorph of Alternaria solani causes spots on live stem of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / sap sucker
Aphis fabae sucks sap of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / sap sucker
Aphis idaei sucks sap of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Armillaria mellea s.l. infects and damages Solanum tuberosum

Plant / associate
Atractiella solani is associated with storage area of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / sap sucker
Aulacorthum solani sucks sap of live, slightly distorted and discoloured leaf (young) of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / open feeder
nocturnal caterpillar of Autographa gamma grazes on live leaf of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / internal feeder
Blaniulus guttulatus feeds within tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / sap sucker
nymph of Campylomma verbasci sucks sap of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / saprobe
abundant, minute sclerotium of Colletotrichum coelomycetous anamorph of Colletotrichum coccodes is saprobic on dead stem (base) of Solanum tuberosum
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / saprobe
fruitbody of Coprinopsis radicans is saprobic on rotting tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / saprobe
densely scattered, immersed, scarcely erumpent pycnidium of Phomopsis coelomycetous anamorph of Diaporthe tulasnei is saprobic on dead stem of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
colony of Dickeya 'solani' infects and damages rapid wilting, blackened, soft rotting stem of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
colony of Dickeya dianthicola infects and damages slowly wilting, blackened, eventually drying out stem of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Ditylenchus destructor infects and damages live, cracked, wrinkled tuber of Solanum tuberosum
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / pathogen
Ditylenchus dipsaci infects and damages rotting tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
colony of Erwinia carotovora infects and damages tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Erwinia carotovora ssp. atroseptica infects and damages completely rotten tuber of Solanum tuberosum
Remarks: captive: in captivity, culture, or experimentally induced

Foodplant / pathogen
colony of Fusarium anamorph of Fusarium coeruleum infects and damages live, damaged tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Fusarium anamorph of Gibberella avenacea infects and damages live, damaged tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Fusarium anamorph of Gibberella cyanogena infects and damages live, damaged tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / gall
Globodera pallida causes gall of cysted root of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / gall
Globodera rostochiensis causes gall of cysted root of Solanum tuberosum
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / parasite
Golovinomyces orontii parasitises live Solanum tuberosum

Animal / pathogen
Rhizoctonia anamorph of Helicobasidium purpureum infects root of Solanum tuberosum
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / spot causer
colony of Helminthosporium dematiaceous anamorph of Helminthosporium solani causes spots on tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / saprobe
stalked apothecium of Hymenoscyphus scutula is saprobic on dead stem of Solanum tuberosum
Remarks: season: 9-11

Foodplant / feeds on
adult of Leptinotarsa decemlineata feeds on live leaf of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / sap sucker
Macrosiphum euphorbiae sucks sap of live shoot (young) of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / gall
Meloidogyne incognita causes gall of root of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Meloidogyne minor infects and damages Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
abundant, sessile sporodochium of Myrothecium dematiaceous anamorph of Myrothecium roridum infects and damages dry, brittle stem (base) of Solanum tuberosum
Remarks: Other: uncertain

Foodplant / sap sucker
Myzus persicae sucks sap of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / feeds on
Fusarium anamorph of Nectria ventricosa feeds on rotting tuber of Solanum tuberosum
Remarks: season: 10-7

Foodplant / open feeder
nocturnal larva of Pachyprotasis variegata grazes on leaf of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
colony of Pectobacterium atrosepticum infects and damages soft, rotting tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / parasite
Phacidiopycnis coelomycetous anamorph of Phacidiopycnis tuberivora parasitises live Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
immersed pycnidium of Phoma coelomycetous anamorph of Phoma exigua var. foveata infects and damages tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / feeds on
subterranean larva of Phyllopertha horticola feeds on live root of Solanum tuberosum
Other: unusual host/prey

Foodplant / pathogen
Phytophthora erythroseptica infects and damages live, yellow, wilted leaf of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
colony of Phytophthora infestans infects and damages live, patchily dull grey tuber of Solanum tuberosum
Remarks: season: 5-8 onwards

Foodplant / pathogen
effuse colony of Polyscytalum dematiaceous anamorph of Polyscytalum pustulans infects and damages live stem of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Potato Aucuba Mosaic virus infects and damages live tuber (flesh) of Solanum tuberosum
Other: minor host/prey

Foodplant / pathogen
Potato Leaf Roll virus infects and damages upward rolling, stiff, brittle leaflet of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Potato Mop Top virus infects and damages mop-headed haulm of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Potato Mosaic virus A infects and damages faintly mottled leaf of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Potato Mosaic virus X infects and damages faintly mottled leaf of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Potato Mosaic virus Y infects and damages roughened, puckered leaf of Solanum tuberosum

Animal / pathogen
Potato Paracrinkle virus infects Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / sap sucker
Pseudococcus sucks sap of live green part of sprouting of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / spot causer
densely gregarious, covered pycnidium of Pyrenochaeta coelomycetous anamorph of Pyrenochaeta ferox causes spots on live stem (lower part) of Solanum tuberosum
Remarks: season: 7

Foodplant / pathogen
Rosellinia necatrix infects and damages brown rotting, blackening tuber of Solanum tuberosum
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / gall
Spongospora subterranea f.sp. subterranea causes gall of live root of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / gall
Streptomyces acidiscabies causes gall of live tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / gall
Streptomyces scabies causes gall of live tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / gall
Streptomyces turgidiscabies causes gall of live tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / gall
Synchytrium endobioticum causes gall of live stem of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / open feeder
nocturnal larva of Tenthredo atra grazes on leaf of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / parasite
teleomorph of Thanatephorus cucumeris parasitises live stem (base) of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Tobacco Necrosis virus infects and damages cracked, blistered tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Tobacco Rattle virus infects and damages tuber flesh of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / pathogen
Tomato Black Ring virus infects and damages necrotic spotted leaf of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / miner
larva of Tuta absoluta mines stem of Solanum tuberosum

Foodplant / saprobe
larva of Xylota segnis is saprobic on wet, decaying tuber of Solanum tuberosum

Fl. Per.: May-August.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 8
Specimens with Barcodes: 8
Species With Barcodes: 1

The NSF Potato Genome Project

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked