Potatoes

=the potatoes = toc

= = = = = = The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species. Potatoes were first introduced outside the Andes region four centuries ago, and have become an integral part of much of the world's cuisine. It is the world's fourth-largest food crop, following rice, wheat, and corn. Long-term storage of potatoes requires specialised care in cold warehouses



where was cultivated?
Primitive cultivated varieties of potato (indigenous or native potatoes) are widely distributed across the Andes, from the West of Venezuela to the South, to the North-West of Argentina and the archipelago of Chiloé and the Chonos in the South of Chile. These varieties exhibit a great diversity both in morphology and chromosome numbers and Physiology



**History**


Sailors returning from Peru to Spain with silver presumably brought corn and potatoes for their own food on the trip. Historians speculate that leftover tubers were carried ashore and planted. Basque fishermen from Spain used potatoes as ships stores for their voyages across the Atlantic in the 16th century, and introduced the tuber to western Ireland, where they landed to dry their cold.

The Spanish had an empire across Europe, and brought potatoes for their armies. Peasants along the way adopted the crop, which was less often pillaged by marauding armies than above-ground stores of grain. Across most of northern Europe, where open fields prevailed, potatoes were strictly confined to small garden plots because field agriculture was strictly governed by custom that prescribed seasonal rhythms for plowing, sowing, harvesting and grazing animals on fallow and stubble. This meant that potatoes were barred from large-scale cultivation because the rules allowed only grain to be planted in the open fields.

At times when and where most other crops failed, potatoes could still typically be relied upon to contribute adequately to food supplies during colder years.The potato was not popular in France before 1800. It took time to be popularly adopted, but had widely replaced the tumip and rutabaga by the 19th century. Today, the potato forms an important part of the traditional cuisines of most of Europe.



Potatoes grown in a tall bag are common in gardens as they increase potato yield and minimize the amount of digging required at harvest.

Potato growth has been divided into five phases. During the first phase, sprouts emerge and root growth begins. During the second, photosynthesis begins as the plant develops leaves and branches. New tubers develop during the third phase, which is often associated with flowering. Hence potatoes are considered a cool-season crop. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Seed potato crops are 'rogued' in some countries to eliminate diseased plants or those of a different variety from the seed crop. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Potatoes are sensitive to heavy frosts, which damage them in the ground. Even cold weather makes potatoes more susceptible to bruising and possibly later rotting, which can quickly ruin a large stored crop. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Immature potatoes may be sold as "New Potatoes" and are particularly valued for taste. These are often harvested by the home gardener or farmer by "grabbling", i.e. pulling out the young tubers by hand while leaving the plant in place. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Potatoes are usually cured after harvest to improve skin-set. Skin-set is the process by which the skin of the potato becomes resistant to skinning damage. Potato tubers may be susceptible to skinning at harvest and suffer skinning damage during harvest and handling operations. Curing allows the skin to fully set and any wounds to heal.

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